Four miles, that’s all she had to go. The snow was heavier than usual and her coworkers didn’t register what she meant when she said she didn’t have a car. It was already dark when she had left the library and the weather was starting to get worse. She recognised a marker on the street corner and sighed a breath of relief, her friend lived a block away and had offered his couch a few times. It was too cold to keep walking and she did want to stay there regardless. They had a good connection and she wanted him. Impulsively, she switched directions and headed towards his front door.
Laughter erupted from inside the house and she was greeted with a smug face. “So you finally took me up on the offer.” “I am literally dying.” She pushed past him and started to unzip her coat. “Did you forget your gloves again?” “Always. Who wears gloves?” “Everyone.” “Not in Australia.” “We’re not… I have friends over but they’ll be leaving soon.” He was a foot taller than her and exuded dominance, the kind that makes a woman want to drop to her feet from a polite request. He often joked about hiring a woman to clean his apartment after the boys came over, and she could see why. He was being generous enough to let her stay, on a Friday night nonetheless, cleaning up a bit was the least she could do. After being introduced to his friends, she started looking for something to do that wouldn’t disturb the men.