As he pulled up to the cabin, Enzo felt the familiar contradiction. The joy and the fear of what could be.
For the longest time he'd fought to check his growing feelings for her. If his 140 years on this earth had taught him anything, it was not to hope and never to love.
On New Year's Eve though, things had felt different. They'd talked. She'd said she was finally starting to understand him. They'd danced, and for a few seconds she was so close that every part of her told him she wanted more. His resolve had almost faltered, but then he remembered life's lessons. She wasn't there through choice. She had nowhere else to go. No one else to be with. So he'd wished her Happy New Year, and left while he still could.
He stayed away after that night. He'd needed time to rebuild his defences and to find a way to love her a little less. Now he felt strong enough to see her again. He grabbed the coffees he'd picked up on the way and got out of the car. Keeping his face carefully blank, he began to walk towards the cabin, then paused. The door was a-jar. It had been weeks since he was last there - had she left the door open for him every day? With a simple, undemanding trust that he would come.
In spite of everything life had taught him, Enzo smiled and walked through the door.