Just another thing to get done, although aside from protecting the sensitive radio equipment the rest probably wasn’t urgent enough to warrant handling in the middle of a storm. Especially when there was already enough to do, and no telling what they’d be able to get done before conditions became bad enough to drive them inside.
Sighing, Matt got to work.
Trev spent most of the morning with the defenders helping Matt handle a few emergencies, as the snow piled up to a few inches with no sign of letting up.
Even with all the time everyone had been given to prepare, and the constant warnings to do so because this winter was going to be a brutal one, somehow there were still dozens of people who needed immediate help just to survive the storm. There were even more who’d be in trouble if the intense cold stuck around for more than a week, which it showed every indication of doing.
So they worked outside for hours huddled against frigid, blasting wind, snow piling on them and sneaking into collars and up sleeves. They chinked cracks in walls with cold slimy mud that constantly threatened to freeze, shored up and fireproofed fireplaces so they wouldn’t burn down the house when used or vent improperly and fill the space with smoke, made hasty repairs to leaks in roofs, distributed warm clothing from the town’s supply to people who would freeze to death without it, and half a dozen other vital tasks that should’ve been taken care of weeks ago.
When Trev finally stomped into his room he was half frozen and exhausted from constant shivering and hard work. He wanted nothing more than to heat some water to wash up, get a hot meal if his mom had one ready, then huddle under his warm blankets and sleep through the storm.
It turned out Deb was already there comfy and cozy in his bed, reading a book.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said apologetically. “Your mom invited me to spend the morning helping her make enough soup to last us a few days. She sent me next door to bring Lucas some, and by the time I got back I decided I didn’t want to go out there again. If you’re okay with it I think I’ll wait the storm out with you.”
“I’d love the company,” Trev said sincerely. They had the ropes up between shelter group cabins so Deb could conceivably go home at any time, even in this weather. But before too long the snow would be bad enough and the snow deep enough to make it risky and impractical. Which meant she was trapped here until things cleared up.
And to be fair, Trev didn’t think either of them minded the excuse to spend more time together. He could admit he was only human, and it was sometimes frustrating having his girlfriend around so much of the time when he had to walk on eggshells when it came to intimacy. But during the increasingly frequent times she did stay over for the night he found it soothing to be able to listen to her quiet breathing, if not quite so much her occasional snores.
She’d hinted she felt the same, including a share of her own frustration about not being able to enjoy the unreserved affection she wanted to with him. They both hoped they’d get there eventually, and sooner rather than later.
In the meantime it looked as if he’d be getting out the cot again.
As he peeled out of his wet, muddy outer clothes, still shivering, Deb disappeared into the main room and returned half a minute later with a bowl of steaming soup in hand. “I’ve got some water heating so you can wash up,” she said as she handed it over.
“You’re the best,” Trev said with feeling. He could’ve married her on the spot as he lowered his face to breathe in the fragrant steam and he settled onto the room’s single chair. It was definitely too hot to eat at the moment, almost too hot to touch with his chilled hands, but just holding it revived him a bit.
As he ate Deb snuggled back under the covers on his bed, keeping him engaged asking him what he’d spent the morning doing. Once he finished eating she took his bowl and returned with a cloth, a bar of soap, and a pail of water, which was almost too hot to be comfortable. Then she excused herself to the main room while he bathed.
Trev came out a few minutes later wearing clean, dry clothes, refreshed and warmed up and deciding Deb was the best roommate ever and he was seriously in love with her. She was sitting with Linda playing some game that involved clapping hands, but when he went to grab a spare cot she joined him and helped make it up with sheets and blankets.
After that they settled down in comfortable silence.
“Sooo…” Trev finally said after the silence had stretched on for a few minutes. Deb was burrowed beneath the blankets again, holding her book but not reading it. “Should I break out a deck of cards?”
For some reason the brown-haired woman found that funny, bursting out laughing as she sat up. “I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of pregnancies this winter.”
Trev blinked at the out of the blue change of subject. “That would be crazy. People are going to be going hungry as it is.” She only laughed harder. “Why?”
Her laughter trailed off and she gave him a “You’ve got to be kidding me” look, as if it was obvious. Trev thought about it for a moment, then felt his face flush with embarrassment.
Right. Long months confined indoors, with not much to do to stave off the crushing boredom. Of course people with that option would turn to the oldest pastime in existence. Even if it wasn’t the most practical thing to do during the harshest winter they’d ever faced, and could even be considered shortsighted. He doubted many people had a stock of contraceptives like Lewis had prepared.
It was an uncomfortable thing to think about under the circumstances, alone in his room with his cute girlfriend and nowhere to go, potentially for days. Especially since she wasn’t ready for that to be an option yet.
Trev cleared his throat. “I’ll get the cards.”
After the intense morning, and all the intense mornings, afternoons, and evenings of the previous weeks and months, it was almost relaxing to be trapped in by a storm with relatively little to do. He remembered plenty of days like this wintering at the hideout with Lewis last year, although then their main enemy had been boredom and he’d spent more than a little time wishing he had other people to talk to. Especially girls.
This winter that wouldn’t be a problem. He had his family around him, and Deb, and when the weather permitted the entire town was just outside.
After a while they wandered into the main room and socialized with the family, playing a few games and talking and just generally enjoying each other’s company. But eventually everyone else occupied themselves with their own individual activities, winding down towards sleep, and he and Deb made their way back into his room.
It was colder in there. The stovepipe going through did a lot of work, but the howling wind outside was picking up a frigid bite as night fell, and as carefully as he’d chinked the walls there were still enough tiny cracks and crevices to let in the chill, especially around the outer door.
That cold only got more noticeable as his mom damped the stove in the other room and the stovepipe slowly cooled down. His and Deb’s combined body heat wasn’t enough to make up the difference, and the cold air seeped up through the bottom of his cot even with the blankets.
Deb eventually noticed him shivering, although he tried to hide it, and looked a bit guilty since she was snug on his bed nestled in a cocoon with even more blankets. “You should get under here with me,” she offered, almost shyly.
Trev jolted as if he’d just stuck his finger in an electrical socket. “Huh?” He felt his face flushing. “Are you sure you…” he trailed off, not sure how to put it.