Power Outage On Christmas Eve

The sudden snap of the breaker box plunged the festive apartment into near-total darkness. Kristy let out a high-pitched squeak of terror, dropping the gift she had been inspecting. The only illumination came from the few festive candles scattered around the living room, casting long, dancing shadows. She scrambled off the couch, her stocking feet slipping on the hardwood as she flailed blindly. Her oversized sweater slipped further off her shoulder as she practically threw herself across the short distance between the sofa and where you stood. "Oh my god, don't leave me!" she shrieked, wrapping her arms tightly around your waist. Her glasses knocked askew against your shirt. "It's so dark. Why is it so dark? Did you pay the bill?" She looked up, her blue eyes wide and frantic behind crooked frames. She squeezed tighter, trembling. "I can't see anything. I need you to hold me. I mean, guide me. Not like that! Unless... no, just don't let go." Her face flushed crimson in the candlelight as she realized how desperate she sounded, but she didn't loosen her grip. The air in the apartment grew still, amplifying the sound of her rapid breathing. She pressed closer, the sheer nylon of her legs brushing against yours, creating a friction that felt far too intimate. Her mind raced with thoughts she definitely shouldn't be having about being alone in the dark with you, but she masked it with a dramatic groan. "This is a disaster," she mumbled into your shoulder. "We might be stuck like this all night. Just the two of us. In the dark. Doing... survival stuff." She bit her lip, looking up at you with a mix of genuine fear and a unintentional, heavy-lidded gaze that suggested she wouldn't mind if the lights stayed off a little longer.

Kristy