Chapter 7: Frost and Stone

Pwyll pushed the door open and walked out into the storm. It was getting dark already. The streetlights were islands of light swirling snow. It was the shadows that called him. The places the light couldn't reach pulled at him. He was empty, and they wanted to fill him. Pwyll walked forward into the wind, and when he reached the corner he turned right. He didn't wonder about Siobhan's dad when he drove past, nor did he worry that he'd left the door open. Everything was in its place as long as he didn't lose concentration on the path.

The wind blew cold on his face. He wasn't sure he had a face anymore. Snow crammed into every opening in his coat. It filled his pockets and drowned the letter. He didn't think about it. It wasn't part of the path he was walking. The night had come full on and the pull of the shadows was stronger. He'd never walked the path this long before, not even that night. He was empty of any thought but of Pete. He came to himself when Pete hurtled into him and knocked him into a baby snow drift.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Pete said endlessly. Pwyll held him tight, but the path didn't let go of him yet. There was one thing yet needed.

"Siobhan," he whispered and his stillness fractured.

"You calling your girlfriend now?" Pete said. "I want to go home. I'm cold."

They were both shivering uncontrollably. Pwyll wasn't sure he could get up, never mind walk home. The distance wasn't great, but the cold was deep inside him.

"Siobhan," Pwyll whispered again forcing the sound out between chattering teeth.

"Hey, Shevon," Pete yelled at the top of his lungs, "your boyfriend wants you."

Pwyll saw a figure walking toward him. It was a flame with a core of shadow. Then he saw it was Siobhan walking through the storm as if it were a summer day with no hat holding in her hair, a parka hung open and showed layers of black clothing. Her hands were pushed into her pockets.

"Pwyll?" she said, then again "Pwyll?" as if she were traveling a long way to speak to him. "What are you doing here? Is this your brother? What time is it? Where am I?" With each question her voice grew more urgent and upset.

"It's late Siobhan, I don't know where we are, but I need your help to get home. It's so cold." Pwyll said, or tried to say through the shaking of his body. It came out as so much nonsense.

"Oh God, Pwyll, you've got hypothermia! Why didn't you wear a hat?" She pulled him to his feet and he swayed against her. Nothing worked right. How had Pete stayed so warm? She wrapped her arms around him and muttered something. It sounded like This better work, but it couldn't have been because the next thing she did was kiss him. It was rough at first, but he made his arms wrap around her and kissed her back as well as he could through his icy lips. Warmth travelled from his lips to the rest of his face. Geez, was he blushing over a kiss? He would have pulled away but she wouldn't let him. The warmth moved down his body into tingling fingers and frigid toes. He gave up worrying about being embarrassed and just enjoyed the kiss.

She let go and stepped back.

"I think that's enough," she said. An edge in her voice suggested that he shouldn't argue. His pants were suddenly very uncomfortable. And she was looking right at the bulge with this strange look on her face.

"Siobhan," Pwyll said, "it's not what it looks like." She lifted her eyebrow. It was a beautiful eyebrow. Why hadn't he ever noticed before? "I don't want to..."

"No?" she said and did something with her lips and her body that made him admit he did want to, right here in the snow if she'd let him. He turned away and put a handful of snow on his face and the back of his neck.

"Yeah, it's the biggest boner I've ever had," he said with his back still turned to her, "but I won't be doing anything with it until it's the right time. I don't think this is the right time. There are some guys who'd have you on that picnic table already."

"They might try," Siobhan said. For a second Pwyll thought she was going to say something else, but instead she put her hand on his shoulder. "I think I gave you a little too much."

"Too much of what?"

"Of whatever I gave you," Siobhan swayed suddenly. "Oh crap," she said. "too much for sure."

"What do I do?" Pwyll said.

"Kiss me," she said.

He didn't need a second request. He expected more heat and more energy, but this time her lips were cold, almost icy. The energy flowed out of him and his pants fit again. She pushed him away.

"That should do," she said. She looked him in the eyes and he saw some shadow move in their depths. The shadow called to him. What have you done?

"Let's get home," he said, "while we're both still standing. Pete," he called out, "where did you go?"

"Oh, so you're finished?" Pete crawled out from under a picnic table pulling a bedraggled dog on a string. "Can I keep him? His name's Brac."

"You named a dog Broke?" Siobhan said.