Whenever It Snows

Dakota bustled around her flat as she packed last minute items for her trip to her parent’s house. It was Christmas Eve, and if all went as planned she was going to be engaged before the night was over. She checked her appearance in the mirror for what felt like the millionth time, and felt her heart jump into her throat as her phone started buzzing on her vanity. She ached for it to be Jason, his deep voice telling her he couldn’t wait to see her, but she knew that it was only her mum. A simple glance at the screen proved her thoughts right, and she shoved the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she answered.

“Dakota Rae, you really should have came down last night,” her mother stated, forgoing the traditional greeting, “Have you seen the amount of snow on the ground? I wouldn’t be surprised if there are white out conditions soon.”

“I have four wheel drive mum, I’ll be fine,” Dakota insisted, peeking out of her window for the first time that morning, “Besides, the M6 is always plowed really well so I probably won’t have to use it.”

She wanted to ask her mum if she had heard from Jason or his family, but she kept her lips tight as her mum babbled on about all the cooking she was going to be starting soon. She hadn’t seen Jason for a year; their last meeting was last Christmas Eve when he told her that he just wasn’t ready for marriage. He had told her that they’d meet back up in a year, in the same spot by the Christmas tree at her parent’s house, and that’s when they’d be engaged. Most people would’ve given up hope at those types of promises, but Dakota kept telling herself that he had been telling the truth.

"Have you seen Jason's mum lately?" Dakota asked, finally finding a lull in the conversation.

"Ran into her at the market yesterday," her mum answered, a sour tone in her voice, "Said she wasn't expecting him home for Christmas. You're just getting your hopes up, dear."

"Maybe he's surprising her," Dakota shot back quickly, feeling oddly defensive of him, "I know you guys think I'm crazy for actually believing him, but I have a really good feeling about it, mum. I think he could be the one, ya know? He just needed time to realize that he is ready to settle down."

Dakota's mum merely sighed, knowing it was futile to try and change her daughters mind, and quietly wished that she were right. She had seen how torn up Dakota had been after the pseudo breakup the previous year, and didn't want to have to watch her daughter crumble again when Jason didn't show up. Personally, Mrs. Shea had never been a fan of the young man, feeling as if he was always taking advantage of Dakota's golden heart, but put up with him for her daughters sake. She had comforted her daughter throughout the holidays last year, letting countless tears fall upon her shoulder, and finally saw her return to her normal self around the start of Summer. Mrs. Shea simply listened to her daughter gush about how she thought her engagement was going to happen, and bid Dakota safe travels before hanging up her phone.

Dakota tossed her phone into her oversized purse, adding the brown bag onto her pile of suitcases and gifts, and made sure her flat was ready for her departure. She turned down the thermostat, only leaving it warm enough to prevent any frozen pipes, and double-checked that the doors and windows were all securely locked. She shrugged on her green parka, knowing there would be snow to clean off her windshield, and found her keys as she grabbed what would be the first load of bags. It took Dakota three trips to get everything into the trunk of her SUV, and she was grateful for the remote start as the snow began melting off the windows. She scraped the windows quickly, and placed her frozen mitten covered hands in front of the heater vents once she was inside the vehicle.

When she finally got onto the M6, she wasn’t surprised to find it backed up with bumper-to-bumper traffic, and sighed as she plugged her phone in to add music to the silence. She hummed along to the soft music, and quickly realized that the snow was starting to come down harder. She kept her wipers at full speed, making sure she left a big gap between her and the car she was trailing in case of ice, and used their taillights as a guide.

Dakota had only been driving for a little over an hour when she realized that she didn’t see the car ahead of her anymore. She wasn’t alone on the road, a snowplow had just driven by, but she had a feeling she was one of the few people on the road who wasn’t driving a plow. Her gas gauge was nearing the ¼ mark, and she searched for an exit sign as she merged over to the right. She pulled off, hoping there was a petrol station on the road, and took a left as she came down the ramp. She drove for longer than she wanted too, holding onto the hope that she’d stumble upon a station, and felt her blood run cold when the car started to stall. In a state of panic, she pulled off to the side of the road, and let out a groan as the engine died and the warning light came on.

After numerous attempts to get the engine to turn over, she gave up and crawled into the back so she could bundle up more and attempt to walk and find some help. She shrugged another thick sweater over her already heavy one, and added a second pair of wool socks under her brown leather boots. She found a scarf tucked into one of her bags, and secured it around her face before packing a few more clothes into the small backpack she had shoved full of toiletries earlier in the day. Dakota crawled back into the front seat, securing her phone, which had no bars, into the pocket near her right breast. With a quick check of the essentials, she was out in the blizzard and shoving her hands into her furry mittens.

“Guess I’ll just keep going this way, that looks like a mailbox,” she muttered under her breath, already feeling the cold seeping into her clothes.

Dakota kept her head down, trying to stop the snow from blowing into her face, and silently cursed herself for not wearing boots that were made for trudging through snow. When she reached what she had thought was a mailbox, she almost let out a scream of excitement when she realized she had been right. Her celebration was short lived, however, when she realized that she couldn’t even see the house as she stared down what was surely a dirt road. Her body was starting to numb, and she couldn’t control the shivers that had started coursing through her body. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to give up and just collapse, but managed to trudge on through the now knee high snow. The resistance against her legs made her want to lie down and give up, but she trudged on, nearly crying when she saw a faint light in the distance.

“Someone help! Please! I’m stuck out here!” she shouted, hoping the light she was in fact a house and she wasn’t delusional, “Help me! I’m freezing!”

Her voice seemed to get lost in the open space, but that didn’t stop her from constantly yelling as she fought against the snow and wind. She was startled from her constant yelling when a dog bounded up to her, and fell to her knees as she reached out her hand to pet it. The dog lightly pulled on Dakota’s parka, urging her to get up, and she pulled herself up as quickly as she could. The process was repeated a few times, and as they got closer to the small house the dog would bark and howl as if it were trying to get the owners attention. Dakota felt tears of happiness spring to her eyes as they reached the porch of the house, and drug herself forward as the dog darted through the dog door and barked wildly.

“Please let me in, I’m freezing,” Dakota feebly shouted, feeling her body starting to shut down.

The dog reappeared, barking again, and after going in and out a few times, finally nudged her towards the dog door. Dakota knew she would technically be trespassing, but all she wanted was warmth so she threw caution to the wind and shoved her rucksack through the door before following it. The warmth enveloped immediately, and she kept her face pressed against the warm wood flooring in the bright kitchen.

“Oh, hello,” a deep voice announced, startling Dakota from her serene like state, “I thought Woody had seen another deer, I didn’t realize we had a visitor. Y’alright?”

“I’m sorry I barged in,” Dakota rushed out, pushing herself up to look at the owners face, “My car died a ways back, and when I came to your drive I figured I’d see if someone was home to help.”

“No worries, love,” he smiled, adjusting his stance on his crutches, “Do you fancy a shower or at least a change of clothes?”

Dakota nodded mutely, amazed at how welcoming this stranger was being, and watched as he hobbled towards the doorway, beckoning for her to follow. She picked her bag up wordlessly, following closely behind him, and grinned as Woody pulled a towel from the linen closet they walked by. She gratefully stepped into the bathroom the stranger had shown her, shed her soaked clothes, and noticed the support bars and chair that resided in the shower. She had barely noticed her host’s crutches, but wondered what exactly was wrong as she moved the chair out so she could get in. She kept the water nearly all the way on hot, turning her skin a wonderful shade of red, and was surprised to find a rolled up pair of sweats and a jumper sitting on the counter when she exited the shower; while her soaked clothes were now missing.

She pulled them on, basking in the musky scent they held, and towel dried her hair before roughly running her fingers through the damp strands. She tossed the towel in the wicker hamper after making sure all of her mascara and eyeliner was gone, and stepped into the house to search for her host. She was greeted by Woody waiting outside the door, holding a pair of socks loosely in his teeth, and she smiled and pulled them over her cold toes. The dog padded off towards the kitchen, and Dakota followed, stopping to watch the host working on some food on the stove. She studied him, realizing that the man was indeed very attractive, and was amazed at how well he maneuvered around the kitchen on the crutches.

His light brown hair was short, but she could tell it was starting to get to its shaggy stage by the way he kept pushing it off of his forehead. The muscles in his arms and back were outlined by the black and white raglan that was bunched up just enough to show the waistband of his Topman briefs. She remembered the birthmark situated on his neck, and couldn’t help but to already have memorized how it bobbed when he spoke, or simply swallowed.

“Thanks for letting me shower, and for the clothes,” Dakota said softly, hoping not to startle him too much.

“You looked like you could use some warming up,” he smiled, showing off a set of perfect teeth, “Woody actually put the clothes in there for you, so I wasn’t creeping in on your shower.”

“He’s quite the dog, isn’t he?” she said, a small laugh in her voice, “I’m Dakota Shea.”

“Liam Payne,” he smiled, reaching out a hand to gently shake hers, “I hadn’t really planned on visitors tonight, so I hope you’re okay with some macaroni and cheese for dinner.”

“It’s actually my favorite,” she smiled back, “And considering you’re letting me stay here, without question, I would be fine if you gave me Woody’s kibble.”

Liam laughed at her attempt at a joke, and insisted that she didn’t need to help and ushered her into a seat at the small wooden table. He got back to the stove, pulling the boiling noodles off the burner, and quickly drained them before adding the sauce over them. He winced in pain as he put too much weight on his left leg, but pushed through it and poured the noodles into two bowls. Dakota noticed that he would need help bringing the bowls to the table, and sprung up to help him, ignoring how giddy his smile made her feel. Liam thanked her, offering her a beer from the fridge, and gripped two in her hand as they both settled into their chairs.

Conversation flowed between them lightly, the pair of them learning the little things about each other, and Dakota was grateful that she had stumbled upon his house. Liam explained that his parents had gone to Italy for the holidays, so he had planned on being alone, but was grateful for his unexpected guest. Dakota explained the entire situation with Jason to him, somehow feeling a sense of security with him already, and appreciated how he listened and didn’t seem to judge. Once the heavy story was out in the open, conversation seemed to stall, but thankfully they covered it by finishing up their meal. Dakota quickly picked up their plates when they finished, making Liam sit down as he had done to her when she had tried to help earlier, and washed the dishes as he disappeared into the living room. Dakota marveled at the tweaks that had been made to the appliances so Liam could use them without struggle. The faucet turned on when you touched it, making the handles at the back obsolete, and had a low front so it could be wheelchair accessible.

Liam fell onto the plush couch as he heard the dishes banging in the porcelain sink, and manually lifted his legs on to the ottoman with a grunt of pain. Woody brought him the blanket from the armchair, pulling it over his legs, and happily took a treat that Liam had grabbed from the jar on the end table. Liam flicked the TV on, thankful the cable hadn’t gone out already, and scrolled through the guide aimlessly. Dakota joined him not long after, a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands, and Liam stared at her with a questioning look.

“I apparently left the bottle in my bag when I was packing,” she smiled, passing him a glass after filling it, “Figured I’d share it with you seeing as it’s Christmas Eve and all.”

“Well thank you,” Liam smiled, sipping the deep red liquid, “Hope you’re okay with A Christmas Story, it’s the only good thing on.”

Dakota smiled at him, exclaiming that it was her favorite Christmas movie, and gladly slid under the blanket as she settled onto the cushion next to him. She found herself drinking the wine a tad faster than normal, noticing Liam was easily keeping up, and they were barely halfway through the movie when the bottle was dry. Both of them had a slight buzz, the wine higher alcohol content than most, but Liam wanted more and offered a bottle of his own as they drained the bottle. Dakota nodded eagerly, and jumped up as soon as Liam told her the location of the bottle. She pulled it off the shelf, dusting the label off carefully, and realized that Liam must not have been one to drink that often. She pulled the cork with the corkscrew she had left on the counter; thankful her uncorking skills had improved, and rejoined a slightly smiling Liam. He took the bottle from her hands, almost making both cups overflow as he poured, and made a cheesy toast that brought a small giggle from Dakota. They finished up the movie, somehow moving close enough that it was almost considered cuddling, and barely paid attention as the next movie began to play.

Liam noticed her disinterest, and took it upon himself to explain his whole situation. He told her about the car wreck a year and a half ago, the one that had taken his closest friend, and numbly went into detail about his healing process. Dakota was flabbergasted at his tale, and nearly cried for the stranger as he told her about his near life experiences. Liam assured her that he was fine now, explaining that the pain was worse when it was cold outside, and that his full recovery was expected by the time the trees got leaves again. Dakota admired his positive outlook, and silently wished that she was as optimistic as him.

“Do you think I’m foolish for thinking that Jason was actually going to show up at my parents,” Dakota whispered, the wine forming a soft confidence in her, “I mean, we haven’t even talked once this past year.”

“We all need something to believe in, I s’pose,” Liam said thoughtfully, not exactly sure how the girl would react.

“Am I that messed up that I can’t even make a guy want to marry me,” she said, feeling a few tears spring to her eyes, “I mean, I stayed faithful to him. And I bet that bastard went and slept with the first floozy he saw when he got to London.

“He said he ‘needed time’ to think about if he wanted to marry. Who says that? I thought that when you loved someone that you should want to marry him or her. Not ditch them for a year so you can gallivant around the city, while they sit at home and wait for you to call. Wait for a letter that you miss them. Hell, even an email would suffice. But, no. I got nothing for a year but dashed hopes, and what was surely a false promise. I’m so stupid.”

“You aren’t messed up, Dakota,” Liam quipped softly, slinging an arm around her shoulder as he noticed her tears, “He’s stupid for leaving a girl like you. You’ve got quite the good head on your shoulders from what I can tell in our short time together. No guy should ever do that to a girl, and I’m terribly sorry that you have to face it.”

Dakota gratefully accepted his small hug, the contact adding to the warmth the wine had been spreading through her body, and found herself not wanting to leave his grasp. She hadn’t felt this sense of comfort with anyone in a long time, not since the beginning of the relationship with Jason, and basked in the feeling. Her eyes traveled up to Liam’s profile, and danced her eyes along his pronounced jaw line and the moles that dusted across his neck and chin. He kept his gaze forward, the light on the TV making his eyes almost twinkle, and Dakota knew she had a problem on her hands.

Liam nibbled on the inside of his lip as he felt Dakota’s gaze burning into his face, and turned his head so he could catch her gaze. He watched her hazel eyes grow wide, obviously not expecting him to notice her gaze, and smirked as he studied her face. Her dark brown hair was straight, save for the small curls at the ends, and he noticed that she moved her hand up to play with the ends as Liam studied her. She was attractive, there was no denying that, and Liam couldn’t help buy to stare right back at her. He wasn’t sure if it was the wine they had downed, nearly 2 full bottles, was giving him a liquid confidence, or if his loneliness had finally boiled over. All he knew that was he wanted to kiss her, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. She froze under his lips, and Liam retracted quickly, sputtering out apologies.

“Dakota, I-I’m so s-sorry,” he stuttered, feeling his cheeks heat up to a bright shade of vermillion, “You have Jason, and I’m kind of drunk, and I-“

“Screw Jason,” Dakota replied, cutting him off abruptly, “That asshole wasn’t going to show up. Now, kiss me again, but I promise I’ll kiss back.”

Dakota met Liam halfway this time, the kiss a mess of lips and teeth, but it didn’t take long for the two of them to correct the kiss. It got heated quickly, both of them feeling the red wine fully now, and Dakota was straddling Liam’s hips in one swift motion. His hands pressed into her hips as her fingers intertwined in his hair, and neither of them bothered holding back their groans of pleasure. They let their lips move down each other’s necks, and Dakota even found the sweet spot across Liam’s collarbone as she pulled down the neck of his shirt. This made Liam shed his shirt, wanting more contact from the girl, and Dakota happily shed her jumper as Liam pushed it up lightly.

The blizzard that was still roaring outside was easily forgotten as the two lost themselves in each other. The flesh on flesh contact had only heightened their desires, and the pair eagerly pushed at the others pants as they continued to shift around. Dakota reveled in her newfound pleasure, and from what she could tell Liam was enjoying it as well. She was never a girl to have a one-night stand, her only other one happening in her first semester of university, but didn’t mind at that particular moment in time. Liam had experienced a few more one-night stands; his late teens had been filled with some wild parties that he tried to forget.

When they finally managed to satisfy their needs, and then some, Liam shifted them so they were pressed together on the couch under the blanket that had earlier been forgotten. Dakota kept her head pressed into the crook of his neck, still riding her high, but slowly realizing what she had just done. Before, she would’ve felt like she was cheating on Jason, but after talking about the whole thing with Liam, she realized that they hadn’t even been a couple since last Christmas. A soft sigh left her lips, a sort of bliss forming over her, and muttered a soft thank you into his collarbone.

“You’re welcome?” Liam questioned, letting a laugh escape his lips.

“Not for the sex,” Dakota blushed, realizing what it sounded like, “I meant for opening my eyes about the whole Jason thing. You were more of a gentleman to me in one night than he was to me in the last few months of our relationship. So again, thank you.”

Liam just smiled at her, pressing a soft kiss to her hair, and instructed her to sleep since it was getting so late. Dakota nodded, knowing she’d have to get back on the road in the morning and call her parents, but didn’t let him know that she was silently hoping they were snowed in for at least a few days.