Page 12 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

Alex glanced over her shoulder, catching the uncertain look on Vivienne's face. She nodded toward the small cutting board on the counter. "You can chop the vegetables. If you're careful, they won't end up in the pot whole."

Vivienne gave a little huff, rolling her lovely blue eyes as she moved to the counter. "I'm not exactly a chef."

Alex couldn't suppress a smirk. "I can tell."

The air between them lightened with the exchange, the sharpness that had marked their interactions earlier replaced with something more awkward, but oddly more comfortable. Vivienne took the knife, her grip unsteady at first, the blade slipping a little too close to her fingers. Alex was about to offer help when Vivienne steadied herself, her movements becoming more measured.

She didn't say anything, but Alex caught the way her brow furrowed in concentration,how the tip of her tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she focused. Something about it was unexpectedly endearing.

The fire crackled behind them, the flames casting flickering shadows across the cabin walls. The warmth from it wrapped around them both, creating an oddly intimate atmosphere. Alex watched Vivienne for a long moment, wondering, not for the first time, what lay beneath the surface of the woman who had irritated her so thoroughly earlier.

"You're doing better than I thought," Alex said.

Vivienne looked up, her eyes catching Alex's for a brief moment. "I'm full of surprises." There was something in her gaze—a flash of vulnerability, quickly hidden behind a veil of sarcasm.

Alex turned back to the stove, stirring the pot with a little more force than necessary, not wanting to acknowledge the unexpected twist in the evening. "You don't have to pretend with me," she said after a long silence, not really meaning to speak the thought out loud.

Vivienne stiffened at thecomment, her fingers pausing in mid-air as she reached for another vegetable. Her voice, when it came, was more careful now. "I don't know what you mean."

Alex shrugged, unable to explain what she had seen—the small, almost imperceptible shift when Vivienne's bravado cracked just for a moment. "Just...don't make yourself miserable because you think you have to be.”

Vivienne's eyes darted to the floor for a second, then back up, guarded again. She pressed her lips together and nodded, though it was clear she was trying to dismiss the conversation. "What about you, then? How do you manage all this?"

Alex paused, the question unexpected. For a moment, she considered sharing something more personal, but the walls went up before she could even begin. She wasn't one to invite that kind of vulnerability, not here, not now. Not with her.

"Just get used to it," Alex said, her tone more clipped than she had intended. She met Vivienne's gaze, her words a little harder than she'd meant them to be. "You'll figure it out."

The silence that followed was thick, filledwith the weight of unspoken things. The smell of the simple but hearty meal began to fill the cabin, warm and comforting. Vivienne took her seat at the small table, her body language still guarded, though less tense than before. The storm outside raged on, but inside, there was a quiet sort of truce between them, a rare moment of peace.

Dinner was eaten in an awkward silence, the only sounds the clink of cutlery against plates and the occasional crackle from the fire. The warmth from the stove filled the space, but Alex still couldn't shake the discomfort gnawing at her.

Once the dishes were cleared, the moment of decision arrived—the familiar, unavoidable question of where they would sleep. Alex had already resolved it in her mind: she would take the couch again. It was the only way to avoid another uncomfortable night spent in close proximity to Vivienne, who had already claimed the bed with that same entitled air.

She could share the bed with Vivienne, but she didn’t trust the hunger that was growing deep inside of her.

She rose from the table and stretched,then moved toward the small couch by the wall, a ritual she had settled into without much thought. She expected Vivienne to say something—anything—perhaps a snide comment about the arrangement. But when she turned around, she found Vivienne still seated.

Vivienne hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sweater, her gaze dropping to the floor. Her usual confidence was gone, replaced by a vulnerability that tugged at something deep within Alex. "You don't have to sleep on the couch," she said quietly, her words strangely sincere. "There's plenty of room in the bed."

Alex felt a strange twinge in her chest at the offer. It was unspoken, but it carried an understanding—an acknowledgment of the discomfort that had passed between them, a silent olive branch. Her heart raced, and for a moment, she was tempted to accept, to allow herself the comfort and warmth of sharing the bed. But her rational mind kicked in, reminding her of the need to maintain a distance.

"No," Alex replied quickly, her voice almost too sharp. She couldn't let this shift intheir dynamic pull her in. She had to keep her guard up. "It's fine."

She moved to the couch, settling herself onto it with deliberate care. The fabric was rough against her skin, and the weight of the day pressed down on her, but it was nothing compared to the weight of Vivienne's presence. She could feel it, even from across the room—the subtle tension that hadn't quite resolved.

As the night deepened and the storm raged louder, Alex lay awake on the couch, her body tense despite the exhaustion that weighed heavily on her. The howling wind outside seemed to mirror the turmoil inside her chest, a swirl of conflicting emotions: frustration, protectiveness, and, worse yet, a growing attraction that she couldn't quite shake.

She closed her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away, but the image of Vivienne, the way she had looked at her so invitingly just a moment ago, imprinted in her mind. Alex took a steadying breath, tryingto ignore the fluttering in her stomach. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to care. But the storm outside wasn't the only thing that felt like it might break her.

As the night wore on, the fire in the stove began to die down, casting longer shadows across the cabin. Alex listened to the sound of Vivienne's breathing from the bed, her own eyes refusing to close. The quiet intimacy of the moment was overwhelming, and she found herself wishing, against her better judgment, that she had accepted Vivienne's offer.

The cabin felt colder without the bed's warmth, and Alex pulled the scratchy blanket tighter around her shoulders, trying to block out the growing chill. She knew she should get up and tend to the fire, but the thought of leaving the couch, of putting more distance between them, felt like too much. Instead, she lay there, lost in the storm of her own thoughts, waiting for the first hints of dawn to creep in through the windows.

5

VIVIENNE

The soft crackle of the fire was the only sound in the room, a gentle hiss and pop of the logs as they were consumed by flames. The room, dimly lit by the orange glow, felt warm, too warm under the blanket, but it did nothing to ease the shiver crawling up Vivienne’s spine. Her body was tense, restless in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.

---