As the sun fully falls behind the mountain, we’re prepared. The cabin glows from the candlelight, but it also grows colder. I make it my mission to keep wood burning so it stays comfortable in here.
“We should probably sleep on the couch tonight,” I suggest. “We can move it closer to the fire. Even with extra blankets, I think we’ll be too cold sleeping upstairs.”
Kendall breaks away from her phone. “It’s a good idea.”
“Good, let’s move it then.” I stand, and we push it closer. After we’re done, we go our separate ways to change into more comfortable clothes and grab the blankets from our beds. When I come back down, I can barely see over the huge pile she has stacked. Thankfully the couch is a sectional. Otherwise, I’d probably be sleeping on the floor.
“You can have this end, and I’ll sleep here,” she says, grabbing pillows and rationing them to each side. After our temporary beds are made, we sit on the couch and stare at the fire.
She’s busy on her phone and looks up at me. “Seems the power is estimated to be off for at least seventy-two hours.”
I groan and suck in a deep breath, then pinch my nose trying to stay calm. We have plenty of food and firewood, so hopefully the estimate is wrong. “We’ll be okay.”
She locks her phone. “No, we won’t. My phone has ten percent now.”
“There’s plenty of magazines to read,” I suggest. “I’m sure Good Housekeeping has some great survey’s for you to take.”
Leaning her head back on the cushion, she looks up at the vaulted ceilings. “I have an idea.”
I wait for her to continue.
“Since it’s so cold in here, and I bought enough booze to open a bar, as you said, we should drink to warm up.” She turns her head and her eyes meet mine.
A smile touches my lips. While I want to be the responsible one, there’s nothing else to do and if the power will be out for that long, we might as well let loose a little. I’d love to sleep like a brick tonight.
“Deal,” I offer.
Kendall claps her hands together and stands. “I’ll get the tequila.”
I chuckle as she quickly runs into the kitchen and returns with a bottle of Patron. “We should play a game.”
“What do you have in mind?” I ask.
“Never have I ever,” she quickly says.
I lift a brow at her, and she speaks up. “You’re not pussing out, are you?”
“Hell no,” I say. “Just making sure you can handle this.”
She places her hand on her chest over her heart and lets out a sarcastic laugh. “I’m sure I can. You go first,” she tells me as she takes the wooden cork from the top.
I think about it. “Never have I ever purchased a designer handbag.”
She narrows her eyes then drinks. “Oh, so we’re playing dirty? Alrighty, I see how it is. Never have I ever helped someone in an emergency room.”
I grab the bottle from her and take a big gulp. “If we keep this up, we’ll both be trashed in twenty minutes.”
Leaning over, she whispers, “That’s the point.”
“Okay, well then I guess it’s up to me to change the pace of this. Never have I ever dated someone for over a year,” I say, wanting to get into the nitty-gritty of Kendall with hopes to learn more about her.
“Dated or slept with?” she questions with a smirk.
“Isn’t it the same thing?” I hand her the booze.
“Poor little Distant Diva. You can have sex with someone without being official. It’s basically just fucking for fun. Maybe you should try it sometime,” she offers and doesn’t drink. “Next up. Never have I ever finished reading a book in a day.”
I reach out and put my lips to the top and take a drink.
She chuckles. “I forgot you were always a little nerdy.”
“You mean, smart,” I add. “Never have I ever been with someone who was in a relationship.”
She drinks. “It’s a long story. I didn’t know he was married until his wife caught us together. I felt horrible about it because I’m not a home-wrecker. Trust me when I say I was livid. I’ve also never told anyone that before because it’s embarrassing.”
My eyes soften. “Wow.”
“Yeahhhh.” She chugs and I swear I see her eyes blink at two different times then she turns to me. “Never have I ever thought about proposing to anyone.”
Neither of us drinks.
“No one?” she whispers, shocked. “At all?”
Shaking my head, I shrug. “No. Just haven’t found the right person yet, I guess. The last thing I want to do is get married for it to end in divorce. I don’t want to rush into something that could potentially end badly, so it’s easier for me to stop things before they get too serious if I’m not feeling it. They say you know when you’ve found the one. I haven’t.”
“I understand that,” she admits. “I haven’t found that person either. Not even close. There have been so many men who’ve wanted to date me just because of my family. I know you’ve probably gone through the same thing. It gets old, and I usually can see through it now, but when I was younger, not so much. I thought they were into me, but they were really into buddying up with my dad,” she admits.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that. There are a bunch of assholes out there. You deserve better,” I tell her.
She takes another drink and yawns. “Thanks, Ryan.”
I can’t help but think how goddamn beautiful she is and how she shouldn’t have to put up with men using her. Kendall sinks into the cushions and stares at the fire. The candlelight illuminates her face perfectly, and she seems to be lost in thought.
I get up and put another log on it until the flames lick up the chimney. When I sit, I seemed to have settled closer to her because I can feel the warmth of her body next to mine. It’s cozy and feels like home.
Kendall scoots closer and places her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her, and there’s no denying the electricity that streams between us. The alcohol has made us both too brave. While I refuse to cross that line with her, I feel as if she’s shown me a different side of her–one that isn’t so focused on superficial things. One that I should’ve seen all along.
We listen to the crackle and pop of the wood, and there are so many things I want to say but don’t. After a moment, her breathing softens and when I tilt my head, I notice she fell asleep. Slowly, I move, and she wakes.
“You should lie down and get some rest,” I whisper.
Her eyes stare at my lips, then she meets my gaze. “Yeah.”
I pull the covers down, and she snuggles in on her side of the couch.
“Good night,” I say, giving her a warm smile.
She blinks, her long lashes touching the top of her cheeks. “Good night, Ryan.”
It doesn’t take long before she’s out. Seems as if Kendall can’t hold her liquor, and the thought makes me chuckle. I take two big gulps of tequila, then climb under the blankets. Though I’d like to fall asleep, I can’t because all I can think of is Kendall and the things she shared with me tonight.