Outnumbered

“I have to admit, I was definitely one of those people.” Seri places Solo on the floor and then sits down in the chair with her hand on her stomach. “My phone was rarely more than a couple of feet away from me. Lots of social media and silly games. It still feels a little strange not having it. Every once in a while, I start to grab for it, and then I remember I lost it.”

“Is it in your backpack?”

“Yeah, I think so. The battery had been dead for a while though.”

“We could try to find it.”

“I’m not sure I want it anymore.”

“Why not?”

Seri looks at me for a long moment and then shakes her head.

“I guess I’m getting used to this rugged living.”

“A few hours in a snow cave, and you’re ready to join the Inuit?”

“Not exactly.” Seri leans forward and holds her hands out toward the fire. “But it does put the important things into perspective. Phones no longer make the list.”

“They were just getting popular when I started high school,” I tell her. “A couple of my friends had them, but they weren’t the fancy ones people have now. Mostly it was a way for parents to keep track of their kids after school.”

“That’s how I conned my father into buying me one.” Seri smiles, then frowns. “Well, Iris did, anyway. She was late getting home, and no one could find her. Our parents were worried sick. It turned out she was still at school—late soccer practice or something like that—and she finally called from a friend’s phone. After that, we both got phones of our own.”

I listen to Seri’s musing, but I need to get the sled back, so I excuse myself and gear up. It takes some time to get the wood from the sled stacked up on the far side of the fire, and having the door open during the task has cooled off the cabin again. I place the fish up on the kitchen counter to thaw and hang the caribou hide on a hook at the back wall. I’m completely exhausted by the time I’m done, but I go back to building up the fire with dense wood for extra heat. When the fire is blazing, I haul the sled back to the barn, then return to the cabin, ready to drop.

“You should get some sleep,” Seri says.

“Yeah.” It’s the only word I get out before I drop to the bed and close my eyes.

When I wake, Seri is standing by the fire, and Solo is curled up in his box. There’s no sunlight coming through the window, so I know I’ve slept through the rest of the day. Considering how little sleep I got last night, I must have needed it.

I sit up and ask Seri if she’s eaten yet.

“Yes, I fried some of that fish you brought back,” she says. “Solo has eaten, too. I made enough for you as well. It’s in the kitchen. Shall I warm it up?”

“I’ll get it.”

As I sit on the bed and eat, I watch Seri. She’s not doing anything—just standing by the fire—but I can’t stop looking at her while I think of the last time I was with Iris. I’m continually shocked at how normal it feels to have Seri here with me, and Iris...well, Iris certainly keeps me on my toes when she does choose to appear. My mind wanders to how it felt to be inside of Iris and wonder if it would feel different with Seri.

I lick my lips and glance away. I wonder wh

at might happen if I start asking about Iris. Would she hear the conversation and maybe make an appearance? Would she do the sort of things she did to me before, like holding me down on the bed and riding me until I couldn’t think?

Before I can come up with something to say to cause Iris to appear, Seri pulls me from my thoughts.

“I’m still cold,” she says. “Only the side of me facing the fire can get warm enough.”

Without thinking, I get off the bed and step up behind her. I press my chest to her back and wrap my arms around her waist.

“Is this better?”

“Yeah,” she says quietly.

I hold her close to me, trying to keep just enough distance to stop my cock from being obvious. She leans her head back on my shoulder and tilts her face to look at me.

“Thank you,” she whispers. She grips my forearms with her hands. “I do feel a little warmer.”

“My pleasure.”