"Quick!"
That was the last discernible word I uttered before the wall collapsed. It had been yelled just moments after the first big rumble and second before another. I had shouted it to a petite brunette whose wrist I had a fierce hold on, as I yanked her towards the empty hot tub.
I pushed her in, knowing I was a little rough, and that she may get hurt, but also very aware that seconds from now the whole world might end for the both of us.
My wife and I had purchased the home as a fixer. It was our first place and had a wonderful mid-century modern appeal to it and was perched atop a riverbank. From the moment my wife left the car, she had known that she had to have it. I had known it would be a lot of work.
And now three weeks later, it had been a lot of work, and would have been more still until the earthquake came. I had been working on removing the downstairs cabinets; clearing out a large useless laundry room in exchange for the future possibility of a private indoor spa. The hot tub was sitting inside already, slightly covered in a layer of dust, but otherwise eager to fulfill its promised relaxation. My sister in law was home with me, helping to clean up some painting she and my wife had been doing the night before. She was on the receiving end of the wrist pull and the harsh shove.
For a few moments my mind was blank.
I came too with a sputtering cough as my lungs and throat tried and clear away the dust that had filled the small plastic chamber I was sealed in.
My head ached, bad, and I felt a liquid drip down the back of my neck. The source of the wound wasn't immediately clear, but an adrenaline surge pushed it to the back of my mind.
"Katy?"
"Alex?" her voice rang out from beneath me.
"Shit," I muttered as I realized the soft padding beneath me was her body. "Sorry."
"Its okay. You saved my life..." her voice trailed off almost as if she was just coming to the realization herself.
I rolled as far from off her as possible, but the hot tub wasn't large and we were pushed into the deepest bottom of the tub. Only six or seven inches above me was a harshly bent bar that had been the center support for the hot tub lid. We'd narrowly missed severe injuries.
"Can we get out," her delicate voice whispered in the darkness.
"I don't think so. I think the wall fell on top of the lid. We've got two stories of house on top of us."
I heard her whimper slightly at the thought.
"Don't worry. We're safe here. They'll find us," I promised. I didn't know the extent of the damage to the rest of the region, so this was a weak assurance at best. I was also worried about oxygen. If we were sealed beneath the lid there was the chance that there would be a shortage of air rather quickly. "I'm going to try and move the lid, Kate," I told her.
I felt a small shift around my neck and realized she had just nodded. Carefully I turned and pivoted, bracing my legs against the bottom of the tub. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the growing throb in the back of my head and neck, I flexed every muscle in my body. There was a slight upward shift that seemed to break the seal of the tub lid, but nothing more than an inch or two. I tried once more with a prolonged grunt and found that I had opened it all I could.
Not wanting to worry her, I told her that we had enough room for air now. Slowly I settled down beside her in the cramped square. There was no room for two people- not like this. And the first few minutes of cautious shifting, unintentional brushes, and gentle nudges were awkward.
Repeated sorries, excuse me's, and pardons were passed about like currency in the tight confines of the tub. When we finally managed to get something that worked, it was a cozy arrangement.
Katie and I were cuddled close to one another, our bodies curved in parallel to one another. Our knees were drawn up, hips bent forward and arms pulled towards the chest. Her hair brushed against my nose and our waists were tightly pressed to one another.
Suddenly I became consciously aware of how tight our bodies were together. My penis seemed to be aware of the fact at the same time. I almost wanted to apologize, but didn't want to acknowledge the hardening length between the two soft curves of her backside. My heart was beginning to pick up pace from a combination of nerves and arousal.
Damn, I swore to myself. Not now, not now!
I had long been attracted to Katie. Part of the attraction was the similarities to my wife. She had the same pretty hair, bone structure, and femininity. My wife was 5'4" with a 34C chest and a cute apple shaped derrière. Katie was thinner, shorter, with a larger cup size and smaller bottom. She was also more grown up then my wife. Her thin body lent itself to a a faster paced lifestyle and I had always found her conversation and ambition to be stimulating. Like me, I felt like she had married an underachiever, someone who wasn't quite right for them in terms of professional goals or social promise. There were brief moments alone with her where I think we both had been made conscious of the fact.
All of the thoughts I had about her feelings came to a head as I struggled to cool the proverbial jets. I remembered all the conversations that we had, the seconds where her hand would come to rest on my arm or back during those talks before it disappeared again. Every one was etched into my memory and now it proved impossible to banish them.
With that slim figure wrapped against mine, I was painfully reminded of that attraction, and I figured she was aware of it now too. If she hadn't felt like I had, then there was no denying the erection which now pressed against her.
I felt base, rude, and unrefined for this exposure and I muttered a swear word under my breath, forgetting how silent and cramped the compartment was.
My discomfort and frustration was rewarded with a soft giggle.
If there had been light, my face would have glowed with a flush redness. I was discovered. And not only was I discovered, I was helpless to fight it.
"Don't worry," she whispered, her voice soft and feathery.
"I can't help it. I don't mean to be an animal."
"I don't mind, seriously," she stated, her voice dropping a key.
I don't mind, I pondered. What does I don't mind mean? Does she welcome it, like I've long suspected? Is she open to the idea, sharing the feeling, conscious of the attraction?
