It's the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass

 "Oh, I'm a little scared," Liv said as she was leaving the grocery store for the night. Rico was right behind her. He offered her to drive her home and she'd said, OK. After all, the wind was blowing a cold hard wind and snow was on it's way, if the ice didn't get them first.

"What's wrong?" He asked as they got into his little truck.

"Everything," She was a bit of a downer, but it was true. Everyone seemed to be waiting to get tested for COVID at work. It felt so inevitable. At least they'd both gotten vaccinated, but it was so recent. Was it enough? Should they even be in the car talking to each other? Yes, she did make him feel uneasy.

"It's not just that," she said when they got to the apartment parking lot. 

"What?" He looked at her as if hadn't she said enough to scare him?

"It's Bren's old boyfriend."

"What about him?"

"He showed up as I was leaving and he said he would wait for her," she winced as if she'd really done it this time.

"What do you mean? He's at the apartment?" Rico winced. Thinking this was not good.

She nodded. "He's in her room. He said he would just sleep until she got there."

"Holy shit," Rico couldn't help but say. He got out his phone then to call his brother.

"What are you doing?" She wanted to know.

"Where are you?" He asked his brother instead. Mario was still out with Bren.

"There's some guy in Bren's apartment," Rico got to the point. Naturally, Liv looked at him as if shouldn't have said it. "He told her roommate he was going to sleep in Bren's bed. That was when Liv left for work."

He could see the cringe on Liv's face as if she didn't want drama. Finally, Rico sighed when he got off the phone with his brother.

Liv looked away as if she didn't want to talk to him.

"He said he'd take care of it," Rico told her.

She nodded. "I shouldn't have told you."

"Why? I'm glad you did. You don't need strangers coming around. Why did you do it?"

She only hugged herself and looked away. "I dunno. It's just..I'm trying to get away from my own troubles at home. I just want some peace and quiet."

"It's that bad?" Rico just took it for granted that she had a good Christmas.

"When my brother's around, anything can happen," she looked sad when she said it. "It's like..I feel shell-shocked. And..and I'm sorry if I don't know how to make all the right decisions." It was then that she told Rico that Tristan was her brother.