Two Hearts

Evening at the Cabin

Laura's POV

I still didn't know what to call our trip to the cabin.

Terrible? Not exactly. A disaster? Maybe. Confusing? Absolutely.

The only real conversation we'd had happened shortly before we arrived, when Daniel admitted that he had always come here alone.

But the most surprising part wasn't that. It was why.

His words still echoed inside my head.

Because nobody expected anything from me there.

And honestly? I still didn't know what to do with that information.

One thing was clear. Daniel came here to escape. He escaped from his everyday life. From responsibilities. From expectations. Maybe even from himself.

Which made no sense because wasn't this exactly the image he had built for himself?

Cold.

Untouchable.

The kind of man who could silence an entire room with a single look. The kind of man nobody dared challenge. And yet somehow, when everything became too much, he ran away from that very image.

Or maybe...

Maybe there was more to it than that.

Stepping out of the car, I inhaled the fresh ocean air. I closed my eyes.

Just for a second.

The breeze carried the scent of salt and pine trees. The distant sound of waves rolled steadily against the shore. For one brief moment, everything else disappeared.

No problems. No contracts. No expectations.

Just me.

The sea.

And silence.

Maybe Daniel really had found his safe place here. And for the first time, I realized something else. There would be no Markus running around. No Ellia asking endless questions. No distractions.

Just me.

And Daniel.

The realization settled somewhere deep inside my stomach. Not unpleasant.

Just... unsettling.

This time I got the guest bedroom while Daniel finally reclaimed his own room instead of sleeping on the couch like last time. The gesture still surprised me.

I slowly unpacked the few things I'd managed to throw into a bag before leaving. A couple of shirts. Jeans. Toothbrush. And then I realized I hadn't packed a single warm thing.

It was already mid-May. The days were warm enough for short sleeves, but evenings near the ocean were a completely different story.

The wind could still be freezing. I sighed.

Well.

Too late now. If I got cold, I'd just grab a blanket later.

A door slammed downstairs.

Curious, I walked to the living room window. Daniel was heading toward the shed. A few minutes later he emerged carrying logs. Then came the familiar sound.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

I glanced toward the fireplace. There was already enough wood stacked beside it from our previous trip. More than enough.

Yet Daniel kept chopping. One log. Then another. Then another. Eventually he finished stacking the wood.

Then he disappeared into the shed again. This time he returned carrying tools. I watched him walk toward the side of the cabin and begin fixing something.

And suddenly it hit me.

Hard.

"Oh my God." A laugh escaped before I could stop it. Daniel wasn't avoiding work. He was avoiding me. The realization was so obvious that I couldn't believe I'd missed it before.

But why?

What exactly was there about me that made him want to stay busy every second of the day?

I shook my head and headed toward the kitchen.

Maybe if Daniel was avoiding conversation, I should do the same. At least cooking dinner would keep my mind occupied. Unfortunately, it didn't.

No matter how hard I tried to focus on chopping vegetables or stirring sauce, my thoughts kept drifting back to him.

To us.

To the photoshoot.

To the kiss.

To everything neither of us had spoken about.

I was so lost in thought that I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned around and found Daniel standing in the doorway.

"God!" I yelped.

Without thinking, I threw a kitchen towel at him.

"You scared me!"

He caught it effortlessly. A smug grin appeared immediately.

"What? Am I really that terrifying?"

"That's not what I meant." I rolled my eyes. "You just appeared out of nowhere. I didn't hear you come in."

"I was outside." He shrugged. "Chopped some wood. Fixed a few things."

"I know." The words slipped out before I could stop them.

His eyebrow lifted.

"You know?"

Damn.

"I mean..." I stammered. "I saw you."

The grin widened.

"You were watching me?"

I immediately felt like a stalker.

"No!" My answer came far too quickly. "I just heard the door, went downstairs, looked out the window and happened to see you."

"Happened to see me?"

His smile was getting dangerously annoying.

"Oh my God, Daniel." I pointed a spoon at him. "I am not stalking you."

"Whatever you say." He held up both hands in surrender. The smirk never left his face.

"I'll set the table."

I stared after him as he carried plates into the dining room.

I was going to throw myself into the ocean before this weekend ended.

Dinner was surprisingly quiet. Not uncomfortable. Not exactly.

Just...

Careful.

Daniel had somehow produced another expensive bottle of wine from somewhere. At this point I was convinced he secretly had wine cellars hidden across the entire country.

The wine was good.

Very good.

Possibly too good.

Because by the end of dinner I could feel the pleasant warmth of alcohol spreading through my body. I wasn't much of a drinker. But apparently anxiety and wine were a dangerous combination.

And Daniel made me anxious far more often than he should.

Eventually he disappeared outside.

I watched him leave and laughed quietly to myself. Probably chopping more wood. Or fixing another invisible problem. Anything to avoid being trapped in a conversation.

It was ridiculous.

And somehow a little sad.

After cleaning the kitchen, I found myself standing around with absolutely nothing to do. If the kids were here we'd be playing games. Talking. Arguing over something silly. Instead the cabin felt enormous.

Too quiet.

Too empty.

So I grabbed my wine glass and headed for the terrace.

The sun had already disappeared below the horizon. The ocean was nothing but darkness and silver moonlight.

And Daniel was already there. Sitting comfortably in one of the chairs. One ankle resting over his knee. Slowly sipping wine.

He glanced toward me when I stepped outside. Then looked back at the ocean.

I hesitated.

Part of me wanted to stay. The other part didn't want to intrude.

I had almost turned around when his voice stopped me.

"You can stay." Simple. Calm. No pressure.

I hesitated for another second before taking the chair beside him.

And then came silence. Five minutes. Maybe ten. I had no idea.

Eventually the wine won. Or maybe curiosity.

"You know," I said, "normal people usually have conversations."

"I'm not normal." The answer came immediately. Completely serious.

I stared at him.

"That much I've noticed."

To my surprise, both of us smiled. A small victory.

A cold breeze swept across the terrace. I shivered. Only then did I remember that I'd forgotten to grab a blanket.

"Cold?" Daniel asked.

I hadn't even noticed he'd been watching me.

"A little." I shrugged. "But it's fine. I'll go inside soon."

"Nonsense." He stood.

Before I realized what he was doing, he pulled off his sweatshirt.

"Here." He held it out. "Wear it."

I blinked.

Was someone secretly replacing Daniel with a nicer version every few days?

"Daniel, you'll freeze."

"I'll survive."

"I'm fine."

His expression immediately darkened. There he is. The real Daniel. Without another word, he tossed the sweatshirt directly at me.

"Put it on." That sounded less like a suggestion and more like an order.

"Daniel!"

"Put. It. On."

I glared at him. Then pulled it over my head anyway.

"Happy now?"

He nodded once.

"Yes."

Arrogant peacock.

I wrapped myself deeper inside the oversized sweatshirt. It swallowed me completely. And unfortunately...

It was warm. Really warm. It still carried his body heat. His scent - Wood. Coffee. Ocean air. Something distinctly Daniel.

I hated how comforting it felt.

I wrapped the sweater tighter around myself. The wine made everything softer. Quieter.

The waves rolled endlessly in the distance. The wind whispered through the trees. And somewhere nearby Daniel was talking.

I wasn't really listening anymore. Not because I didn't want to. Because for the first time in what felt like forever...

I felt safe.

Safe enough to stop thinking. Safe enough to stop worrying. Safe enough to simply exist. My eyelids grew heavier.

The last thing I remembered was Daniel saying my name.

"Laura?"

Then darkness.

I woke up confused.

For a second I had no idea where I was. Then I recognized the guest room.

The cabin.

The ocean.

Daniel.

I sat upright so quickly my head spun. Something slipped from my shoulder.

His sweatshirt. I was still wearing it.

I looked around.

The blanket had been pulled carefully over me. My shoes were neatly placed beside the bed. And on the nightstand sat a glass of water.

I stared at it.

Slowly. Very slowly.

The realization settled in.

Daniel had carried me upstairs. Daniel had taken off my shoes. Daniel had made sure I was comfortable. And somehow that fact felt far more dangerous than the kiss.

Because a kiss could be explained.

The photographer.

The moment.

The circumstances.

But this?

Nobody had asked him to do any of this. Which left me with only one question.

Why?