Around the corner, the winter storm threatened to blow Kendra off the road. She swore and clutched the cold steering wheel to keep her on the road. The headlights cut through the darkness and showed her the remaining bits of the road visible over the blowing snow. A few white-knuckle moments passed before Kendra steadied her vehicle and continued down the road.
"Fuck," she whispered to herself. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the way ahead. "Why did you let Dylan talk you into this? Why did you decide not to go with Dylan, Sammy, and Lauren?"
Her eyes glanced at the late hour showing on her clock dashboard.
"And why did you have to leave so late?"
The wind howled again, rattling the side of her vehicle. Kendra clenched her jaw and kept the car on the road. Up ahead, a lone light broke through the dark and winter storm.
"Fucking finally," she whispered. She continued down the road until she saw the wooden marker pointing to the cabin.
She turned down the driveway and promptly drove into deep, wet, and heavy snow. Her tires kicked up a fuss and the engine whined but the car did not budge. She slammed her palms on the steering wheel in frustration.
"Damnit!" Kendra said. She attempted to back up the car, only to find the winter storm snuck up behind her and blew enough snow to trap her. Kendra sighed and turned off the car.
She shook her head. "You made it. You made it. You'll be fine."
Kendra hauled her suitcase out of the car and opened the door. The sharp wind greeted her. The snow slammed into her. She sputtered and tried to catch her breath in the storm as she closed the door and locked her vehicle. She attempted to walk, the snow up to her shins. The wet, sticky snow slowed her down as the wind pounded against her body.
"You're not keeping me from this weekend!" She shrieked into the storm. A burst of wind nearly knocked Kendra backward. She held up her free arm to brace herself against the storm and moved forward.
Step after step she told herself in five minutes it would be over. She would be in a warm cabin with her friends. In half an hour she would be wine-drunk and full of food.
She passed by Dylan's van. She continued on.
She paused for a moment at another vehicle in front of the van. She did not recognize the small car. Puzzled, she did not stop to think as the storm hurled more snow and cold at her.
Kendra reached the door and pounded on it. A moment later a small, chubby redhead answered the door. The blush around her cheeks told Kendra her friend Sammy already dipped into the wine.
"Baby!" Sammy said, hugging Kendra tight. Kendra grunted and forced herself into the cabin. She exhaled as the door closed and the storm could not reach her anymore.
Dripping with wet snow, she leaned against the door. Sammy removed herself from her friend's side.
"You're cold."
"No shit," Kendra said with a laugh. She put down the suitcase and started to peel the outer layers of clothing off her body. "Where is everyone?"
"Well, if it isn't Miss I'll do it myself," a male voice said. Kendra turned to see a muscular man in a sweater with his arm around an impossibly attractive model of a woman.
"Yeah, yeah," Kendra said, dropping her coat. She accepted the hug from the man. "I needed time to finish a few things, Dylan."
"Kendra," the exotic and attractive woman said with a pleasant smile.
"Lauren. I see you all got here before the storm hit. Or had time to warm up," Kendra said.
"Before," Dylan said. "Pulled in just as the storm started. It's only supposed to last the weekend. And we have enough alcohol and food for that!"
Kendra's eyes darted around the cabin's living room. She saw a crackling fire. And a stranger sitting in a chair. Reasonably attractive, even the glow of the fire did not match the glow in his eyes. Kendra looked at Dylan. Dylan nodded.
"Right. That's Evan. As the storm crashed in he was blocked off from heading to his parent's cabin. We pushed him into our driveway and said he could spend the night."
Kendra raised an eyebrow. Dylan shrugged.
"What were we going to do? Send him out into the snow? He's keeping to himself. He's not that bad."
Kendra nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I'm jumpy. It was a bad drive."
"Well, I know how to get you nice and warmed up!" Sammy said, rubbing Kendra's shoulders. Sammy giggled as Kendra laughed. "Plus, we get to be roomies tonight!"
Kendra glanced over at Evan. He flashed an embarrassed smile. Kendra stared a moment or two longer than normal, his eyes dazzling her. She shook it off.
"That sounds fine," Kendra said with a laugh. "Let's get into that wine you've already started."
Sammy giggled once more. "How do you know I already had some wine?"
Kendra. "Oh, just a feeling."
***
Even with a stranger in their cabin, the rest of the night went as Kendra hoped. Wine, food, music, and laughter flowed. Kendra forgot about Evan multiple times during the night as he slipped into his room and stayed in the darkness for most of the night. They shared their drink and food with him, and he graciously accepted. Kendra detected a hint of an exotic accent in Evan's voice.
As the night died down, Dylan and Laurent started to snuggle. Their whispers sounded naughty and the giggles that followed confirmed that. Eventually, their passion, mixed with the wine, started to flow easier. Sammy and Kendra looked at one another, giggled, and excused themselves to their room.
"I hope our stranger isn't bashful," Kendra said as she flopped down on her bed.
