"Can I come in? It's cold out."
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Connor. I don't have anywhere to go. The reception is spotty here. I won't be able to get a rideshare back into town, and where do I even stay the night?"
"Okay, but it's a mess in here. We had a little celebration."
He places the giant garbage bag he's carrying outside the door and opens wide so that I can come in. The place looks like a frat party gone wrong, and all of a sudden I'm doubting everything this man has ever told me about himself.
I look behind me as I come inside the cabin and see he is tugging along my suitcase. How often does this man have celebrations? The amount of beer bottles and glasses left all around is too much to count, and he's already done a sweep if we go by the garbage bag he took out.
At least the place doesn't smell of smoke or vomit. I'll give him points for that. I take my jacket off and hang it at the entrance. Then I roll my sleeves figuratively and start helping.
"Can I have a garbage bag? You know, to speed things along."
"You don't have to do that, Freya. Let me take this to the guest room where you can make yourself comfortable."
"You need help, and I'm here to get to know you."
"I guess we have started on the wrong foot."
"This looks like a party a teenager would have had."
"The guys can get rowdy. It's not their fault. They wanted to help, but I sent them away. I needed some time to myself."
"Does that happen often?"
"What the party? No."
"No, I mean you needing time to yourself."
"Um…"
"Connor…"
I go over to where he's standing and walk into his arms. He's stiff as a board, but starts to relax the longer I hold him.
"It's good to finally meet you, Connor."
Lifting up on my tiptoes, I kiss his bearded cheek and then pull back. The look on his face is almost comical.
"Now let's get this place cleaned up. I'm going to need to give a stern talk to your buddies."
"They're good guys. Like I said, they would have helped."
He hands me a garbage bag, and I begin tossing things into it. My heart is beating a little faster because of that hug that I initiated. Connor smells like pine and the outdoors, and I couldn't get enough of him. I should have held onto him longer.
We work in silence for a while, and when we're done, I sit down on the couch. It's been a long day and I'm hungry. My stomach agrees with me, and I'm completely embarrassed by the sounds it's making.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I've been a bad host. There's some leftover pizza, if you can believe it. They ordered a ton."
"I could use a slice."
"Let me get you a plate."
He goes into the kitchen and comes out with a plate with two slices of pizza on it and a napkin.
