CHAPTER SEVEN 

❝ Strangers knocking on doors when it is heavily snowing outside can be quite scary. Especially if the house you are in happens to be on the top of a hill... and in the middle of the woods. ❞

Elle's journal: The Europe Trip, day 12, entry nº3

The man came by around noon.

Before that happened, though, Stelle sat knitting by the fireplace and Elle and Connor cooked lunch.

"I think that is not supposed to look like that," Elle said, peering over Connor's shoulder to look at the spaghetti he was making.

He shrugged, spinning the spoon inside the pot. "It looks good to me."

"It's overcooked. And it looks like dough," she said. She quickly took a fork and stole one strand, letting it fall into her mouth. "Oh, God," she grimaced. "It actually tastes like dough."

Connor groaned and dropped the spoon. "This is stupid."

"Let me guess. You are that type of college guy that gets all his meals from a vending machine."

Connor rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I am," he said. Then, he took the fork from Elle's hand and pulled out another strand of spaghetti. "Come on," he said, letting it fall into his mouth. "It can't be that...Bloody h–Okay, maybe it actually is that bad."

Elle laughed and Connor took the pot and threw all of the contents into the bin. As soon as he was done, Elle took the pot from him.

"So we don't have to throw away any more food," she told him and he laughed. As she began gathering ingredients, a new thought crossed her mind. "What are you studying in school, anyways?"

"Why the sudden interest?" Connor asked, leaning on the counter, raising his eyebrows and smiling weirdly.

Elle frowned. "Are you trying to look sexy?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe."

She rolled her eyes at him and decided to just ignore him.

Connor chuckled. "I'm a History major," he explained, handing her the new spaghetti package.

"Really?" Elle asked, all of her attention on Connor.

Him? A History major?

"Well you don't look surprised at all."

"I'm sorry..." Elle said, shaking her head. "I just didn't picture you as someone who liked school. Or learning."

"Well that makes it better," he said sarcastically. "And by the way, I hated school."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That is exactly why I'm studying History and not Archeology. I want to be a teacher. And a good one. The minor in Psychology is supposed to help with that."

"Psychology?" Elle asked, all the little pieces she had about Connor suddenly falling into place.

"You shouldn't be that surprised about that one."

"No. Actually, I'm not." And she really wasn't.

Connor was about to add something else when a loud knock on the door echoed through the small house. Connor and Elle frowned, and they walked into the living room to see a confused Stelle opening the door.

On the other side of it stood an Eskimo. Or he might as well been, since he was wearing a large, thick parka. His head was outlined by a bunch of fur that hardly allowed to see his face clearly. All Elle could distinguish where two slanted eyes and a small nose.

"Can I come in?" he said, shaking slightly because of the strong winds that threatened to take him away at any given moment.

"Of course," Stelle nodded.

Elle and Connor exchanged looks. Even if they loved Stelle for everything she had done for them, they weren't really sure that letting a random stranger with a large jacket–where he could be hiding many scary things–was a good idea.

Or at least that was what they thought until he pulled the jacket hoody down and Elle got a chance to see him clearly.

"Hey! You are the man that sat next to me on the plane," she exclaimed, a smile creeping into her face for no apparent reason.

"Yes, I am," he nodded, unzipping his jacket and revealing a suit.

Yep. He was just as friendly as he had been on the plane.

Connor frowned. "Why are you wearing a su–?"

"It was supposed to be a short trip," the man answered quickly. "I'm Min-ho Kun. And I bring news about our flight."

❄ 

As it turned out, the group would leave the following morning, not the one after that. Min-ho had been sent (at lack of any other volunteers) to deliver the news, since the plane couldn't leave until everyone had been notified. And apparently, Min-ho really wanted to leave.

After the news had been delivered, the man in the suit said he had to go back to town. But, of course, Stelle caused a scene (much to Elle and Connor's amusement) and forced the business man to stay the night. At one point, the two of them even got into a fight in what Elle presumed was Korean. Which had been hilarious for the two younger adults.

Once the matter had been settled and Stelle been declared triumphant, the four of them sat around Stelle's tiny kitchen table for biscuits and tea. And so the awkward silence began.

"So... are you North Korean or South Korean?" Connor asked after a while.

Elle and Stelle turned to stare at him, both of them wide eyed.

And then Elle realized exactly what was he doing. Breaking the ice. Even if that made him look like an ignorant jackass.

Min-ho smirked like he had been expecting Connor to say something as rude and stupid as that. "Do you take history at school? Actually, do you even got to school?" he said, somehow making his questions sound polite.

"Nah. I'm a rebel bad boy who drives a motorcycle and gets all the girls," Connor replied with a wink in Elle's direction, making Stelle laugh.

"Right. Like we would believe that," the owner of the little cabin replied with a smile.

Connor turned to Elle. "Do you believe it?"

She smirked. "Nah. I don't think girls are even capable of liking you."

"Wow. So you do think I'm hot," Connor said.

"I most certainly did not just say that..."

Min-ho laughed and joined forces with Connor. "Oh my god. She actually does."

"What–?" Elle began saying, but Connor and Min-ho, as the men they were, exchanged smirks. "Oh, shut up, you two."

❄

That night, after Stelle had said goodbye and left for bed, and while Min-ho took a shower, Elle and Connor lay on their makeshift beds and talked.

"I'm going to miss her," Elle whispered, looking up at the ceiling and thinking about how much she would miss everything.

"So will I. You know? I wonder why everyone thinks she's crazy. I think she's bloody wicked," Connor replied, and Elle tried to suppress a giggle. "What?"

"Bloody wicked," she explained, and then burst out laughing.

"Yeah, right. Just laugh you bloody American."

Elle inhaled sharply. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Said what?"

"You said bloody American! That was mean!"

"Well," Connor said, sitting up on the floor so he could get a better look at her. "I would expect you'd find that funny too."

"Well I didn't," she said, trying to look serious.

"In my defense, I did," Connor replied with a shrug.

In response, Elle threw one of the pillows down into his head.

"Oi!"

"You know what?" Elle said with a smile as she leaned back down onto her pillow. "If I think it through, it might have actually been a little bit funny."

"Oh, belt up!"

"What?" Elle squealed and burst into laughter again.