I stood by my car, glaring. I never imagined Teddy could be so frustrating. After a minute, he finally looked up and noticed I was there. He smiled and waved to me excitedly.

"Hey, Linny! How was work?" He asked.

"Teddy," I groaned. "I thought we talked about this. What in the world are you doing?"

He whistled innocently and half-stepped in front of the growing woodpile at his feet. "No clue what you're talking about."

I gave a frustrated sigh and stomped past him towards the house. It had been about a month since Teddy and I had started eating together. I enjoyed his company, but I was becoming increasingly annoyed with his helpfulness.

It wasn't too bad in the beginning. He'd get there about fifteen minutes or so before I got home and do some light things to help me out. Shoveling the driveway, scraping ice off my windows, or sharpening my tools while he waited.

Now, it was getting ridiculous. I didn't realize what had really been going on until about a week ago. The diner was slow and Mrs. Harrison told me I could take off about an hour early. I drove home only to find Teddy in the middle of shoveling. He looked almost as surprised as I did.

That's when I found out he'd actually been coming to my place about an hour early every day. To "help me out," as he put it. I'd tried several times since then to tell him it wasn't necessary, but he kept insisting it was "the least he could do" since I let him come over all the time.

I heard him jog up behind me as I opened the front door. I threw a nasty look at him from over my shoulder and went inside. He laughed at this.

"Ah, come on, Lin," he said, nudging me gently. "It's not a big deal."

"If it's not a big deal, then why do you keep doing it?" I snapped.

"Why not?" He insisted. "You work all day. Me? I spend maybe three hours doing things around my place, then I spend the rest of the day bumming around the woods usually. What else am I supposed to do all day? It's not like I'm breaking plans to come here or anything.

If anything, me being here is actually disrupting your plans. You could get a lot of stuff done if I wasn't always here bothering you. You're a busy woman. You don't have to waste your free time on me, but you do. I might as well do something to pay you back for it. It's-"

"The least you can do," I finished, rolling my eyes. "You should print that on a T-shirt. It's practically your catchphrase."

"$14.99 sound like a fair price for them?"

"Teddy!"

"Come on," he said, leaning against the door frame. "What's really bugging you? I doubt you're actually that upset about me doing a couple chores."

"It's not the chores, it's the fact that you keep doing them," I explained. "You come over here to hang out. Not to work. It just makes me feel kind of guilty that you take time out of your day to do my chores for me. It's like I'm taking advantage of you or something."

"I don't see how. I'm the one who wants to do them for you."

I sighed and put my leftovers from work in the fridge. I knew he was right. It wasn't like I ever asked him to do these things. In fact, I specifically asked him to stop. He was doing them because he chose to.

I still didn't like the idea though. Maybe it had something to do with my relationship with Greg. One person working and expecting the other to do everything else because of it. I couldn't help worrying Teddy might secretly feel the way I felt back then. Tired, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. I didn't want him to feel that way.

Although, my better judgment told me he probably didn't. Teddy and I weren't even dating. It's not like he owed me anything. He was just a friend coming by to help me out with some chores. I mean, I helped out my friends with theirs when I used to visit them. Maybe it was because Teddy was here every day that it felt like a lot. Would I complain if he only shoveled or chopped wood for me once a month? Probably not.

I think the real problem was I felt like I never returned the favor. He always rationalized that I was using extra supplies on him, so he should help me out a little, but I wasn't too sure about that. Maybe I was using more food, but he brought meals by half the time, so it balanced. I would have probably used the same amount of wood for myself as I did when he was here. As for my free time, I doubted I'd be using all of it to get things done like he said. He made it sound like I did a lot, but really, I wasn't doing much.

I got distracted from this as my hat was suddenly pulled over my eyes.

"Hey!" I shouted, moving it back.

"Sorry, you just looked so serious," he teased. "Linny, it's really not a big deal. At all. I'm here so often, this place is practically my second home. Let me do some things to help out."

"Before I agree or disagree, let me just ask one question. Who's cooking dinner today?" I asked.

He looked away and scratched his head nervously. It looked like he really didn't want to answer. I had a bad feeling about this. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Teddy..."

"I got a good kill yesterday! It's not like I planned it."

"Teddy!" I cried, exasperated.

This was problem number two. In addition to doing all my chores, Teddy kept bringing way more than his fair share of food lately. He kept saying he "happened to catch something" and didn't want it to go to waste, but it was happening way too often recently. This must have been the fourth day in a row I didn't have to cook.

"Huge bear right by my place! I didn't really have a choice," he explained. "Come on, Linny. If you don't help me eat it, I'll be eating bear for months."

"Teddy, I'm really starting to wonder how bad this luck of yours is," I said, unconvinced. "Bear near your house, moose charging you on your hike back, that goose that chased you. Next, I'll probably hear about a school of salmon trying to drown you in the river."

"About that..."

"Oh my god!" I threw my hands up in disbelief.

He put his hands up defensively. "Joking! Joking! Jeez. I don't even think it's salmon season right now."

"It just started," I muttered, annoyed. "We got some in the diner the other day."

"Oh, umm, good to know. Is it any good?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

I sighed. "Wouldn't know. I barely had a break today. Unfortunately, salmon season also makes the diner very busy. Everyone wants to be there when they get the fresh salmon in. Long story short, I don't have the energy to fight you today so I give up. What's for dinner?"

"Bear," he said playfully. "It's a surprise. Go sit down and relax while I get started."

I sighed again and went to sit at the table. Teddy had told me when we first met that he wasn't a great cook, but he wasn't half bad honestly. He certainly wasn't the best cook in the world, but the food was tasty and he knew a lot about how to cook wild game.

I couldn't help laughing a bit at my situation. If anyone told me a few months ago that I'd be eating bear at some cottage in the woods with a man who looked like a lumberjack, I would have told them they were crazy. Now, it didn't seem so bad.

His frustrating habit of helping too much aside, I was glad I had Teddy here. I actually looked forward to coming home after work now. I looked forward to my weekends with him even more. I had to help close the diner a few times a month, so we couldn't meet up on those days. I actually found myself missing him when that happened. We always made up for lost time the next day though. Sometimes he wouldn't head home until almost midnight. I felt like we'd really gotten to know each other in this last month. Which suddenly brought a question to my mind.

"Hang on a second," I said, confused. "How the hell did you take down a bear with a crossbow?"

One of the more interesting facts I'd learned about Teddy was that he didn't like guns. Noisy, bad for the environment, and expensive. He was strictly a bow and arrow man. Said it made him feel "like he was following in the footsteps of his ancestors." I wasn't sure if that last part was true or he was just joking, but he did seem pretty good with a crossbow.

"The one I have is pretty sturdy. Built to take down large game," he explained. "I saw the bear near my place, but it wasn't right next to me or anything. I had some distance to work with."

"I don't know how you can do it," I said, shaking my head. "I tried archery at summer camp once and could barely get the arrow off the bow."

"How about I teach you sometime?" He offered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you don't have any long-range weapons out here, right? You're close to the road, but this place is still pretty isolated. You're actually lucky nothing dangerous has wandered this way so far. It'd be good if you had a way to defend yourself. Although..." He paused. He smiled at me playfully. "I guess you are pretty good with a fireplace poker."

"You just won't let that go, will you?" I muttered shaking my head.

"Hey! A man never forgets when he hears a threat to have his brains bashed in," he laughed. "How about I bring some equipment by tomorrow? We can practice after dinner."

"I suppose it's a nice change from kicking your ass at cards again."

He frowned and went back to cooking. "I'm still pretty sure you've got to be cheating somehow. I've never seen anyone improve at poker that quickly."

I shrugged. "I'm a fast learner."

"Well so am I!" He announced, setting a plate in front of me. "So hurry up and eat so I can learn how you're cheating."

I glanced at the plate suspiciously. He was right, it really was a surprise. I was pretty sure I recognized the food on it, I just couldn't believe I was actually looking at it.

"Teddy... are these tacos?"

"Hope so," he laughed. "Thought it might be good to try a new recipe. I have a lot of bear meat and I'm going to be sick to death of stew if that's all I make. Let me know how it tastes."

"I changed my mind again. You are a psycho lumberjack," I muttered, shaking my head.

He smiled and started eating. He didn't seem to be gagging on it, so I felt confident enough to try a bite. Not his best recipe, by any means, but it was alright. We ate for a while in silence. Bear tacos. What kind of madman was I sharing a table with?

As I ate, something he said came to mind. A lot of bear meat, huh? I wondered how often he'd be bringing food by if that was the case. Did this mean I wouldn't be cooking anymore either? Again, I felt the guilt that came with his kindness. Shoveling my yard, chopping my wood, cooking my meals. Was there anything Teddy wasn't doing for me at this point? If he had a key to my place, he'd probably do all my house chores too.

"Is it that bad?" He asked.

"Huh?" I asked, still lost in thought. He nodded towards the food. "Oh. Not really, why?"

"You seemed kind of down, that's all. I wondered if you were worried about hurting my feelings by not eating it or something. By the way, you won't," he reassured me. "I'm pretty sure I won't attempt bear tacos again."

"No, although that is good to hear. I was just feeling kind of bad that I've become so dependent on you," I admitted.

"Dependent?"

"Have you noticed that you do almost everything for me? My chores, my cooking, keeping me company. I feel like I rely on you too much. What would happen if you just disappeared tomorrow? I wouldn't know what to do."

"I'm not going anywhere."

His tone surprised me. Teddy was usually so upbeat and playful, but his voice just now sounded dead serious. He continued eating as if nothing had changed though, so I decided to do the same. Whatever he meant by saying that, it made me feel more comfortable. Somehow, I liked knowing he'd be around for a while.

When we finished Teddy started to clear the table. I grabbed his wrist as he reached for my plate. He looked surprised.

"If you're going to insist on doing all the cooking and the chores, then I should at least do the dishes," I said sternly.

He scoffed and pulled his wrist away. He grabbed my plate and carried it to the sink.

"Nice one, Linny."

"Teddy, come on. You're doing everything!" I huffed. "What? You think I can't wash a dish or something?"

"Oh, I know you can," he said quietly. "I know you can shovel your own yard, I know you can chop your own wood, and I know for a fact you can do your own cooking. It's not that I don't think you can do these things, it's just that I don't want you to."

"Why not?"

"Because you should have someone to take care of you," he said simply. "You're all alone out here. No family. Not too many friends. You're on your own pretty much, and you shouldn't be. You deserve a hot meal and a warm fire when you come home. Someone to talk to. Someone to take care of all the little things so you don't have to worry about them."

"That's actually my problem," I explained to him. "I've always had someone to take care of me. My parents, a roommate, a boyfriend, someone. This is my first time being on my own and it's about time I learned how to do things for myself. How can I do that if you always take care of me?"

"Easy answer. You don't," he chuckled. "You let me take care of everything and stay completely dependent on me. That way I always have a reason to be around."

"Do you really think you need a reason?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Nah, I know you. You'd let me hang out even if I sat on my ass all day. I guess it's just my own personal fears," he said, sighing.

"Fears?"

"I've been alone out here a while," he mumbled. "I didn't interact with anyone much. Didn't feel the need to, honestly. It's different with you though. I like being with you. It feels right being around you. I guess part of me is just scared that one day you won't want me around anymore, and then I'll be alone again."

"Teddy..."

I paused. What could I really say in this situation? I suppose I could understand what he was feeling to some degree. After all, the thought of him suddenly disappearing one day would upset me too. The idea of being all alone again. Did he really think I would cut ties with him so easily though?

My mind went back to what he'd said about his family. I didn't know much about their situation, but it sounded like things went bad between them pretty quickly. Maybe he was afraid it would happen again. Suddenly losing someone he cared about.

"Teddy, that's not going to happen," I reassured him. "I'm not just going to abandon you one day. Why would I do that? You're like my best friend."

He shrugged. "Things happen. Maybe you get a better job somewhere and get too busy to have dinner with me. Maybe you decide you're sick of life here and move back to your hometown. Maybe you meet a guy you're nuts about who isn't nuts about the idea of you having a close male friend. There are a million things that could happen. You just never know."

"Do you really think I'd do that to you though?"

"No, but who knows," he sighed. "You think you know somebody, then one day they do something that you never would have expected in a million years. Suddenly, you don't know who they are anymore, what they're capable of, or where to go from there."

"Sounds like you have some more venting to do, Teddy. Do you want to talk about it?"

He paused. He seemed to be debating if he should open up to me or not. What was bothering him so much? I'd never seen him so gloomy before. Whatever it was, I was certain this wasn't about something as small as chores. I doubted it was even about me, honestly. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted whatever it was. We both jumped out of our skin at the sound. Our terror-filled eyes met for a second and we both burst into laughter at how scared we'd been. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. Was it nearly ten already? I smiled at him.

"That's probably Mrs. Harrison," I explained. "The diner closed a little bit ago and it's been a while since she dropped by. She might be coming by to check in on me"

"Should I go?" He asked nervously. "I'd hate to bother you two."

"Of course not. I'd love for you to meet her. She really is the sweetest. Play your cards right and maybe she'll have a mansion tucked away for you," I teased.

He rolled his eyes, but he did look relieved to hear that he could stay. "Oh good, I've been needing one of those."

There was another knock at the door. I stood up and went to answer it. I suppose part of the reason the door scared me before was the unexpectedness of it. Mrs. Harrison usually told me at work if she'd come by later, so I wasn't planning on her dropping by today. Maybe her schedule had freed up or something.

Having Mrs. Harrison visit tonight would have been unexpected, but it wouldn't have been nearly as surprising as who was actually behind the door. As the cold air rushed in, a familiar face lit up in the dim light from my house. My jaw dropped open. I couldn't believe it. Greg.