Baby, It's Cold Outside

|2:56am| Saturday, February 6th

Emerson's POV

After falling asleep for a bit, I wake to see Ryder watching the snow fall from the frosted window. He's grasping a mug, something steaming inside it. He's holding onto it so hard that his knuckles are turning white.

Pulling the blue blanket over my shoulders, and huddling underneath it I stand and walk over to him.

"Hey." I say, making Ryder jump a little.

"Hey, sleep okay?" He asks, taking a sip of what I think is tea.

"Yeah." I answer, looking out the window just like him. The morning sky looking just like the night sky, still dark and the snow's picked up.

"Are you okay?" I ask Ryder, sensing something off. He just shrugs, proving my point.

"My mother. She's uh, sick. I got a call earlier last night that they moved her to hospice care." Ryder says, and my heart drops.

"I'm sorry." I whisper, and even I know that hearing that doesn't help anything. But I don't know what else to say.

"Can't stop thinking about I guess." Ryder says.

"Does you dad--"

"Died a year ago." Ryder says, cutting me off.

"I didn't know." I say, my voice soft.

"It's not your fault." Ryder says shaking his head, sighing.

"It's just, I don't know. I feel like everyone leaves me." He says, making me lift my head to look at him.

"What do you mean?" I question.

"My dad's dead, Margo left me, and my mom's going to be next." Ryder says, setting his mug down on a small end table.

"Do you have any siblings?" I ask.

"Nope."

It's quiet after that, because mo matter how hard I try to think of something... I can't come up with anything to say to Ryder.

He's mourning. Things that happened and things that will happen.

I watch as Ryder walks over to the chair, resting his head in the palm of his hands, his elbows balancing on his knees.

I want to go comfort him, but what can I do? I don't know him well enough.

I walk to the couch across from him, taking a look at his emotional state. He's different than Nick in that sense, Nick would never really cry in front of me. Very rare if he did.

I get up, my feet moving before my head can process it. I walk to him, bending in front of him, resting my hands on his leg to know I'm here.

Ryder looks up, tears glossing his eyes.

"If you want to talk, I'm here. And I know that I don't know you well, but I'm here." I tell him, and he sighs, dropping his head. Thinking I've upset him, I get ready to stand. But he suddenly rests his head against me, making me know that he just needs someone to be there, to hold him.

I wrap my arms around him, hugging him close to me.

For a man I just met hours ago, a man who saved me from dying on the sidewalk... I feel like I've known him all my life. I feel a certain emotion that I can't explain, because it's one I've never felt before.

Ryder sits up, looking at me. His eyes matching up with mine.

"Thank you." He whispers, his voice raspy.

I smile a small smile. "Do you feel that?" Ryder asks.

"Feel what?" I ask, confused.

"This weird connection." Ryder says, and I instantly know what he's referring to.

"Yes."

"And I don't know why I feel it, I mean I just met you. But I can't stop it, I feel like I know you. That I could tell you anything." Ryder says, and it's like he's reading my mind.

" I feel that way too." I tell him, standing and walking to the couch.

"You know, I've never felt that way. With anyone." Ryder says.

"What about Margo?" I ask.

Ryder sighs, "I felt that way very rarely. I mean I'd tell her stuff, things about me not everyone knew. But I didn't feel like I could tell her anything, I just couldn't. I don't know why."

That puzzles me, especially since they were together and knew each other longer. But maybe it's not all about the timing. It's just about the one feeling. The one time you can really let it all out, and not care.

That one feeling with that one person.

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