Sweetly & Home Economically ✔

The Fire & A Drop of Bitter

~ The Fire & A Drop of Bitter ~

~¤°*°*°*°¤~

I could hardly breathe when I heard those words.

I grabbed my phone and fumbled to find the contact.

I needed to hear his voice.

My hands shook aggressively as I held the phone to my ear. I couldn't hear what my parents were tryng to tell me because the ringing tone was deafening as I waited for him to answer my call.

It seemed to go on forever until it finally stopped.

Theo's groggy voice came through, "Hello?"

A sob broke out from my tightly sealed lips.

"Abby?" His tone instantly became alarmed and worried, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Closing my eyes, I whispered, "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Abigail. Tell me what is wrong," he ordered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I barely registered that the phone was no longer in my hand. My mom's voice sounded far away when she told Theo she thought I was in shock and explained why.

She cupped my cheeks in her hands and turned my head, forcing me to look at her. I didn't even know she hung up.

"The authorities are waiting for us at the bakery. Theo is going to meet us there. Do you want to come along?"

I nodded numbly. My parents left me alone to get ready. In a blank state of mind, my movements were automatic as I got out of bed and changed my clothes.

It was the same when I slid into the backseat of my dad's car and on the short trip over there too. I couldn't bring myself to look out my window, but the flashing lights of the fire truck and police cruisers invaded the darkness inside the car.

I stayed in the backseat while my mom and dad went out to see the damage and talk to the police. I faintly heard the rumbling engine of a motorcycle nearby before more silence.

Then my door was yanked open and I was tugged out of the car. I didn't want to get out because the car was the only thing between me and what may or may not be left of the bakery. Yet I couldn't find the strength to fight the person pulling me out.

Strong leather-clad arms wrapped around me.

Theo's hand rested on the back of my head, pressing me into his warm chest.

His comforting embrace couldn't protect me from the smoke that lingered in the air. I wasn't ready to look just yet, so I huddled against him to shield myself away from reality for just a little longer.

Theo was whispering words of reassurance to me and told me it was okay to cry. It occurred to me then that I hadn't shed a tear so far and a breakdown was imminent.

A few deep breaths later, I decided it wasn't the right time to cry because I needed to be strong for my family and myself. It wasn't the end; we could recover from a fire and everything would be perfectly fine. Maybe the damage was minimal, but I had to look at it to find out if that was the case.

Theo was reluctant to let me go when I told him I was ready to see, so he compromised by taking my hand in a firm grip. I kept my gaze to the ground while he led me to the entrance. As we stepped through the threshold, I forced my head up to take in the view of the dining area.

The tables and chairs were untouched by the flames, though they were a little dirtier than when I left them a few hours ago. It gave me hope as I scanned the room further.