I had come to the realization that I had felt far too comfortable around Teddy. He was seated in front of me, quietly cutting up his grilled asparagus. Luna was settled over his lap, fast asleep the minute she leapt over that comfortable spot. Silence had descended over the table the moment we sat down, but it was not an uncomfortable one. His salmon was delicious, dripping with flavours of lemon zest and healthy herbs that made it rather difficult to suppress a smile.

“Your food is delicious,” I piped up merrily. “You’re a good cook.”

Teddy swallowed his food thickly, apparently startled by my words.

“You seem to excel at everything.”

He lowered his right eyebrow as he quietly answered me: “No, not everything.”

“Well, it is quite delicious,” I assured him. “Thank you.”

He straightened his back against the chair once he realized he was unable to answer me. Perhaps, Teddy Woven was not the type of person that took compliments well.

His answer was delayed, though it was full of politeness as he gently replied: “I am delighted to hear that.” He watched me nod my head in understanding as I chewed on the salmon. His stare lingered for a little too long as if something had captivated his attention. “Do you know I can’t remember the last time I shared a meal with someone?”

“You take it alone?” I asked with disbelief.

“I believe so.” He let his gaze fall away from me, half tempted to look over his shoulder. “Or at least at times it feels that way.”

Soft pelts of rain pattered against the glass window, which quickly captured our attention. Teddy had assured me that it would not rain this afternoon, but it seemed he was wrong in this case. I watched him look over his shoulder, taking in the sight of the tall green ferns leaning over to the side. The breeze was harsh, warning of a coming storm. He did not appear to be disturbed by the sight of it, rather it held his attention for some time.

“Are you not hungry, Teddy?” I asked of him, hoping he would not take offense to my question.

He turned his gaze to me, arching up an eyebrow in surprise. “I am,” he spoke plainly. “But I became distracted. It seems that I was wrong.”

“Yes, it is raining,’ I practically giggled. “You are not a fortune teller.”

His smirk was unmistakable as he replied: “I try to be.”

A strange smile was shared between us. Embarrassment overtook me, and soon I was letting my eyes fall downwards to my plate of food. It was clear Teddy was taking a liking to me, nevertheless he was my employer and I had to behave in a respectable manner.

“We got a lot of work done this morning,” he spoke up in a confident voice. “I look forward to continuing it tomorrow.”

“You were out of the house the whole time,” I agreed with him. “I promise it will not become a habit.”

He waved his fork around nonchalantly. “There was work to be done.”

“Yes, but it is not your job.”

He let his fork stick up, pointing it towards the ceiling. “This is my house,” he stated with a slight tilt of his head. “I must take care of the grounds, otherwise…” He let the lids of his eyes close a small fraction. “It will start to look like something of a wilderness out there.”

“As untamed as the sea.”

“Yes,” he drawled out with interest. “You should see it sometime. Maybe… maybe sometime this week I will let you take a little break. Oh, we can’t go out sunbathing…” The corner of his lip suspiciously quirked upwards. “But we could find something to do.”

I swallowed hard with nerves, feeling like Teddy was making a sly invitation to have a date with me. “I thought…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think…” I let my fork and knife settle down on the edge of the plate gently. “Teddy,” I began. “I am being paid to take care of your grounds. I feel as though I would be taking advantage of you, if we should do that during work hours. I hope that makes sense. It is rather hard to explain.” I let out a nervous laughter afterwards, letting it fade away once I caught a certain look that crossed the sharpness of his dark brown eyes.

“The only solution would be doing it after hours,” he proposed, which startled me completely. “Then none of that would be an issue.” He ate the last piece of his salmon with satisfaction, as if the flavour had been suddenly intensified.

“I think it would,” I whispered, but it was low enough for Teddy to overhear it.

He stopped chewing his food, letting it linger over his tongue as he stared at me. He watched me pick up my utensils, and once I began to eat my food he forced himself to look away. I knew that he felt my rejection quite keenly, but I felt that I was overstepping a boundary.

The rest of our meal was eaten in silence, a painful one at that. Teddy was the first to finish his meal, and soon Luna was lifted up into the air so she could sleep on his lap no longer.

“Teddy, I never meant to upset you,” I apologized. “I only thought it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“I…” He laid Luna down on the kitchen floor with extra care. “I was getting ahead of myself.”

“It would be nice,” I ventured forward, which immediately made him turn his head in my direction. “But you are my employer.”

“Absolutely right,” he answered me in a faint tone of voice. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” He let out a nervous chuckle, while bringing his cloth napkin upwards to wipe at his mouth. “I am going upstairs to fetch my raincoat. It looks like it will be a downpour soon enough.”

Teddy unexpectedly got up from his chair and sped out of the kitchen. I made him feel self-conscious, perhaps even embarrassed for trying to ask me out. I was flattered he showed a romantic interest in me, but I did not want things to become overly complicated.

Rain pattered against the window harder, peppering it enough for me to know a storm was nearly here. The howl of the wind was vaguely heard throughout the house; faint creaking of the ceiling overhead showed that Teddy was walking around upstairs to retrieve his coat. His house was peaceful, more than I had ever expected. I turned in my seat to simply watch the raindrops splatter against the clear glass window, noticing how blurry my vision was when staring past the wet sheet of glass. Luna must have left the room, for when I looked around for her in the kitchen she was nowhere to be found. I wanted to make myself useful so I gathered up our plates and brought it next to the kitchen sink. His yellow sponge was lifted upwards, and I applied a small amount of dish detergent to let it soak into the material. It felt strange how natural I fitted into the surroundings. I watched the cold water fall from the spout of the tap, splashing against the dishes to wash the soap suds away. There was a stillness to this house. I looked over my shoulder to see that Teddy had not entered the kitchen yet, and then looked at the calendar that was next to his fridge to find it completely blank. There was a stock photo of a garden in the photograph above it, reflecting Teddy’s own love of nature. Once the dishes had been washed I dried them gently, letting the towel wipe over the smooth surface with a calm air about me. I could hear the distinctive footsteps of Teddy coming down the stairs. By the time I looked over he was standing in front of the doorway with his hand frozen over his coat zipper. He simply stared at me, as if stunned by my presence.

“I thought I could wash and dry your dishes,” I softly explained. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said in a strangled voice.

“I don’t know where to put them.”

He zipped up the front of his long black jacket. His eyes shifted to the right, glancing at the cupboard that was not far from me. “I will put them away,” he suggested.

Soon we were standing side by side, putting away the dishes. Teddy was pursing his lips the whole time, and I could not help but notice he was most determined to not look in my direction.

“The storm is picking up,” I sighed aloud. “Will you be fine driving in this weather?”

“I would never let you stand out in a storm.”

“Yes, I know that but-”

“Sela,” he cut in with sudden sharpness. “You mustn’t feel bad when I try to take care of you.”

“Okay.”

“I know you can take care of yourself,” he added. “After all, you are an independent woman.”

My smile was so large I was sure he could see it from the corner of his eye.

“You must understand I only have a cat to care for. Luna is a sweet creature, but she is only a cat.” He paused his efforts and let his hands fall downwards. “If I have a privilege of taking care of someone else, I will gladly take up the offer. You are a hard worker, Sela. I think you deserve a little something extra for your efforts. If that means driving you to the station, or making you lunch… I will do that.” After this speech he turned his entire body in my direction, having no qualms to stare deeply in my eyes. “Please allow me that at least.”

“I will, Teddy.”

“Thank you.” He blinked slowly with a tiny sigh of relief. Teddy then turned away from me and walked over to his chair. He laid his hands upon the top of it, squeezing it tightly as he tried to regain his composure. I pretended not to notice this subtle gesture and simply put away the last of his dishes.

Once I was done, I took a seat beside him, observing the way he rolled his shoulders back to heighten his stature. His voice was raspy as he inquired, “Are you ready?”

“Yes, it is about time I leave.”

He turned away from me to exit the kitchen first. He did not want me to leave the house just yet, but he would never vocalize those thoughts aloud. For some reason I could understand those feelings, the fear of being left alone once again. I watched him stand in front of the doorway, observing the way he was trying to pull down his sleeves to regain some level of control. Teddy would not look at me as I walked down the hallway, but I knew he was listening to my soft footsteps. Once I was beside him I politely asked him to move away from the mat, knowing I would have to slip on my rain boots. He moved back a small margin, and unconsciously watched my every movement as I slipped on my boots. Once I was finished, I looked around for my jacket, but Teddy had fetched it first.

“Let me,” he entreated, and held out my rain jacket so I could place my arms through the sleeves. For half a second I thought of protesting, but then I realized it would only insult him.

“Thank you, Teddy,” I hushed, after I slipped my arm through the right sleeve first.

There was a deep thunderous clap coming from outside the house. It quickly followed by a heavy pouring of rain.

“Do you have an umbrella?” Teddy inquired, as I slipped my left arm into the sleeve of my coat.

“No.”

“You can borrow mine. I know you will have to wait outside for your bus, and even then…” He stopped himself short once I turned around to face him. His cheeks took on a pale shade, almost fearful to be standing in front of me. He lowered his gaze with nervousness as he added: “You would have to walk home in the rain after you reach the bus stop and I couldn’t have you doing that.”

“You do like taking care of me,” I observed.

Lightning flashed, bouncing off the narrow corridor where we stood. The thunder grew louder, making a small part of me almost fearful of the sound.

“I want to see you safe,” he answered me with a nervous quirk of his head that let his eyes fall over the staircase. “But I should get the umbrella.” He turned around to open a small closet, a storage area where there was a small collection of his outer clothing and boots. A long black umbrella was pulled out of the closet and then he turned around to hand it to me. “Keep it.”

“I will give it back tomorrow.”

“No, really,” he emphasized. “Keep it.”

“Oh, I couldn’t.”

He merely smiled at my reply, a sign that I only amused him. Teddy outstretched his left hand to get a hold of the doorknob, and soon enough the door was pulled forward to let the heavy downpour crash against the front carpet inside his house. “Are you ready?”

“Do you mind if I run?”

“Only if I run with you,” he teased, and with a quick nod of his head we both jumped through the doorway and were immediately soaked by the onslaught of rain. I ran forward, unaware that Teddy was far behind still locking the door. I eventually heard him screaming out my name, and looked over my shoulder to see he was running as fast as he could. I laughed at the spectacle, seeing how soaking wet his dark brown hair was already. “Use the umbrella.”

“I can’t run in it.”

He took it from my hand and pulled it open, providing enough protection for us to hide from the rain. I moved my body closer to his own, noticing how my teeth were chattering from the frigid temperature of the water. It was warm outside, but the rain was icy cold whenever it touched my skin. I pulled up my hood more, and leaned into Teddy’s body to continue to hide myself from the rain. We walked at a brisk pace over the flat terrain, knowing we had a while to go before we reached the car that was further down the hill. I could hear the raging sea off in the distance, and the remote call of seagulls as they sought a place of refuge.

A hand was laid over my lower spine once Teddy leaned closer into me, bridging the last of the gap between us. I looked up to see his side profile, but his facial expressions gave nothing away.

“It’s so cold,” I blurted out. “My teeth are chattering.”

“I can hear it!” he yelled over the rain.

“Aren’t you cold? You don’t have a hood.”

“Not nearly as cold as you are.” He made sure to look downwards as he added: “I have heat in the car. That will warm you up.”

I nodded my head at him in acknowledgement, and then looked straight ahead to see a dip in the earth that immediately sped downwards. “The hill will be too steep,” I fretted.

“Let’s take the long way around,” Teddy suggested in a commanding tone of voice. His hand felt firm upon my back as he led me over to the left. We walked close together, trying to find shelter under our shared umbrella. The wind was howling over us, blowing so fiercely that the umbrella threatened to break. “I say we make a sprint for it.”

“Deal.”

“3-2-1…” The umbrella was pulled away from us and shut immediately. “Go!” We sprinted down the natural ebb of the hill, thankful that it was not as steep as other areas. I outran Teddy easily, though I suppose he let me do it since my boots had more grip on the wet grass. I reached his car first and then immediately pulled over my hood as I tried to suppress my laughter. Teddy ran into me from behind and bumped me right up against the side of his car. “My shoes have no grip,” he complained. “Sorry! Here, take this.” The umbrella was placed into my hand, and then he ran around the hood of the car.

It took a few minutes for him to retrieve his key and unlock my side of the door, so I had my umbrella open and was staring at the silhouette of his house that rested on the top of the hill. The clouds were so dark over the area, while the trees swayed violently from the stormy gale.

A sharp rap against glass drew my attention, and when I peered through the car window I could see Teddy signalling to me that the door was open. I closed my umbrella and shook off the raindrops before I yanked open the car door. “Get in!” shouted Teddy.

He watched me jump into my car seat and immediately toss the umbrella in the back. “I’m soaked.” I unzipped my jacket and balled it up before placing it behind my car seat as well. I was so distracted by this action that I didn’t realize Teddy was watching me the whole time. When I finally looked in his direction he looked spell-bound.

“Your hair is so curly,” he tried to explain. He reached out his hand ever so slightly before he retracted it backwards. “I am afraid mine isn’t as pretty.”

“Flat as a pancake,” I teased. He burst out in laughter at that, not expecting that answer at all.

“I look like a drowned rat,” he remarked. “I should take off my jacket too.”

I fell into my seat comfortably as he removed his outer layer. Teddy took care to fold his jacket neatly, exhibiting behaviour that was completely opposite to my own.

“This storm is terrible,” he voiced aloud with a worried look. “I think I should take you all the way home.”

“All the way?”

“You don’t object?”

“A little rain never killed anyone.”

“Are you willing to risk it?” he gibed. “And you’d be surprised.”

“Alright,” I submitted. “If it will please you.”

He never responded to my statement. The key was placed into the ignition and then Teddy started up the car. I looked at the darkened silhouette of his house once again, seeing the pale white glow in front of his house from an outdoor light.

“Will Luna be okay in this storm?”

“She is stronger than she looks.” The car slowly reversed out of the parking lot. “Being a stray does that.”

“It was nice of you to take her in.”

“I thought it nice to have a companion.”

“It’s a shame, really.” I made sure to catch his eye before I added: “Only two days left.”

“Yes, and then Daphne returns,” Teddy uttered with sorrow. He made no other comment, instead he focused on the dimly lit road that dipped downwards to take us to the main road. We drove in silence, only hearing the pattering of rain against the front windshield. I let my fingers rub along the inside of the car, letting my thoughts naturally drift away. I could feel a faint smile playing upon my face, making me realize I enjoyed the day more than I thought I would.

“I should turn on the heat,” Teddy realized. “Are you still cold?”

“I feel better.”

“Still want the heat?”

“Sure, why not.”

“I was a bit worried back there. When your teeth were chattering.”

I tapped my finger against the side of the glass window. “I never meant to worry you.”

Teddy was silent beside me, though I could detect a change in his demeanour. The road was filled with puddles, so he had to take care when driving down the single lane. The drive was not as scenic as the last time, but there was something calming about the rain beating down heavily over the windshield.

“I hope you don’t mind me prying but…” Teddy paused to turn his gaze onto me. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“No,” I answered him with a shake of my head.

He turned his attention back to the road and became uncomfortably silent. I thought he would continue on with this conversation, but he did not.

“Why are you asking?”

“I was only curious,” he lied.

“And are you satisfied?”

His lips quirked upwards for half a second before it fell back to its normal position. Teddy tightened his hold over the steering wheel. I continued to stare at him, knowing that I had the upper hand since I was not driving. He avoided my gaze quite anxiously, but whenever he had to look through the rear-view mirrors it gave him some trouble.

“I’m not seeing anyone,” he spoke up. “At the moment.”

“I thought so.”

He never added anything else, which created an awkward tension in the air. He let out a long sigh after the car turned along a sharp bend in the road. The stony bridge came into view, reminding me of the events that occurred yesterday afternoon. Teddy did not pull over to the side of the road this time, though he did slow down because of the dangerous conditions. Once we were back on the main roadway, he released his tense grip over his steering wheel and let one hand fall over the top of his lap.

“Another twenty minutes, you said.” He rubbed his hand over the front of his thigh. “After the bus terminal.”

“About that.”

“You don’t mind if I take you all the way?”

“That’s fine, Teddy. I trust you.”

“I should hope so,” he mistakenly answered. He heard my faint laughter, which made him turn his head in my direction. “I am a respectable man, Sela.”

“I can tell,” I teased back lightly, hardly believing I was flirting with him.

“Then at least I did something right today.” He flashed me a playful grin before averting his gaze back to the road. “And this is your way of thanking me.”

“I am guessing you aren’t like this with Daphne.”

“Daphne is a married woman.” His statement earned another burst of laughter from me, since I knew he was only teasing me. “And as a respectful man, I know that a woman like that is out of bounds.”

“And I’m not?”

“Are you?” he countered in a sly manner. “If you are not seeing anyone, I can only assume…”

I shook my head hard enough for him to catch the movements in the corner of his eye. He stopped himself mid-sentence, but I knew he was tempted to finish it.

He cleared his throat with purpose. “That either you wish to not see anyone for personal reasons, or that you have not met the proper man yet. If it is the latter, I would most happily make a few suggestions.”

“You have someone in mind?”

“Oh, I do.” He bit down on his bottom lip, and to my surprise he chose not to add anything else to his curious statement.

“You won’t tell me?”

“It is a long drive, Sela,” he said with a raised hand into the air. “And I thought I should tell you by the end of it.”

“But why?”

“Because I can tell you are a clever woman and I thought you should make up your own mind.”

“In that case, I choose no one.”

“A spinster for life,” he commented. “While I remain an old bachelor. What a fine couple we would make?”

I could not help but laugh at his witticism, it was very peculiar. By the time I was done, I was leaning heavily against the car seat, letting my eyes take in the dark clouds that continued to hover over Teddy’s car. Silence fell over us, but it was a most welcome one. I despised small talk, and forced conversations only made me feel uncomfortable. If I could enjoy the silent presence of a companion while listening to the pouring rain, why, there was nothing I could want more in the world than that.

The thunder continued to roar above our heads followed by a blinding white light that flickered in the darkness on this stormy afternoon. I hoped I wasn’t taking advantage of Teddy’s kindness towards me. He was going out of his way to drive me home, and I thought he should deserve something better. I looked at his side profile, seeing the dark side burns at the side of his face and the angular nose that lent him distinction. His face was almost dry at this point, but his hair was slick and jetty from the dampness of the rain. He was unaware that I was staring at him, for he was lost in his own thoughts as he drove through the empty village. I was curious to know more about this mysterious man, and why he chose to be so very alone in this world. There was something about me that drew his interests. I could not explain this magnetism about me, but perhaps one day I should learn of it. As for now, I had to maintain my distance and make sure that no lines were blurred between our two positions. I could not consort with my employer, for my own well-being and sanity. If I was not so inexperienced with men it would not be a problem, but Teddy was years older than me and I feared that his peculiarities would soon get the better of him and he would grow tired of me. Perhaps, I was jumping to conclusions, all the same I choose to remain on guard.

We drove past the bus terminal in silence. Teddy’s demeanour became more relaxed, he reached forward to turn on the stereo to let soft classical music into the room. If he felt triumphant he did not voice it aloud. I watched a single finger tap against the steering wheel as he listened to the tune, enjoying the song that put him in a better mood. It could be my imagination, but it seemed that his mood lifted the further he drove away from his home. There was lightness to his face, a particular glow that seemed to capture my attention. I do not know how long I was staring at him, except that when he turned his head in my direction I could feel heat come over the sides of my cheeks in embarrassment. A look transpired between us, but he said nothing to solidify the gravity of our unspoken words. Teddy looked back onto the road, and decided to let the silence speak for itself.