8. Frost

Chapter eight

Frost

H olding my coffee between my hands, I look around the dining area, hoping to catch Avery. I remind myself not to actually use his name until he introduces himself. I’d rather not freak him out or make him think I’m some sort of weird stalker. Although, there’s a chance that name isn’t even really his name. He could have told me an alias, the same way I did.

Thankfully, I don’t really have time to feel disappointed because Theo is walking over to me.

“Morning, Frost! I just wanted to let you know that Elias and I are really happy with the work you’ve been doing. We really appreciate it.”

I take a sip of my coffee and smile, my chest warm with pride. I enjoy doing work like this and it makes me happy that they appreciate it. “I’m really happy to do it, and I’m glad we were able to make this into a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Theo clasps my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Good, good. We’ve run into the tiniest bit of a snag.”

“Okay,” I say slowly.

“It turns out that we actually booked your cabin without realizing it when we made our arrangement.”

“Oh,” I breathe out, my stomach souring.

“Don’t frown, Frost, we’re not kicking you out! We wouldn’t do that. We’ve come up with a bit of an unorthodox solution.”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re going to be sharing a cabin with your neighbor. Elias already talked to him about it and he happily agreed. I’ll need you to move your stuff over tonight once you’re done with the list we’ve made for you.”

It takes a moment for all the words to sink in and when they do, my eyes widen. “Wait, what?”

Theo’s brows wrinkle. “Which part is hanging you up, son?”

“All of it?”

“We overbooked so you’re bunking with Avery,” Theo says bluntly but not unkindly. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there was even a spark of amusement in his eyes.

“And he’s really okay with that? He doesn’t even know me?”

“Maybe not, but I’ve met you both. I think it’ll be a great fit. Not to mention, this isn’t permanent, just until the end of the week.” Theo slaps my back, punctuating the end of the conversation despite the way I feel like my breath has been completely stolen from me.

In my plans to find and win over Avery, this wasn’t even on the map. We’re going to be staying in the same space. This is either going to be a great way for us to get to know each other, or possibly the most awkward forced proximity situation of mankind.

“Umm, thank you for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. Here’s your list for the day. There’s a rumor that we might be getting a nasty snow storm soon so I’d like to make sure we’re ready for that.”

“Sounds good. Consider it done.”

“Good man,” Theo says, slapping my shoulder one more time before heading towards the main lobby.

I take my time this morning, enjoying my coffee and waffle before grabbing the tool kit Theo and Elias provided me. I grab the list, looking it over. Nothing is overly complicated, thankfully. I have to make sure a few windows are properly sealed, take a look at one of the cabin’s thermostat, clean out the vents in the laundry room, and a few other things. It shouldn’t take me that long to get through everything.

Despite the fact that I could get these done in a timely manner, I find myself taking my time. As much as I want to get to Avery’s cabin and get myself comfortable, I’m also filled with nerves. We connected so quickly in his dream, but what if it’s awkward and stilted now that we’re both awake?

I finish everything just after lunchtime. I pack up the tools and turn them back over to Elias at the front desk. With nothing else to do to procrastinate seeing Avery, I head over to my own cabin and pack up all my things.

With my heart in my throat, I pull my car out of my driveway and park it next to Avery’s car. My hands are shaking and I squeeze my steering wheel so tightly I’m worried I might actually break the thing.

Fuck, why am I so nervous? It’s not like I’m meeting my mythical true mate or something silly like that! He’s just a guy. Sure, we have wild chemistry while we’re dreaming, but that doesn’t actually mean anything.

I make quick work of looking in my rear view mirror, making sure I look okay before grabbing my bag and heading to the front door. I give it a knock and the door immediately opens. My stomach flips as I realize Avery must have been watching me from the front window.

“Hi,” I say right away. “Umm, this is kinda awkward but I assume Elias or Theo talked to you about bunking together?”

Avery nods. “Yeah, they already let me know.” Then he startles, realizing he’s standing in the doorway. He takes a step back, letting me in. “Come in, come in. Sorry. Umm, I’m Avery, by the way.”

My stomach warms. “I’m Frost. It’s really nice to officially meet you.”

I look around the cabin, finding it ridiculously clean, like no one has been living here the last two days. I find Avery looking everywhere but at me, a soft blush on his cheeks. He’s cleaned the place up!

I really shouldn’t find that adorable, but here I am.

“I’m sure this cabin is similar to the one you were just staying in so you already know the layout. You can go put your stuff in the bedroom,” Avery says, pointing at the bedroom door. “Then we could maybe eat something together?”

“That sounds great. Thank you.”

Hauling my bag higher on my shoulder, I make my way through the cabin into the bedroom. Depositing my bag onto the ground, it hits me square in the chest that there’s only one bed. I stare at it for a long moment. I should have realized sooner but it wasn’t even on my radar as something to worry about until right now.

Fuck. For now, I just want to focus on getting to know Avery better. We’ll worry about the sleeping situation tonight. If anything, I can sleep on the floor or curl myself onto the little loveseat in the living area.

“I hope you like sandwiches?” Avery asks as I walk out of the bedroom.

“Who doesn’t like sandwiches? They’re the perfect food,” I tell him with a grin. I sit down at the table in the small kitchen. “Thank you, Avery. You didn’t have to make anything for me, but I really appreciate it.”

Avery shakes his head and gives me a little shrug. “It’s not a big deal. I was making one for myself and thought it would be rude to eat in front of you. Especially because you’ve been working all day while I’ve just been on my ass reading.”

“You’re on vacation,” I say with a chuckle. “You’re supposed to be on your ass all day. That’s the whole point.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Avery takes a bite of his sandwich. Okay, I cannot have it this bad for this guy that I’m finding the way he takes bites cute. What the hell is wrong with me?

Avery’s peachy scent is so sweet now that we’re in the same space together. The entire cabin radiates it and I want to sink into it. I wanna rub myself against him until it clings to my skin.

For fuck’s sake, I need to get myself under control. The last thing I wanna do is get a boner while eating a sandwich and make Avery uncomfortable with my presence.

“What do you do?”

Avery looks up in surprise. “What?”

“For a job,” I clarify. “What do you do when you’re not on vacation?”

“Oh.” Avery takes a deep breath and I can tell he’s scenting the air. I smile to myself, taking a bite of my sandwich and chewing it slowly, watching as an array of emotions play across his pretty features. “Okay, so can I safely assume that you’re a wolf?”

I nod my head. “Yeah, I am. So are you?”

“Yeah. That makes this a lot easier,” he says with the tiniest grin. “I’m the pack medic. I take care of anything from people getting sick to broken bones to delivering babies.”

“Oh wow. That sounds like a really important job. Also pretty stressful?”

Avery shrugs. “At times.” He bites his bottom lip for a moment, thinking about his words carefully. “I had a bad habit of making that my entire world. What am I if I’m not with the pack helping them, you know? That’s why my best friend gifted me this vacation, to get me away for a little bit and remind me that I deserve basic things like rest,” he says with a self-deprecating chuckle. “You’d think stuff like that would be easy to remember, but not for me apparently.”

“Hey,” I say gently, “there’s nothing wrong with taking pride in what you do. But I also agree with your friend, you deserve rest as well. Life is about balance, or so I hear.”

“You don’t even know me. For all you know, I’m actually the biggest slacker.”

I hum, popping the last of my sandwich into my mouth. “I just have a way of knowing these things,” I tell him with a wink. “You can pretend all you want but I can tell you’re a hell of a worker. Plus, if you were a big slacker, the cabin wouldn’t be so tidy when I got here.”

Avery blushes again and I can’t help but chuckle. The blush looks so pretty on him. “Ellie would love you,” Avery says, shaking his head.

“Is Ellie the bestie that sent you here?” Avery nods. “Then I would like her too, because it’s her fault we’re even able to meet.”

“I’m.. I mean.. Yeah, that’s true,” Avery stutters out, getting tongue tied.

Okay, I’ll have to be subtle with my flirting so I don’t overwhelm him. “Too much?”

Avery quickly shakes his head. “No. You’re okay. I’m just,” he pauses. “I don’t know. I’m just me.”

I smile softly. “There’s no one else I’d rather you be.”

“Thanks, Frost. May I ask what you do?”

“I freelance mostly,” I admit softly. Avery is a pack medic and I’m a fucking drifter. I suddenly feel like he’s so far out of my league. Maybe I shouldn’t even pursue anything between us. Maybe it would be best if I stayed clear of his dreams, enjoyed the rest of the week, and then be on my way once more.

“Like how you’re fixing things up around the lodge?”

“Exactly. I don’t have a pack of my own, so I’m constantly on the road. Wherever I find myself, I can usually figure out some jobs here and there to give me some extra cash.”

Avery hums as he listens. “That sounds very freeing,” he says before softly adding, “but it also sounds incredibly lonely.”

My chest aches with how right the words are. But I do my best to put a smile on my face and keep the hurt locked away. “Thankfully, there’s always a variety of people to meet no matter where I find myself. Like you.”

“I’m nothing special, trust me.”

“We’ll see,” I tell him, standing up from the table and picking up our plates. “I have a good feeling, Avery.”

Very softly, I hear. “Me too, Frost.”

We spend the rest of the evening together. Avery lets me borrow one of the books that Ellie packed for him. He sits in the window and I sit on the loveseat. The book is actually really good but I constantly find my mind drifting. More times than not, I’m looking over at Avery.

He’s so pretty I find it hard to look at anything but him. The sun drifts in through the window, making his white hair look more blond. His features light up as he reads, the tiniest smile playing at his lips. Gods, the things I would do to make him smile or giggle.

Why am I so drawn to this omega? Why do I feel this way?

In the 27 years I’ve been alive, I’ve never felt drawn to someone the way I feel drawn to Avery. Is this what a true mate feels like? Or have I just gotten lucky to stumble on someone who ticks all my boxes so perfectly I’m powerless to do anything but try to win their heart?

Whatever the reason, I want to see where this goes. I want to chase after Avery the same way my wolf chased after him in his dream. There’s a chance Avery won’t feel the same about me, but even that thought doesn’t scare me because just being around him like this will be worth it.

When the sun starts to go down and we both begin yawning, we finally have to breach the giant elephant in the room.

“Hey, Avery? If you want, you can have the bed and I can sleep out here on the couch.”

Avery stands up, stretching his arms over his head. “What? No, you can have the bed. You’re much taller than me and need to be able to stretch out.”

I shake my head. “It wouldn’t be right. The cabin is technically yours.”

“But, Frost!”

“No buts,” I say with a chuckle.

Avery bites his bottom lip, his cheeks brightening. “I know this might be a silly suggestion but umm, we could share?”

“What?”

“You’re right,” he quickly says, shaking his head. “It was a silly suggestion.”

“No, no. Hey, slow down,” I say, softly grabbing his shoulder. “I just want to make sure I understand, that’s all. Do you mean we could share the bed, since it’s big enough for two?”

“Yes,” Avery breathes out, relieved I understood him. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“The fact that you’re asking makes me comfortable enough to share,” he says with a soft smile. “But I’ll say sorry now if I kick or snore in my sleep.”

“I don’t think I’ve shared a bed with someone since I was a pup so I’ll say the same apologies now.”

We both giggle as we get ready for bed. Then we crawl under the covers. Despite the space between us, I can feel the heat of him on my left but I do my best to ignore it. It takes some time but eventually, we both relax, getting used to someone being beside us.

I blink slowly, soothed by the sound of Avery’s breathing. I can tell he’s fallen asleep. I close my eyes. One moment, I’m in bed with Avery, and the next I’m dreamwalking. Everything is gray and foggy, just like usual. This time, though, Avery’s dream is right there for me, ready for me to step inside. It welcomes me. I would go so far as to say, it’s beckoning me in.

I step inside his dream.