𝔸 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟.
From the moment she started working at Freshmart, Octavia has been in love with Caleb Dale. For seven years...
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Octavia's limbs shook so hard, she wondered if she'd ever feel warm again. Caleb was taking care of getting the roller doors down, stopping the wind and snow flakes from getting in.
They had successfully pushed her car inside after shoveling a clear path in the snow. Even the heavy physical effort hadn't been enough to warm her up. Her body wasn't built for this weather. She needed to move to a tropical island or something. Montana wasn't it.
Caleb came back to her, his cheeks pink from the cold, making him look younger than he was. "Come on, let's get you warmed up," he declared, putting his hand on her lower back to guide her toward the door.
Despite the layers of clothes and his glove, the spot where he touched her instantly reacted, her skin heating on its own. If she had the courage, she'd ask him to roam his hands all over her body, to chase away the cold.
They passed a door, getting back into the heated section, but it still wasn't enough for Octavia to stop shaking. Noticing, Caleb apparently decided to take drastic measures.
She almost recoiled when he pulled her into his embrace, into his firm, broad chest. With his powerful arms around her, he energetically rubbed her back, effectively dismissing any sensation of cold in her body. Oh, Lord... What was happening? Did she actually die from the cold and go to heaven?
In a matter of seconds, she was feeling hot; absurdly hot. He was the most efficient radiator, and he smelled oh so good. A shiver ran through her, but it had nothing to do with the cold this time and everything to do with the man pressed against her. When Caleb tightened his hold on her, probably mistaking the reason for her trembling, she nearly let out a moan, too affected by what he was doing to her.
"I'm good," she blurted out, ending it before embarrassing herself.
Almost immediately, he let go of her, and she regretted having brought it to an abrupt end. Maybe if she went out and rolled in the snow, he'd do it again?
Shyly, she looked up at him, her body still highly aware of what had just happened. She found him staring down at her. Their gazes remained locked for a moment, and Octavia let herself be hypnotized by his ocean eyes. Why did he have to be so handsome?
She was so absorbed by the moment that she barely noticed the confusion in his eyes. But it was there. He was muddled.
Caleb was a very professional person, always maintaining a proper distance between him and his parents' employees, so it was probably why he was questioning his actions. Although, as he'd pointed out earlier, she wasn't an employee anymore.
"Alright, I'm not sure how long we have until your car is good to go, but there's no reason we don't have a nice evening like everyone else."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, we have a small kitchen and an entire supermarket at our disposal. How about me wake ourselves a nice, improvised Christmas dinner?"
"I'm a terrible cook," Octavia confessed with a wince.
