He should not have come. He should not have come. Bud Flud knew that much. He didn't belong here. Wasn't meant to be here. He wouldn't fit in. As always, he would be an outcast.
It's just how it went in his life. Never belonging. Always being tossed aside or disregarded.
They arrived in Alaska fairly early in the morning. Kimbra handled the trip well, gushing over the chilly air and pointing out every small thing to Bud. He, on the other hand, felt jet-lagged. He hadn't slept at all and assumed he wouldn't until tonight. Not with the way Kimbra described her family.
A half hour car ride to the train station offered better views of Alaska. As much as he hated the cold, Bud had to admit that the state was pretty. He had never seen mountains like the ones here before. The white giants towered over the landscape in all their glory.
If only it wasn't so damn cold.
Things went smoothly as they boarded the train, making their way through the passenger cars and eventually to their seats.
"The train ride is three hours," Kimbra sat by the window gleefully. "And then we'll be at Glacier Hills. Papa is meeting us there, since it's just a twenty-minute car ride to Brittleburg."
"Why can't we just go by car all the way to Brittlesburg?"
"You can't get to Brittlesburg by car, duh."
Bud leaned over towards her. "I'm not even going to ask or else you'll spend the rest of the train ride explaining it," he muttered, brushing his lips against her cheek.
She mumbled a few words as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. The Samoyed almost scolded him, but didn't.
"Are you okay?" Kimbra tilted her head, noting Bud's worried expression once he sat back in his seat.
A sheepish smile made its way onto his face. "I'm a little nervous about meeting your dad."
"He's a softie, he isn't going to hurt you," she let out a soft snort. "Al might, but not papa."
"That's very reassuring." The salesman looked unconvinced.
Kimbra did not know what else to say. She didn't know how to reassure the man that her father was really soft-hearted. Never hurt a fly. "I hoped it would be."
Bud made a little grumble, but didn't say anything else.
She observed him for a moment before asking, "why are you nervous about meeting my dad?"
"Kimbra, your dad is the L.R Wulfe."
"He would rather be called Loren. He retired from writing." Kimbra commented before placing her hand in Bud's, holding it while tracing the back of his hand. "And again, he's a softie. Not intimidating at all."
"It's still ridiculous, he threw everything away and left the series on a cliffhanger."
She let go of his hand and dropped hers in her lap with a small huff. "Well, as I said before, he had good reasons."
Kimbra wanted to change the subject away from her father. "Do you want a quick rundown on my brothers?"
"Why?"
"To be prepared."
He grunted in what could have been agreement. So, Kimbra went ahead and took out a small booklet of photos. She pulled out a photo of a large Samoyed, a male with a beard and rose tattoo sleeves. He held up a hockey stick and was smiling.
"Al is the oldest," she tapped on the photo. "He's a professional hockey player."
He's huge. Literally, she wasn't kidding that he could hurt me.
Kimbra continued. "He likes to bully the rest of us. Loved torturing me and Adam when we were little. He still messes with Adam."
She delicately placed the photo back in its place. Then, she pulled out another. This one was a smaller Samoyed than Al, his hair a little longer. His right hand held a pair of ice skates by the shoelaces.
"Aspen is the second oldest. He's a figure skater." Kimbra rolled her eyes as she tucked the photo back in the booklet. "He'll probably brag about all the medals he's won this year, so prepare for that."
"Does he bully you and Adam too?"
"Yeah, him and Al are close and team up all the time."
Another photo was pulled out. Someone the same size as Aspen, but wore a hoodie and looked more laid back. He held a small child and was smiling.
"That's Ace, the third oldest. He runs the radio station in our town. He has a seven-year-old named Jax, but none of us know who the mother is."
After tucking that photo back in and pulling the last one out, Kimbra held it up. "And then there's Adam, he's only two years older than me, but he acts like the youngest."
Bud took the photo and looked closely at it. It was of an even smaller Samoyed, someone just a tad taller than Kimbra. His white hair with light-brown streaks was shaggy and more unkempt than his brothers'.
"He looks like a troublemaker." Bud gave the photo back, and watched as she tucked it back into the booklet.
"He is. Dad thinks they got the wrong baby at the hospital." Kimbra peered out of the window of the train. "I miss him though, we're only two years apart, so we were close."
"I get it," Bud said sadly, being reminded of his little brother.
Kimbra noticed the somber tone, but didn't comment on it.
The Alaskan sky was a pale pink to blue gradient, smeared with thin clouds. Bud watched as they neared a town, a significant size smaller than the city they had just left. Pulling into the depot, Bud saw a sign that said Glacier Hills Welcomes You. He scoffed at the thought of a freezing winter wasteland being welcoming.
Right as the train came to a halt, Kimbra grabbed Bud's arm, still looking out the window. "We're actually here," she then turned to him. "I'll go see if I can find my dad."
"Shouldn't we get our bags—"
Kimbra didn't let the hound finish. She had already left her seat and down the aisle with the rest of the passengers. Leaving him behind.
Great. Guess I'll get them myself.
It took a few minutes to grab both of their bags and make it off the train. And even longer to catch a glimpse of Kimbra's purple hair in the crowd.
"Kimbra, wait!" Bud called out, nearly tripping off the platform in his haste to reach his girlfriend. He muttered a few 'excuse me' and 'sorry' to those around him that he bumped into.
Kimbra allowed herself to breathe for a moment. It felt good to be back. The bitter winter air wrapped around her in an icy embrace. As if it were welcoming an old friend.
She almost didn't notice that the water bottle CEO had caught up with her.
"It's cold." Bud said, his breath pluming out in white clouds and towards the sky.
"It's Alaska."
"It's even worse than St. Canard."
"Because it's Alaska ."
"I hate Alaska."
"You'll learn to love it." Her hands gripped the front of his jacket, bringing herself closer against him. "Like I learned to love you."
He gave her a skeptical look at the first comment. "You loved me from the start."
"I did not."
"You did, you probably said my name to yourself every night before you went to bed."
She smirked at his attempt to flirt. "Cute." She let go of his coat, and looked around the busy depot. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to pinpoint which one could possibly be her father.
"Do you see them?"
"Not yet." She picked up her bags and sighed. "He might be running late."
And then a male voice called out. "Kimbra! Quyanaghhalek tagilusi!"
"Papa!" Kimbra dropped her bags at the sight of her father. She ran towards him with her arms out, wrapping them around his neck as they embraced. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, my panik." The older Samoyed held her tight before pulling away to look at her. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"
"No, we had a nice trip." She looked over his shoulder. "Where is everyone else?"
"They're at the house, getting things set up for your arrival. Al came with me to help with your bags. Practically had to bribe him to come." He shook his head in amusement.
Kimbra slipped carefully out of his embrace to hug her oldest brother, Al. The two fell into a conversation, leaving Bud alone with Loren.
Loren R. Wulfe wasn't what Bud was expecting at all. He was short, shorter than Al and barely taller than Kimbra. He looked warm and soft, especially in the blue sweater pulled over a white dress shirt. Someone you'd see in passing every day.
He just looked like a dad. A normal guy.
Not at all like a best-selling author who ghosted the world.
"And you must be the man who stole my little girl's heart," he held out a hand to Bud. "Loren Wulfe. Pleasure to meet you."
As if he needed an introduction.
Bud shook the man's hand. "Bud Flud, and likewise."
"I've heard a lot about you."
A nervous laugh. "Good things, I hope."
Probably not.
"Well, not at first." Loren chuckled, obvious to Bud's building anxiety. "Kimbra ranted about you when she found out you were her sponsor. Swore up and down, she wasn't going to work with you."
Of course.
"Ah, well…it was rough at the start." Bud began, but was quickly interrupted.
Kimbra chimed in, joining Bud's side. "He bought a billboard outside my office to antagonize me."
"Because you had EcoTech's security tackle me!"
Loren glared at his daughter, disappointment apparent on his expression. "Kimbra! That is not how I raised you."
She gestured towards her brother, trying to deter the blame. "It's how Al did."
Al picked up Kimbra's bags and huffed in her direction. "Don't be a snitch."
Kimbra couldn't help herself from rolling her eyes. "I didn't snitch on you when—"
Al dropped a bag, quickly placing a hand over his sister's mouth before she could continue. "Don't be a snitch."
He pulled it away and picked the bag back up, walking with Loren through the depot and to the parking lot. Bud and Kimbra followed closely behind.
Bud whispered, he didn't understand why, but he did. "What's…whatever you dad just said?"
She thought for a moment. Trying to recall what all her father had said. "Quyanaghhalek tagilusi?"
"Yeah. That."
"He just said 'welcome' and 'thank you for coming' in Central Siberian Yupik."
"What was the other thing?"
"Panik. It means daughter."
Bud made a face, only for a moment, but it was there. "I don't have to learn it, do I?"
He knew he'd end up embarrassing himself in front of her family if he tried.
"No," Kimbra laughed. "Papa won't make you."
"I didn't know you knew any other languages."
"My first language is Yupik. English is my second."
Huh.
Bud took her hand in his as they continued to walk side by side. "I guess there's a lot I don't know about you."
"I guess so," she replied.
"How come you never speak it in St. Canard?"
"How many people do you know that speak Yupik?"
"Uh…" He said, quieter in his reply.
"Exactly . I can't speak something that no one around me understands. I had to adapt to my environment."
Fair enough.
Once they reached a black car and climbed in, Kimbra leaned forward, close to her father, who sat in the driver's seat. "Is Ace really still running the radio station?"
"Yep, he enjoys it. Why shouldn't he?"
"Because he keeps playing all that sixties junk."
Loren started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I happen to like what he plays."
Now Bud Flud wasn't great in family settings. He didn't know what to say to Kimbra's father or brother. Not like he had a lot of opportunities. Not like he particularly wanted it, either. Until now. His entire childhood was filled with neglect and abandonment. He couldn't remember the last time he was with his family. The last time they all had sat down together. Last time they talked. It had been so long.
He wasn't even sure how this trip would turn out, and that terrified him.
On the drive through Brittleburg, a small, cozy town. Kimbra pointed out almost every building and area to Bud. He found her childish excitement amusing.
"That's the diner I worked at during high school," she gestured to a small wooden building. A large neon sign, Nellie's Diner, stood in front of the establishment.
"Nellie still owns it if you ever want your old job back," Loren said it teasingly, but Bud felt like the author meant it.
"No way." Kimbra shook her head. "Dealing with people all day? No, thanks. I'll stick to my plants and projects."
"Don't you deal with people all day? Being a project director?"
"Yeah, but they aren't as bad as customers in food service."
Past all the buildings were mountains and trees. Several cabins and houses scattered across the land. Even further out was what looked like a massive ski resort with a chair lift and everything. It must have been the one that Adam owns.
Oh, please don't tell me I have to ski. That would be even more embarrassing than trying to speak Yupik.
The car pulled into the driveway of a fairly large three story cabin. Numerous strings of lights hung across the front deck. A sheet of snow covered the roof. The inside looked warm and inviting. Like something you'd see in one of those travel brochures.
Okay, okay this doesn't look too bad. I can handle a nice cabin.
"Kimbra is back!" Al shouted as he stepped out of the car.
Bud wanted to ask Kimbra why he did that, but didn't get the chance. A large chorus of people calling out 'Kimbra is back' echoed through the air as the other three exited the car. A few white canines emerged from the cabin to meet them.
"Okay, before he gets here." Kimbra pulled Bud close to her. "Do not let Adam get under your skin. Do not amuse him. He will try to make you mad because he thinks it's funny. He will taunt you for his own amusement. If you have to, just ignore him."
"Why do I feel like my life is in danger?"
"Because it is." Al remarked with a smirk. He tried to hide it, but failed.
Kimbra huffed. "Al! Dad, tell Al to stop threatening Bud."
Loren shut the driver's door of the car, barely paying any mind to her. "Al, stop threatening your sister's guest."
"I didn't threaten him. I'm just sayin', he looks like if I pick him up he'd break, and Adam is pretty rowdy."
Oh. Great. Fantastic. Just what I wanted to hear.
"Oh great! You brought her back!" A white Samoyed with scruffy hair, who Bud recognized as Adam, threw his arms out once he met the group. "I thought you heard me say that we should leave her in St. Canard this year!"
"Shut up." Kimbra snarked out, going against her own advice.
"You shut up."
"Kimbra. Adam." Loren glared at the two. "Don't start this."
"Fine." They said in unison.
And then Adam turned his attention to Bud. "Hey, I'm Adam."
"Bud." Bud started to grab his bags, but Al swooped in and did it for him.
"I'll get those," the large Samoyed started off to the cabin with them. Like it was nothing.
Adam called out to him. "Show off."
"You're just mad you can't even carry one." Al shot back, without even glancing back.
"I could!"
"Not."
Loren walked around the car to his son. "Boys don't fight. You're making an awful impression on Mr. Flud."
"Well, we don't need to lie to him!"
Bud tried to reassure the poor man. "It's fine, Mr. Wulfe. Really."
"Please, call me Loren."
"Loren —" The ski resort owner started before being cut off by his father.
"Adam, don't call me that."
"You're letting Kimbra's boyfriend call you that." Adam's eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief as he leaned closer to him.
"I'm your father, that's different."
"I don't see how—"
Now it was Kimbra's turn to interrupt him. "Stop annoying dad."
"You're the annoying one."
"You are."
"Am not."
"You are!"
"You're the one that takes three hours to get ready in the morning."
That made Bud snort, which earned him a quick glare from Kimbra.
"Adam. Kimbra, don't start." Loren sighed as he walked up the steps of the cabin. "There's no reason for it."
"She started it!" Adam pointed at Kimbra, as if they were still kids, and he was placing the blame completely on here.
"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it."
They waited until Loren was inside before going back to their bickering.
Adam took the first shot. "Anyone who'd date you has to have bad taste."
Kimbra punched her brother in the ribs as hard as she could, causing him to yelp and grab his side. He scowled at her as he headed inside the cabin after their father.
"Your family is…something." Bud said as they followed in after him.
"I need to warn you about someone else before we go in," she stopped him right outside the door. She pointed at a much older Samoyed inside the cabin, who wore a purple wrap around her shoulders. "That's Grandma Carter. My mom's mom. She's going to try to feed you. It's easier if you let her."
As if she knew she was being talked about, Grandma Carter jerked her head in their direction, and headed to the door.
"Oh crap, here she comes." Kimbra stiffened and forced a smile as her grandmother walked out onto the cabin deck.
The older woman gave her a quick up and down glance, patting Kimbra's hips. "Kim, you lost weight! Come, I'll make you some of my stew."
"Grandma no…"
"Also, why are you not married yet? You and your brothers are all the same! I'll be six feet under the snow before one of my grand babies finally marries. You know Georgette's grandchildren are married, right? Henry over at the pharmacy just got married in the summer! Oh my flower, I don't know where I went wrong with you…"
She stopped her rambling once she laid eyes on Bud. "Who is this?"
Bud had a feeling the old woman was studying him. He particularly didn't like the feeling.
"Grandma, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Bud."
"Boyfriend!" She clasped her mouth in disbelief. "Oh, my grand baby finally has a boyfriend!"
A sigh. "Yes, grandma, I do."
"Oh, honey, that's so good to hear! I was so afraid you'd die alone like your father over there."
Ohmygod. Poor Loren has to endure this all day?
Bud held out his hand to shake hers, but she didn't offer her hand. "Bud Flud, pleasure to meet you." He felt even more awkward.
"What do you do for a living?"
"Grandma!" Kimbra squeaked out in embarrassment. A red blush crept over her features.
"Hush, dear, let the man answer."
He scrambled for an answer, not knowing what would please the woman. "I uh… I own a water bottling company."
"Oh, a businessman!" Grandma Carter clapped her hands once with glee. "See Adam? Why can't you find a nice partner like your sister did?"
Adam huffed at his sister once their grandma walked with Bud, arm in arm, to the dining room. "Thanks a lot, Kimbra."
"What did I do?"
"You just had to get a boyfriend."
She raised her eyebrows. "You think I got a boyfriend just to spite you?"
"You would."
Before Kimbra could bother to make a remark, a small figure hugged her legs. Jax, Ace's son, had his arms wrapped around her lower body, pressing a hug against her. "Hi Aunt Kimmie."
"Hi buddy! You've grown so much since I saw you last year!" She ruffled the top of his hair, pleased that none of her siblings had tainted the sweet boy yet.
"Yep! I grew a wholeeeee inch!" The child held his arms out as he dragged out the word whole .
"Really?"
"Yeah!" He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "But Uncle Adam says I'll be short the rest of my life because of…jeanitics?"
"Genetics?"
He nodded his small head. "Yeah, that."
"Adam!"
Bud wasn't completely sure why Kimbra sat by Adam at the dinner table if all they did was constantly argue. He didn't even know what set off the argument this time. Earlier it was because Kimbra refused to pass Adam the salt, and he stuck a piece of ice down her shirt. Loren had to intervene each time.
"Adam, shut up." Kimbra said, trying to whisper it after he had made yet another rude comment that they should have left her in St. Canard.
Adam replied in a normal tone. "You shut up."
That made Kimbra speak louder. "Shut up, or I'll make you shut up."
"I'm gonna bury your face in the snow, and then you'll have to shut up."
"Kimbra. Adam." Loren scolded his offspring. "Both of you shut up. You're adults, why the hell do you two still fight like children?"
"She started it," Adam began, pointing a finger at Kimbra. She pinched his side, which forced a loud yelp from his mouth.
He smacked her hand and the two began arguing once more.
Loren rubbed his brow, muttering under his breath. "Can you two please behave for one day? I know you two have a lot of bickering to catch up on, but we have a guest. And you're upsetting your grandmother."
The two stopped, but continued to silently mouth out words to another and glare. Their father knew what they were saying, but he didn't have the heart to scold them again. He just went back to eating quietly while trying to listen to Jax talk about school.
"My dear Lucy would be so dismayed to see how her children turned out," Grandma Carter let out a disappointed sigh. "You could have raised them better, Loren."
Loren groaned. "Michelle, don't start."
"I'm just saying! Jason was perfect, perfect for her."
"Please don't start this again." Loren dropped his face into his hands, readying himself for another long rant from his mother-in-law. He was always aware that she disapproved of him, but after so many years, you'd grow tired of hearing it.
The elderly Samoyed sighed once more. "I don't see why my sweet little Lucille married you."
Adam snickered from beside her. "I'm surprised you can see at all with your cataracts."
"You respect your elders, Adam! If your mother were here, she would be heartbroken how you turned out!" She smacked him on the head with her hand fan.
He flinched a bit, but continued on. "She's on the mantle in the urn if you wanna go tell her."
Another smack on the head by her fan. This time, harder. Much harder.
"Ow!" Adam made a quick attempt to change the subject away from him. So, he turned to Kimbra. "When's the last time you talked to Derek? Haven't seen him here in town in a pretty long time."
Kimbra kicked Adam's ankle as hard as she could. He yelped, almost knocking over his drink. It earned the two siblings a glare from their father.
Bud raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "Who's Derek?"
"Kimbra's first love." Adam answered swiftly.
Under the table, her foot got ready for another kick. "Shut up, and he was until he dumped me in college."
"Is he the one that's the reason you went to a party, punched a cop, and got arrested?" Bud said too late, realizing he shouldn't have.
Around them, everyone went dead silent.
Oh, no.
Loren stood up from his seat, hands on the table. "You were arrested?!"
Adam began to laugh, sitting back in amusement at someone else getting in trouble for once. He loved it. Especially since that person right now was Kimbra.
Kimbra panicked, trying to save her reputation (and her spot as Loren's favorite child, even if he swore he didn't have one.) "Papa, no, this was years ago!"
"And you never told me!"
"I was just a kid! A teenager!"
Loren sounded disappointed. "You were eighteen! Nineteen at most! You should have known better!"
"Yeah, you should know better." Adam snickered, still delighted that Kimbra was in the one in trouble.
He snapped at Adam, not in the mood to deal with anything else. "Adam, don't you start."
Grandma Carter dramatically fanned herself. "Oh my flower, where did your father go wrong with you?"
"Michelle, I did perfectly fine with raising Lucille's and my children on my own." The former author raised a finger at his mother-in-law.
"Your youngest punched a cop! Your second youngest spends all his time playing at a resort!"
Adam threw his arms up in disappointment, mostly since the topic moved back onto him. "I own and run it!"
"Honey, that's not a real job."
"Yes it is!" Was all he could come up with before adding, "I'm technically a businessman."
That caused Bud to snort, and Kimbra glared at him. He gave her a shrug and mouthed, 'what did I do?'
But that didn't stop Grandma Carter from scolding her grandchildren more. "And we don't even know who Jax's mom is!" She held out a hand in Jax's direction, who paid no mind to the surrounding chaos.
Adam, as usual, was the first to speak. "Ace found him beside a dumpster and decided to keep him."
Grandma Carter hit him with the fan again, and he rubbed his aching head. It caused Kimbra to laugh.
Adam glared at his sister. "Stop laughing, Kimbra," he blurted out, which only caused her to laugh harder.
Loren eventually managed to calm the table down, so they could finish their dinner in peace. Jax continued to tell a story from school. Al and Aspen were in their own conversation about the latest hockey score. Bud somehow fell into a conversation with Ace, one of the more calm Wulfe siblings. And yet again, Kimbra and Adam were softly bickering about who knows what.
After helping clean up the table, Bud pulled Kimbra aside to apologize. "Sorry I got you in trouble."
She shrugged, not really caring. "You'll make it up to me. It's not a big deal. Papa is pretty forgiving, especially when it comes to me."
"Is your family always like that?" Bud's dark eyes darted over to the brothers, who were heading out in the snow to goof around before bed. Adam picked up Jax and tossed him into a soft snow pile. Jax squealed and ran back to Adam, wanting to be thrown again.
Kimbra thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Most of the time, but we love each other. It's just how we are." Then she felt embarrassed. "If they make you uncomfortable, I can get a room at the inn for us. They'll understand."
He shook his head and reassured her. "No, no, they're fine. They're just…"
"Different?" She smiled.
"Yeah, they're just different."
"Don't worry about it, they'll warm up to you." She kissed his cheek, held his hand, and led him upstairs to show him the guest room where he would be staying.
Most of the family had retired to their homes or rooms for the night. Adam lived in a cabin close to the ski resort. Grandma Carter lived just across the road, much to Loren's displeasure. Ace and Jax lived closer to town, while Aspen and Al lived in town. The siblings had scattered their lives throughout Brittleburg.
And then there was Kimbra. The youngest Wulfe sibling, who lived miles away.
Living here felt like a distant memory. Memories of her and her four brothers' footsteps pattering down the halls. The chatter of conversation during dinner. The laughs. The sorrows.
The life they all shared together.
The house now stood in silence.
After their mother's passing, the brothers dealt with Kimbra's emotional distance and angry outbursts as best they could. They did their best with raising her. She knew that much. At times, she felt guilty for acting out so much. Her screams at their father saying she wished she were never born if eventually some day she'll suffer the same fate as her mother. Resenting Al and Ace for knowing that they tested negative for Huntington's and would lead full lives.
They never held it against her, but the guilt lingered in her mind at times.
Just don't think about it right now. Don't ruin the trip.
From her window, Kimbra had the perfect view of the northern lights. It soothed her building anxiety and brought comfort. Wrapping a thick blanket around herself, she watched the snow gently fall from the sky.
Maybe she should show this to Bud.
The first thing Bud saw was the starry sky above. It was a clear night. He was grateful this part of Alaska wasn't engulfed in darkness for the entire day. The hound didn't know if he could handle twenty-four hours of darkness (or light).
He could see his breath in the frigid Alaskan air. The freezing, icy, air.
I do not belong here. I should not be here.
Kimbra dragged him outside to a nearby hill. She promised he would like it, but his freezing hands told him otherwise. Near the top, she forced him to close his eyes shut. Heaven knows why, it's not like there was anything around but snow and mountains.
She kept a firm grasp on his arm, stopping. "Keep your eyes closed."
"Kimbra," Bud began to protest.
He felt her mouth slowly press against his. "Please?" She said it softly and sweetly.
Bud hated how tight she had him wrapped around her finger. "Fine."
If his father knew that he was letting a small woman boss him around, oh man, he would be even more disappointed in him.
"Stand right here."
He moved a bit. "Here?"
"Yeah," she placed her small hands on his shoulders, directing him to face more to the right. "Okay, now open them."
Bud opened his eyes. "What—"
And then he saw it. A curtain of colorful lights, flashing slowly across the Alaskan sky. Something he only ever saw on a computer sleep mode screen. Or one of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. They danced around in captivating patterns, something you'd never see in St. Canard.
Kimbra stood beside him, still keeping a hand on his shoulder. "Those are the northern lights."
"They're beautiful."
"They are," she kept quiet a moment before speaking again. "I've heard stories when I was little that the lights are spirits of our long departed loved ones."
"Do you really believe that?" He hadn't meant to come out so judgmental.
"It's just comforting," She gave a small shrug. "The thought of my mom looking over me."
Great, you came out judgmental when it reminds her of her dead mother. Idiot.
Now Bud felt awkward. He shifted his weight, not knowing what to do or say. "Should I wave or something?"
Kimbra made a face, her nose scrunching up. "No, don't be weird about it."
"I'm not. I'm just trying to be polite."
"She'd call you weird if you did that."
Bud shivered as the icy wind blew against his body. Kimbra noticed. She almost had forgotten the man wasn't made for freezing temperatures. He could catch pneumonia or something if he stood out here for too long.
"Come on, you're shivering." She linked her arm through his once more. "Let's get you back inside."
They headed back down the hill carefully, yet it didn't stop Bud from being…well… Bud.
"I think I need you to press that fluffy body of yours against mine, now." He said in a soft, teasing tone.
Kimbra rolled her eyes as they walked, side by side, into the cabin. "You're such a guy."
Bud lowered his voice as they made it up the stairs and to the guest room. "I'm cold." He sounded a little whiny.
She didn't fall for it as they stepped into the room. "You can sit by the fireplace in a thick quilt, you'll be fine."
Maybe next time.
"Nah, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."
"Okay, I'll see you in the morning then."
"Night, Kim."
"Goodnight, Buddy." She whispered, giving him a gentle peck on the corner of his mouth.
She gave him one last smile, and stepped out of the room; shutting the door behind her. Leaving Bud alone once again.
He wondered if he should have come here at all.