The Winds of Autumn Ch. 03

Warning: This is a slow burn novel that doesn't have much sex in it, especially at the beginning. Though there are temptations at the beginning, the actual sexual themes don't really get going until later on in the story. It's a bit different from one of my normal stories. If you are wanting really raunchy sexy, this probably isn't your story. This is much more of a love novel.

The first two chapters covered Daniel meeting Emma in the woods. She was living in a tent so he took her in on a rainy night when her items were destroyed. Now, they have become mutual friends, doing favors for each other. This is the continuation of their story.

I hope you enjoy!

***

Chapter 3

When Daniel opened his eyes, he quickly searched for his phone to check the time. He slept peacefully, but was still recovering from the night he could hardly sleep in his car.

Fortunately, it was only a few minutes from when he normally woke up. Feeling it was dangerous to close his eyes any longer, he decided to get out of bed so he could get ready for work. However, that's when he suddenly remembered... he was on the floor because someone else was in his bed.

Oh, yeah... I slept so hard, I almost forgot that I offered to sleep on the floor... Wait, that means she's...

Daniel looked over and noticed Emma in his bed. She had fallen asleep, in the same position she was in, when he told her goodnight. She was on her side, only now, with the cover up to her shoulders.

He stared at her face for a moment, as she was wearing his shirt, sleeping peacefully in his bed. Daniel was almost speechless; Not because he didn't want to wake her up, but because he was lost in his own thoughts.

She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping... almost like an angel... I guess I've never stared at her long enough to realize... how pretty she is...

Growing red in the face, he quickly pulled himself away and walked to the bathroom. However, as he got ready for work, he struggled to get the image of Emma's face out of his mind.

That was pretty creepy of me... It's a good thing she didn't wake up. If she saw me staring at her like that, who knows what would have gone through her mind? Still... I always knew she was cute... but, I guess I haven't stared directly at her face long enough to tell how beau...

He quickly shook his head, trying to snap himself out of those thoughts. No! I'm just trying to help her... It doesn't matter how attractive she is! I'm not some kind of dirtbag!

After Daniel finished collecting himself, he brushed his teeth and combed his hair. However, as he made his way out of the bathroom, he noticed a very tired-looking Emma standing on the other side of the door.

With one eye closed, the other barely open, and her hair in a big mess, Emma yawned before asking, "Are you leaving for work now?"

"In a few minutes," Daniel answered, admiring her face once again. However, as his eyes gazed down at the white T-shirt, he let her borrow, he suddenly noticed two points poking through. Turning away quickly, he shouted, "Actually, I'll be leaving now!"

"Oh, okay..." the unaware woman said with another cute yawn. "May I borrow one of your jackets again for work?"

"You can borrow my jackets anytime... like right now, for example..." he answered. Then, walking past her with his eyes straight up to the ceiling, he announced, "Got to go! See you later!"

Realizing how quickly her new roommate was about to leave, Emma turned around before shouting, "Hey, wait!"

"Yeah?" Daniel asked, trying not to stare directly at the young woman.

"I just wanted to say, once again, that I appreciate you letting me stay here," the young woman started, as she clasped her hands together, while swaying from side to side. "And... I actually had a lot of fun with you last night... you know, just chit chatting and stuff."

Daniel started to blush as he stared at the cute woman smiling back at him. The thought of her enjoying his company made him warm inside. Then, his cheeks became even redder, as he accidentally caught a glimpse of her chest again.

"I had fun with you too!" he said before turning back and opening the door. "Just let me know if you want me to pick you up again! Bye!"

"Okay, bye! Have a good day!"

Emma shrugged her shoulders before walking into the restroom. I wonder why he was acting so weird she pondered. I hope it wasn't my breath. Maybe I should have brushed my teeth before speaking directly to him.

Or... what if it was my looks? I'm probably such a mess right now... And maybe I should borrow a jacket now. It's kind of cold in here....

Her eyes struggled to get adjusted to the light as she stepped inside the restroom. Then suddenly, as she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes became big, as she noticed how obvious her nipples were poking through the white shirt.

Completely red in the face, she slapped herself on the forehead while leaning over the sink. Ah crap...

***

As the winds came in, the leaves that had already lost their color and fell from the trees as they rested on the ground. What had been a warm Autumn had already changed into a cold winter in a matter of days. But just like any other day, the sun rose and spread its rays on all the plants, roads, and buildings. And just as the sun awakened, so too did a young woman and a young man, to start another normal day, only now... together.

"It's been three days since I started living with Daniel."

"It's been three days since Emma started living with me."

"At first, I thought he was going to take advantage of me, but I'm starting to feel silly for even thinking he would do such a thing."

"At first, I thought I might be making a mistake by inviting her to stay with me, but she's been very grateful... and unusually pleasant."

"It's the first time I've lived with a guy, so there are definitely some adjustments..."

"It's the first time I've lived with a girl, and I don't know what I'm doing..."

"I have to remember to put a bra on as soon as I wake up. Either that or a jacket, which is his, by the way. He lets me borrow that too... And I'm actually starting to like the way his clothes fit on me... but not in a weird way!"

"At first, I offered to let her borrow my clothes, but now that she always asks. I think she looks kind of cute in them... but I'm not a creeper..."

"I clean his apartment every day, and I try to cook for him. He's actually not a bad cook himself. We even cooked dinner together last night. It was cute how he burnt his fingers on the pot... He's okay, though!"

"I told her she doesn't have to cook for me, but I guess it's nice having someone to cook with. Last night, I made the sauce while she made the noodles. I hope she didn't notice that I burned my fingers on the pot..."

"You know, I promised him I would stay out of his way. He seems like a busy guy, so I didn't want to feel like a burden, but... I keep finding myself doing things with him..."

"The other night, we played video games together. She was terrible, and so was I. I haven't turned that thing on in years. But it's so funny how she sticks her tongue out when she concentrates really hard..."

"Only a few days ago, I didn't look forward to getting off work, but now, getting his 'I'm here' text is one of my favorite parts of the day!"

"I never enjoyed staying after work, but now I get even more antsy when it's time to leave. I've been sort of doing a half-ass job, looking over my co-workers' portfolios."

She and he never knew what they had been missing. But now that they had each other, they were starting to understand that there was more to life. Still, in their minds, they were just two individuals, whose paths crossed for the time being.

"And as the days go by... I don't know how long he'll let me stay, but..."

"And that's the days go by... I don't know how long she's going to stay with me, but..."

"I find myself more excited to see him..."

"I find myself more excited to see her..."

***

"So... what did you need to go shopping for again?"

Pausing at the door, Daniel looked over at Emma. "I tricked you. I don't need anything."

"Oh... then... why are we here... if you don't mind me asking...?

"Because you should probably get some clothes. You wear that same Burger Hut outfit everywhere."

"I do not..."

"You're wearing it now."

Emma looked down at her outfit before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I usually wear your clothes but I thought this was more appropriate for going out... Besides, I'm going straight to work right after..."

"Yeah... but you should at least get a couple of extra outfits so you don't have to keep washing your work clothes everyday."

"I guess you're right," the woman reacted, scratching her head nervously. "But I still don't have any money. I get my paycheck this upcoming Thursday; not last Thursday."

"Yeah, I know," Daniel started, shrugging his shoulders. "You can just pay me back after you get your paycheck. But the dryer could probably use a brake, so you should at least get something to wear when you're not at work."

"Okay... but I'm paying you back immediately... and I'm going to clean the entire apartment..."

"Again?"

"Yeah... and I'll bring food tonight, and cook tomorrow... and I'll try to clean your car..."

"Ah, just stop it," the man responded, rolling his eyes. "Just take the favor and pay me back if you want."

"Okay... thank you..." Emma replied, putting her head down in shame. "But I'm just going to get a couple of items... and they'll be cheap!"

"Sounds good to me."

The man and the woman smiled at each other before entering the shopping center together. Daniel did his best to give Emma space, not wanting her to think he even cared about what she was getting. However, Emma couldn't help but wonder what his thoughts were on each outfit, so she constantly looked back at him, hoping to get a sign.

Eventually, she picked out a few things: a couple of blouses, a pair of pants, and a pair of shorts she could wear anytime she was going out. "I hope this is all okay," she said, presenting the items to Daniel.

He scratched his head. "That's fine, but..."

"But, what? Too expensive? I could put them back..."

"No, it's not that... Did you not want to get anything to wear at home?"

"Oh..." Emma's cheeks went red, not only from hearing him refer to the apartment as their home, but also from what she was about to reveal. "I, uh... I was kind of hoping... that I could just keep wearing your clothes... If that's okay..."

Daniel also started to blush at the idea of his new roommate continuing to wear his shirts and sweatpants. "Oh... yeah, sure! I didn't know... you liked wearing those..."

"Uh... yeah! They're comfortable... I like shirts that are big on me..."

"Oh... then, yeah! Keep wearing whatever you want..."

Suddenly, Emma's face became even redder as a light bulb went off in her head. She turned away for a second and she started to mumble quietly, "Um... speaking of that..."

Daniel immediately noticed the change in her demeanor as well as the low volume in her voice. Leaning in, he asked, "What was that? I can't hear you..."

"Um... I... Can I get... something else... It's just... I can't... Well..."

He started to grow frustrated from her quiet rambling. "What is it?"

As she looked up at him, he immediately noticed how red her face was. She then explained... "Can I... get some... underwear... I only have one pair... and it's not like I can borrow yours..."

As her words sunk in, Daniel's eyes grew big, and he blushed even harder than Emma. "Oh! Uh... yeah, sure... I hadn't even thought about that..."

Now that the nervous woman had brought up the embarrassing subject, it started to become easier for her to talk about it. "I try to hand wash them every day, but I need to dry them and I'm afraid of you seeing them, so I stick them in the dryer..."

"I don't need anymore details!" Daniel interrupted, as he turned his head away from her. Struggling not to picture his roommate in a set of bra and panties, he continued, "Just get what you need... It's fine..."

Unfortunately, just as the awkward moment was fading, Daniel was approached by a familiar face. It was his co-worker, Jamie, standing there with a stunned look on her face.

"Daniel?"

The man and the woman both came to a stop. "Uh... Hi, Jamie..." Daniel finally reacted.

Eventually, the confused look disappeared from the female co-worker's face and was replaced with a grin. "What are you doing, Daniel? And why don't you introduce me to your new friend?"

"Oh, this is Emma," he explained, noticing how nervous his new roommate appeared. We're just shopping... Emma, this is Jamie... She's a portfolio analyst at the company I work for..."

"Oh, a co-worker!" Emma said before putting out her hand, attempting to give a handshake to Jamie. "Nice to meet you!"

Unfortunately, Jamie took one look at Emma's hand before completely ignoring her. Turning back to Daniel, she expressed, "So, like, what is this? Is this like a date or something? Because that's kind of funny, considering you literally just asked me out a few days ago."

Daniel looked over at Emma and noticed how red her face was. "No, this isn't a date." Then, returning his gaze back to Jamie, he asked, "But why would it even matter since you rejected me?"

"It's just funny," the coworker explained, laughing pretentiously. "You decided to go out with some Burger Hut girl because I rejected you. That's kind of pitiful, don't you think?"

"You're dating a married guy," Daniel replied in a monotone voice.

"I told you, they're going through a separation! Besides, that's better than rebounding with a young fast food worker!"

Emma started to inch away. "I should probably let you guys talk... I feel like this is between you two, but I'm catching stray bullets over here..."

Daniel grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from walking away. "No, we're done here," he said, letting out a sigh. He then turned his gaze towards Jamie. "Emma might be in the fast food industry, but I respect her work ethic a lot more than yours."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "I do everything at the office. You all rely on me to fix your work; not check your work."

"Well, damn! I didn't realize I was such a burden for asking you for a little help. But I guess I won't be doing that anymore!"

"Well, that's good," he expressed with a little chuckle. Still holding Emma by the wrist, he began walking away in an attempt to end the conversation. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have underwear shopping to do."

Both women went completely red in the face, but for different reasons. Emma was a little embarrassed by Daniel revealing what she was shopping for out loud, but Jamie was just jealous to see her co-worker giving attention to another woman. Either way, it was the first time Daniel had stood up for himself in front of his co-worker, and Jamie didn't know how to react.

Finally, Jamie shot back with the only comeback she could think of in that moment. "I'll see you at work, asshole! Have fun with your little Burger-Hut girl!"

Daniel then stopped and gave a final message of his own. "Chaz isn't leaving his wife for you, by the way."

After leaving his co-worker speechless, Daniel continued to walk away with Emma by his side. However, he was so annoyed by the situation, he didn't even realize he was now holding her hand instead of her wrist.

A few seconds later, Emma finally spoke up. "Umm... Daniel... are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"So, that's the girl you were telling me about the other day... She's beautiful... I'm sorry she rejected you..."

Daniel turned towards her with a confused look on his face. "I already told you, I'm not interested in her anymore."

"Oh, really..." the woman asked, growing beet red.

"Yeah... I mean... she has kind of showed her true colors now. And her behavior today was an even worse sign than her dating someone who's married."

"Oh... that's what you meant..."

"What did you think I meant?" Daniel asked before suddenly realizing he was holding her hand. As his cheeks blushed again, he quickly let go and apologize. "Sorry! I guess I was so wound up..."

"It's okay, Daniel!" Emma interrupted. "I should have said something earlier..."

"And I'm sorry I mentioned we were underwear shopping... I shouldn't have said that... I guess I just..."

Emma suddenly placed her hands on Daniel's shoulders, trying to snap him out of the bad mood he was in. "It's okay!" she interrupted once again. "I actually thought that was... kind of clever..."

The man looked deep into her big brown eyes. "Really? You're not upset at me?"

The young woman smiled. "Of course not."

"Oh... Well, thanks... for being so understanding..."

After coming to an understanding, an awkward silence came about as the man and woman continued walking through the shopping center. With the argument still fresh, Emma wanted to do what she could to take Daniel's mind off his encounter with Jamie.

"Hey, Daniel..."

"Yeah?"

"I was just thinking..."

"What is it?"

Her cheek started to go slightly red again. "Well, since you're technically buying clothes for me... I was wondering if you wanted to pick something out..."

"Huh?! Me?"

"Yeah... you're the one that has to look at me all day... Might as well pick something, right?"

Even more so than before, Daniel blushed, and his legs began shaking. He wasn't even able to look at her anymore. "I don't think I should do that," he nervously responded.

Emma placed her hands on her hips and wondered why Daniel appeared even more nervous than she did. "It should be fine... I'm not picky or anything..."

"I just... uh..."

"What is it?"

The man finally turned and faced her again. "I just don't know anything about women's underwear..."

"Underwear?!" the woman squealed, jumped back. "I was talking about regular clothes; not underwear!"

A sudden look of relief came over Daniel's face. "Oh! Thank God..."

"Why would you think I was talking about underwear?!"

"Because that's the last thing you were talking about before we got interrupted... so that's what I thought we were shopping for now..."

"That is absolutely not what I intended!!!"

"Sorry!"

A few more seconds of awkward silence went by. They could hardly look at each other until Emma finally burst into laughter. Daniel also realized how silly the situation was and began chuckling to himself.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding, Daniel," Emma said with a cute smile.

Daniel also smiled. "I'm sorry too."

"If you're up for it, I think it would still be fun if you picked something out for me," the young woman reassured. She then put a finger up as she further explained, "Just don't pick out any underwear, okay?"

"Got it," Daniel responded, laughing.

Though the moment didn't go smoothly, and both the man and woman blushed and stumbled over their words the entire time, they eventually finished their shopping trip on a good note. Daniel built up the courage to pick out a simple white sundress, and Emma was actually very pleased with his choice.

Once they were done, Daniel dropped Emma off at work for her Sunday afternoon shift. He then went home, where he normally enjoyed relaxing by himself on his day off.

Things had changed, however, since meeting the young woman on that rainy night. The man who once enjoyed nothing more than spending time alone now found himself counting down the hours until he could pick his roommate up. And as the hours went by, the memories of their interactions only made his heart grow fonder as he compared them to the way everyone else treated him.

He didn't even realize it yet, but the man in the office, who was known for not smiling, was now smiling all the time. The weather was changing, and so too was his heart, ever since the girl with the broken tent entered his life.