When The Snow Settles

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. The storm was practically gone, yet here was his mother and father lecturing him about the hazards of going off now. It’s not like he was going off permanently, he was just meeting up with a friend. A colleague, in a sense. He was training to do what Daire was doing, though if his father had his way, he wouldn’t be doing it any longer.

He’d be back by nightfall, unless the storm got worse. If it did, he would be back by no later then mid-day the next day. He didn’t want to be gone too long. He wanted to enjoy his time off in peace. The boss, if you could call him that, gave him a few weeks to consider his father’s proposal, then let him know whether he was staying. All in all it was very generous, and something he didn’t expect.

However, one of the main reasons he didn’t want to be gone too long was because of Adrae. He seemed to be the only person she’d really talk with, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Maybe it was because he saved her, maybe because he wasn’t trying to treat her like a child... or maybe it was because of a connection. He didn’t know, and in his mind, it didn’t matter. It was a fact he knew, and a fact he would take into consideration when choosing whether to help his father.

“I know,” he finally said, annoyance in his voice. His father shot him a stern glare whereas his mother let out a huff before heading to the kitchen. He then glanced at Adrae who was watching him from the couch. She didn’t look happy, but then again, when did she? “Try not to miss me too much,” he said as a joke. His father looked ready to punish him for that comment, but he obviously didn’t want to do so in front of Adrae. Which was why he took the risk. Adrae, however, much to his surprise, gave a faint smile. Even his father seemed taken back.

He smiled wide at her, gave a small wave before patting his father’s back, while heading out of the door. He would get lectured about his attitude when he came back, but it was worth it. Worth it to see the smile on her face... and the annoyance on his father’s.

He pushed open the door, warmth immediately hitting him. His cheeks burned slightly and his nose seemed to regain slight feeling in it. He rubbed his hands together before heading to the back of the coffee house. That was where Addison always sat, today would be no different.

Addison had been a close friend since he was ten. They had been inseparable, and when Addison’s family had been murdered, he took him in. His parents loved him, and now, when Addison needed another place to stay, they would offer again. He wasn’t broke, but currently, in their small town, no places were available. Where he had been staying had recently underwent fire damage, and with the constant storms coming, it wouldn’t be fixed for quite some time.

Addison may need help every so often, as time has proven, but he never forgot about it. After the first time he had stayed with them, he had payed them what it would have cost to stay in a hotel, much to his father’s dismay, and bought his father a shed full of new supplies. He didn’t want to accept Addison’s money, but he knew he couldn’t turn it down. It was how he felt better, how he made amends and felt good.

Addison was fairly tall, at the height of 6'0. He was a fair sized man, with muscles and bulk in all the necessary places. His eyes were a dull hazel and his hair held the same colour, held in a short cut.

“About time Daire, was beginning to wonder if you stiffed me.” He rolled his eyes. Addison never did talk proper, always adding in a variety of words... but life would be boring otherwise. Addison was Addison, if it wasn’t for him, his life would have grown quite dull. Granted, he could have gone without the broken arm and leg that resulted in an adventure they had took, but it had taught him many valuable lessons.

“Would I do that to you?” He asked, taking a chair and telling the waitress to bring him a nice hot cup of coffee. Addison merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. “On second thought, don’t answer that.” Addison smiled now.

“Same old Daire. So what’s the big surprise? You remodel the place? Or is your sweet ol’ mom expecting?” At that he sputtered a laugh. Another sibling? That was the last thing on his parents mind. The very last. His father needed help farming, another baby would only make his mother more busy, which would mean he would have to help more around the house.

“Neither. You’ll see when we get there, and as I said, it’s not a surprise.”

“Hmm. And why can’t I tell anyone?” He narrowed his eyes before lowering his voice.

“Not here. So shut up.” Addison rolled his eyes and glanced around, his eyes taking in his surroundings.

“No one cares what we have to say, and if they did, they know better than to go and blab it to anyone. We’re feared Daire, no stronger power than that.”

“No worse power also.” He watched his friend roll his eyes before sipping his coffee. The waitress put his down before sauntering off, earning some glances from other men. He sipped his coffee before turning back to his friend. “You’ve never been very patient, but consider it the favor you owe me. Or one of them... how many do you owe me again?” He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

“Two.” When he opened his mouth to object, Addison continued. “I believe when you forgot your wallet that one night, I vouched for you evening. I took that as two favors fulfilled, that was one expensive dinner.” He laughed.

“The only reason I forgot my wallet was because you took it. Remember? Trying to scam your way out of the favors.” All he got from that statement was a sheepish smile. He rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of the coffee. It almost burned his mouth, but it un-numbed his face.

“You want to leave immediately?”

“Give it a few minutes, then we’ll head out.”

“Why does it have to be so far?” Addison mumbled in annoyance, his hands shoved into his pockets.

He often thought the same thing, but he had gotten used to it. The seclusion of the place meant less visitors, which is what his parents had wanted. They wanted to raise their children with no outside help, with no one else intervening.

The wind had picked up, and judging by the way it was, the snow would also. They were only a few minutes away from the house, so he didn’t take it into too much consideration. Even when Addison had stayed with him, he would get lost. A hopeless task, trying to teach him his way.

“Remind me to thank your father for those lights.” He glanced at his friend, a small smile on his face. Emily would be happy. Emily had a crush on Addison, had since the day she met him. It was quite cute, and Addison was careful enough to not hurt her, but also careless enough to make it grow. His father had solved the problem one day when he told Emily she couldn’t date for another six years. That had been an easy solution, but that didn’t stop Emily from acting the way she did around Addison.

His feet stepped up on the first step and warmth already hit him. He could feel it coming out of the house, even if it was faint. He smiled and opened the door, Addison almost pushing by him to get inside.

Addison stumbled in before mumbling an apology and going back to the door to take off his snow covered boots.

His mother and father were sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, Emily was playing with her doll house and he assumed the boys were in their room. Adrae was sitting by the fire, but her eyes were no longer on it. They were on Addison. He did, however, see her eyes glance at the symbol on his jacket.

Fear filled her eyes, and before he could say anything, her body started trembling.