I awoke in the night to find Amelia snuggled up next to me. I felt a rush of butterflies in my stomach at being so close to her. I smiled to myself and gently put my hand on her waist, then closed my eyes again. I took a deep breath and thought about the past few days. I couldn't help feeling like she was fragile and needed protecting. It didn't feel strange or uncomfortable to be lying there so close to her. It had been a long time since my last relationship.
"Are you awake?" I asked quietly.
She put her arm around my waist and smiled without opening her eyes.
"M-hm," was the reply.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good," she pulled me closer.
I bent my head down and inhaled her hair. It smelt faintly like strawberries. I lifted my hand and stroked her hair.
"Your hair is so soft and the colours are rich, it's beautiful," I told her.
She giggled and lifted her hand to my hair.
"Yours is too," she sounded playful, I had no doubt she was joking.
I smiled at her. Cropped short to keep the tight curls in check, my hair was thick, wiry, and jet black.
My hand brushed gently along her cheek, and she lifted her eyes to meet mine. Bathed in the soft red glow of the firelight, she looked breathtaking—her features warm and open, her eyes searching mine for something unspoken. I leaned in slowly, giving her time, watching for any sign of hesitation. But she stayed still, her gaze locked on mine, her lips just slightly parted. When I finally closed the space between us and pressed my lips to hers, it was like everything else faded away. Her lips were warm, impossibly soft—like silk beneath mine—and the moment felt suspended in time. A quiet electricity passed between us, something tender and intense all at once. My heart pounded in my chest, but everything about the kiss was slow, deliberate, like we were learning each other through touch alone.
When she didn't pull back, I deepened the kiss, gently coaxing her lips open. My tongue slipped between them, meeting hers in a warm, exploratory dance. She responded with a soft gasp, her arms wrapping around me as she kissed me back with growing intensity. Her breath came faster, matching mine, and I could feel the way her body melted against me.
I lost myself in that moment completely—nothing existed but her lips, her breath, her warmth. I don't know how long we stayed like that, tangled in the firelight and each other, but when we finally broke apart, it felt too soon. Like something perfect had been paused, not finished.
The fire crackled quietly beside us, casting flickering shadows on the walls. When our lips finally parted, she didn't move away. Her forehead rested lightly against mine, and for a long moment, we just stayed like that—breathing the same air, wrapped in the quiet hum of something new settling between us.
"I've wanted to do that since the first day I saw you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
She smiled, her eyes soft but unreadable. "You're full of surprises," she said, brushing her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. "I thought I was going to have to make the first move."
I chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I thought about it. A lot. Just... didn't know how."
She tilted her head slightly. "You did just fine."
The warmth of her words sank into me deeper than the fire's heat ever could. I wasn't used to this—the ease of being with someone, the way silence could feel comfortable instead of awkward.
After a few minutes, she pulled back slightly, studying my face. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Just... kind of amazed we're here. That this is real."
Her smile faded into something quieter, more thoughtful. "It is real."
Outside, the wind howled and snow pelted the windows, but in here, everything felt still. Safe. She leaned against my side and rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her, not out of boldness, but because it felt right. Natural.
"You know," she said after a while, "I don't usually let people in this easily."
I looked down at her. "Why me, then?"
She hesitated, then shrugged. "You're different. You're not trying to impress me. You're just... you. Honest. Kind."
My chest tightened at her words. No one had ever really said anything like that to me before—not and meant it.
"I like being with you," I said quietly. "I feel like I can breathe."
She didn't answer, but the way she slipped her hand into mine said enough.
We lay there like that, side by side in the firelight, while the storm raged on. Time didn't seem to matter anymore. Just the steady beat of her heart against mine, the soft rhythm of her breathing, and the quiet understanding growing between us.
She shifted slightly in my arms, getting more comfortable, her head still resting on my shoulder. The fire had burned down a bit, leaving only a bed of glowing embers, but neither of us moved to stoke it. The warmth between us was enough.
After a while, she broke the silence.
"So... what do you do? In real life, I mean. When you're not making out in remote cabins."
I laughed softly. "I'm a data analyst. For a bank."
She lifted her head, one eyebrow raised. "Really?"
"Yeah," I said with a sheepish smile. "Not the most exciting job in the world, I know. Mostly spreadsheets, reports, staring at numbers that never end."
She smiled faintly. "I actually find that kind of sexy. Quiet, analytical types. You probably keep the whole machine running behind the scenes."
"I don't know about that," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "I just make sure the patterns make sense and that no one's stealing money."
Her smile faded into something softer. "So... what are you doing all the way out here? You don't strike me as the mountain retreat type."
I hesitated for a second, then answered honestly. "Needed to get away. Things were getting... loud. I work in a cubicle with twenty other people, and everyone's always talking, rushing, chasing deadlines. It's like the noise doesn't stop, even when I get home. I just need some quiet sometimes."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I get that."
I looked at her. "What about you? What are you doing up here?"
"Well, my parents company collapsed overnight. A fraud investigation is underway. Everything I'd worked for just... disappeared. I lost my job, my reputation, and half of my savings. I think I was in shock for the first few days."
"Jesus," I said, genuinely stunned. "That's—"
"Yeah," she cut in gently. "A mess."
I watched her face in the dim glow of the fire, the flicker of vulnerability breaking through her usual confidence. It hit me then how much she must have carried — how heavy it had to be to always be the strong one.
"I'm sorry," I said, not just out of sympathy, but because I truly was.
She shrugged "it's not like it's your fault,"
We were quiet again. But this time, it was a shared silence, thick with unspoken understanding.
"I thought coming up here would help me think," she said. "But instead I've just been watching snow pile up and pretending I'm okay with being alone."
She leaned back against me. "I thought I liked being alone. I always told myself I didn't need anyone. But after a while, you start to wonder if you're just protecting yourself from something better."
I looked at her, surprised by the honesty in her words. She glanced back, met my eyes.
"Maybe we both needed to be stuck here," she said. "To stop running long enough to actually feel something."
The room was quiet again, but this time it felt full. Full of everything we hadn't said yet, and everything we were starting to understand.