So I Married A Rockstar - Season 2

Ch. 21: Blackout

I hadn't realised how what a difference the lights made until they didn't work anymore. Suddenly the world outside, which had been a glittering winter wonderland, had grown teeth and claws, a predator crouched beyond the walls, looking for a way in.

In my room, I threw on several layers of clothes, slung the duvet around my shoulders like a cloak, and shuffled into the living room where Finn was banking the fire in the stove. He raised an eyebrow when he saw me.

"You look like a Teletubby," he said.

I looked down at myself. "I was trying to keep warm."

Maybe I'd overdone it a little.

I sat in front of the stove, my back against the sofa, and after he closed the door, Finn joined me. I lifted one edge of my duvet, encouraging him to snuggle in with me.

"How much trouble are we in?" I asked, my voice coming out small and uncertain.

"This isn't the first power cut I've had up here," Finn told me.

"In weather like this?"

A pause.

"No," he admitted.

The logs in the stove spat and sparked, flame-shadows leaping across the walls, and I tried to focus on that rather than the rising tide of panic.

"How long will the frozen food last?" I asked.

"It should be good for up to a day, but even if we lost everything in the freezer, we still have plenty of canned and dried stuff to live off," Finn replied.

"But we don't know how long we'll be here," I said, still in that same small voice.

Finn slid his arm around my shoulders. "It won't be longer than the supplies I have. Our meals might get repetitive but we won't starve, I promise."

A great gust of wind whipped through the woodland around the house, making the bare branch clatter together like bones, and even though we were snuggly warm in front of the fire, I couldn't help a shiver.

Finn's arm tightened around me, and I leaned into his solid chest.

Neither of us spoke for a while, listening to the crackle of the fire and the rising howl of the wind.

"Finn?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

His eyes flicked down to me, then back to the fire, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. "Really?" he said.

I nodded.

"There's nothing to be scared of."

I tipped back my head, trying to gauge Finn's expression but he was still staring at the fire. "Seriously? We're stranded miles from anywhere in the worst winter for decades and the power just went out."

Finn made a noise that was almost a sigh. "You're freaking out over nothing. We'll be fine."

"I'm not freaking out, I'm scared. There's a difference." Irritation crept into my voice. "And considering I've never been in this situation before, I think I have a right to be."

Finn's jaw tightened. "I guess I just thought you were made of stronger stuff. It's a little disappointing, to be honest."

"Excuse me?" I pulled away from him and his arm fell from my shoulders.

"Did I stutter?" Finn said.

Open-mouthed, I stared at him. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. I was just making an observation."