They were almost home when they heard the thunder. It was loud and deep, and seemed to have shaken the earth around them. The rain began falling, at first steady and calm, and then quickly progressed to a hard, heavy downpour, trapping Omar and Casey in it. They'd walked to the grocery store earlier, which was just over a mile from their home, and now they realized that they'd never make it with their bags intact with weather this harsh.
Their only option was to run, and they did as best they could. Neither of them could see very well, and their clothes were soaked. There was another loud bellow of thunder followed by a strong gust of wind. It was then that Omar saw it and called to Casey.
"Baby, come on!" he yelled as he raced towards a brick building off the side of the road. Casey followed his lead.
They'd managed to safely make it to the back of the building and found some cover from the rain. It was then that Casey realized where they were.
"The middle school?"
"Yeah. I figured we could wait out the storm here."
"I'm glad you saw it. It's raining so hard that I could hardly see anything. It's like Forrest Gump out there."
There were several doors in front of them. Omar set his bags down and tried opening them.
"What are you doing?"
"It's got to be warmer inside. Plus, we can use the bathroom, and clean up."
He worked his way down the line, each time finding the doors locked until finally, the last one opened with a whine. Omar smiled and looked back at Casey.
"God is good, baby."
* * *
Casey stood by the window watching the storm. She could see sheets of rain drumming against the glass, trying to push inside.
"Do you think anybody else is here?" she asked.
"Not on a Sunday. I think somebody just forgot to lock that last door."
"I wish we could get out of these clothes. We're going to catch pneumonia at this rate."
Omar grinned at the idea. He looked at Casey bent over at the window, her sundress clinging to her. He'd always loved it when she wore dresses, and the fact that she was here, drenched, excited him. Not to mention the taboo factor of having her in a school.
He approached her as she watched the rain continue its onslaught on the brick and glass outside, and gently pressed his lips against the flesh of her back. Vertebrae by vertebrae, Marco worked his mouth down Casey's spine.