Edgar heard the living room door close and stood up. He knew who it was. Every night was the same thing, insomnia seemed to take hold of her who was wandering around the cabin or sitting on the bench on the porch and lingering for a long time until she got brave and went back to the bed where she had a turbulent sleep that didn't rest.
The cold in Canada in December was freezing and there were layers of snow forming outside. Luckily the cabin had a heater. Tasha was crazy about going out at night. Last week was Thanksgiving and they were somewhere else, but they had to move quickly to avoid being found, yet managed to make a special dinner with roast turkey and wine.
The room had a small Christmas tree with some sparkling balls and lights that was only set up at Rich's insistence that they all made a normal living on these turbulent days, a small nativity scene under the tree.
Reade found her leaning against the pillar wrapped in a blanket. The boy had a bottle of less than half of whiskey that he poured into two glasses.
"Do you think we'll make it?" Tasha asked as he handed her the glass of contents.
"We need to stand firm in what we believe. I also feel discouraged at times." Edgar tried to look strong to the team, in fact they all tried, but they had their weaknesses and it was not always easy to live together in a tight place without privacy.
"Ihaven't even slept well." Tasha had a darkened circle around her eyes, demonstrating her weariness from the sleepless nights.
"You need to make an effort to rest so as not to let mental exhaustion hit you. That is what they want us to be weak enough to surrender to." Reade tried to give her a strength he didn't even have. After months of running away and hiding they were all exhausted.
"Sometimes I feel that even if we go back, we won't be the same anymore. So many things happened. I don't know if we can restore our dignity." Her expression was one of sadness and discouragement.
"We're still the same. Despite everything that happened our essence is the same, our feelings, what we believe will always remain." A faint smile came from his lips, giving some of his strength to the tired woman beside him.
Tasha finished the contents of the glass in one gulp, lowered her head, and closed her eyes as the bitter wind hit her face. When he talked about feelings she could only think about how she felt about him, that was unwavering. The brunette knew they could part for years that her love for him would always be alive. For all the time she spent on her mission what disturbed her most was the distance they were and how it would be when they met, and there was also the possibility of never being forgiven. Tasha was still afraid, for he said things that made it clear that he had not forgiven her.
"Let's go inside we stay on the couch until you feel sleepy. It's too cold out here and you can get cold."
They snuggled up on the couch and Edgar threw the blanket over them, the boy put his arm on her back that took advantage of the moment and laid her head on his chest that circled her hair in a caress that made her relax and gradually he noticed that she had changed her breathing and probably slept. Edgar was disturbed when they were this close, something that had been happening often all the time they were running away. He wanted her to feel good to rest, and what he could do was be around whenever she needed it.
Edgar made sure they could both lie on the couch and get a little comfortable in the small space. He kissed Tasha's head, smelling her intoxicating him. They both knew their feelings for each other, but no one dared to take the first step, maybe they needed to get back to their normal lives to try to reestablish themselves together again. With these thoughts, he also fell asleep in the arms of a woman he loved, cradled by the noise of the December wind and not caring if any other team friend saw them so close.