“Alright, and I’ll fill the tubs and sinks upstairs, then search for candles.”
“Sounds good.” I flash her a smirk and a wink, hoping to ease her nerves.
After we separate to do our tasks, I grab my phone and send Eli a text update. I’m sure Kendall will tell Cami but I want to make sure he knows I’ll keep a close eye on her and not to worry about us since I’m sure Cami will be.
Just as I suspected, there’s no fuel in the generator and the extra gas can is empty. Honestly, I should’ve thought of it before we left.
I find some extra flashlights and batteries, fill the sinks downstairs, then grab the matches. When I make it back to the living room, I see Kendall and drop everything on the coffee table so we know where it is.
“Everything is taken care of upstairs,” Kendall says.
“Great, thanks.”
Taking a seat in the chair, I keep an eye on her and notice how anxious she is. “How about you pick something on TV to keep your mind off everything?”
Her bright smile returns and it sends a rare shiver down my spine. “Okay.”
We watch comedy shows for hours and eat dinner on the couch. The wind continues to gust and more snow falls. Though I don’t want to cause her anymore panic, it’s likely we’ll lose power tonight.
“Make sure you have an extra blanket,” I tell her after we call it a night. “Oh and take a flashlight, just in case.”
I hand one to her. “Thanks.”
Kendall watches me and I stare at her, unspoken words sizzle between us but neither know what to say. We actually had a nice evening together, and I didn’t hate most of the Hallmark crap she made me watch.
“No problem. I’m just going to clean up down here, then I’ll be heading to bed myself.”
“Okay. Good night, Ryan.”
Her soft voice is like heaven.
“Sweet dreams, Kendall.”Chapter FiveKendallDAY 3I wake up shivering.
My hands are ice cold and even though I put on socks before I crawled into bed last night, my feet are too. Wrapping the extra blankets around me, I get up to turn on the light. Nothing. We must’ve lost power overnight. Instead of freezing my ass off, I grab my flashlight and make my way to Ryan’s room.
On the way there, the wind screams outside and my anxiety gets the best of me. When I’m outside of his room, I lightly tap on the door and wait. He never answers, so I let myself in. Ryan’s sleeping like the dead and I almost feel guilty for waking him.
“Ryan,” I whisper, not wanting to freak him out. I repeat myself a few times until he finally shifts awake.
“What’s the matter?” He sits up, the blankets fall down and I see he’s shirtless. I catch a glimpse of his chiseled abs and force my eyes back to his.
“The power’s out. Can you pretty please light a fire? I’m freezing my ass off.”
“Fuck,” he whispers, standing. His pajama pants hang haphazardly on his hips and I can’t take my eyes off him as he moves across the room and grabs a sweater. The cold air brushes against my cheeks and I think I see him shiver. Before going downstairs, he puts on some house shoes. I follow him and watch Ryan start the fire.
I walk over to the window and look outside. Though it’s still dark, the moonlight makes the snow shine bright. No telling how many inches fell last night. Once the wood crackles, I plop down in front of it on the floor, allowing the instant heat to warm me up. “Do we have a way to make coffee?”
Ryan, who’s standing, looks down at me and laughs. “Don’t think so. We’d need electricity for that.”
“Just kill me,” I groan.
“I think we’re gonna have to be creative with what’s in the pantry too,” he admits.
Placing my head on my knees, I sigh. “I hope to God the power returns today.”
Ryan’s expression is unreadable as he sits down next to me. “I hope so too. I don’t get a lot of time off, and waiting out a snowstorm with no electricity or the ability to cook isn’t what I had in mind.”
“I feel the same. Want some blanket?” I offer.
“Nah. I’m going to change into some warmer clothes, then check the weather report. Thanks, though.”
I smile. “You’re welcome. Will you grab my phone out of my room? It’s on the nightstand.”
He stands. “Sure. I’m turning mine off when I’m done, and you should probably do the same, just in case we need to call someone for help.”
My eyes go wide. “Hopefully we won’t need help.”
“We probably won’t, but it’s good to have contact with the outside world.”
He has a point. I meet his eyes again. “I just hope the power comes on later. Trying to stay positive.”