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Dan really should have listened to his mother when she told him that he should wait, because there was a blizzard supposedly going to hit the day he was planning on leaving and it was going to be a big one. But Dan was confident that he could drive fast enough and miss the blizzard.
Well now the universe is laughing at him.
Because Dan’s driving now and it’s snowing like crazy outside with high winds, and Dan’s car is slowing down the more he keeps on driving. It’s not like he can turn back either. He’s just out of the city now, and no one’s going to come out and save him in this weather. So, he’s pretty much screwed.
“Dammit, come on, you stupid car!” Dan shouts, pushing as hard as he can on the gas pedal, trying as hard as he can. He looks up, sighing because he can hardly see out the window with all the snow covering the window, even with his windshields going the fastest speed. Dan is pretty much screwed, and his mother is going to tell him ‘ I told you so ’ in her annoying motherly way because she was right.
Dan finally gives up, and sits back in his seat. He sits there for a moment, pondering what he should do. Then he pulls out his phone and luckily he still has over fifty percent left, but unluckily for him, he has absolutely no signal which means he can’t even call his mom to ask for help.
Dan startles when he hears knocking suddenly. He looks over and sees a man standing outside his door, as soon as they lock eyes, the man gestures for Dan to roll down his windows. He reluctantly does.
“Can I help you?” Dan asks, staring at the man.
The man chuckles, and shakes his head. “Sorry, but it’s more like it’s you who needs help. What the hell are you doing driving in this weather? You’re not going to get anywhere in this mess,”
Dan lets out an annoyed sigh, starting to feel more frustrated with this situation. “Yeah, thanks a lot, dude. I’m starting to realize that,” he grumbles.
“Your car broke down?”
Dan nods. “It’s not moving, and now I’m stuck here,” he says sadly.
“No, you’re not stuck. My house is right there-” the man says, pointing at the house right beside them. It’s a small one story house. “Why don’t you come inside and hunker down until the weather dies down?”
Dan raises his eyebrows. He would love nothing more than to get inside where it’s warm, but he’s not sure if he’s able to trust this man he’s never even met before. “Stranger danger?”
The man raises his eyebrows. “Look, I promise I’m not a murderer or anything. Like, I’ve literally never even killed a bug in my life. I just know when someone needs help. I know I’d want some help if I were in your position. I can help you push your car into my driveway and then we can go inside for hot chocolate. If you still don’t trust me, I won’t make you stay,” he says.
Dan frowns, and shivers slightly from the wind getting inside his car. “Okay. Okay fine. Let me just put my jacket and gloves on,” he says. He quickly grabs his jacket from the back and then slides his gloves on. He struggles a bit before getting his door open and stepping out of the car. He’s instantly hit with a huge gust of wind hitting his face. “Jesus on a boat.”
“That’s an interesting saying,”
Dan jumps slightly, and he looks over to see the man walking over to him.
“My name’s Phil, by the way. I thought that would be useful for you to know,” he says.
“Dan,” Dan replies. “So, are we really going to push my car into your driveway? Just the two of us?”
“Yes. I’ve pushed a car with just one other person before. It’s possible,” Phil says, and walks over towards the back of the car. “You just have to put all your muscle into pushing.”
Dan cackles. “ Muscle ? You don’t even know who you’re talking to, mate,” he says, and follows Phil’s lead. “This is the first real exercise I’ve gotten in years.”
“Well I’m not doing all the work so push,” Phil demands lightly. They start pushing against the car, and it doesn’t work at first. It takes a few tries before they get the car moving. Then they finally get the car into Phil’s driveway. The wind or the snow hasn’t slowed down slightly, and Dan’s ready to get inside. “Okay-”
“Stop-” Dan says as he holds up his hand before bending down to catch his breath.
Phil huffs out a laugh. “Oh, come on. Don’t be dramatic. It wasn’t even that bad,”
Dan looks up at Phil and glares at him. “Wasn’t even that bad? We just moved a whole bloody car!”
“Alright. How about we go inside after all that hard work then? I’ve got hot chocolate calling our names,” Phil says, and nods his head towards his head.
Dan bites his lip slightly before nodding his head, feeling too exhausted to argue or protest because they just pushed a whole car into a driveway. “Yeah, that- that sounds nice,” he says.
“Okay cool,” Phil says, before gesturing to Dan to follow him. They walk up to the house. Phil pushes the door open, and they’re instantly greeted by a little dog barking at them. “Thor, back. Get back.”
Dan’s eyes widen at the sight of the dog. “Holy shit. You have a dog?”
Phil laughs, nodding. “Yeah, just got him a few weeks ago. He’s a couple months old, bless him,”
“Oh my God. Why didn’t you start with that?” Dan asks, bending down and holding out his hand, allowing the dog to sniff him. He grins when he seems to get approval from the dog, and pets him gently.
“Thor loves people. He’s probably going to bug you for attention the entire time you’re here,”
Dan looks up at Phil with raised eyebrows. “You named your dog Thor?”
“I’m a Marvel nerd. Sue me,” Phil says. “How about that hot chocolate?”
“Yeah, sure. Can Thor come with us?” Dan asks hopefully as he looks up at Phil.
Phil laughs. “Sure, I guess so,” he replies, shrugging. “Come on, Thor. Let’s go to your favorite place in the house. It’s probably dinner time for you anyways.” Phil leads the way into the kitchen.
Dan stands straight, and he follows Phil into the house. “Lovely house,” he comments, glancing around.
“Thank you,” Phil says. “I’ve worked hard on it over the years.”
“It shows,” Dan compliments. “I’d never leave if I lived in a house like this. Hey, do you have cell service? Uhm, I probably need to call my mum and tell her that I’ll be arriving late, and my phones in the car. I’m… I’m not going back out in that cold weather.”
“I don’t have cell service with the weather, but you can try with the house phone,” Phil says.
Dan raises his eyebrows. “Good thing I have her number memorized,” he says.
Phil nods. He grabs the phone laying on the kitchen counter and tosses it over to Dan. “I’ll get started on that hot chocolate while you give your mum a ring,” he tells Dan.
“Thanks,” Dan mumbles, and walks over to the windows. He dials in his mom’s number. Dan bites his lip as he looks out the window. It’s definitely a blizzard outside, and he’s worried about how long he’s going to be stuck at this stranger’s house. The wind and the snow is only getting worse as seconds pass.
“Hello?”
Dan sighs in relief as soon as he hears his mom’s voice. “Mum?”
“Dan, oh thank goodness, sweetheart. I tried calling you earlier, but you didn’t pick up!”
Dan chuckles. “Yeah, I probably didn’t get it. Not in this weather,” he mumbles.
“Where are you? Are you somewhere safe? We’ve been watching the weather reports-”
“I’m somewhere safe,” Dan says. He knows his mom will be glad to hear that part, but he’s not sure how she’s going to feel about the fact that he’s trapped at some stranger’s house. “Like, I just barely made it out of town when the bloody car broke down, but some nice stranger helped me get out of the road and he’s letting me stay at his house until it’s safe to go back outside.”
“Dan,”
“I know, mum. I know. It’s not the most ideal situation, but I’m safe. I promise. He’s nice,”
“You don’t know that. He’s a complete stranger-”
“Mum, trust me. The guy helped me push my car out of the road and into his driveway,” Dan says.
“He did?” His mum asks, her voice becoming lighter. “Oh, wow. That was nice of him.”
“Exactly,” Dan laughs. “Not every stranger I meet is a murderer. There are some nice people out there.”
“You never know. It’s always better to be safe than sorry,” his mum retorts. “I’m glad you’re safe, although I am disappointed your arrival will be delayed.”
“I’m still making it home, one way or another. It’s just going to take longer than expected,” Dan says, before letting out a sigh. “I just wanted to call you and let you know that I was going to be late.”
“Oh, alright dear. Call me as soon as you can with any updates,”
“I will, mum. I’ll see you soon, okay? Love you,” Dan says before hanging up. He takes a deep breath before turning to look at Phil, who’s focused on making the hot chocolate. Dan walks over to the counter and sets the phone down where it was before.
“Everything okay?” Phil asks, glancing over at him with a curious look on his face.
“Yeah,” Dan replies, nodding. “She’s just a worried mother is all.”
Phil chuckles. “So I can tell,” he says. “I promise I’m not a murderer or something. I could never…”
“I know. You don’t give off serial killer vibes so that’s always a plus,” Dan says, and he leans against the kitchen counter. “Is there any particular reason you helped me today? Like, what made you go outside?”
“I was watching the blizzard by the window- '' Phil nods towards where Dan was just previously standing. “When I noticed your car in the road. I couldn’t really see if anyone was in the car or not, so I thought that I’d go out and investigate. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I saw someone in need of help and ignored it, only to find out something bad happened to them later,” Phil explains.
“Well, thanks. I… I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come out to help,” Dan says. “Honestly… I’d probably be having a breakdown in my car right now if it weren’t for you.”
Phil chuckles. “Yeah, I’d probably be doing the same if I were in your position,”
“Exactly,” Dan says, nodding, because what else would you do when your car breaks down in the middle of a blizzard? Not that Dan would know. This is the first blizzard he’s ever been stuck in.
Phil finally finishes making the hot chocolate, and then he takes Dan into the living room.
Dan can’t help but feel the warmth and coziness of Phil’s house. It almost reminds him of home.
Phil puts on a random Disney Christmas movie, and Dan doesn’t complain. He sits on the chair and takes a sip of his hot chocolate before setting it down on the table beside the chair. He gasps lightly when Thor suddenly jumps up onto his lap.
“Thor!” Phil scolds, glaring at the dog. “I’m so sorry about him. He thinks he can do whatever he wants.”
“It’s okay,” Dan says, and starts petting Thor. “I don’t mind, as long as you allow him on the furniture.”
“Why get a pet at all if you’re not going to allow him on the furniture?” Phil asks, scoffing.
“Exactly!” Dan exclaims, shaking his head in disbelief. “I have this argument all the time with my mum. She doesn’t want Colin on the furniture because he has fur then why did she get him in the first place?”
**
Dan ends up being stuck at Phil’s house for almost two full days. The blizzard lasts all night, and the snow doesn’t stop until the next morning, but the roads don’t clear up for two days.
Dan is ecstatic when the weather reports that roads are safe for traveling again. Of course, he absolutely enjoyed his stay at Phil’s house. Phil is a joy to be around. He’s kind, and sweet, and made sure Dan felt at home the entire stay. Dan almost didn’t want to leave, but he also wanted to see his family.
“Thank you again for… everything,” Dan says as they stand on the porch.
“You’re more than welcome. It was nice having some company around for a change,” Phil says.
“Make sure you give Thor extra cuddles from me when I’m gone?” Dan asks.
Phil laughs, and he nods. “Of course I will, as if that dog isn’t spoiled enough,” he says, and he pulls Dan in for a friendly hug, before pulling away. “Be safe out there, okay? Oh, and-” He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and then hands it to Dan. “Call me when you’re home safe, alright?”
Dan holds onto the piece of paper that has Phil’s phone number on it. He nods, and looks up at Phil. “Well, mum is expecting me this evening so I better get going.”
“Alright, bye Dan,” Phil says, hesitating before opening the door and stepping into the house.
Dan bites his lip slightly before walking off towards his car. He carefully opens the car door and gets in. He shivers, because it’s absolutely freezing in his car. It takes him a few tries before his car gets started again. Luckily Phil was kind enough in helping him fix his car while they waited for the roads to clear.
Dan looks up at Phil one last time, and he waves at Phil, before he starts backing out of the driveway.
This isn’t how Dan thought he would spend his Christmas holiday, but he’s certainly not complaining.