Later that evening, there was a soft knocking at the door. Theodore stirred restlessly, convinced the sound was part of his dreams. But then he heard a loud crashing that was far too realistic for his imagination to have created.
He sat up in his bed and looked at his clock. It was two in the morning. The knocking continued so he stood and drifted sleepily down stairs. It was an alarming hour for someone wanting to come over, but he figured a murderer or burglar wouldn't be polite enough to knock before committing their desired crimes.
Regardless, he peeked through the glass panel window beside the door, trying to make out the shape of the figure through the distorted image the frosted glass gave.
"Theodore?"
He swung the door open a heartbeat later. "Autumn, what's going on?"
She stood there, barefoot, still in her party dress. Her arms were wrapped around herself, fingers training down her skin to try and warm herself up. She shifted, her smile tense.
"Can I come inside for a bit?"
Theodore stepped to the side and let her in. Her ushered her into the kitchen where he wrapped a fleece blanket around her shoulders and turned the kettle on for a cup of sweet tea. He was a flurry around the kitchen, trying to blink back sleepiness as he navigated his way through the contents of his fridge in search of the milk.
He was so focused on making a hot drink that he hadn't noticed Autumn had slipped off her stool at the breakfast bar until she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He froze, feeling the warmth of her as she buried her face between his shoulder blades. He turned in her grip and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
Theodore felt the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his. When she didn't instantly answer, he gently ran his fingers down her spine, kissing the top of her head as he did so.
"Everything is changing," she finally said.
"I'll be your constant."
Autumn looked up at him, searching his eyes like they held all the answers in the world. Her eyebrows drew together when she couldn't find anything, abruptly looking away.
"Hey," he said, placing his fingertips underneath her chin and gently directing her attention back to him, "you know what you need?"
"A kilo of chocolate?"
Theodore laughed. "Well, that. And a distraction."
She smiled. "I'll finish making the tea, you find the chocolate and we'll get distracted together?"
"It's a plan."
With a quick kiss, they parted.
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