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The snow hadn't fallen for hours but the temperatures still lingered below zero, the sky as white as the icy ground that spread for miles around. Snowy trees stood still in the lack of a breeze, the air clear and unmoving. The windows were frosted with frozen dew, petrified droplets clinging to the glass that was beginning to fog up from the heat inside the cabin.
There wasn't a radio. Ordinarily, Tala liked to have the radio on in the background if she was home for the day but that was just about the only appliance the cabin was lacking, and the weather seemed to have had an adverse effect on the internet signal – it wasn't quite strong enough to download an app.
Instead, Raphael was scrolling through Tala's downloaded music, loading up a queue of songs he liked or ones he was willing to take a chance on. He lay across one sofa with his knees bent, her phone in his hand while his lay dead in the bedroom, and Tala had taken over the second sofa where she lay with a book in both hands. She held it carefully so as not to bend the spine, handling the pages with the utmost delicacy.
There was nothing awkward about the silence between them. The music filled the gaps and Tala drifted into the land of the novel she was invested in, only pulled away from the words when Raphael stood with an empty mug in his hand and he collected hers from the table.
"Coffee?" he asked.
She dragged her eyes to his and smiled, nodding. There was no pressure, despite the situation they had been forced into. Yesterday he had been a virtual stranger; now they were comfortably quiet together as morning turned to afternoon.
The kettle whistled as it boiled, and Raphael turned to face Tala, though she was buried in her book once more.
"I had a great time this morning," he said, distracting her from the story again. She looked up at him, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Hmm?"
"I had a great time this morning," he repeated, and then he clarified, "On our date. I think we should have a second date."
A smile played on Tala's lips. She sat up straighter. "Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?"
He lifted a shoulder. "Well, we had a coffee date," he said, "so I think the next one should be lunch." He checked his watch. Twelve thirty. "How about one o'clock in the kitchen? I'll cook."
With a laugh, she closed her book and stood. "I don't think I have much in the way of food. Just some ready meals and bread, and half a family bag of crisps. It doesn't scream romantic date."
"Oh, I don't know," he said. "I think the whole blizzard thing could be pretty romantic." He glanced out of the window and back to Tala, the bright snow dancing in his eyes before the image was replaced by her reflection. His smile grew. "Whaddaya say?"
"I say yes," she said. "Two dates in one day, huh? At this rate, we'll be married by the new year."
"What can I say?" He had a catchy smile, an irresistible twinkle in his eyes. "I want to date you, if you want to date me too."
