Kitchen Witch

15 | Aftermath

The ride back had been difficult; they barely made 30km/hr the whole way, and that was with luck on their side and the wind having strangely changed direction and blowing from behind. Riley walked over to Charlotte's car and extended his hand to help her up the walkway. She looked as pale as the snow that fell and seemed to be trembling. How long had she been standing out there in the cold, he wondered, hurrying her inside. Charlie, her big golden retriever, looked relieved to see her and began to pace circles around them, panting heavily. Seeing that something wasn't quite right, he ushered her inside. 

"Let's get you warmed up." 

He looked around for the thermostat on the wall to fire up the furnace; the house was bone cold and noticed that there wasn't a light or electrical hum to be found. 

He flipped a few light switches to be sure, "Damn it, the power went out. That's ok, I'll get a fire started." 

He guided her over to the couch in front of the fireplace and covered her in a blanket. Charlie, instinctively climbing on top to create a big furry heating pad. He was getting worried now. He had never seen her so quiet, so still. She was usually a vibrant mess of chaos. He made quick work of getting the fire lit and it was soon spilling warmth into the room. He rubbed his own cold hands in front of the flames, taking a moment to breathe and rest, the adrenaline of the last hour beginning to wear off. He made his way to the kitchen to find some water. Knowing the water would be on well and not available to pump without power, he quickly opened the fridge door and grabbed the first two liquids he could find. Shutting the door just as fast to conserve the coolness. He held a carton of apple juice and a Brita jug of water. The apple juice would be perfect with its sugar to help revive her. He chugged down some of the water and carried a glass of juice back to the living room. 

He stopped, staring at how peaceful she looked, her eyes closed, damp red curls falling across her pale skin. "I've got some juice for you, Charlotte; you should have some." He held it close to her lips, and she nodded, taking a few sips. Let's get this wet coat off you; he nudged the reluctant Charlie off, who looked at him with a wary stare. He peeled her damp coat off and covered her back up with the blanket; Charlie resumed his spot on top and laid his big head down with an "oomph." Charlotte began to nod off, a slow rhythmic breathing giving her sleep away. Riley was worried, unsure if he should let her sleep. Was she in shock from exposure? Had she been out that long? He didn't know if he should try to keep her awake. But something told him that sleep was what she needed. He pulled the armchair closer to the fire and settled back himself after adding another log. It wasn't long before he fell asleep from the exhaustion, too.

The early morning light and a change in the rhythmic snores broke Charlotte's sleep. She opened her eyes to find Charlie curled up on top of her, explaining the pins and needles in her legs. She shook him awake and pushed him off. But that didn't stop the snoring; confused, Charlotte took in the rest of the room. She was on the couch in the living room; how did she get there, and more importantly, why was Riley Keane snoring away on her armchair? Startled, she sat up and began running through the night before; she was on the beach, taking in the wind when Riley had arrived. She remembered falling on her ass and groaned as the rest of the evening came back to her. She felt like she was waking up with a hangover. The combination of exploring her power at the beach and the focused use of it on the way home must have drained her far more than she knew was possible. Her head was pounding, and she got up in search of water. She found the Brita container on the counter, the power clearly out, and jugged back a glass of water and then a second. The house was far chillier than normal, and already she was reaching out to her power as if it was the norm to create a warm breeze to warm the room up. But the dull ache in her head reminded her that that might not be a good idea and that she would need to rely on old-fashioned fire-building skills. So she padded softly back to the living room, past Riley and as quietly as she could and began to stoke the fire.

The rustling of paper nudged Riley awake; he sat still, watching her build the fire back up, feeling relieved that she was alright. He was surprised by just how relieved he was; she really had given him a scare last night. He shook his head, thinking of just how stupid it was for her to have been out last night, and his irritation level returned to Riley Keane's level. 

"I see you feeling better; it's nice to see that while you may not have the sensibility to stay inside in a storm, you can build a fire."

Charlotte whipped her head around, ignoring her headache, and fired back, "I am perfectly capable of building a fire as well as getting myself home." His passive-aggressive comment reminded her so much of Martha that she decided to go easy on him, especially knowing how concerned he really was last night. "But thank you for seeing me home safe and for–" She started to blush, feeling a little exposed, realizing that she was standing there in her long johns and ratty old gym pants. She really needed to start dressing better around Riley, "and for helping me when I wasn't well, I really do appreciate it."

Riley felt his irritation dissipate; it was impossible to stay upset for long around her. "You're welcome, and you're right. Something tells me you would have been fine. But next time, can you promise to be a little more careful? The storms here have a way of changing for the worse real quick."

She flashed him her best smile, one that crinkled the lines under her eyes. "I promise–" She looked into his eyes, taking in his gruff red beard and the dimple he tried to hide with his grumpy demeanour and added, "to try to be more sensible."

Riley groaned not just at her ridiculously stubborn comeback but also because of the heat rising in his body as he stared back at her, "Right, good then." He slapped his knee and got up, putting another log on the fire. "The power will likely be out for a few more hours if not a day. I need to get out there to help clear the roads, and–" He eyed her damp clothing from the night before, "You need to change and warm up. Will you be alright here on your own?"

"I'll be just fine. Sarah gave me the rundown on what to do, and I'm well stocked. You don't need to worry about me anymore." She peeled her gym pants off and stood by the fire, her long-john leggings and top hugging her ample curves. She could feel his eyes on her body and was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. Feeling brave, she cocked her hip out and added, "But maybe you could make a pass of the drive on your way out."

"Charlotte Grace, you are going to be the death of me." Riley headed out the door with a very large grin on his face.