Strangers Pt. 04

The light was fading fast for mid-afternoon. The sky was a dark, heavy grey, and the snow had returned, slowly covering the garden further in white. I sat in the armchair with my book, watching the fire catch a fresh log. I took a slow sip of hot chocolate and let the warmth settle over me.

The house felt completely still. It got too dark to see the page, so I reached over and turned on the lamp. As it got darker outside, the patio lights came on, and I sat there for a while watching the flakes slowly fall.

The doorbell broke the stillness. I wasn't expecting anyone--not in this weather. I set my book aside, went to the hallway, and peered through the frosted glass. Two shapes stood huddled together. When I pulled the door open, Emily and Seren were standing there on the doorstep, collars turned up and hair matted with snow.

"Come in before you freeze."

Emily dropped her bag and stamped her boots on the rug. Seren was shivering violently, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she kicked the remaining snow off her boots.

"Get your coats off," I said. "Get to the fire. I'll be through in a minute."

I headed to the kitchen to make them mugs of hot chocolate. By the time their drinks were ready and I returned to the living room, they'd already settled on the rug, slowly thawing out in front of the fire.

"Are you two just passing through?" I asked, handing them the drinks then sitting back down in the armchair. "Because if you're trying for the bus station, forget it, they'll have stopped by now."

They exchanged a quick look. Emily took a long, thoughtful sip before looking up.

"Actually, Ben...," she said. "We weren't going anywhere. We were hoping we could stay with you for the weekend. If that's ok?"

"The short visits aren't enough for me anymore," Seren said softly. "I wanted to be here with you properly."

"You know you're always welcome. It's just... seeing you both here together is an unexpected surprise."

"Is that a yes then, Ben?" Emily asked.

"It's either that or I send you back out into the snow."

"Thank you, Ben," she said, reaching out and giving Seren's hand a squeeze.

Seren didn't say anything at first, she just leaned her head back against the side of the sofa, looking into the flames.

"It feels different this time," she said softly, almost to herself. "Coming here and not having to check the clock. It's like the rest of the world has just... stopped."

"It has, Seren," Emily laughed. "Nothing's moving out there."

Emily looked at me. "Do you ever feel like your home is a sanctuary, Ben?"

I smiled, leaning back. "I suppose. But a sanctuary can be a lonely place if you let it be. I've spent enough time here alone to know the difference."

"You won't have to be by yourself tonight," Seren said.

Emily looked up from her mug, catching my eye with a soft, knowing smile. She reached over and squeezed Seren's hand again.

We sat for a while by the fire. There was no rush. The conversation drifted naturally from their old lives to the future.

"It's strange," Emily murmured, looking around the room. "Thinking back to how things started. None of us expected any of this."

"I certainly didn't, that's for sure," I said.

Seren laughed, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned into Emily's side. "It was the first place I felt like I could just be myself in a long time."

"Ben," she continued. "You know about us, but we don't know much about you. You know, before we gatecrashed your life."

"There's not a lot to tell really. You know about how much my business took out of me in setting it up."

"Weren't there others?" Emily asked quietly. "I mean women."

"There have been in the past," I said quietly. "I was married for a while too. We started going out when we were seventeen and got married at twenty--right around the time I was preparing to start the company. We just didn't realise how fast the work would consume every part of us until it was too late."

Emily nodded slowly. "I guess that didn't leave much room for anything else."

"It didn't," I agreed. "We really tried to make it work, but after three years we agreed to amicably part ways."

"Anyway," I continued, "that's enough about me. Time for something to eat."

I got up and went to the kitchen. I put a couple of pizzas in the oven and some chips in the air fryer, then grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack.

When the food was ready I took it into the living room.

"This is exactly what I needed," Emily said, dipping a chip into some mayo. "Proper comfort food."

Seren took a sip of her wine and let out a long breath. "It's better than what's in my fridge for a night like this."

I laughed. "Well, there's more in the kitchen if it's needed," I told them, topping up their glasses. "The wine's not bad, is it? I've been saving it for a special occasion."

"It's perfect, Ben," Seren said softly. "Everything is."

After I cleared the plates, Emily and Seren stayed by the fire, their legs intertwined as we shared the last of the bottle. The conversation died down to low, occasional murmurs.

When they finished their wine, Emily set her glass aside. She reached out, her thumb tracing the line of Seren's throat.

The kiss that followed was deep, full of familiarity. It wasn't difficult to understand why these two connected after everything I'd been through with them. Both girls had poured their hearts out to me in the past--I wasn't surprised by how naturally they found each other.

I watched as Emily undid the buttons on Seren's blouse. One by one they came undone until her shirt slipped off her shoulders. Seren kissed up Emily's chest to lift her shirt over her head and toss it aside. Bare to the firelight, they began to stroke each other, their fingers teasing each other's nipples until they hardened.

Moving in sync, they stood to finish what they'd started. Emily unfastened Seren's jeans and slid the zip down slowly. She tucked her thumbs into the waistband, pushing them over Seren's hips. Seren stepped out of them and kicked them away, then reached for Emily's belt, unbuckling it and sliding the button free. She hooked her hands into the waistband, guiding the jeans over Emily's hips until they pooled at her ankles.

Emily looped her fingers into the elastic of Seren's panties, sliding them down to the floor, before Seren did the same for Emily. They paused for a moment in the orange glow before kneeling back down on the rug.

Emily slid her hand between Seren's thighs, her fingers pressing inside as Seren mirrored the movement, sliding her own hand deep between Emily's legs. They stroked each other--slow, deliberate.

Emily watched Seren's face as a hitched breath escaped her. Seren leaned into the touch, thrusting back against Emily's hand while Emily did the same against hers.

Their movements became more frantic, grinding themselves down onto each other's hands. Coming together, they held on, trembling as their bodies finally released.

Then they turned their attention to me.

Emily crawled across the floor first. She didn't say anything, she just smiled and reached for my joggers and boxers, gently pulling them down. She wrapped her hand around me and leaned down to lick the tip.

Seren crawled up beside her and did the same, tracing her lips down the underside of my erection, licking her way down to my balls.

Emily took me into her mouth while Seren wrapped her hand around the base. They fell into a rhythm together before swapping roles. The sight and the feeling of them both attending to me was becoming too much.

Emily squeezed me tighter and Seren took me deep into her throat. I couldn't hold back any longer and I came in her mouth.

I leaned back against the cushions. They climbed onto the chair with me, one on either side, and I pulled them close.

I looked from Emily to Seren, seeing the soft flush on their cheeks and the quiet, trusting look in their eyes. The unspoken bond between the three of us felt heavier and more solid than anything I'd known in the past.

After a while, we moved down to the carpet together.

As the fire burned down to a steady glowing orange, the girls went off together to shower and get dressed. I stayed by the hearth and reached for another log to add to the fire, going into the kitchen to refill our glasses and bring them back into the living room.

When they came back, Seren picked up the bowl of peanuts on the table and curled up in the armchair.

Emily sprawled out on the sofa, her head resting on my shoulder as I sat on the carpet, leaning back.

Seren was quiet for a long time. The only sound was the snap and click of her shelling peanuts. She popped a few into her mouth.

"You know," she said, "peanuts really are the best snack for this wine."

"It's the salt," Emily murmured, "It just works, kind of like us."

I reached up to squeeze Emily's hand. "That's a nice way of putting it."

Seren's smile was mischievous. A peanut shell flew from her fingers and landed right on my lap. I held it up, chuckling. "Careful, Seren. You're starting a fight you aren't prepared to finish."

"She only lets them fly at people she likes," Emily said.

"True," Seren added, cracking another nut. "Someone has to keep things interesting while you two just turn into part of the furniture."

"It's our job, and we're happy to let you entertain us," I replied laughing.

"Someone has to be the audience," Emily sighed. "It's exhausting work, really."

"See? You do the work, she provides the reviews," I said to Seren.

"And she gets the best seat in the house," Seren added, raising her glass in a silent toast.

"To us," Emily said quietly, lifting her glass.

I tapped my glass against hers. "To us."

We watched in comfortable silence as the fire crackled and popped. The snow had let up outside, but we barely noticed. It was like a different world out there.

We sat like that for a while, finishing off the bottle and watching the fire dwindle.

Eventually, we went upstairs. We undressed quietly and climbed into bed, covering ourselves with the duvet. Emily lay on her back sandwiched between us.

Seren leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to Emily's lips as her hand slid lower, tracing a slow, familiar path. She moved with a gentle, deliberate patience, drawing a soft whimper from Emily as she arched up into the touch, losing herself in the quiet warmth of the room.

As Emily's breath hitched, her gaze met mine with a certain, silent invitation, her hand reaching out to draw me closer.

I moved behind her, settling between her legs as the boundaries between us melted away into the shadows of the room. Every touch and whispered word drew us closer until the rest of the world felt entirely out of reach.

Afterwards, we lay tangled together beneath the heavy duvet. Seren reached over to intertwine her fingers with mine, a quiet smile passing between us all.

*******************

I woke early. The two girls lying beside me were still asleep, snuggled up together. I slipped out of the bed quietly, pulling on my dressing gown, and went down to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.

The smell was enough to stir them. Emily emerged first, wearing one of my work shirts--unbuttoned and loose--yawning as she came into the kitchen.

Seren followed a few minutes later dressed the same, tying her dark hair back as she walked in. I was already sitting at the table with a mug of coffee.

"Morning, sleepyheads. The coffee's been ready for ten minutes," I said.

Emily leaned over and gave me a tender kiss. "Mmm. Smells like heaven," she murmured, as Seren slid onto the chair next to her and poured a mug for them both.

"I've got crumpets," I said. "Or you can have cereal and toast."

"I think I'll have cereal," said Seren, while Emily opted for the crumpets.

We settled into the rhythm of Saturday morning. I toasted the crumpets while Emily got the butter and jam from the fridge. Meanwhile, Seren wrestled with a box of crunch cookie cereal.

"Has anyone ever actually counted how many of these are in a box?" she asked.

"You're overthinking breakfast, babe. Just eat them," Emily laughed, planting a quick kiss on Seren's lips.

We spent the next half hour eating, chatting and savouring the coffee, while the girls playfully fed each other bits of crumpet.

After we finished, Seren's eyes locked onto Emily's, the morning sleepiness gone, replaced by a quiet, affectionate longing.

She reached out and took Emily's hand, pulling her in close for a warm, lingering kiss. I leaned back against the counter, watching the two of them with a smile as the morning light came through the window.

"You two are making me feel like a third wheel already," I teased gently.

Emily laughed, turning her head to catch my eye while keeping an arm wrapped around Seren's waist. "You know you'll never be that, Ben."

Seren stepped back just enough to reach out and take my hand, pulling me into the fold so that the three of us were tangled together in the quiet space of the kitchen. Simple touches--a hand on a shoulder, a brush of lips against a cheek--said more than words needed to.

"Come on," I said after a quiet moment, wrapping an arm around each of them.

"Let's refill these mugs and actually enjoy the living room before the day gets away from us."

We drifted back toward the fire, carrying our fresh coffee, completely content to let the rest of the world wait outside.

The morning just drifted. The girls had got dressed and were curled up on the sofa. I added a log to the fire, then headed into the kitchen to make lunch.

We sat at the kitchen table, eating soup and crusty bread. The conversation was light until the girls spent ten minutes disagreeing over who was the worst customer they'd ever dealt with. They ended up agreeing to disagree.

After clearing the dishes, we made our way back to the living room. I settled into the armchair, watching as Seren leaned into Emily and whispered something into her ear. Emily looked at her, smiled, and nodded, sliding down from the sofa onto the rug with Seren following right beside her.

They pulled each other close, sharing an unhurried, affectionate kiss as they tangled up together on the carpet, losing themselves in the quiet comfort of the room.

Seren glanced over her shoulder toward me, a wicked little grin playing on her lips.

"Ben, come over here."

I didn't say anything, just let out a quiet breath as I watched them. I got up, crossed the room, and knelt down beside them. Seren reached up, her hands pulling me in close as the three of us shifted together, wrapped in the warmth of the fire and the easy intimacy we'd built.

Afterwards, we just lay there side-by-side on the rug, the rest of the world completely locked away.

"If they're delivering in this weather, do you girls want chinese this evening?"

"I'm in," Seren said.

"Count me in too," Emily added.

Later that evening we sat around the dining table with the containers spread out in front of us.

"Hypothetical big lottery win," Seren said, as she reached for a chicken ball. "Twenty million. What are you doing?"

"I'd get a house in the country," Emily started, "and a small coffee shop where I'd pick the music and only serve polite people. Seren, you can handle the books, but I'm keeping you away from the customers."

Seren laughed. "Fair enough. I think I'd find an old house in Scotland--somewhere remote with no Wi-Fi. I'd spend my time learning the cello and writing something weird. Ben, I'd hire you as my gardener so we could talk about life while you work."

I took a sip of wine. "A gardener? I can do that. As for me, I'd probably invest half to be safe, but I'd spend the rest on a sailboat. We could spend a year drifting around the Mediterranean."

"So I don't get my coffee shop?" Emily teased.

"No, I'm retiring," I said. "You two are in charge of the snacks on the boat, though."

"Twenty million and I'm still making the snacks," Seren joked, shaking her head. "Unbelievable."

We stayed at the table late, eventually moving back to the fire to talk about where we'd go on our first real holiday together.

Upstairs, the room was quiet. A few tender kisses followed as we settled into bed, wrapped in the warmth of the duvet while the wind hummed softly against the glass outside.

We lay close together, the three of us tangled in the quiet of the room, talking in low, unhurried murmurs until sleep finally caught up with us.

*******************

When I woke the two of them were close beside me, their arms drooped loosely over me as they slowly stirred.

Emily pressed a soft kiss to my cheek while Seren's arm pulled me closer. We lay tangled together for a long while before the day began.

"Is that coffee I can smell?" Emily teased, a sleepy smile playing on her lips.

"Do I have to move?"

"Yes," they both said together.

With a reluctant groan, I finally slipped out from under the duvet, pulling on my dressing gown as the two of them stretched and slowly began to wake up.

Sunday was quiet. No more snow. I kept breakfast basic--coffee, juice, and the last of the loaf I'd baked earlier in the week.

Seren sat with her head propped up on one hand, watching the steam curl off her mug. "I could stay in this chair for three days," she mumbled, still half-asleep.

Emily was already tearing into a slice of toast. "Don't. If you stay, I stay. Then no one goes to work, and we just turn into toast-people."

I leaned back against the kitchen counter. They looked good in my shirts--even if they'd buttoned them up this time. "I don't see the problem with that. But if we're doing this, we need to settle the big debate." I pointed at Emily's plate. "The triangles. Why?"

"Triangles taste better. It's a fact. Science."

Seren rolled her eyes. "Rectangles. Clean. Efficient. No pointy corners."

"See? This is why we work," I said. I topped up their mugs. "I'm a 'soldiers' man.

Four strips. Perfect for a runny boiled egg."

"Soldiers?" Emily laughed. "You're the biggest kid here, Ben. Next, you'll be asking us to cut the crusts off."

"Only if you ask nicely."

After coffee, we showered and dressed. We spent the morning in the living room, watching a lone robin hop around the patio table. It was quiet. Nowhere to be. Every so often, I'd catch one of them watching me over the top of their book. Or they'd share a look between themselves--the kind where they both knew exactly what the other was thinking without saying anything.

Eventually, I moved Emily's head from my shoulder onto a cushion.

"I'll get lunch started," I told them, as I headed into the kitchen.

I seasoned the chicken, got the air fryer going, and dealt with the veg. Forty minutes later, the timer buzzed. I finished the greens and made gravy. "Food's ready!" I called out. They both came through to help.

The easy banter we'd had over breakfast had faded out. Now, it was just the sound of forks hitting plates, and the radio playing quietly in the background.

Emily finished her last bite and dropped her napkin with a heavy sigh.

"Work tomorrow," she groaned. "This weekend felt like it happened outside of time. I've probably forgotten how to use the coffee machine."

Seren pushed a potato around her plate. "I'm not ready. I've gotten used to the fire."

"That's the point of these weekends. Reset the clock. So, what's the worst bit about Monday?"

"Cleaning the grinder," Emily said. "Total nightmare. It's loud, and it's messy."

"I know that smell," Seren said with a tiny shiver. "For me, it's those customers who think the counter is a confessional. You're trying to steam milk, and they're telling you about their divorce or their cat's surgery."

I leaned back. "I'm lucky to be living the life I want now. But it took a lot of graft to get here."

Emily looked at me. "It's inspiring, really. We're still in the graft part, wondering if it ever pays off. Seeing you... it makes the real world feel a bit less scary."

Seren shifted in her chair. "Most people our age are just faking it," she said, a small smile appearing. "It's nice being around someone who isn't. You've built something real here, Ben. Good place to hide out."

Emily nudged my leg under the table. "Don't get too comfortable. Now that we know there's a reward for the work, we might never leave."

We didn't stay at the table long. After clearing up, we drifted back to the living room. I went over to add another log to the fire, poking at the embers until the wood caught and started crackling again.

Seren leaned back, looking around the room with a long, slow exhale. "It's the quiet," she said, her voice dropping. "In our place, you can always hear people moving around--the telly through the wall, or footsteps on the stairs. It feels like you're always sharing your space with someone. Here... it just feels still."

Emily nodded, tucking her feet under her on the sofa. "It's like the house just lets the noise drop out of your head. You don't realise how much noise you're tuning out until it's gone." She looked over at me. "You've got a good thing here, Ben. Really."

We spent the rest of the afternoon like that--just drifting in and out of conversation while the light turned grey outside. Dinner that evening was a pasta bake, crusty on top and still bubbling when I pulled it out of the oven.

We sat at the table for a long time, just picking at the last bits of cheese with a glass of wine.

Emily put her hand over mine as I went for her glass. "Best weekend ever, Ben. Seriously. It's exactly what we needed."

I nodded, my hand resting over hers for a second. "It's been lovely having the two of you here."

We sat there for a bit longer, just enjoying the last of the wine before we finally tackled the dishes. Once the kitchen was straight, we drifted back through to the warmth of the living room. I poked the fire back into life, adding a final log. The three of us settled onto the sofa, watching as the fire took hold of the wood.

"I'm not ready for the alarm to go off tomorrow," Emily said, leaning her head back against the cushion. "It feels like we've been here for a month. In a good way."

Seren laughed softly, her eyes fixed on the flames. "It's because we've actually stopped. I don't think I've sat still for this long for ages. You've ruined us for the real world, Ben. How are we supposed to go back to normal life after this?"

"You don't," I said, shifting so they both had more room. "You just start planning the next one."

"Deal," Emily murmured, draining the last drop of wine from her glass. "But next time, I'm not doing any of the graft. I'm just going to sit by this fire and demand snacks."

"Right," I said softly, looking at the two of them. "Bed, I think. Before we all fall asleep right here."

Emily offered me her hand so that I could help her up. Seren followed, lifting her arms above her head as she yawned. We left the fire to die down and went up the stairs.

We found ourselves nestled between each other in bed. We lay for a while in the dark, comfortable silence.

Emily's hand eventually settled on my chest and Seren cuddled up tightly, her head pillowing on my shoulder. We shared slow kisses before the events of the weekend sunk into nothing more than a heavy sense of tiredness.

Drawing them both close, I hugged them tightly, listening to their breathing as sleep finally took over.

*******************

Upstairs, I could hear the faint sounds of the girls moving around, packing their bags and getting ready for their day. I waited by the counter, leaning against it with my coffee, until they finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

I watched them bundle up in their coats and wrap their scarves tight against the cold. Emily fiddled with her bag strap, readjusting it, before both girls paused by the door.

She gave me a half smile before squeezing herself into my side, her face buried in my chest.

"I don't want to go, Ben," she said.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye either," said Seren, cuddling up next to us.

"I can feel the cold biting at us already," Emily added, giving a small shiver.

"We'll send you a text when we get to the shop," she said, leaning in for a quick kiss.

Seren followed suit, though her kiss lingered a little longer than Emily's.

On the porch, I stood with my hands shoved into my pockets. I watched until they'd disappeared from view at the bottom of the drive, their boots crunching up the snow beneath them. Careful not to fall over, they hurried back towards the town. Giving them one last wave, I turned and retreated back into the house.