“Because I may not stay here, and if I let myself admire you the way I want to, I’ll only hurt myself.”
His pupils dilated before he pulled back and ran a hand down his face. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled himself up with a groan. “I respect that, but we don’t know what the future’s going to be like. Life is short—especially now. I think it’s good to act on what you want in the moment.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes, missing his warmth already as I climbed out of the bed and pulled the flannel down. It hit mid-thigh, so it was basically like a dress, and I felt comfortable wearing it around them.
Nathan led the way out of the room, and Calix and Micah stopped whatever discussion they were having and swept their gazes to us. Goosebumps formed on my skin the longer they stared, and it was Micah who broke the silence.
“Mornin’, darlin’. Want some soup?” His gaze dropped to his flannel and up again as the warmth of the room seeped into me from the wood stove.
“Yes, please.”
Calix scooped some chicken noodle soup into a bowl and passed it to me, careful not to touch my fingers as he did so.
“Thank you,” I murmured, holding the warm bowl close as a shiver worked through me. “It’s nice and warm.”
“We all need it with the temps out now.” He busied himself with making bowls for all of them, and then he placed a lid over the pot. “Winter’s going to be bad.”
Once everyone had their bowls, Micah, Nathan, and I went to the sofa and sat down while Calix sat on the recliner.
The warm bowl balanced on my lap as I spooned a bite and brought it to my mouth. The chicken broth coated my tongue, and the warmth spread down my throat. I sighed, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of my lips. “Thank you guys. For everything.” I met Calix’s gaze. “And I promise to follow all the rules you have in place to keep you comfortable.”
He tilted his head, and his green eyes seemed to scrutinize me before he gave a sharp nod. “Appreciated.”
Nathan set his bowl down on the end table with a sigh. “Time for coffee.” He slapped his legs and got up, grabbing his empty bowl and taking it into the kitchen area to place it in a red dish bin.
“Coffee?” I perked up, continuing to eat the soup. “I haven’t had coffee since six months after the apocalypse started.”
“Oh, killer. I can’t even imagine that,” he cooed, grabbing a coffee press from the cabinet and getting to work making four cups of coffee.
“We don’t have cream, but we have a little bit of sugar left,” Micah told me, and my chest fluttered.
“That’s amazing. Thank you!”
I finished my bowl at the same time Nathan finished making the coffees, and he gave me a mug and took my bowl with a wink.
The ceramic mug heated my palms as I cupped it and inhaled the coffee scent. “It smells so good.”
“Tastes even better,” Nathan mused as he sat back down. Micah grabbed his and Calix’s mugs from the counter and gave Calix’s his before sitting back down.
I brought the mug to my lips, and delicious hot coffee burned its way down my throat. My tongue darted across my lips. “This is so good. How do you still have coffee?”
“We go scavenging once a month to keep stock high,” Micah explained, sipping on his coffee.
“Makes sense.” I took another drink. “We lived off the land and only the land. Our store-bought pantry foods ended up lasting a year, but then we had to rely just on the land—which was fine since we knew how to do that anyway.”
“That sounds nice,” Nathan murmured.
“It was. I’m worried about the farm and our livestock,” I admitted.
The guys seemed to share a look I couldn’t decipher, and I bit down on my lower lip before getting to my feet, mug stashed between my hands, and walked toward the window.
The sun was high in the sky, sunbeams splashing through the room and lighting up the floors and walls. We’d slept well into the afternoon.
My body stiffened as the groans stole my attention once again. It was a tidal wave of dead, some rotten and some not, walking through to cover distance, and my skin crawled as I watched them bulldoze over most things outside to continue down their path.
They were oblivious to us up in the trees, though, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
A blurred movement caught my eye of Spencer waving her hands in the window of the treehouse across from us, and my lips quirked into a smile…until she started making inappropriate gestures.
