Friday, April 15th 2022

The rain was pounding against the window panes of their house, pelting drops making wet splatters with each impact from the skies. Stephan was working on his laptop as he sat on the singles couch while Taeyeon was huddled on the loveseat, wrapped lovingly and warmly in a blue plaid fleece blanket.

The fire roared happily and cheerily in the fireplace and cast warm fluttering shadows in the living room. Every now and then Stephan would look up to make sure Taeyeon was ok.

His wife was just staring into the fire, eyes unblinking as the flames flickered and the warm cozy air like the ribbons of rhythmic dancers.

The rain was really coming down hard now, and it just made everything in their house seem so much cozier and homely.

“Sweetheart? Would you like some hot cocoa or apple cider? Seems like just the right night for it!” Stephan smiled and got up from his spot to approach his wife slowly. He knelt down to her level and gently kissed the top of her head, her slightly staticky hair tickling his nose.

Taeyeon continued to stare into the fire.

“Tell you what love, I’ll make you cocoa with some marshmallows and myself a cider with cinnamon. That way we can always switch if you don’t like the cocoa, ok?”

Nothing from his wife.

Stephan smiled nonetheless and kissed her temple before heading to the kitchen, whistling a jaunty merry tune.

As he was making Taeyeon’s hot cocoa, there was a sharp streak in the ink black sky a far distance away. He counted the seconds slowly in his head.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five…

Six…

Se- it was here that there was a distant resonating rumble.

“Seven away…hmmm…looks like we’re in for a stormy night,” the man chuckled to himself. Both he and Taeyeon had always liked storms and used to curl up together with a large bowl of caramel corn and a hot drink just to listen to the storm raging outside.

He finished up their drinks and on a whim, whipped up a quick batch of popcorn. It wasn’t even half as good as Taeyeon’s caramel corn…but it would have to do.

Just as he was bringing in their late night snack on a wooden tray, there was another brilliant flash that lit up the living room. He could see every beautiful feature of his wife’s doll-like countenance in that instant and thought her other-worldly…elvish almost…

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Busy ogling his own wife, the man was completely caught by surprise by the loud thundering roar that ripped through their house. It sounded almost like it was right on top of them!

Taeyeon gave a tiny yelp and disappeared underneath the fleece blanket, trembling like a scared little puppy. Frowning, Stephan carefully places the tray on the side table and approached her slowly. He tenderly gathers her into his arms, blanket and all, and rocks her soothingly like a child, cooing and humming into the bundle until it stopped quaking in fear.

He smiled as he drew back the blankets covering her face to see a mussed up Taeyeon, staring owlishly back at him. And in that moment, it was like…she was there, really there with him…

Another flash and another sonorous bout of thunder that shook the panes of the windows, and then…they were plunged into darkness.

“Dammit…” he muttered.

Feeling around with his bare feet, for he had stupidly left his slippers by the couch when he went to go make their snack, Stephan located the loveseat and gently set Taeyeon down again.

“It will be ok sweetheart, I’ll just go light us up some candles ok? Wait here for me I’ll be right back love,” he kissed her tenderly on the head and slowly moved towards the utility clos