Desire: Awakening (A ménage à trois novella) *COMPLETED*

Chapter 2: The mysterious strangers

It's drizzling lightly. The sun is nowhere to be found and it's misty all over with a soft wind blowing by her side. The moon is slightly visible beneath the clouds shining the entire area - it looks eerie but at the same time breathtakingly beautiful. Ashley is not aware of where she is right now, the surroundings look alien to her. She noticed the path that she's currently on is less travelled with the healthy growth of grass covering the trail. Lush trees surrounded her, and she can almost hear the rushing of water nearby. It almost looks like the trail that she used with, back home, but not quite. Ashley is not naive to not realize the difference.

She made her way slowly following the path, unsure where it will lead her to. Surprisingly, the air around her is warm despite the rain. But that still gives her occasional shivers here and there. Her pyjama's material is quite thin and moreover, she's not wearing any undies. Her nipple shrivelled in the cold as she made her way following the path, creating uncomfortable friction. She realized that she's barefooted, and made her way carefully, not to step on anything that will hurt. Somehow being this place feels surreal yet familiar at the same time. She walked slowly towards the end of the trail.

After some time, at the end of the trail, there she saw a small clearing with a small cabin standing strongly in the middle of nowhere. The cabin is made entirely of wood, with a small veranda that is decorated with multiple plants that bloomed with colourful flowers. Ashley felt a pull towards the cabin, although she felt alone and scared, being in the wood all by herself. She felt exposed and not sure what to expect being in the woods all by herself. What if whoever in the cabin is a serial killer, Ashley contemplated with herself.

Yet, she felt her legs moving on its own towards the cabin. She passed by a bonfire that is burning slowly - it seems like someone just tended to the fire, adding more logs to it. She felt the warmth from the bonfire seeping throughout her body, and she enjoyed the warmth for a while, warming her cold hands and slowly made her way towards the cabin. Since Ashley is still in her pyjamas that she wore last night, she deduced that this must be a dream, although it felt so real and hoped that no serial killer was waiting for her in the room.

Ashley made her way slowly towards the cabin. She climbed the stairs slowly, not wanting to scare whoever in that cabin and knocked on the door twice - waiting for a response. She heard some scuffing sound but no one responded. She paused. Doubt crept in again and she contemplated her decision whether or not it is okay to step in. Curiosity wins and she wiped her feet clean on the welcome mat and twisted the doorknob, pushed the door forward, and entered slowly.

"Hello - anyone here?" she asked slowly. She did not want to startle anyone or to be seen as an intruder to the owner.

The interior of the cabin looks cosy with a small living room, a kitchen, a small bedroom although Ashley could not see clearly how the bedroom looks because the door is slightly closed. There is a fireplace with freshly tended fire, burning brightly adding warmth to the cabin. The furniture is neatly arranged with a set of sofa and matching coffee table. On the table, there is a bunch of freshly cut pink lily in a transparent glass vase, adding a homely look to the cabin. The entire cabin is lit in candlelight - shining brightly and at the same time adding much-needed warmth to the area. Ashley shivered slightly.

The kitchen on the other hand looks clean with a small round dining table, again matching the interior. The entire cabin felt homely yet so familiar to Ashley like she's been here before but she could not remember when exactly she visited such a cosy and welcoming cabin. She made her way slowly towards the dining table, wanting to help herself with a glass of water, feeling parched all of sudden when she heard a movement behind her.

"How are you, my love?" the stranger asked looking at her lovingly.

Ashley was startled. The stranger is standing next to the fireplace - not sure how he gets there in the first place. He's extremely good looking with a strong build and a hunky body. Ashley's eyes widened.