Chapter 7 #2
“Sorry, Stella. Look into the corner!” I obey my new overlord and whip my head around until I see, tucked away in the top corner of the wall, a security camera.
“It’s Hazel! The cameras have speakers! I just figured it out today.
Besides the point, why the hell are you still there?
You should be heading home! I’m not sure if the subways are still running.
Buses have already shut down and I will fight you if you try to bike. ”
Shit.
I check my transit app, and she’s right. The only subway stations near me are closed due to the severe weather.
“Well, looks like I’m walking home,” I shout to Hazel’s disembodied voice.
“No the fuck you aren’t!”
“It’s that or sleep here, and I’m pretty sure the heat is connected to the power that just shut off.”
Hazel curses again, then gasps.
“Oh! Stay with Maria! Her apartment is so close to the café, I’m sure she won’t mind. That way you’re safe and warm, and you won’t be stuck all by yourself.”
“I would be well fed at least,” I joke. It’s not a bad idea, hunkering down with her.
Maria lives in what was supposed to be Hazel’s new apartment before she decided she was in love with Beck and wanted to live with him.
A decision I fully support, and it has the added bonus of me already knowing Maria’s address.
“I don’t have her number… I’ll start heading over there anyway, could you tell her I’m on my way? ”
“Absolutely, babe. Now get out of here! And stay safe! And watch for traffic, people are nuts with these road conditions.”
“Alright, but if a stranger offers me candy, can I have it?” The annoyed noise that Hazel makes is totally worth it. “I’m kidding, I’ll leave right away and text you when I get there. I’ll stay safe.”
“Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise,” I say as I wrap myself in my massive scarf and get ready to brave the great (terrible) outdoors.
The second I’ve locked the door behind me, a massive gust of wind nearly takes me out. Snowflakes whip against my face, biting into it painfully as I burrow further into my scarf and toque, only peeking out enough to see my feet and check my direction.
Snow piles up to my calves, heavy and wet, sucking my shoes down.
In my hustle to get out, I forgot to change out of my cheery yellow sneakers that I use for work, leaving my sorrels, with their lovely, sturdy grip, under the counter at the café.
I’m too far gone to turn back now, not with the weather taking a turn for the even worse.
It’s a workout to walk through it, but at least I’m almost there.
I distract myself with dreams about the hot chocolate she’ll surely make for me, and maybe she has a pair of cozy sweats I can wear while my jeans dry.
I’m pretty sure she had a huge fuzzy blanket in one of the boxes I helped her unpack, maybe she’ll let me use – Ahhhhhhhhh!” My thoughts are interrupted by my plummet towards the ground. I throw my hands out to catch myself, only to stop in mid-air.
Well, that’s weird. Did I develop superpowers overnight?
Is this magic? What would I even do with my new powers?
Should I fight crime, or do crime? I think to myself right before I’m yanked up by my puffy pink coat, right between the shoulder blades, and spun around until I’m face to face with a furious blonde man.
James’ face is beet red. If we were in a cartoon, I’m pretty sure smoke would be pouring from his ears.
“Uh, thank you? For saving my life? Well, saving me from a bruised face and maybe a broken arm. You didn’t have to do that, I appreciate it.
” I’m babbling and I can’t be stopped. Oh god, I sound like an idiot.
I look behind him and see grocery bags sprawled in the snow.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry about your groceries, let me help.
I’m sure everything is fine, the snow probably softened the fall.
” I scurry over and start collecting items back into bags as the wind fights to scatter them across the almost fully obscured sidewalk.
James has yet to move, or even say a word to me.
I’m trying my hardest to clean everything up, but I keep dropping things in my panic, unable to keep a grip on anything.
A jar of sauce falls and cracks before I realize I still have my mittens on.
James grunts before bursting into action.
Suddenly he’s taking everything out of my arms and hauling it up.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he shouts over the wind.
“I’m trying to wait out the storm at Maria’s… wait, are you stalking me?!” How else would he have found me out here? “That’s illegal; you can’t follow a woman just because you’ve kissed her. This is so inappropriate!” I raise up my arms to put space between us and retreat slowly. He rolls his eyes.
“Why would I be stalking you?” He sounds exasperated.
“I don’t know, do you have a need for a skin suit?”
“You spend too much time with Hazel.” He shakes his head, dislodging snow.
“I live here.” He gestures up at the building, which is also Maria’s building.
I hadn’t even realized I had made it here.
I might have just kept walking, getting lost and then…
the shiver that grips me has nothing to do with the cold.
Without a word, he walks into the building, holding the door open behind him for me. I scurry in, eager to be out of the wind. I stamp my feet on the dingy carpet to knock the snow off of my frozen toes. James glares down at my feet.
“What the hell kind of shoes are you wearing?” His eyes blaze at my yellow sneakers like they’ve offended his mother.
“What? I think they’re cute.” I personalized them myself, painting little flowers and swirls on them, covering the obvious wear and tear.
“They’re a death trap in this weather.”
“I ain’t dead yet!” I try to come off as cheery, but I only seem to exasperate him as he storms off. I follow him on numb legs up the stairs to the third floor and stop.
“Thanks for your help earlier, and for letting me in.” He grunts in response. “Well, stay warm!” He nods and continues up to the top floor. I knock on Maria’s door, so ready to be done with this day.
I wait.
And wait.
And wait, and yet there’s no response. I press my ear to the door. No noise inside either. I knock again, louder this time.
“Maria?” I call through the door. “Are you home? It’s Stella!” Still nothing.
I pull out my phone, which is almost dead from the cold and see two missed calls and a text from Hazel.
Hazel Nut
Hey, I hope you’re not too far away from the shop! We just found out Maria was snowed in at Beck’s mom’s when the storm hit. She’s staying there until things are cleared up.
Hazel Nut
Do you need Beck to come pick you up? You can stay with us.
Crap.
I let my head fall against the door, trying to figure out what I’m going to do, when I hear a voice from above.
“Top floor, sunshine,” James calls down to me curtly.
It takes me a minute to understand what he means before I lug myself up the stairs and find a door wide open at the end of the hall.
Warmth is pouring out of it as I approach, and I sigh.
I knock the snow off my shoes in the hallway, slipping through the entrance.
Quickly removing my outerwear, I take in my surroundings.
It’s obvious he recently moved in, with minimal personal possessions on the walls, empty bookshelves, a distinct lack of colour, aside from the living room, and a few half-empty boxes scattered around.
No recent signs of women being around, the little gremlin in my brain notices, and I have to shush her.
We have no claim on the sexy, older man.
Is he too old for me? I ponder as I continue my perusal. It’s not something that’s bothered me. Though, with the way he played my body, I doubt I would’ve cared in the moment anyway. The apartment is definitely more mature than those of men my age, which is a relief.
It’s a surprisingly calming space, well put together, with pale blue walls and large windows with daylight still able to beam in through the disastrous weather outside.
I walk up, hugging my arms around myself as I survey the winter wonderland.
There are almost no cars, and not a pedestrian to be seen. Which makes me think…
“You have windburn.” I jolt at James’ voice, having been lost in my own thoughts.
“Probably, yeah.” My hands flutter up to my cheeks which are stinging in the warm air. James looks me up and down, then walks down the hall to what I assume is his room. He is such a weird guy. I would have to live in his head to understand any part of him.
When he returns, he has sweats and a sweater in his arms—all in black, because apparently he only lives in greyscale—and he holds them out to me.
“Bathroom’s down that way.” He nods his head towards where he came from. I look down at my soaked jeans and socks. I could kiss him.
I kind of already did…
It’s not as though he can hear my thoughts but my face has to be the colour of a ketchup bottle now based on the way it’s burning and I can only blame so much on the wind, so I make my way to the bathroom before I turn around.
“Why were you out there just now?” I turn to look at James through the open floor plan to the kitchen. He’s at the island emptying the bags from earlier, inspecting dented tins and a smushed loaf of bread, which he holds up for me.
“Groceries.”
“You’re a lot more talkative when you think you’re going to get some,” I snap. I’m exhausted and irritated at his abrasiveness. He glares at me.
“You made me break my eggs.”
“Oh. Well, that’s fair then.” Guilt traps my tongue from sassing him. I never meant to make someone rescue me.
“You hungry?”
“I could eat,” I reply, unsure of what to do with myself. Neither of us seem comfortable with me in his space.
It beats freezing to death.
I duck into the bathroom and whip out my phone to call Hazel
“Stella! Are you alright?”