the fire crackled, its embers floating around as she sat before it on some elaborately designed rug, glaring at the wooden door in hopes tyler would be back soon. he was the one who had brought her to this large, homey cabin-like place, but he had wordlessly left a few days ago, leaving her to wonder where he had gone.
although she couldn't stop anxiously anticipating his return, it was easy to fall back into a carefree and cozy mood when she took in her surroundings. the cabin was empty, something that hadn't been used in forever, yet some type of magic hung over it that made it appear constantly bright and new. meals would appear on tables throughout the day, and the fire seemed to tend to itself. it was the type of place that she felt like she could stay in forever. tyler had called it the hollow.
whenever she finally allowed herself to relax, to bask in the comfort and warmth of the hollow, her mind would always drift back to tyler, and the fact that he had left. she couldn't help but worry about his whereabouts, and whether or not he was okay. she would go looking for him if she could, but she knew that it would be no use. she didn't know her way around the snowy landscape outside.
she sighed, standing up from her place on the floor as she realized that staring at the door wouldn't make him come any sooner. she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging tyler's shirt that she wore as she began to walk up the stairs.
maybe he didn't even want to come back. maybe he left her here on purpose. he always seemed to disappear, always seemed to leave her behind. she still wasn't even sure that she could completely trust him. besides, she shouldn't have cared so much anyway. he had reminded her time and time again that he had felt nothing for her, that she was just a tool to him. but she was finding it harder and harder to believe the more he acted like he cared.
just as she reached the top of the stairs, she heard the wooden door downstairs creek open. she quickly turned around and rushed down the steps, eager to see who it was. she stopped at the bottom, watching as tyler forced himself inside, snow blowing in before he managed to shut the door. snowflakes coated his hair and eyelashes, and his footsteps and movements appeared to be exhaustingly slow.
"are you okay?" she asked confusedly.
"i'm- i'm f-fine," he gritted out between his chattering teeth, his shoulders shaking as he attempted to walk. she hurriedly rushed over to him, wrapping an arm around him to help him up. his skin was icy cold to the touch.
"you're freezing," she stated, her eyebrows furrowed together in concern.
"a little," he shivered. "but i'm fine."
"you can hardly walk. i wouldn't say you're fine," she remarked, helping him up the steps. "come on. you need to warm up."
"it's nothing. i'll warm up on my own," he argued, his frozen lips slurring his words. she knew he was partially right. with the magic contained in the hollow, it would eventually soothe him and take away the frost that lingered on his skin, but she wasn't sure how long that would take. with how cold he was now, he needed all the heat that he could get.
she led him up to the nearest bedroom, where a fire was already burning. tyler laid on the bed, kicking his boots off before he buried himself under the plush blankets. he squeezed them to his chest, giving away just how cold he really was, even though he had claimed to be fine.
she sat there for a few minutes, quietly watching him as he laid there with his eyes closed. he looked so much easier to trust when he was sleeping. his soft features made him appear gentle and kind, not like the harsh and manipulative words he'd sometimes use to push her away.
she reached out, running her fingers through his fluffy brown hair. it was slightly chilled, probably from all that snow that had fallen on him on his way back. she heard tyler hum in content, quickly causing her to pull away. she didn't realize that he was still awake.
