nyctophilia

3 | querencia

querencia (n.) a place where one feels safe, a place from which one's strength of character is drawn.

January 3rd, 1999

Dawn nestles herself by the window seat of Declan's living room, watching the feathery ice crystals fall lightly outside.

It's the first snowfall of the year and people seem to be disappointed that it didn't snow during the holidays.

Dawn didn't mind whether it snowed or not. All that mattered to her was the comfort and security she felt whenever she was inside his home. That's how she felt whenever she was with Declan.

"Why don't we put on a movie?" Declan's honey voice interrupts her thoughts as he takes a seat on the opposite side of the window seat, taking a quick glance outside as well. "There's this new mystery thriller that's supposed to air on TV soon. We could make a pillow fort and drink some hot cocoa?"

That reminds her of their yearly winter tradition. It started off when they were just teens and since then, they continued to follow the tradition despite the older they were getting.

She smiles fondly at the familiarity of his suggestion. "Do you want to make the cocoa, or should I?"

He grins at her, his eyes crinkled as he looks at her fondly. "I can make it. Why don't you get all the pillows and blankets you can find. You can be the architect this year."

In the previous year, Declan was the one who built the fort  and Dawn made the hot cocoa, but she secretly preferred it this way. Declan always made the drink with real chocolate and milk, whereas Dawn was happy enough to use the generic brand mix. This was something he was always better than her at. It makes perfect sense why he's such a good barista.

Dawn makes herself busy by tearing the covers off of Declan's bed and bringing it back to the living room to place on the sofa. She grabs some pillows next, throwing them into the pile as well.

Dawn smiles at the smell of hot cocoa wafting into the living room. "It smells good in there!"

Declan yells something back but she can't quite hear him. The wind howling outside overpowers his soft angelic voice in the kitchen. She loses herself watching how the snow falls, only to be brought back by the ruffling of her chocolate hair.

"I thought you were going to build the pillow fort." He says teasingly, causing Dawn to show off a weak smile. "Come on, we can just make them into a little nest and start the movie."

The both of them arrange the building materials so that the pillows are surrounded with blankets, leaving room for the two of them to sit in the middle. The cups of hot cocoa are placed on the table in front of the makeshift nest.

Dawn settles down next to Declan, both of them sitting with their legs crossed so that their knees are touching. Declan shoots her a warm smile as he hands her her cup of hot cocoa. "Careful, it's hot." He warns as she's about to take a sip of the drink.

Dawn begins to lightly blow into her mug, watching the steam rise with every breath she takes. Declan does the same and the both of them sit in a comfortable silence.

Dawn watches the marshmallows absorb into the brown liquid, forming into a foamy white cloud. "Did Savannah end up calling you?" She asks, remembering the incident in the cafe that happened a few hours ago.

Declan lets out a chuckle. "Nope."

Dawn raises an eyebrow at his response, "Really? That sounds odd considering how Savannah wanted to get to know you so badly."