Falling in the Dark | ✓

16 | Stay

"Oh god," I groan, moving my hand from the beanie to my forehead. "This is my fault."

Liam frowns in confusion. "How is it your fault? It was my idea to drive in this weather."

"No, I called you about Vera and she didn't even come with us and now we're stuck -"

"Hey, it's all right. Don't worry, we can have the car towed tomorrow morning."

"And until then?" I demand, turning in my seat to face Liam. His beanie is pulled tight over his head, his cheeks still tinged pink. Outside our windows, the shower of snow is as rapid as ever. White ice crystals are raining down from the sky as though they don't ever intend to stop. The warmth radiating from the heater makes it hard to believe the snowfall is actually happening outside; it's as though I'm watching it on TV. "We can't have the heater on all night."

"No," he agrees, unbuckling his seat belt. I move to do the same. "We'll crack the windows and keep the heater on for ten minutes every hour. That's what the guy on the phone said. Let's turn off the heater now, okay?"

"Okay," I say reluctantly. Gripping the edge of my seat with my hand, I watch as Liam presses a button to open the windows by an inch.

For the next several minutes, the retained heat keeps us quite comfortable. Liam and I lean back in our seats and stare straight ahead at the snow in silence. But an inch is more than enough space for the cold to come slithering into the car like a vicious snake. Soon, the cold starts to curl around my denim-clad legs. I raise my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them.

"How long until we can turn on the heater again?" I ask, raising my voice to be heard over the wind that is a little louder now that the windows are open.

Liam uncrosses his arms from his chest and looks at his black wristwatch. "Just forty five minutes."

"Just forty five minutes?" I exclaim, shifting my eyes to find him grinning at me jokingly. I let out a short laugh and shake my head.

We lapse into silence again. Every second of it is agonizing because I keep wanting to look at Liam. I can feel his gaze - a soft prickling in my skin every now and then - but I force myself not to turn. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I steal a glance at him. Our gazes meet for an instant before I hasten to look away.

"I'm hungry," I mumble awkwardly as my stomach lets out a low rumble.

"Me too," Liam says, shifting forward in his seat towards the dashboard. "Let me check if there's anything to eat."

He rummages inside the dashboard filled with papers, pens and other random things. A moment later, he comes up empty and shrugs apologetically. Dejected, I rest my head on my knees and close my eyes. With every passing minute the temperature inside the car drops. The soft seats that held the warmth from the heater are now giving it up and absorbing the chill of the winter night.

I think back to the guy in the purple robe that answered the door. He'd looked at the snowflakes and thought they were Tic Tacs. A wistful sigh leaves my lips at the thought of a box of mints. Or any candy, really . . .

My eyes shoot open when the realization hits.

"Wait!" I shout as I turn around to the backseat.

Liam jumps and looks over at me, alarmed. "What?"

"I have food!" I beam triumphantly, grabbing my backpack and dropping it on my lap. I dig around and pull out the pack of Skittles and the water bottle I'd originally brought for Vera. Holding the candy up high in front of my face, I smile at him.

"You said food," Liam says, his voice light and teasing.

"I'm sorry, your majesty," I scoff, rolling my eyes at him. "I couldn't bring a four course gourmet meal today."