Page 14 of Defying Ella
Mel blew out a shuddering breath and I resisted the urge to reassure her. What good would it do? The very man I’d left Munich early to escape was trapped beneath the same roof. Nothing I could say would make her believe everything would be fine.
We were just lucky we still had power.
CHAPTER FOUR
Isettled in front of the windows with my tea and boring cereal to stare at the landscape.As if it would do something interesting if I looked long enough.
Despite the fact we were trapped, the outside world looked so pretty. Icicles dangled from tree branches and the edges of the deck. The green of the conifers popped against the blanket of white. Birds fluttered from tree to tree, holding the majority of my attention.
Did I wish it didn’t stretch out as far as I could see? Yes, but if there was ever a time to appreciate the small things, it had arrived.
Essentially, I hoped that focusing on something, anything, would stave off the horror of my situation. Occasional denial and ironclad armour would have to act as my defences against Jared’s sharp tongue, once I figured out how to get them back into place. I didn’t exactly have readily available alternatives. Other than locking myself in my room until we were rescued, and that would only drivememad. I’d much rather torture Jared with my presence, seeing as it annoyed him so much.
Jared trudged up the stairs, huffing loud enough to catch my attention. If I weren’t a sensible person, I’d think he did iton purpose to make sure I was aware of him. But that would be ridiculous.
Somehow, I hid my disappointment at his return. I didn’t even glance in his direction. A loud bang sounded as he dropped the basket of logs. The crash echoed around the open space and if I hadn’t been doing my best to ignore his presence, I’d have winced.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, stopping in front of me with a face like thunder. It didn’t escape my notice that his hands still shook and if I focused beyond the scowl, his eyes were wide with panic.
“Eating?”
“But why?”
I glanced between the white landscape outside the window and him pointedly. “Well, I can’t exactly go anywhere, so what else am I meant to do?”
His fingers tapped out a restless beat on the tabletop, rattling the ice in my glass. I resisted the urge to slap my hand down on his. He didn’t need to know it irritated me.
“How can you be so calm right now?”
I anyone?
“Because I can’t do anything to make the snow go away, so what would be the point in panicking now I know we’re safe?” My brows rose when he growled in frustration. “What exactly do you want from me, Jared? You’re freaking out enough for the both of us.”
“You could at least pretend to care.” He started to pace before the windows, tugging at his hair. Three steps, spin, three steps, spin. If he kept it up too long, I’d get dizzy.
“I’m sorry, did you or did you not tell me to shut up not ten minutes ago.”
He ignored me, continuing with his nausea inducing dance. “We’re trapped and who knows when we’ll get out. I can’t — I don’t want —” He slammed his mouth shut and stopped to face the window.
I got the distinct impression that he hid his face from me on purpose.Had I stepped into an alternate dimension?The person before me was not the smarmy, confident Jared who traded barbs with me last night.
“We’ve got food, water, firewood, and, for the moment, heating and running water. Andy’s aware we’re here and stuck.” I slapped the table, trying to get his attention. “Can you look at me, please? I don’t know what else I can do, Jared.”
His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t turn. I leaned back in my chair and pushed my breakfast away. I’d slept through the morning anyway. Eating it wouldn’t help the day make sense.
I don’t remember signing on for babysitting an emotionally stunted man child.
“Talk to me. Why are you freaked out?”
Finally, he turned. One look at the hard set of his jaw and I wished he hadn’t.Here we go again.
It stopped before when I gave him a job. Coming up with a constant stream of tasks would be exhausting but if it kept the daggers from his eyes, maybe it would be worth the effort.
“Why don’t you go check if there’s a side access?” My brows rose in challenge. “Maybe it’s accessible.”It probably wasn’t.
He nodded without argument, spinning on his heel and disappearing into the cloakroom before I could say another word. I blew out a breath and slumped down in the chair. How the hell was I going to come up with enough tasks to keep him from tearing out my throat?
After finally finishing my breakfast in peace, I made a horrifying discovery. The internet had died. I wasn’t sure it worked the night before, but for a couple of seconds, I stood on the edge, debating just spiralling into panic rightalongside Jared. No internet. So much for the idea of parking him in front of a long-running TV show or locking myself in my room with a book. I only had so many downloaded on my phone and I’d already read all the paperbacks I brought on tour.
