Laura could not help but shiver involuntarily at the sounds of wind howling right outside her backyard door. Snow can be seen falling from the skies in copious amounts which had now covered the grass in three inches of snow on the earth. She was lucky that she saved her plants from their chilly demise in time.
It had been snowing for the past two weeks and in the middle of August. This came to a surprise to not only herself but to everyone else in her town. In fact, the weather had gotten so bad that all stores and the roads were closed off due to the endless snowfall. No one could leave their homes because of the four inches of snow that now covered the roads as well as the sidewalks and was slowly worsening as the days went by.
She sighs, sinking herself further into the couch. Raising the still warm tea up to lips and taking a few sips to not accidentally burn her mouth. The fireplace to her left cackled gently every so often, a pleasant warmth lingering in the medium sized living room. She was all bundled up inside the heavy wool blankets, and sleeping beside her was Tiger, curled up into a ball to keep himself warm on top of the wool blanket.
The harsh winds pelted against the glass door did not seem to faze her. She found herself staring at the ceiling where her mind began to wander. It has been three months since she'd last seen Daniel, and she is beginning to realize how much she longs for his presence. No matter how hard she tried not to, the image of him would eventually sneak its way into her mind.
Who would have thought she would miss him this much?
She lets out a soft whine and moves her head to glance over beside her only to realize that Tiger was no longer there. Then her ears picked up the sounds of his meows from outside of the room and was scratching at something. Laura rose from the couch, leaving behind the warmth and comfort of the blankets in search for her feline friend. To her surprise, Tiger was standing right by the front door, at this point he was practically howling to be let out as he continued to scratch at the door.
"What has gotten into you?"
Instantly, Tiger perked up at the sound of her voice, the pitch in his meow changing to a chirp as he walked up to her. He purposely bonked her leg with his head before directing his attention towards the entrance, his meowing becoming more distressed and his tail swishing impatiently.
Laura stares at the entrance with her head slightly cocked to the side. Curious to know what her friend was wailing about; she approached the door and investigated the small peephole. Unsurprisingly, there was no one on the other side, just the endless snowfall that covered the entirety of her steps.
"There's nothing outside, Tiger."
As she looked over, Tiger had sat down and was staring directly at her with dilated eyes. It was apparent that her friend eagerly wanted her to open the door. After giving it much thought she gave in to her cat's odd request, twisting the silver lever handle of her door and then swung it open.
She was immediately met with the sudden rush of frigid air that had left harsh kisses across her cheeks. If she had not been wearing her long, warm nightgown then she would have certainly been shivering uncontrollably from where she stood. Once again, there was nothing outside other than a thick layer of snow on her steps, which she made a mental note to shovel it when the snowfall lessened. Before she had the chance to even close the door, Tiger had run out.
"Wha- Tiger?! What are you-"
She abruptly cut herself off and was taken by surprise when Tiger began to dig at the snow by the steps. An all too familiar hat had emerged from the layer of snow and the person was finally able to lift their head, albeit weakly.
"Oh my god... Daniel!"
Laura went over to his side and thus began to dig him out of the heavy snow. Once freed, she helped him stand up on his feet with his arm draped over her shoulders and then guided him inside her home with Tiger eagerly following behind.
As soon as she placed Daniel on the couch and threw him the warm wool blanket, she had been using earlier before she went to fetch for more blankets. She came back with a handful of them and threw them on top of his still shivering form, dismissing the sounds of what she thought were his bone rattling for teeth rattling. In the middle of her adjusting the layers of the many blankets she was slowly wrapping around his body, she failed to notice Daniel's gaze as she did so. He was so enthralled by her handy work that he flinched when she removed his hat and pressed her hands against his head.
"You're still freezing!" She exclaimed; worry laced in her soft-spoken voice.
Just as she was pulling away Daniel instinctively grabbed a hold of her hand to stop her. Laura whipped her head and was staring at him with a surprised wide-eyed expression. Daniel struggled to speak, his teeth chattering made it extremely difficult for him, however, he managed to stutter out a single word.
"St-a-ay."
Laura's ivory cheeks instantly flushed along with her heart swelling in delight. Her gaze softened and she happily complied to his request. She sat right beside him, joining him under the covers where she got herself comfortable. Sharing each other's warmth from the harsh freezing weather that was howling outside and with the help of the blankets Daniel's uncontrollable shivering had eventually toned down into only minor shivers every so often.
The soft cackling of the fireplace with the occasional wind hitting the glass door were the only sounds that resonated in the room. By now, a good amount of time had passed, and Daniel's shivering had stopped altogether and was currently relishing the sweet warmth that was spreading throughout his body.
He was silently admiring the decor within the room; everything was laid out neatly in their respected area which completed nicely with the deep green wallpaper. Atop the fireplace there are a wide assortment of Knick knacks, which were small wooden figurines of critters and an incense that was currently burning in the very center. Daniel can faintly distinguish the scent from where he sat, it was blueberry scented. There was an oval sized mirror above all the Knick knacks and on either side were dried out plants. They are either for decorative purposes or was it to ward off evil entities?
'Mostly decorative,' He concluded.
Daniel averted his gaze towards Laura who was fast asleep, resting her head against his arm. He took notice of the loose strands of her brunette hair poking out in various places, and then his gaze moved to stare at her features. The pink undertones in her skin stood out the most in her cheekbones, in the tip of her nose and her chin. He can faintly hear her snoring, whereas he felt her body rise and fall. He genuinely forgot how stunning she is after not seeing her in over three months, it pained him at the fact that he left so abruptly. It was never his intentions in the first place and yet...
Suddenly there was movement, which caught off his thoughts and watched as Laura began to rouse herself from her siesta.
Her eyes fluttered open, being too groggy to tell that she was all snuggled up on Daniel. It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen asleep on him, her cheeks instantly turning red.
"I'm so sorry, Dan. I didn't mean to uh... sleep on you." She stuttered out, her eyes darting elsewhere to avoid his gaze.
Daniel chuckled, "You shouldn't apologize. Besides, having you next to me helped in warming me up more than what I had originally anticipated."
Laura glances over, sending him a sheepish smile. "Really? Well... I'm glad it worked out."
Afterwards, Laura left the room to brew up some tea for them. She came back with the piping hot tea in hand and gave Daniel his cup before sitting beside him again. As they drank their tea in silence, well, mostly Laura was the only one drinking, when she decided to say what was on her mind.
"You really had me worried when you simply disappeared unexpectedly. I know you had your reasonings behind it but," She turns to look at him, a sad smile now plastered across her face. "You could've at least warned me beforehand or sent me a letter... I thought something terrible happened to you."
She murmured the last bit of her sentence, but Daniel heard it clear as day and that did not stop the guilt from gnawing at his insides.
"I'm sorry... truly I am. I should have told you sooner but I... I was afraid." He admitted where he lowered his head in shame.
"Afraid? Of what exactly?" She asked.
Daniel, with much hesitation, proceeds to explain briefly. "I've been... struggling to find a place to live."
"You've been homeless?!" Laura could not believe it, her friend, Daniel has been homeless for three months or longer. His sudden absence made sense now.
"Yes... I didn't want you to worry about me."
"You dummy... of course I'd be worried about you!" Her sudden outburst caused Dan to flinch and was now staring at her in shock.
He as Laura stood up from the couch, placing the now empty cup of tea on the small, rustic wooden coffee table which was in front of them. She was now facing him where she extended her hands to rest them on his shoulders, with her face inches away from his and maintained eye-contact.
"I have every right to worry because you're my friend, Daniel. I care about you and your well-being. No matter what you're going through you are always welcomed into my home which also means that my home is your too." Laura proudly stated, eyes glistening with such tenderness for him which was accompanied by a smile.
Daniel was speechless and was unable to find the correct words to articulate how much her words really meant to him. He had not felt so valued since... since his previous partner to which his mood instantly became somber.
"Laura, I... I wouldn't want to be a burden on you––" He wasn't allowed to finish with his sentence when Laura had swiftly intervened his train of thought.
"You're never a burden, Dan. You have done so much for me; it is time that I gave back. Consider it a proper repayment for saving me that day at the overpass." She gave him a cheeky wink.
Dan could not blush through his bandages; however, he did radiate heat which was making him sweat underneath. To top it off he still had the many layers of blankets over him––he was melting to say the least. She was going to be the death of him, in a manner of speaking.
