Winter Maid Ch. 01

Author's note: a couple of years ago I discovered some good maid-bot stories. Unfortunately, I was not writing back then and I had to satisfy myself with what the other authors were writing; it rarely went in a direction I liked. Now that I started to create my own stories, I just could resist but to write my own maid-bot adventure. This is an introduction, low in kink, but high in character development, which will lead to a much more heated chapter 2. I hope you will like it.

***

Chapter 1 - The first snowflakes

I could have asked him many times to move back, but I didn't want to. I understood his point; he was born here, and it was a big part of who he was. That was valid. The last thing I wanted him to do was to change because of me. It was our joint decision to live here together, and I accepted it. On my side, yes, I did it in the name of love, but it was not an obligation. I knew what I was getting myself into... Kind of.

I was not the type of person who would get blinded by a romance. I had loved other guys in the past, but when stars had refused to align, even if it had been heartbreaking sometimes, I had walked away, knowing I could fall in love with someone else eventually. Affection for someone else was not something causing me to make unintelligent decisions.

Three years ago, I went to the beach near Los Angeles to tan my little Latino body, and I bumped into this attractive guy. He looked so out of place, and his skin was white as a ghost. After making fun of him for looking like Casper, I learned he was from way up north in Canada. They didn't get as much sunlight as we did over there.

Outside this fun fact, I liked him a lot. He was going to be in L.A. for the next four months, so we decided to date casually, knowing it would eventually end. We had a lot of great sex because of the sense of urgency; the luxury of time wasn't on our side. What I didn't know back then, was that my feeling for him would grow beyond normal. He was different than the others I had met before, and I felt more and more as if he was a guy I would like to stay with for longer... possibly even for the rest of my life. This was problematic.

Months had flown by too fast, and he had to leave me behind reluctantly as his trip came to an end. Sadly, I missed him so much. I thought the feelings would fade over time, but they didn't. Plain and simple, I needed him.

Several discussions over the phone and skype later, we decided the healthiest thing would be for me to visit for a while and see how it would go. Quicker than I was ready for, I was aboard a big plane, nervously playing with my fingers, wondering if this was a mistake or not. It was just a visit, not a wedding, but still, exploring what our future could look like was a bit nerve-wracking.

Once his arms wrapped around my narrow shoulders again, the nervousness vanished. He was the same down to Earth man that I loved so much, and I didn't discover anything weird about him. The size of his house would put my little L.A. apartments to shame. Nicely surrounded by nature, it was only twenty minutes away from civilization. This new environment surprised me in a good way as it was so much better than the big city I was used to; I had discovered wilderness for the first time.

When I visited at that time, it was during summer season and I fell in love with the weather so much; it was not crazy hot like home. It was important to him to draw me a true picture of reality, so his main warning was that winter would be the absolute opposite; cold and very snowy. I honestly had no concept of cold or snow, so I just trusted him without fully realizing what he meant.

My stay went well so we discussed, for the first time, the possibility of living together. It was more a matter of exploring our options in between two hot sex sessions rather than trying to rush things. Since it would be a life-changing commitment, we agreed that he would visit me once more in the fall, and I would revisit him in the middle of the winter, to see if I could survive the elements.

The next time he came down to L.A. was pretty much when I made my decision to move in with him, no matter where we would end up. I think it was pretty clear for him as well; he unarguably wanted to be with me. I made him visit my city as much as possible, but I could tell he wasn't in love with it.

I had to admit, I was not in love with it either. It was not a bad place to live per se, but after experiencing his home in the forest for a bit, It was an eye opener on how crazy things were down here. Sure the beaches were beautiful, but the rest was a bit insane.

Soon enough, it was my turn to visit a second time; I would finally experience this supposedly infamous winter for the first time; it was January. The day before the flight, he asked me to dress warm because they expected a week of extreme cold temperature. I looked at the weather website and saw some numbers I had never seen before. My logic at the time told me to wear pants, socks, and a jacket. It was supposed to be -25F when I landed.

As soon as I got out of the plane, the inside of the jet bridge was insanely cold. It was like walking inside a big meat freezer. The terminal was much warmer, but this first semi-exposure experience made me a bit anxious. Would it be possible to survive in a place colder than a fridge?

I knew he was waiting for me in the cell phone parking lot, so I recovered my luggage and texted him to pick me up along with some pink hearts. I gave him my door number, put my jacket on, and foolishly walked outside to wait for him.

I thought my heart had stopped. I had never experienced something such as this. My face and fingers burned immediately, and I started a legit panic, not understanding what was happening to me. I quickly ran back to the terminal, burning my hand on the sub-zero door handle in the process. What was this frozen hell? There was no way people could live in this. It was impossible!

He texted me a minute later while I was still trembling in shock, asking where I was. I had no choice but to walk out again and find his car. It was painful. As soon as he saw me, I got scolded.

"What are you doing outside dressed like this! Get in the car right away, or you'll get sick!" he said.

I remembered running to his SUV, not even hugging him. My fingers and nose were stinging, and I struggled to breathe. I couldn't comprehend what this was. He put my luggage in the trunk and calmly climbed in the driver seat, showing no hurry.

After a small hug and a kiss, it was his turn to make fun of me for not knowing the concept of 'freezing cold.' Of course, he was honest and explained that this extreme temperature was only an occasional occurrence and not the norm. However, if I were to move here, I would have to get used to it. He felt a bit guilty for not warning me better, though; my clothing selection was at the root of the problem.

After a few days, the weather got much more bearable, but it was still cold, and the snow wouldn't melt. At least with the clothes he bought me, I could walk outside without dying. My first discovery, outside the thermometer-splitting weather, was that winter turned everything into wonders. The snow-covered trees and the silence that came with it mesmerized me to the highest degree.

Things went very well again during this second visit, with lots of good sex and happy moments; there was no weirdness. So at the end of my stay, we were still madly in love, and it convinced us even more that we needed to live together.

I was the one who made the ultimate decision to move to his place. Winter was temporary, and summer would be lovely. The slower lifestyle pace and nature convinced me. I could probably endure winter for a few months per year. On top of it, I was considerate of his job. He was making much more than I did and wouldn't easily find something similar in the US.

The stars were aligned. The die was cast. I moved to his country.

***

"Mia? Where are you?"

"In the bedroom!"

Brian just came back from work. It was our second year officially together in this house, and he always had this routine; he stepped inside our home after work, asked where I was, and came to me to get a kiss. I considered myself lucky since he could have gone to the fridge for a beer instead, but no, even after all that time together, he always chose the pretty me first.

He entered the bedroom, wearing his usual work clothes. He did look like the teacher he was, but to me, he was good looking. Brian was not an athlete, but he kept himself active mostly by working outside our house. His free time activities consisted of chopping firewood to feed our fireplace, and working on random projects in his outdoor workshop. He just enjoyed spending a lot of time surrounded by nature. Fortunately, I was considered nature too; I was his favorite wild animal.

He sat down on the bed next to me, and I put my tablet aside to receive my daily "I missed you" little kiss.

"So, how are you surviving?" he asked.

"It's fine. Not that many things to do, though."

The library where I was working had burned down last week and I lost my job in the process. Fortunately, nobody got hurt, and I now received unemployment; it could have been much worse. Even with my salary drop, we were not very worried because Brian made enough for both of us. I worked just because I liked it.

The library was not in a big town, so over there, I was doing pretty much everything, such as interacting with members, and doing a bit of administrative work. It kept me busy, and that was how I liked it. Peaceful and quiet.

"It was a bit cold today too. Did you see the first snowflakes around lunchtime?" he asked.

"I KNOW! Please tell me winter is not coming this year."

"Hehe. No... it's coming like a lion. Not much you can do about it."

"Well, you love it... I don't."

I hated winter. The first time I experienced it, I almost died at the airport, but then Brian did his best to show me how beautiful it could be. I conceded it was indeed very pretty and thought I could get used to it for this reason... but I never did. With the appropriate items of clothing, it was bearable at most.

"Don't be like that, Mia. It's your second winter only. This year you should try to go outside more and maybe try some sports, like skiing or snowshoeing. You would get used to the cold and enjoy winter more."

"I don't think so... The only thing I like about winter is having sex with you in front of the fireplace."

Sex was always good. Not only was cumming my favorite thing in the world, but making Brian happy in the process was priceless. The happier he was, the happier I was. Not being very good at anything else, I was not shy to say I used sex to compensate for my inability to please him with a homemade meal. I had no problem being his food.

Yeah, I was not super useful in general and felt a bit bad because of it. On top of not being able to cook, I had other flaws. I didn't like cleaning, so I was always doing a sloppy job, and I was leaving all my things here and there in random places. Even if this house was huge, I managed to populate its entirety with my clothes, books, dirty dishes, and half-empty glasses. It was a repeat of my tiny L.A. apartment, times a hundred.

Now that the cursed season was on our doorstep, my bad behaviors would get even worse.

"I think I will stay indoors all winter and only go out when the snow starts melting," I said.

"You can do that if you want, but what are you going to do for the next four months? Surf the web for cat videos? You'll get depressed quickly."

"I knoooow. After a week I'm already bored to tears... I don't know what to do with my skin."

"I know you are. That's why I'm asking you to put your fears aside and go have fun in the snow."

"Not a chance!"

I was a bit stubborn. I understood the rationale behind Brian's words; he was right. But winter was cold, and it was deterrent enough to justify hiding inside our warm house. My parents didn't conceive me to withstand anything below 60F. I was just a cute and fragile Latino girl.

"Alright, then. Suit yourself. You'll hate your life until you find a new job. I tell you," he said.

"I know! I will need to find a hobby or something. Once the new library is ready, they said they would hire me back. But that will probably be a year from now. I'll need something entertaining before that."

"You'll need quite a hobby... or a new job. Anyway. Think about what I said; winter is not evil if you embrace it. I'm going to cook now. Is chicken okay?"

"Yeah... Chicken is good."

Guilt gnawed at me. I did nothing all day while Brian was at work, and now he was going to cook for me on top of it. This cursed winter was to be blamed, it drained all motivation out of me. At least, I was fortunate enough that my boyfriend never complained about my lazy attitude.

***

The remainder of the week was more of the same. I stayed home, purging the internet from all cat videos I could find, and my morale dropped lower and lower. Before hitting rock bottom, I remembered what Brian had told me. Perhaps he was right, and I should try to embrace winter a bit more. Maybe a walk in the snow would be what I needed, and if I had that one positive experience, it would motivate me to do it again.

Through the large living room window, I could see our first snow of the winter; it was beautiful. The ground was all white, and those scintillating water crystals neatly covered the trees. The wind was absent, making everything look so peaceful. A bunch of squirrels played around and tried to find some food. I envied them and wanted to share their joy.

I made up my mind. Today I would go out and walk the trail next to our place, and I would try to absorb the beauty of winter. Only a few minutes would be necessary as overdoing would be counterproductive. The entryway closet contained all the gears I needed to thrive in a cold environment. My winter boots, my warm coat, toque with cat ears, and gloves would allow me to push through this challenge.

Brian was so right; he chose to live here because he appreciated how amazing this land was. There was nothing like nature. We were animals, and we had the innate ability to live in symbiosis with our environment. Wilderness's offering was the source of true happiness.

I opened the front door and smiled when the hot hair rushed out of the house, undulating my vision slightly. I stepped on the front porch, opened my arms wide to take in a giant breath of fresh air, and appreciate within my nose the smell of the frozen pine trees!

"... GAH!... FUCK THAT!"

The freezing air rushed to my lungs, turning them into blocks of ice. It burned my throat and made me choke instantaneously. I turned around, dove back into the house, and back-kicked the door shut behind me before screaming some more of my distress.

"NO WAY I'M GOING OUT FOR A WALK IN THIS FROZEN HELL!"

I jumped out of my boots and randomly threw my winter clothes on the floor. I ran to the couch and curled on it under a warm blanket, shivering and crying like a traumatized fawn. I was so sad. I wanted to enjoy winter, but I just couldn't do it. I was too sensitive. How come Brian was capable of going outside with only a wool pullover and not me?

I stayed there for a while until my phone ringtone brought me back to the world of the living. The call was from Brian.

"Hey, Brian."

"Hey, Mia. How is your day going."

"Great... just fantastic."

"That good, uh? Listen... I have a weird question. Are you susceptible to hypnosis?"

"That's random! I don't know... Nobody ever hypnotized me before, but I think it's bullshit. Why do you ask?"

"Yeah... It is just that I found a gadget at the store, but it is a bit expensive. The guy said it doesn't work well on most people, but I find the idea super fun. I think I'm going to buy it."

"Well, how much is it? You know we have to talk about big purchases together before buying anything. That's our rule."

"I know... That's why I'm calling you. We can return it if we are not happy. We have 30 days."

I didn't often hear Brian being this excited about something. Not having a clue why he was this fired up about something, it got me curious. Facing this rare occurrence of "kid in a candy store" behavior from him, I chose not to destroy his mood.

"So, what is it?"

"It's a surprise... Can I buy it?"

"A surprise? Sure... If you can return it, I don't have a problem."

"I love you so much, Mia. I can't wait to try it. I'll see you in an hour or so."

"Love you too, honey."

What was he talking about? I curled some more under my blanket and kept browsing for cat videos; there must be more. Hopefully, what he just bought would be somewhat entertaining for me as well. I could use some distraction.

***

An hour later, Brian showed up at the house, carrying a small package under his arm. The unimpressive sized item didn't look too expensive. He was smiling so much, though; it was slightly suspicious.

"Mia! Look! This is awesome!"

"What is... that?"

He handed me the box, and on the picture, there were some sort of fancy wireless headphones.

"You bought new headphones? If you needed new ones, you didn't need my permission, you know. Were they that expensive?"

"No, they are not headphones. Read."

I looked back at the box and read the description. "SusceptGear: Hypnotic inducer." That didn't help. On the side, there was a long list of features I didn't care to read, along with a few logos I was familiar with, like the wifi and LTE symbols.

"What the hell is this for? You want to meditate or something? If you are stressed, we can have more hot sex instead."

"Hehe. No. My understanding is that it puts the person into a hypnotic trance, and depending on how you configure the gear, the subject will act accordingly. It is for entertainment purposes."

"Aaaah, Brian! There is no such thing as hypnosis. It is not even a real thing. How much did you pay for this."

"I'm pretty sure it is real. Hypnosis works. I'm convinced."

"Brian, don't dodge the question. How much?"

He looked back at the product, probably apprehensive of my reaction.

"... 3400$... but listen, Mia..."

"WHAT!? 3400$!? ... Return it now!"

"No... wait..."

"Now! It's an order! I know you make good money, but we still make those decisions together and we have bills to pay. This is a toy that we don't need, and it won't even work. You must return it."

I gave him back his box along with a severe Latino stare. There was some sadness in his face. It was very unlike him to buy a gadget this odd and for such an insane price. Why was this so important to him? He was not even a tech guy, and what he liked the most was the outdoors. I couldn't even remotely picture him sitting in on a couch meditating.

He placed the box on the console table and walked away to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I felt terrible for him, but he probably knew I was right deep down. It was unreasonable to pay more on a toy than what we spent on everything else in an entire month. It was clearly a scam.

I walked up to Brian and pulled him into a gentle hug.

"Sorry, I was a bit harsh. But you know what I mean, right?" I asked.

"Yeah... I don't know why I wanted to try it. I looked special. It was the only one they had in stock."

"There is probably a reason for that. You want to try it that badly?"

"I would have loved to, yes."

" Alright, I'm sorry. If you are sure we can return it even if you open the box, we can give it a shot, I guess."

"Yes, I asked. The seller will take it back. It's even written on the bill."

"Okay, then. We will give your toy a try, but don't get your hopes up. I don't want you to be disappointed."

"If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. That's all."