Solitude

3| Lost

"And?" You grin, watching her wipe the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "Are you going to get sick of it?"

Wanda sighs, a satisfied expression on her face as she shakes her head. "I doubt it."

You eye her fully clean plate. She didn't let even a single bit go to waste. The corner of your mouth twitches.

"Don't get used to it too much. For tonight, you owe me dinner since you nearly ate all of mine."

She brushes her hair behind her shoulders, nodding her head and giving you a lopsided smile that makes a weird sensation settle in your stomach. Blaming it on the sparkling water sitting on the table, you brush the sensation aside.

"Deal." Wanda mumbles, voice soft as her fingers subconsciously play with her rings. "This is the least I can do to thank you for this rather delicious food."

Taking a moment to appreciate the comfortable silence between you, you take a glance outside the window. The sun stands high in the sky, blinding light streaming through the tops of the trees.

The more you spend time in her presence without the lingering annoyance between you, the less horrible the whole misunderstanding becomes. Nevertheless, you don't rely on the feeling, knowing how easily the situation can shift once again if Wanda wants to play princess again.

You don't know each other. You are strangers trapped inside the same space with no intentions to solve it.

But you want to solve it. Not because you want her gone out of the barn but because you want to settle the misunderstanding once and for all. You are stubborn there's no denying it and the thought about letting the uncertainty lingering between you both messed with your nerves.

"I think I'll go for a walk." You breathe out before even thinking about it, the words slipping past your lips the moment they formed in your head. "Breathe in some fresh air and enjoy the scenery."

Wanda looks up from her plate, swallowing slowly. You must have something in your eyes as you see something pass over her eyes in an instant – maybe sadness?

You could ask her to join you. If it was just a simple walk in nature you would have. Nevertheless, you want to achieve something entirely different with it, something you aren't sure she would be happy to know.

"I'll see you later." You give her a small smile, standing up from the desk and putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

"See you."

~

It is getting late, the sun setting behind the mountains, throwing its last golden glow through the trees. The moment the sun disappears, coldness creeps over your fingers and up your arms. You look up at the sky, being greeted with the sight of clouds threatening to rain.

Black cloud quickly darken the sky, your feet slipping over the wet track. At first small drops fall down the sky, becoming stronger with each minute as you walk towards the barn. The weather changed so quickly you didn't find the time to return before you realized the coming storm.

The rain pours down on you, drenching your clothing with water. A few minutes pass by before you finally reach your destination.

An orange hue streams out of the window, the thought about the soon to come warmth of shelter sending a hopeful chill down your spine.

You stumble through the door, teeth shattering as you hug yourself tightly in hopes to warm you up. Your sweater clings to your skin, the heavy material soaked with water, a heavy weight on your shoulders. Leaving your shoes at the front door, covered in mud, you quickly walk into the living room. A warm fire is the only thing on your mind right now, wanting to get the ice-cold feeling out of your bones.