Page 9 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

She turned away abruptly, her voice clipped. "Fine. Keep your stupid radio."

Alex said nothing, her silence more unnerving than any retort.

Vivienne retreated to the chair by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She stared out into the storm, but the snow blurred before her eyes. She told herself it was the biting cold that had reddened her cheeks, nothing more.

The howl of the storm seemed louder now, as if the wind was intent on battering the cabin into submission. The last remnants of daylight had faded, leaving them in a bubble of warmth surrounded by darkness. Vivienne sat rigid in the armchair again, the tension from her earlier clash with Alex still hung in the air, thick as the smoke curling from the stove.

Alex glanced up from the small radio she'd been fiddling with, her expression calm but serious. A streak of soot marked her cheek, and Vivienne fought the urge to tell her about it.

"It's not letting up. If anything, the storm isgetting worse."

Vivienne's stomach sank, though she kept her expression neutral. "How much worse?"

"Bad enough that we're not going anywhere for at least a day or two," Alex said, setting the radio down on the table. The soft thud felt like a death sentence. "Probably longer."

Vivienne stared at her, a flicker of unease breaking through her icy demeanor. "You're certain?" She noticed Alex’s eyes drift down over her body before rising again and the feeling of being watched by her was an unwanted turn on.

Alex met her gaze evenly. "Positive."

The words hit harder than Vivienne expected, like the final nail in a coffin. She turned away, staring out at the white chaos beyond the window. The storm was unrelenting, determined to keep her here in this too-small space with this too-intriguing woman.

"So that's it," she said softly, more to herself than to Alex. "I'm just...stuck here."

Alex's voice was quiet but firm. "For now, yes. And fighting it won't change anything."

Vivienne swallowed hard, the weight ofher circumstances pressing down on her. She wasn't used to feeling powerless. It didn't suit her.

Alex moved to the small kitchenette, the clatter of a pot and utensils breaking the heavy silence. "I'm making dinner. You can join me or not. It's up to you."

Vivienne bristled at the casual dismissal. She rose from the chair, smoothing the wrinkles in her sweater. "Of course I'll help. I'm not useless."

Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, simply nodding toward a small stack of root vegetables on the counter. "Peel those then."

Vivienne stared at the paring knife Alex handed her as if it were an alien artifact. She picked it up gingerly and inspected the carrot in her other hand. The vegetable was fresh, she noted with surprise, not some canned approximation. "Peel it how?"

Alex let out a short, amused breath. "You've never peeled a carrot before?"

"I've never had to," Vivienne shot back, a defensive edge in her voice. "Some of us have people for things like this."

"Right," Alex said, shakingher head. "Well, consider this a crash course in self-sufficiency."

Vivienne glared at her but said nothing, focusing instead on the carrot. She slid the knife awkwardly along its surface, managing to gouge uneven strips off the vegetable. The domestic task felt foreign in her hands, like trying to speak a language she'd never learned.

Alex, chopping onions beside her, glanced over. "You're holding it wrong."

"I'm holding it just fine," Vivienne snapped, though she knew she wasn't.

"Sure," Alex replied dryly. "If you want to waste half the carrot."

Vivienne gritted her teeth, her irritation bubbling to the surface. "I don't see you offering any helpful advice."

Alex put down her knife and reached for Vivienne's hands. "Here," she said, her voice softer than Vivienne had heard it yet. "Like this."

Vivienne stiffened as Alex's fingers curled around hers, guiding her grip on the knife and carrot. The warmth of Alex's touch sent an unexpected jolt through her, and for a moment, the tension between them shiftedinto something else entirely. She looked up, meeting Alex's gaze.

Alex's dark eyes softened briefly before she pulled away, returning to her own task without another word. But something had changed in the air between them.

The meal, simple as it was, came together quickly. They sat across from each other at the small table, the flickering light from the woodstove casting shadows on the rough wooden walls. The stew was surprisingly good, though Vivienne would rather freeze than admit it.

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