The knife gleamed menacingly in the dim light of the kitchen. I felt nauseous. The world seemed to spin. What was he going to do to me? Did I even have any chance of fighting him off? I was scared, and he knew it.

However, he didn't seem to know why I was scared. He stared at me, puzzled. He followed my eyes to the knife in his hand. The realization struck him immediately.

"Oh, shit!" He cried, quickly setting the knife on the counter. "Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to terrify you first thing in the morning."

"What?" I asked, still dazed.

He moved to the side and pointed to the counter. A cutting board was half-filled with chopped vegetables. I gave him a blank stare. He looked away sheepishly.

"The storm was still bad when I got up a while ago," he explained. "I know you said not to wander around, but I thought I'd make breakfast for us. You know, a small thanks for taking me in last night.

Sorry. I guess seeing a psycho lumberjack with a kitchen knife probably wasn't the best way to start your morning."

"Oh, umm, no, no. It's fine." I couldn't help the relief in my voice at that moment.

He laughed. "Fine? You're pale as a sheet!"

"What's for breakfast, exactly?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Veggie omelette. It's one of the few things I can make pretty well. Oh! I brewed some coffee too." He motioned over to the small table in the corner. "Why don't you have a cup and relax? I'll be done soon."

I gave him a weak smile and went to sit down. I couldn't help feeling a little guilty. True, he shouldn't have been wandering around when I asked him not to, and he definitely should have known better than to point a knife at me, but how angry could I really be at him? The poor guy was just trying to be nice and make breakfast.

Maybe it was a good thing I didn't have that poker. I might have beaten his head in if I'd had it.

He went back to chopping vegetables. I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a small sip. The warmth spread through me and helped to calm my nerves a little. As I sat there, I couldn't help noticing how strange it felt to be doing nothing right now.

With Greg, I was always the one who had to do the cooking. And the cleaning. And the shopping. And pretty much everything else, honestly.

I guess with him working and me being at home, it just made sense that I should be doing everything. After all, he worked hard. He deserved the chance to relax when he had some free time. Didn't it make sense that everything else should be my responsibility? That I should let him be and do it all without complaining since he was the one taking care of me? That was fair, right? At the time, it seemed like it, but sitting here now, it was starting to become more and more obvious that he had been taking advantage of me.

It wasn't as if I expected him to kill himself at work all day, then slave away at home while I sat on my ass. He really couldn't do anything to help me though? He couldn't help me do the dishes after dinner? He couldn't pick up his own clothes off the floor? He couldn't make me a cup of coffee? Even once? No wonder he always tried so hard to convince me to stay. He didn't want to lose his little servant girl.

Looking back at things now, it was so obvious. The way he always subtly, or not-so-subtly, reminded me that he paid for everything. How he always complained he was too tired to help around the house, but always had the energy to hang out with his friends. The "late nights" at work, despite the fact that he never earned any extra money in his paychecks. God, I was so blind. I sighed deeply. Teddy glanced my way.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I muttered.

He turned towards me and frowned. He didn't seem convinced.

"That doesn't sound fine at all. If it's about the knife, I'm really sorry about that. I-"

"No, no, no," I interrupted quickly. "It was a misunderstanding, that's all. I'm not mad about that. I promise."

He crossed his arms and looked at me skeptically. I felt bad. I didn't want him to think my bad mood was because of him. It wasn't his fault my ex-boyfriend was a jerk.

"Is the coffee bad then?" He asked jokingly.

"I've had worse," I chuckled. "No, really, it's nothing."

He shrugged vaguely. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I can't force you. I just want you to know that if you change your mind, I'm all ears."

"It's nothing. It's just... I was thinking about how you've probably done more for me today than my ex did our entire relationship," I admitted.

"Well, that's kinda sad. How long were you married?" He asked.

"We weren't. He's just my ex-boyfriend. Thank god," I muttered, shaking my head. "I used to wonder all the time why we weren't married yet. I mean, we'd been together a few years already. Makes a hell of a lot more sense now. Now, I'm actually grateful that we never did. It made it much easier to leave him."

"You sure you don't want to talk? Sounds like you have some steam built up about it, and it might help to vent a bit before you explode."

"That's one big metaphor, Teddy," I said, smiling.

"Sounds like one big problem," he teased. "So shoot. What happened with him?"

I made a disgusted sound and shook my head. Where should I start? And did I even want to? What was with me and unloading my problems onto strangers lately?

I guess that's why I was doing it though. They were strangers. People who passed in and out of your life the same way you passed through theirs. They didn't care enough to tell other people what you told them. They probably wouldn't even remember your name. They were the safest people to talk to because they cared the least. So why not take his suggestion and vent a little?

"I guess it's the classic jilted woman story," I said, shrugging. "You have some bad relationships, you meet a new guy, he treats you better than they did, and you convince yourself it's love. Next thing you know, you're three years into the relationship, still unmarried, and basically taking care of him.

You put up with it though, because, you know, love and all that junk. Then he cheats on you with some skank at the office. He apologizes, says it was a mistake, and 'let's start fresh in Alaska.' So you do. And what happens then?"

"If I'm making a guess? He did it again?"

"Exactly! Not even here for two months and I see him out with another girl. Again!" I huffed. "How could he do that to me? After everything?

Although, I guess being away from him is making it clearer and clearer. He didn't love me. He just liked having someone to cook, and clean, and take care of the house all day while he screwed around. Literally."

"Wait, weren't you working?" He asked.

"My ex kept saying not to worry about getting a job. That he'd take care of everything." I sighed deeply and rested my head on the table. "I guess it was just another way to trap me. So was moving here, probably. That way I could never leave him."

"How'd you get this place then? I mean, I saw the boxes. You just moved in, right?"

"Completely by accident. It was a lucky break. If some sweet old lady hadn't taken mercy on me and offered this place for cheap, I'm not sure what I'd be doing now.

I don't have any friends or family up here to help me. Not exactly like I have the funds to go back to Ohio either. I was lucky I had some money saved up from odd jobs I'd done here and there over the years. Babysitting, house-sitting, things like that. It's not much, but it'll get me by for a bit. I still have to figure things out from there though."

"Wow... Yeah..." Teddy said slowly. "You... definitely needed someone to vent to. That sucks. Just wow."

"Right?"

"I can't stand guys like that," he said, shaking his head. "They make the rest of us look like scum. Do you know how hard it is nowadays to find a woman who really trusts you? Near impossible. They've all been with 'that guy' who gave them way too many trust issues. Not that I blame them, but it does make dating a lot more complicated."

"Sounds like you have some 'steam' of your own built up. You let me vent to you. You want to tell me what's on your mind now?" I asked.

He laughed at this and turned back to the food. "Honestly, nothing to vent about. Not anymore, anyway. I was in something serious before, but... it's been over for a while now.

There was always that wall of distrust between us. Even before I met her she had it up. I tried my best to break it down or get over it to reach her, but every time I did she seemed to put up an even bigger wall. I guess it just got to me eventually. It felt like I was trying my best to give her what she said she wanted, and she wouldn't try enough to let me. Not surprisingly, it didn't work out in the end."

"Wow, that sucks too," I said, shaking my head.

He scoffed at this. "Surprised you feel that way. Most people say it was my fault the relationship ended."

"Why's that? I wasn't there, of course, but it sounds like you tried really hard to make it work."

"I did. At least, I think I did. Everyone I knew kept telling me I should have tried harder though. That I knew she had a lot of issues before we started dating and it was shallow of me to leave her later because she 'didn't change like I wanted her to'.

I dunno." He sighed. "Maybe they're right. What do you think? Was it too much to ask that she at least try to trust me? That she let up her guard every once and a while? That she give me the chance to really show her I loved her?

I'm not a woman. Maybe there are some things a man like me will just never understand about her situation. But was it too much to ask that she try?"

"Well..." I thought about it carefully. "It's like you said, I can't know her personal situation. However, speaking as a third party, I don't think it sounds like too much.

Relationships may not always be exactly fifty-fifty, but it'll wear you down if you're the one who's always carrying the weight. If the other person isn't even willing to try, then why bother staying? You're in a relationship to have a partner, not be an emotional pack mule. At least, in my opinion."

"No, no. Mine too," he said, relieved. "That's what I kept trying to explain to people. Everyone assumed I was either trying to change her or didn't want to deal with her emotionally, but that's not it. I wanted a partner, and she wasn't willing to be one.

She could come home any day of the week and cry to me about whatever was bothering her, and I didn't mind one bit. I wanted to be there for her. But as soon as Teddy had a bad day, who was there to listen? Nobody. All she'd do is say how her day was so much worse or that I was overreacting. I never got any understanding or sympathy from her. It was always a competition.

All I wanted was to come home at the end of the day and have someone be there for me. Only me."

"Now that I understand."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, Linny. What did we ever do to end up here? Two strangers swapping emotional baggage because no one else will listen."

"Well, when everything else seems hopeless, you can always count on the psychotic lumberjack pounding on your door in the middle of the night," I teased.

"And the jilted woman who suspects you're an ax murderer. Can't forget about her."

We both laughed at this. God, it felt nice. When was the last time I had really laughed with somebody? Everything about my life lately had been either "escape" or "survival." When was the last time I just "lived?"

Teddy carried over two plates and set one in front of me. The overstuffed, half-broken omelette made it clear that he was no gourmet chef, but that wasn't what mattered to me. It was obvious he had tried his best to make a nice breakfast, and I couldn't remember the last time a guy had put in that much effort for me.

"Looks like I'll be out of your hair after breakfast," he said through a mouthful of omelette.

"Hmm?"

He pointed to the window. Sure enough, the storm had started to let up. Only a few small flakes drifted down now. He could probably make it home in this. I wondered why I felt disappointed by that fact.

"Oh, by the way, where am I?" He asked. "I need to know how far I am from home."

"Umm." I thought about the best way to give directions, considering I barely knew myself. "About a ten-minute drive outside of town. If you follow the road in the opposite direction, you can reach Route 10 in about fifteen."

"Wait, how far from the emergency service phone?"

I vaguely remembered Mrs. Harrison pointing it out on our way here yesterday. "Like, a five-minute walk down the road, I think."

"Are you kidding me?!" He shouted. He let out an exasperated sigh. "I live right over the fucking hill! Damn blizzard."

I couldn't help laughing at this. "Wait, so you're my neighbor?"

"Kind of. It's still a good twenty-minute hike or so from here, but I definitely could have made it home last night if I knew where I was," he grumbled, shaking his head.

"Well, at least you know you're close to home now."

"Yeah, I just feel terrible I put you out like this for a twenty-minute hike. How about I make it up to you sometime?"

"It's fine." I waved off his offer. "I'd hardly call it 'putting me out.' I made you sleep in a chair. Besides, you made breakfast."

"Yeah, but with your food." He looked annoyed. After a moment, his face lit up again. "Hey! How about I drop by sometime to pay you back? Another thing I'm good at making is chili. Nothing like a good, hearty bowl of the stuff when the weather gets bad."

"You really don't have to," I insisted.

"It's the least I could do to pay you back. How about I drop by next time I make a pot? We can 'vent' again," he teased.

I couldn't help smiling at that. "Alright, sure. Sounds like fun."

"Great! Oh, and don't worry about the dishes today. I got it."

"No, Teddy-"

"Hey, I made the mess, I'll clean it."

"It feels like you're doing an awful lot of 'repayment' for just sleeping in a chair one night," I grumbled as he cleared the table.

"Actually... it's not nearly enough," he said softly. "Twenty-minute hike or not, there's no way I would have found my way home in that storm. You call it a night in a chair, but I would have frozen to death without it.

You saved my life, Linny. That's the truth. So, please, let me do a couple little chores to pay you back for my life. It's the least I can do."

I felt myself blush at this. He was praising me way too much. I know it was cold last night, but saving his life? Even if I had, it didn't feel like the kind of thing he should try to pay me back for. I watched as he scrubbed dishes at the sink. He hummed softly as he did so. I guess whether I felt he needed to or not didn't matter. He felt he needed to.

Freezing to death. I couldn't imagine the fear that went through his mind at this thought. As scared as I was that he might be some kind of psycho, he had no way of knowing who I was either. I remembered the desperate way he pleaded at my door, begging and saying he'd do anything just to be let inside. He must have been terrified. If doing some dishes and sharing some chili really made him feel better about this situation, how could I say no?

"Well, that should do it," he said, drying his hands off on a towel. "I've already overstayed my welcome, and I have things that need tending to at home."

"Yeah, I should probably do something about all this snow blocking me in," I sighed. "You need a ride, Teddy? I have a car."

"Thanks, but my place is pretty far back. No roads," he explained. "I'll be alright now that the storm let up."

He walked to the front entrance and started to put his coat and boots back on. I felt a little sad to see him go. It was nice having someone to talk to. They say being alone in a place like this can drive you crazy. I wondered how I'd deal with the loneliness once he left.

"Alright then, be safe. Feel free to pop by from time to time," I suggested. "You know, do the neighbor thing and borrow a cup of sugar or something."

He chuckled. "Will do. After all, I've still got to bring that chili by. I'll see you then, Linny."

I waved to him as he walked out. I watched as he stomped through the deep snow. It nearly reached his hips. I wondered if he'd really be okay walking like that for the next half hour or so. I peeked out the kitchen window to watch him leave. He saw me and gave me a small, reassuring wave. I half-smiled and waved back. I hoped he'd make it back okay.

I watched him for the next couple of minutes until he disappeared into the trees. I sighed and looked around at the empty house. Alone again. Déjà vu. Only, this time, I actually had to get some work done.

It seemed the unpacking would get pushed back yet another day. Based on how high the snow reached on Teddy, I'd be trapped in here if I didn't shovel soon. I should at least clear a path to the door, my car, and the driveway. After that, I'd check on the firewood and see if I'd need more soon. No vegging out and ordering a pizza in this place, so I'd have to make lunch. Dinner too. If I still had energy after all that, then maybe I'd attempt to unpack a box or two.

Well, I couldn't put it off forever. I sighed and went to change. I'd been wearing these clothes since yesterday. I bundled up in as many layers as I could and started to put on my coat. My poor, bare hands were already protesting this idea. I needed to get those gloves sooner rather than later.

As I opened the door, the air from outside rushed in and froze me all at once. Ugh. Alaska. I wondered if I'd ever get used to it.

I stepped into the snow. And immediately sunk. It seems I forgot the fact that Teddy was much taller than I was. What was almost up to his hips was definitely up to mine. The toolshed wasn't far, just a few feet from the back corner of the house, but it might as well have been across the state in this snow. It took me almost ten minutes just to shuffle a path to it. After a few more minutes of digging, I was finally able to unbury the door. My hands felt like ice blocks as I grabbed out the shovel. I might have to start keeping it inside for days like this. 

I went to work right away, shoveling out more snow from the small path I already made to the shed. I'd do this for a while, then go inside to warm up, then back out, then back in. I'd have to light a fire when I went in later. I wanted the house to be warm when I was taking a break at least. It'd probably be okay to leave the fire burning as long as I was right outside. I wondered how long this would take me.

I sighed as all these things bounced around in my head. I thought back to a little while ago. Laughing and eating with Teddy. It wasn't that long ago, but it already felt like an eternity. No worries, no work, just laughing and talking. He really wasn't a bad guy, now that I got to know him. In fact, I kind of liked him. Being around him felt easy.

I glanced over at the trail his footprints had left in the snow. I wondered how close he was to home by now. How far away did he really live? Far enough that he wouldn't want to make the trek back here again? I hoped not. He said he'd come by the next time he made a batch of chili. I just hoped he felt like making some soon.