On A Night Like This

Chapter Six

-Jayce-

He lay on the bed, staring out the cabin window at the furiously falling snow. Dylan hadn't been lying about the storm. It had been going on for hours, and Jayce had spent the entire time napping or watching Dylan putter about the cabin, checking supplies and tidying up the small space. He wished he could use his phone, but the battery had died days ago.

"What do you do all day?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

Dylan continued what he was doing without looking over at Jayce. "Hike. Hunt. Do my job."

"What's your job?"

"I work for the Forest Service."

He rolled over. "Really?" If that was true, it would make him feel better about being here with Dylan.

"Yes."

"What do you do?"

"Collect samples and report back on conditions."

He sat up. He wanted to know more about Dylan's life, especially how he got the scar on his face, but he didn't want to pry too much. "How do you do that if you're all the way up here?"

"I hike back out with samples every once in a while, and I've got a radio to keep in touch."

"What do you hunt?"

Dylan finally turned around, glowering. "How many questions are you going to ask?"

He knew his tone was defensive, but he couldn't help it. "I want to know who I'm living with. And it's not like I have anything else to do."

Silence stretched for over a minute, but Dylan finally answered. "I hunt grouse if I'm running low on food. They're ground-dwelling birds, sort of similar to a chicken."

Jayce frowned. "Are you going to run out of food now that I'm here?"

"No."

Sighing, Jayce lay back on the bed. It was impossible trying to get more words out of Dylan. The guy only seemed to say a lot when he was scolding Jayce or explaining something about hiking or the weather. With that charming personality of his, it was no wonder that Dylan was out here alone.

-

After a couple more hours of boredom, all he wanted was a hot shower. He'd brought a toothbrush and deodorant with him, but had planned on toughing it out without a shower until he was done with his backpacking trip. Being sweaty and dirty when he was hiking every day didn't bother him, but now that he was sitting around inside, he felt gross.

"Dylan?"

Dylan grunted in reply.

"How do you stay clean out here? You don't have a shower, but you don't smell bad."

Dylan turned and stared at him.

"I'm starting to smell bad, and I don't want you to experience that."

He saw one corner of Dylan's mouth lift, so faint he almost didn't see it. Dylan leaned to the other side of the stove and grabbed a large metal bucket. "I fill this with water or snow, heat it, and then go outside and wash."

"But it's cold outside."

"This isn't a five star hotel."

Jayce sighed and stepped forward to take the bucket. He put his boots on and headed outside. The snow had finally stopped falling, but there was plenty on the ground. When he brought the snow-filled bucket back inside to heat over the stove, Dylan had a small bar of soap and a towel laid out on the bed. He didn't understand how the man could be so hospitable in some ways, but not at all in others.