and the stars will all come out

chapter nineteen! ☆

LANDRY HAD CRASHED IN THE GUEST ROOM AND SLEPT IN HER CLOTHES.

When she climbed the stairs and re-entered the kitchen once more, Nate and Taylor were already preparing breakfast, and Dave was nowhere to be seen.

She couldn't help but feel a bit disheveled after a night of restless, post-hangover sleep. Her hair was tousled, and she wished she had taken the time to freshen up in the bathroom, or maybe ponder a cigarette, but it seemed she was already late for breakfast.

Nate looked up from the stove, where he was flipping what had to be vegan pancakes, and smiled warmly at her. He wasn't wearing his wire-frame glasses this morning, a noticeable change, and his strawberry-blond hair was sticking up in all directions.

"Good morning, Landry. Did you sleep well?"

Landry tried to stifle a yawn, realizing she might have overslept a bit. "Morning, Nate. It was... alright. Thanks for having me over."

Taylor, who was setting the small table tucked away in the corner of the room, chimed in, "Glad you could stay, Lan. Nate made sure to make us a few regular pancakes! Dave should be back soon."

Landry smiled back, feeling a sense of warmth and belonging in this cozy cabin.

She went over and pulled out a chair, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon making her realize just how hungry she was. "I hope I'm not too late for breakfast."

Nate laughed as he flipped another pancake. "Not at all, we saved you a seat."

As she gingerly sat down at a corner of the table, Landry couldn't help but wonder where Dave had disappeared to.

She decided to ask Nate. "Do you know where Dave went?"

Nate didn't look up from flipping pancakes. "He mentioned something about checking on the generator. We've been having some issues with it lately. Shouldn't be too long."

She nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and curiosity. "Okay."

☆

AFTER BREAKFAST, LANDRY COULDN'T SHAKE THE FEELING THAT SHE NEEDED TO SPEAK WITH DAVE, and the mention of him checking on the generator gave her a reason to step outside.

With a glance toward the kitchen window, she excused herself, saying, "I think I'll go see if Dave needs a hand with the generator."

Nate and Taylor nodded in understanding, and Landry made her way out of the cabin. The crisp morning air hit her as she stepped onto the porch, her breath forming a small cloud - they were slowly approaching December, after all, and it was steadily getting colder. She followed the sound of a distant generator to the side of the cabin, where Dave was crouched over a tangle of wires and cables.

"Dave?" she called out from behind him, her voice a bit uncertain.

He looked up, his expression softening when he saw her. "Hey, Lani. You're up early."

"Yeah," she said, moving closer. "I wanted to check on you and see if you needed any help."

Out of breath, Dave pushed hair from his face, smudged with dirt and grease. "I appreciate it. T just told me this generator's been acting up lately, so I'm trying to figure out what's wrong. Don't really know what the issue is yet."

Landry studied the generator for a moment, her brow furrowed. She couldn't lie, any excuse to be closer to him would do. "Anything I can do to help?"

Dave hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to begin, but he shrugged, and the weird look on his face disappeared as quickly as it appeared.