Snowed in with the Enemy

Heat Gamble

❄ Camille ❄

The third night dragged in slow and cruel. The storm still owned Everford. Wind hammered the front windows, and the snow kept piling up against the doors. The office felt colder than the first night. Candles gave us light, but no real heat. The power only came back in short bursts, then died again. My phone was useless. And the little bit of hot water was gone. I had tried Margaret’s shower earlier, but the water was cold. Ice cold. The pipes had officially lost any heat, and without power, the geyser was useless. Now, we were in the lounge, wrapped in layers that just wasn’t providing enough heat. Anymore. We had pushed the couches closer and piled every blanket on top of us.

Still, the cold kept in.

On top of that, the snacks were almost finished. Two biscuits. Half a bag of pretzels. One packet of crisps. That was it. Hunger and cold made a nasty team. My stomach cramped, then growled, and I felt embarrassed by my own body. Sebastian’s arm stayed around me like it had become normal. We didn’t talk about when that started. We didn’t talk about anything we didn’t have to. In fact, we barely talked. Sebastian had suggested we walk the corridors until our legs ached to try and pump up our body heat. But all it had done was make me tired. He kept checking the doors, but it was still sealed shut by snow.

Another gust hit the building, and the glass complained with a long groan.

I pressed my face into Sebastian’s chest, breathing in the fading scent of soap.

“This is insane,”

“It’s Everford,” he murmured. “It doesn’t care about our plans...or our lives,” my stomach clenched at the word ‘our’, but I didn’t correct him. We lay in silence, broken only by the wind and the soft hiss of the candles. My hand was on Sebastian’s stomach over his hoodie. Even through the fabric, I could feel his heat. But my fingers were freezing. Without thinking, I slid my hand under the hem of his hoodie, searching for skin. The moment I touched him, warmth rushed into my palm. Sebastian flinched. “Damn—” he cut himself off and hissed. “Your hand is ice,”

“Sorry,” I whispered, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. My fingers felt like they might crack, and the warmth of his skin against mine felt like a relief. He caught my wrist gently, firm enough to make me look up. Candlelight carved sharp shadows across his face.

“Camille,”

“I’m cold,” I admitted, my voice smaller than I wanted.

“I know,” he replied, and his thumb rubbed my wrist once. “You can keep it there. Just warn me next time,” I swallowed.

“Next time,” his gaze held mine for too long. My hand stayed against his skin, and the heat was almost addictive. It made my whole body feel less desperate. That was when the thought hit me. Not romantic. Pure survival. “Maybe we should…take our clothes off,” I blurted. The words dropped into the space between us. My heart stuttered, and I stared at him, horrified, waiting for regret to swallow me whole. I wasn’t even sure I had spoken out loud. Sebastian didn’t speak. He went very still. His breath slowed, then caught. “Forget it,” I rushed, pulling my hand back, but he didn’t let go of my wrist.

“Camille,” he warned, his voice rougher than before, and heat rushed to my cheeks.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant skin-to-skin. It’s warmer. That’s all,” his eyes dropped for one second, and I felt it before I saw it. His body shifted, hardening against my hip under the blankets.

I froze.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. He looked away like he hated the reaction, then forced his gaze back to mine.

“That’s exactly why it’s a bad idea,” I blinked, my throat suddenly dry.

“Because you can’t control yourself?” I couldn’t help but tease softly, and his eyes flashed.

“Because I’m trying to,” the honesty in that hit harder than any insult. “We hate each other,” he added. And his voice was controlled. Like he was laying down the rules. Or reminding us both. “You and I do not cross that line,” my chest tightened as I sighed softly.

“We already crossed lines,”

“Warmth isn’t the same as naked,” he countered, and his grip eased, but he still held my wrist. “Don’t pretend you don’t know that,” I expected a joke. A cold dismissal. Instead, he looked frightened of what might happen if he stopped being careful.

“You think I’m asking for fun?” I snapped, anger flaring because fear needed somewhere to go. “I’m asking because the blankets aren’t enough,”

“I’m not dismissing you,” he replied. “I’m telling you it’s risky,”

“Risky for who?” I challenged.

“For both of us,” he answered. “Because once we do it, we can’t undo it,”

“So what? We freeze politely instead?” Sebastian’s eyes hardened, but his voice stayed low.

“We move. We do laps. We keep circulation. We share heat like this, and we hold out,” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Right. Laps in the corridor. That is your plan,”

“It’s better than turning this into something we will regret,” he said, and then he closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I don’t need you to hate me even more,” I stared at him, trying to find my hate. It used to be easy. His cold voice on my first day still echoed in my head. But right now, on the third night, he was the only reason my hands weren’t blue. I couldn’t tell where survival ended, and something else began. My breath came out shaky.

“Do you really think we would regret it?” I asked. I wasn’t suggesting we have s*x. I was merely suggesting we share our warmth. Skin to skin. But I understood that being naked could lead to s*x. And as I stared at him, Sebastian opened his eyes, and his gaze zeroed in on my lips. Then he finally met my gaze.

“Yes,” and that single word sounded like a warning. The hardness pressed against my hip was also a warning. I swallowed as I pressed my forehead against his chest and spread my fingers across the hard lines of his stomach. He pulled me closer, and as I lay in his arms, listening to the raging storm outside, I couldn’t help but wonder.

If I truly hated him, why did he feel like the only safe place left?

Or was it just my instincts, grabbing at heat and confusing it for something I needed even more?

❄❄❄