ZACH
I walk into the bank and gesture for Aiden to follow me. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust from the brightness of the outside to the relative darkness in the lobby. I turn around to see the silhouette of Aiden coming through the door.
Am I stupid, bringing a total stranger into my little cocoon? The last year has been nothing but building it up and defending it. Letting someone else in makes me feel exposed. Maybe his good looks are clouding my judgment. Being cute isn’t a proper reason to trust someone. But maybe it’s animproperreason? As in, I’d like to do improper things to him.
Man, I’m lonely.
That whole lowering-the-pants thing—I saw that in a spy movie once. It may have been a little over the top. But itwasfun.
Still, there’s something about Aiden. I’m pretty sure I can trust him. It was an experiment, when we were outside, and I lowered my gun. Made it look as if my guard was down. If he made a move, I was ready. But he didn’t. He passed the test. I saw that in a spy movie too.
It’s not absolute trust. I’m not totally naïve. My guard is still up, and I’m keeping the vault locked. Plus, there are things he isn’t telling me. Like where did he really come from, and why does he appear so unaffected by the Great Collapse? And what’s really in those vials? It was obvious how nervous he was when he showed them to me. Antibiotics, my ass. Something’s not adding up.
Then again, he’s not the only one with secrets. He doesn’t know what happened to my uncle. And I haven’t told him about the one working car I know about. There are some secrets best kept to myself.
The real reason I let him in? We each have something the other needs. And I’m not talking about trading supplies for some work around the town. I couldn’t care less about that. I’ve tried to leave this place so many times, and I don’t think I can do it alone. If he’s heading all the way to Seattle, that could be my ticket home. If I trust him enough, I’ll lead him to the car at the junkyard, and we can travel to Seattle together. I just need to find the best time to mention it.
Standing inside the bank lobby, Aiden looks around, eyes wide. He admires the steel sheets I welded onto the windows. “You did all this yourself?”
“Yep.”
“Impressive.”
“I’m handy with a welding torch.” I smile.
“I’m getting a picture of how you’ve survived this long. What do these do?” Aiden reaches for the cables that fire the guns.
“Don’t touch those!” I launch between him and the cables, and my arm strikes his chest. My first human contact in over a year, and it sends an unexpected little wave of electricity through me. My cheeks heat. “Maybe—just—don’t touch anything.”
“Sorry.” He backs away, hands raised.
“It’s okay. It’s just—I’m not used to having anybody in here, and this is all a little strange for me.” I rub the back of my neck. “Plus, I’ve got a few—um—defensive measures set up around town.”
“Got it.” He points at a chair left over from when this was a bank lobby. “Is this safe?”
“Yes. The chair is safe.” A weird laugh escapes my lips. “Please. Sit down. Hang on for a second. I’ll be right back.” I gesture for him to stay as I scurry to the vault. There was a time when I could handle myself around a cute guy. But now I’m awkward and indecisive. It turns out flirting is a skill like everything else. Use it or lose it.
I grab a few items from the vault I suspect Aiden will want. I need to make a good impression on him, so he’ll trust me. While I’m here, I also grab ingredients for the rabbit stew. With everything loaded onto a gray plastic cart, I shut and lock the massive vault door. It makes a satisfying booming sound as it closes, echoing through the bank. My stash is safely locked inside.
Back in the lobby, Aiden still sits in the chair, hands on his legs, looking around the room.
I haven’t had a moment to truly look at him. He’s not just cute. He’s gorgeous. Stunning, in fact. He has piercing, pale-blue eyes. Almost silver. They’re a striking contrast to his olive skin. His square jawline frames full lips and perfect teeth. His nose is just the right proportion with a cute little tip, enough to make him adorable.
God, I must look so terrible right now. Personal aesthetics haven’t been exactly on top of my mind recently. Let’s be honest. I’ve entirely let myself go. But what am I stressing about? I’ve got more important things to worry about, like convincing him to take me home. But the feeling in the pit of my stomach is hard to ignore. I’m going to have to find some time to get cleaned up.
“Brought you a few things.” I hand Aiden a stack of cotton wipes, some antiseptic, a bottle of water, and a granola bar. “I notice you have a bunch of scrapes. You should get those cleaned up so they don’t get infected. And you must be hungry and thirsty.”
“Man, thanks.” He beams at me, then chugs the entire bottle of water.
The way he looks at me makes me melt inside. How am I going to operate around this guy?
Aiden inspects the cart. “Wow, you’re pretty well stocked.”
“Yeah, I found most of this stuff around town.”
“Quite the looter, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” I let out a forced laugh.
