Chapter Text
Autumn’s relationship with Winter was something that she never expected. She never expected to hook up with him at all, she never expected it to last past that one night, and she definitely never expected to care this much this quickly. In all of her other relationships, she never thought about “next steps” or if things were “moving too fast” because she didn’t really care if the other person stayed around anyway. But with Winter she wanted everything to go well, perfectly even, because she couldn’t stand the thought that one wrong move would send him running. Nothing had ever felt like this before. Her life had changed for the better on Halloween, she couldn’t even imagine going back to how it had been before.
Little did Autumn know, Winter felt the exact same way. He also didn’t believe the hookup would go any further than it did. Why would he think it meant anything? They were drunk. After feeling nothing but hatred towards each other for the longest time they got carried away. But when he woke up the next day, his mind filled with thoughts of only her, he knew the night had been special. Now a part of Winter felt slightly guilty for never hearing Autumn out before - she was a good person, you just had to get to know her. Winter was intrigued, he wanted to get to know her, all of her - the way she took her coffee, all of her bad habits, all of her good habits, what her childhood was like. Winter wanted every part of Autumn, but only if she’d let him.
Winter was somewhat nervous when he approached her with the idea of spending a few days away together. He knew that both of them definitely had some sort of feelings for each other, despite not quite being at the point of calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend yet . But he also knew that they couldn’t imagine not being together so he pulled up the Airbnb he had found in the Lake District and texted it to Autumn, asking for her thoughts, probing at her feelings about taking a trip together. To his great shock, she had readily agreed, enthused about his choice and touched by how well he had already gotten to know her tastes. Within moments, he booked their stay and texted asking her to approve his annual leave request, as of course, she was his supervisor. He could almost feel the eye roll through the phone as she responded back with her approval.
As soon as the trip was confirmed, they both started agonizing over ways to make it absolutely perfect. They both spent hours researching sights and destinations they thought the other would love. Texts were sent back and forth showing off their ideas and every date night conversation was about the trip. They always made sure to mention how excited they were to get this chance to relax together and how nice it was going to be to get away for a while, just the two of them.
Just the two of them… alone… together .
It was everything they wanted, but they couldn’t help but wonder if they were ready. Yes, they’d had plenty of nights out since their hookup. Really, they’d spent more time together in these few weeks than they had with anyone else, but none of their dates had escalated like that first night. Even though their relationship started so quickly, so intensely, they both decided to move forward slowly; to just see how things progressed. Neither one wanted to push it, so they settled for makeout sessions, going no further than the couch and stopping just before they could get completely carried away. No matter how much they wanted to just let themselves be swept away in this new, intense passion they both felt but didn’t understand; they didn’t let themselves. Worried that one wrong move would ruin everything.
But now? Now they would be alone, miles away from the prying eyes of friends and colleagues, in a secluded cabin, surrounded only by nature. No pressure, no distraction, just…them. Seeing where things went. Hoping they went far.
When the day finally came to go up to the Lake District, Winter was practically shaking with excitement. He had told Autumn he would be picking her up at about 10 am to start the 4-hour drive to their secluded cabin in the woods, perfect for a private getaway with the notoriously private Autumn Knight. He jumped out of bed at 7 am, waiting to make sure everything was perfect before he picked her up….
Except by 8 am, he had found that he had done everything he needed to and was now confronted with the agonizing prospect of having to kill two whole hours before he could go pick Autumn up. Little did Winter know that Autumn was facing the exact same predicament. She too found herself up far too early, checking and rechecking her bags, changing outfits, checking makeup. Autumn bit her lip as she stared at her phone, counting the minutes until she got the text that Winter was on his way, except time dragged on and on and on.
By 9 am, Winter had had enough waiting. He would be happy to sit on Autumn’s couch for hours waiting for her as long as they were together and he wasn’t stuck in his house, staring at walls and counting the stripes on the wallpaper. If anyone asked, he didn’t, in fact, know that there were 36 stripes on the wall behind the TV. So he whipped his phone out of his pocket and shot off a text to Autumn asking if he could come earlier. Her “Yes” was near instantaneous. Winter pretended it didn’t make his heart sing that she was seemingly as eager to see him and get started with their journey as he was.
Despite being excited to see her, when he first arrived at her home, Winter nervously sat outside trying to manage his breathing. He gave himself a pep talk still questioning how a woman like Autumn would agree to this. Most women would flee if a man they had hooked up with once asked them to go on a private weekend away, but not Autumn.
Autumn was different .
Autumn had slowly started to become Winter’s favourite person, someone he could see himself spending a lot of time, maybe even forever, with. He groaned at himself for thinking so far ahead but he couldn’t help it, his opinion of someone had never changed so quickly. This was so different from what they were used to, a few dates and makeout sessions were nothing compared to a weekend away. Winter put his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes then took a deep breath and slowly opened them, looking at her house again. His eyes scanned the building when he suddenly noticed the best thing in the house looking back at him from the window. There stood Autumn looking out at him, she gave him a small wave and he gave one back, feeling slightly embarrassed that she may have just witnessed him hyping himself up to go over to the door. Winter jumped out of his car and made his way to the door; he hadn’t even reached it yet before Autumn opened it.
“Hi,” she greeted him. “Are you okay? You looked a bit worried from what I could see. Not that I was watching you for long. I could just hear your car running. You still want to go, don’t you? If you don't, I under-.”
Winter cut her off with a quick peck on the lips. “Of course, I want to go and everything is fine, I was just thinking that’s all.” He kissed her quickly again. “Hello, Autumn, let’s go get your stuff and we can go.”
As they made their drive, the air around them was thick with anticipation. There was so much that Winter wanted to say, but he didn’t want to break the comfortable silence they had settled into. He had the whole weekend to tell Autumn how he felt, there was no need to rush anything.
And besides, it was taking every bit of his willpower to focus on driving instead of the gorgeous woman next to him. Even that wasn’t enough. Every few minutes, his eyes would drift over to her, marveling at just how relaxed Autumn looked. He didn’t think he had ever seen her look this at ease, this…happy. A small smile played across her lips as she watched the countryside speeding past just outside the window. Winter felt his shoulders relax; all the worries he had about the weekend melted away as he looked at her. She was actually here, going on holiday with him. He truly couldn’t believe his luck.
“Winter!”
Autumn’s panicked voice pulled him out of his reverie as he realized how dangerously close to the edge of the road he had traveled. He gasped as he righted the car; his eyes grew wide as he realized not only had he nearly crashed the car, but also that he’d been caught staring. His breathing only returned to normal when he heard a small laugh from the passenger seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Autumn try to hide a coy smirk as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
“You know,” her voice was quiet; a slight mocking tone covering just how flattered she was, “ I could drive if you’d like to focus on…something else.”
“Well…,” Winter’s eyes flitted over to her again, “The…scenery…is quite breathtaking.”
When he heard Autumn laugh again, he knew it was his chance. He rested a hand on her thigh and, to his surprise, she didn’t pull away. She didn’t even flinch under his touch. Instead, he felt her place a hand on top of his, their fingers slotting together perfectly; as if they were made to be intertwined forever. Their hands stayed linked for the rest of their journey.
Winter wasn’t the only one who was feeling nervous about the trip, Autumn's stomach was filled with butterflies as she subtly looked at him while he drove. She loved how his hand felt locked with hers, it was something she could very easily get used to. Autumn was never the best at expressing how she felt, but with Winter that all seemed to fade away. She felt like she could really be herself when she was with him. She felt him squeeze her hand and she looked over at him giving him a small smile, they didn’t even need to speak in order to communicate. Autumn loved this, the unspoken communication that danced between them. It was never awkward and Autumn was beginning to work out how Winter felt about things just by his facial expressions. How he would smile so wide when a child met a milestone, the way his eyes would darken when he squared up to a difficult parent, the way his thumb felt as it softly traced her hand. All of it just made Winter who he was and all of it gave Autumn another reason to like him, really like him. It took everything inside of her to not bring his hand up to her lips and give it a kiss, she didn’t want to seem too pushy so decided to hold back. She had no idea Winter was having the same dilemma in the driver’s seat.
A short time later, they arrived at their cabin and Autumn was in awe as she wandered around. This was better than she could’ve imagined. The cabin had large floor-to-ceiling windows with a cozy interior. Exposed brick over an open fire, with plenty of wood available to keep it burning during their stay. A small kitchen and dining area and one bedroom with a large king-sized bed in the center of the room. A garden with views of the beautiful landscape of the Lake District, and one of the most important features, in the corner of the garden, a large jacuzzi bath. Autumn felt herself get flustered just seeing it. The whole location felt like it was made just for the two of them, no one else was anywhere close to them. They could be as public as they wanted to be in their own private way, no one would know anything that would take place that weekend except the two of them.
“What do you think, do you like it?” Winter asked as Autumn came back in from the back garden, she watched as he poured two cups of coffee, smiling as he got her order completely right the first time.
“Winter, I love it, everything about it is perfect. Thank you for bringing us here,” she responded, accepting the cup he had just poured.
“I’m glad you like it; I thought it was well suited for us and I want this weekend to be one we remember,” he said, leaning over to give her a kiss on the head before going to grab his own coffee. This allowed Autumn to try and hide the small blush that had crept onto her cheeks.
The couple sat on the couch, sipping their coffee and sharing stories. They’d always had such an easy time talking to each other, wanting to know as much about the other as possible. Never before had they been so intrigued by someone. Both of them would have been content just sitting and talking forever; studying every detail of the other’s face, learning each of their quirks. As they traded memories of their childhood and wild stories of their time at the nursery, they found themselves inching closer and closer together. When they were close enough that their knees touched, they both quickly moved away. They were both so worried about rushing into anything. Neither one wanted to make the other feel uncomfortable. The couple agreed on a casual relationship, just seeing where things went. The last thing they wanted was an unexpected touch or an ill-timed kiss to destroy the very obvious feelings blossoming between them. But almost as quickly as they scooted away, they found themselves moving right back in again. It was as if there was an unseen force guiding them together, nudging them closer and closer to the moment they’d been avoiding ever since their first hookup. The moment they both so desperately wanted.
Soon, they were sitting right next to each other. The feeling of Autumn’s leg grazing against his own sent a sudden wave of confidence through Winter. He ran his hand through his hair before stretching his arm up and letting it fall around Autumn’s shoulders. She slid forward just slightly on the sofa so that his hand fell to her waist. Autumn started to lean against him but tensed up before she could fully surrender to the moment.
“Ahem,” Autumn cleared her throat as she placed her now empty coffee cup on the side table. “We should probably get to unpacking.”
“Right. Of course. I’ll be right behind you,” Winter agreed as he watched Autumn grab her bag from where they’d left them by the door and head into the bedroom.
He sunk further into the couch, his hands running over his face as his mind raced. The arm trick. Really? What were you thinking ? You’re thirty, not thirteen. Winter let out a heavy sigh as he moved to grab his own suitcase. In the bedroom, he set his case down in the corner, unzipped it to grab his toiletry bag, and left it lying on the floor with the top open. As far as he was concerned, he was unpacked.
Autumn, on the other hand, was much more meticulous about her unpacking. She pulled out each piece of clothing, shaking out any wrinkles that may have formed in the case and putting everything into specific piles. Shirts and dresses on one side of the case to be hung in the wardrobe, trousers and pants on the other to be folded and stored in the dresser. She knew she probably packed too much for the quick three-day trip, but she wanted to have plenty of outfits for any occasion. For any chance to impress the man, she went away with.
Winter stood off to the side, admiring just how organized she was. He grabbed a pile of hangers from the wardrobe and moved to the bed. He shuffled his usual house cleaning playlist on his phone while he offered Autumn his help. They made a perfect team. The utterly mundane task became exciting as they worked together. Autumn folded the clothes or put them on hangers before handing them off to Winter to take them to their correct place. They took breaks every so often when Winter got carried away by the music; his surprisingly elegant movements eliciting quiet laughs from Autumn; or when he took her hand instead of an offered hanger and spun her around to join his dance. The feeling of his hand on her waist, his eyes locked on hers as they swayed together, made Autumn feel lighter than she ever had before; as if she truly belonged there... as if she was home .
When Autumn finally held the last hanger out to Winter, their fingers accidentally brushed as he reached for it. She looked up into his eyes and felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her thoughts grew louder as he gave her a small smile before turning away to place the dress safely in the wardrobe. While Winter wasn’t looking, Autumn moved in closer behind him. When he finally turned back, they were close enough to touch, but neither of them reached out to the other this time. Instead, the air hung heavy between them; the silence deafening, but not awkward as they both waited for something…anything to happen. But when Autumn finally leaned closer, Winter pulled his phone out and stopped the music. When he saw the time, he gave her a small smile.
“Best get started on dinner then, hmm?”
Dressed in their comfortable clothes, the couple walked into the kitchen and quickly set to work, dividing up the tasks and ingredients so everyone had easy access to the necessary items. Autumn, dressed in a black vest top and black jeans, made quick work of setting a skillet on the burner to warm up as Winter cubed some potatoes and tossed them in a pot of water on the stove. Autumn barely resisted the urge to comment on the pieces needing to be the same size for even cooking, but didn’t want to risk alienating Winter by making him think she was some sort of control freak even when it came to things as simple as potatoes. Her eyes couldn’t help but drift down as she admired how his white t-shirt clung to him in just the right way, perfectly accenting his broad shoulders and slightly masking the bit of pudge around his middle as his sweatpants sat low on his hips. She definitely wasn’t thinking of how amazing those pants looked on him and how amazing those hips of his were. She absolutely was not staring at this gorgeous man as he prepared his part of their meal. Autumn had no idea how long she was stood like that, admiring Winter in his natural element, when suddenly a voice snapped her out of her reverie as Winter called out her name. “Autumn. Autumn!” Autumn shook her head and looked at him, her head slightly tilted to the side. “Autumn, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, my mind was just wandering a bit.” Winter was a bit skeptical, but accepted her excuse with a shrug, tactfully ignoring the blush that quickly rose up her neck and cheeks when she snapped out of her trance. He heard her let out a shaky breath once she turned her attention to the preheating skillet before her and decided to conduct a little experiment of his own when the chance arose. As Autumn brushed past him to grab some seasoning from the cabinet to his right, Winter subtly cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders, turning his head from side to side as though to loosen some tight muscles. He could have sworn he heard Autumn’s breath catch for a moment but wasn’t sure if he was imagining things. He shifted from foot to foot, moving his hips a little more than necessary, brushing his leg against hers as he did. No . He absolutely wasn’t imagining anything. He definitely heard her breath catch again, followed by a very shaky breath out as she stepped away.
As they prepared their ingredients and cooked, the evening was full of stolen glances and little brushes against each other, followed by hitched breaths and tension too thick to cut through with even the sharpest of knives. Finally, Autumn was able to step out of the kitchen for a brief moment to set the table and get a short reprieve from the mounting feelings swirling inside her mind. Every step of the way, she couldn’t help but look at Winter, admiring him. Little did she know, he did the exact same thing when she wasn’t looking.
Winter took a deep breath as he drained the potatoes into a colander in the sink. He let them drain as he braced his hands against the countertop, leaning forward as he took deep breaths, trying desperately to get a grip and regain some of his self-control. Every accidental graze, every casual brush against each other sent a shock through his body, leaving him alight with want. He had to get it together.
By the time Autumn came back into the kitchen, Winter had all the components for mashed potatoes laid out on the counter and had the masher in hand. He smiled at her as he heard her walk back into the kitchen, winking at Autumn before turning back to the task at hand. Winter grunted slightly as he smashed the starchy vegetables, sending Autumn’s mind hurtling back to another, very different time when she heard Winter grunting as he stood before a counter. She shook her head, not needing to add any additional fuel to the fire that was already burning inside her when Autumn suddenly found herself feeling bold . As he continued his work, Autumn quietly walked up behind him, pressing her front against his back as her hands slid down his arms until they covered his hands. Winter’s breath caught in his throat, his ability to breathe long forgotten as soon as he felt Autumn pressed against his back. Winter cleared his throat, desperately trying to force oxygen back into his lungs before he passed out. “Autumn, what… er… what are you doing?”
Autumn kissed his cheek before responding, “Oh, I was just thinking that maybe you needed some help with the potatoes, Winter. Two sets of hands are better than one.” Winter resisted the urge to groan right then and there.
“Thank you, Autumn,” Winter stuttered as he began to move the masher again, this time with her hands covering his. He continually had to take deep breaths to make sure his body didn’t react to their newfound closeness, especially when Autumn kissed his neck before resting her head on his shoulder. All the previously dinner-related thoughts in his head were quickly replaced by images of the last time Autumn had kissed his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. As he felt his tenuous grasp on his self-restraint continue to slip, Winter decided that he needed to put some distance between himself and Autumn before he decided to forget dinner and pin her to a counter… again. “Autumn?” Winter asked, receiving a quiet hum in response. “Could you take over? I need to get some water. I’m suddenly feeling a bit thirsty.” He carefully extricated himself from Autumn’s hold and poured himself a glass of ice water as he leaned against the counter. As Winter watched Autumn finish mashing the potatoes, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from how Autumn’s muscles flexed and moved as she worked. In between his thoughts of how amazing her biceps looked, Winter wondered if perhaps the ice water he was drinking would not , in fact, be enough and where the nearest glacier was located because he needed it… urgently .
Winter’s yearning only grew as he watched Autumn move back to the dining room. His eyes stayed fixed on her hips, watching their gentle sway as she moved back and forth between the rooms, setting out the meal they’d worked together to compose. Minutes later their eyes locked again. Winter held his breath as he watched Autumn approach, getting closer and closer until their bodies were practically pressed together. As the smallest smile crossed her lips, she pointed toward the cupboard.
“I think the glasses are behind you.”
“Yes!” Winter blurted out just a bit too quickly as he was snapped back to reality, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t move. The corner of Autumn’s mouth twitched just slightly as she started to reach over him, her arm just grazing his shoulder as she did. She lifted herself up on her toes slowly, the movement bringing her closer and closer to Winter. She was so close, so agonizingly close. Close enough to feel her breath on him, to smell her perfume. His mind was screaming at him to do something, anything. To touch her hand, to hold her waist, to take her right there on the kitchen floor. But before he even had the chance to blink, she had the glasses in her hand and was headed back to the table. He took a deep breath before downing the rest of his water in a feeble attempt to steady himself before what he was sure would be the longest dinner of his life.