Twenty-Eight
sadie
While we were scavenging in the empty apartments yesterday, Tim found someone’s wine stash. He brought a couple of bottles up to the rooftop—one red, one white—to celebrate our last night together.
As the sun disappeared and the festoon lights picked up the slack, my first glass of Chardonnay went down way too quickly. I sipped my way through a second and decided it would be my last. It would only make our goodbyes harder in the morning if I had a hangover.
“I haven’t heard this song in years.” Tim sat back in an armchair, bobbing his head to the classic rock album Owen had loaded into his old school CD player.
“Which means I’ll be hearing it over and over for the next few days,” Varesh said. “Off key and a lot louder.” He’d taken the end seat on the couch, his crossed leg rocking in time with the beat.
“At least your husband serenades you,” Laura said, squeezing into the remaining space with her family.
“Who are we kidding here? If I opened my mouth to sing, you’d just tell me to shut it again.” Owen’s eyes gleamed with affection, his arms draped along the back of the couch to make room for the girls.
And I had my favourite seat—one I never could have imagined occupying in all the time we’d lived next door to each other: Theo’s lap.
When we first came up here, he dropped into the armchair opposite Tim. As I passed by with my wineglass, Theo gave me a lazy smile and pulled me down with him. Now, his hand rested on my hip, his fingers swirling distracting patterns on my leggings.
I sipped my wine and met Tim’s eyes over the rim of the glass. My chest ached with the weight of what we were about to lose, the laughter and memories warm enough to cut through the chill in the air. I couldn’t predict when I’d feel anything like this again.
Tim pressed his lips together and nodded slowly, as if he understood without having to say the words out loud.
Dammit. My eyes filled with tears. I sucked in a breath and pasted a smile on my face. “Did you pack your CD collection?” I asked Owen, setting my half-full glass on the coffee table.
All of us had spent the afternoon loading our cars with whatever we could cram into the space. Tomorrow, Laura, Owen and the girls were heading east, while Theo would take me south-west. Tim and Varesh had agreed to wait five days for Ava before joining us at the farm. I wanted to beg for more.
“That, and everything but the furniture.” Owen slid the girls a knowing look.
“We’re never coming back here.” Willow pushed off the couch and went straight to the treadmill, taking her last opportunity to practice her funny walks. “I’m not leaving all my stuff behind.”
“It’s all right.” Laura smiled as the low whir of the motor kicked in. “We’re starting over,” she said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get you settled at Auntie Ro’s.”
A silent beat passed, broken by the squeal of tyres and shouting from somewhere down on the street. Up here with the people I cared about most, I could almost forget what was waiting for us outside these walls.
“At least we know our weapons work when we hit the road in the morning.” Theo slipped his thumb under my jacket and touched the bare skin on my lower back. “Gav came through with the goods. No flimsy replicas.”
I didn’t know if it was the cold air or his touch, but I shivered and tried to hide my reaction. “And you guys have Ellie with the mace finishing strike,” I said to Laura. “I got the one who vomits at the sight of blood.”
“Hey.” Theo pulled me closer and pressed a kiss on my cheek. “I didn’t throw up this morning.”
I patted his thigh as my face heated. “I’m proud of you.”
His eyes glimmered in the low light. Tempting, thrilling. Too personal for our current company. I cleared my throat and looked away.
Laura caught the exchange and gave me a sad smile. She wouldn’t be around to see our relationship develop, and I’d miss watching her girls grow into women. I’d never get to meet her sister, Ro, or visit the place where they’d spend the rest of their lives—however long that lasted.
God, I hoped they lasted.
My throat tightened, and I had about three seconds before I lost my composure. I passed Theo his glass, then lifted mine again.
“Why don’t we do a toast?” I shoved down the emotion and waited for everyone to raise their glasses. “To a successful day fighting zombies.”
“And staying alive,” Tim said.
“And maybe, just maybe, seeing each other again someday,” Ellie added, clinking her glass against Laura’s.
“Apart from Dustin,” Varesh threw in, reminding me I’d barely given our building manager a thought.
As the others laughed, I drew a shuddering breath and touched my glass to Theo’s. The fragile threads holding us together were unravelling, and I wanted to hold on to them as long as I could.
Theo’s hand swept across my lower back, his breath warming my neck. The festoon lights flickered and swayed in the breeze, throwing moving shadows over the space. Willow’s footsteps thudded softly on the treadmill in the background.
As the group broke off into quieter, separate conversations, I hoped that when we left here tomorrow, the memory of us would linger on the rooftop—that our presence wouldn’t be forgotten.
“Come on.” Theo gave my back a brisk rub and eased the wineglass from my fingers. “Time to call it a night.”
I reluctantly climbed off his lap and took one last look around, imprinting the image on my brain.
My heart twisted, but I forced a smile.
He’d timed our departure perfectly, because I’d already started second-guessing myself.
After showering and changing into a loose tank and long pyjama bottoms, I stood at Theo’s living room window, staring into the darkness.
The streetlights were still glowing out there, but they’d fizzle in the coming days—just like every other part of our lives we’d taken for granted.
The occasional house had illuminated windows, and slow-moving silhouettes staggered down the centre of the road, their numbers growing by the day.
Somewhere out there, Ava was making her way home. I hoped she was still herself, that she hadn’t become one of the dead. Rubbing my bare arms, I tried not to imagine what she was going through.
The rumble of the pipes stopped, and my heart thudded faster. Theo would be out of the bathroom soon, his damp hair messy and adorable, his mouth tilted upward in that all too appealing smile.
The wine on the rooftop had given me a warm feeling inside—or maybe it was the memory of his thumb nudging beneath my jacket.
I huffed out a breath and stared at my reflection in the window. Why lie to myself? The wine had nothing to do with it. It was all Theo.
When the door opened, my stomach did an annoying flip. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder to know he was smiling at me.
“Can’t you sit in a normal chair anymore?” he asked. “Are you waiting for my lap again?”
I turned to face him, expecting to see a playful look to match his words, but his eyes were soft and sincere. “Is it still available?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
So taken with his expression, I didn’t notice the rest of him at first. Bare chest. Black pyjama pants.
My gaze dropped lower, and my pulse jumped.
Nothing under those pants. Entranced by the intricate lines on his skin, I moved closer, stopping when we were almost toe to toe.
Tattoos covered both arms and part of his chest, a tangle of roses and thorns. Skulls. A straight razor.
I’d seen the artwork on his arms, but his chest piece stood out from all the others. A hint of colour amidst the darkness.
On his left pec, a dark, masculine silhouette embraced a woman made entirely of roses, her red petals scattering behind her on the wind. The longer I stared at the image, the heavier my chest grew. No matter how tightly he clung to her, she was slipping away from him.
I lifted my hand before I could stop myself, carefully tracing the petals.
His mum. I didn’t need to ask. It was there in the tattoo’s placement, in the desperation to keep her grounded while the wind took her.
Theo shivered and clasped my wrist, sweeping his thumb over my pulse. “I wish you could have met her.”
“So do I.” The roughness of his voice almost broke me. I leaned in and pressed a kiss on the tattooed version of him, and with a harsh breath, he slipped his hand around the back of my neck to hold me to him.
With my cheek turned to his chest, I hugged his waist and listened to the steady beat of his heart. For a few precious seconds, all I cared about was the warmth of his arms, and I was in no hurry to move.
Shouting drifted up from the street, the outside interrupting, a reminder it was always waiting for us.
I pushed it from my mind and lifted my head.
Theo stroked my temples, then traced the curve of my chin. His eyes followed the movement as if he were memorising me, and I took in his clean-shaven jaw, the softness of his lower lip.
Anytime he touched me, my body swayed toward him, seeking more. I swept my palms up his back, holding his gaze now when weeks ago I would have shied away. My fingertips trailed down his spine again, my touch featherlight.
He shivered and murmured, “Are you ready for tomorrow?”
A road trip into the unknown with who knew how many undead blocking the way? As far as first dates went, I would have chosen almost any other option. “I don’t know—and I’d be lying if I said anything different.”
“We’ll be fine.” Theo brushed my jaw lightly with his thumb, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “We’ll take care of each other,” he said. “Ease into it… take our time.”
Were we still talking about the drive to his dad’s farm? My thoughts had headed in another direction, my body temperature rising to match the spark in his eyes. “Careful and slow?” I asked softly. “Make sure we’re thorough. Pay attention to every detail?”
He let out an amused breath that almost slipped into a groan. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”