Losing you ; Joel Miller

xxiii. If the world never ended

[1998]
EDEN

Shifting her weight from one leg to the other, Eden swallowed the large lump in her throat. The clock on her wrist taunted her as she found herself looking at it for the fifth time that evening.

     7:02, Callum wasn't even that late, but she still found herself pressing her sweaty palms against the rough material of her jeans. Eden had never snuck out before, she'd never had a reason to.

     7:04, Eden wrapped her arms around herself, rocking on the soles of her feet. If her father would wake up right now and decide to check in on her, she would be crucified.

     7:05, the exhale she let out was shaky, lowering her head, she worried her lower lip as she felt tears start to form. Had Callum stood her up? Maybe he finally came to his senses about how messed up she really was.

     " Eden!" Flinching with a yelp, Eden's heart hammered at the thought of actually getting caught, but instead of being met by stern eyes, she found herself melting at the sight of dark youthful eyes. " I'm really sorry for being late!"Callum wheezed out, leaning over the bike, his chest heaved as he gasped for air. " I also didn't mean to startle you- I'm sorry- I just- I lost track of time" all the worry Eden had previously felt fizzled away, a small grin tugging on her face as she watched the boy apologise profusely with a flustered look on his face.

Eden stood on her tiptoes, silencing him with a small kiss on cheek " you're here now, that's all that matters" the boy's cheeks bloomed with blush, his usual confident demeanour disappearing as he turned shy.

" Hold onto me, don't want you falling off" Callum's voice was soft as Eden sat herself down on the bike, arms snaking around his abdomen. " I've never been on a bike before" she mumbled out feebly, hoping he won't judge. " Thats ok, tell me if it gets scary... you ready?" She nodded, cheek pressed against his shoulder.

" Let's go!"

[2023]
JOEL

     The woods appeared to grow more dense in the night, the absence of usual ambient sounds paired with the darkness that laid over the trees; created a perfect setting for the mind to play tricks on itself. Nightmares are grim and unforgiving, haunting its victim even after they've left the dream state. It hunts the vulnerable, sinking it's claws into them as if they were prey.

     Insomnia basks in the fear and pain of Nightmares' victims, for the vulnerable's often futile attempt at escape, is to not sleep. The two walk hand in hand, destroying the prey piece by piece until they are nothing.

" No one's gonna find us?"

     Ellie had asked the question in a way that made his answer seem like a promise. He had initially thought about getting some sleep that night, but that idea was thrown out the window as soon as he closed his eyes.

    " You should be sleeping" he instantly recognised the soft voice, his body reacting to her feather light touch. " I couldn't..." he murmured out, body unconsciously moving closer to her. " I know" they were both whispering, not wanting to disturb the silent peace in the forest.

     " Do you ever wonder... if the world never ended..." if we would've met?

     " All the time" he admitted, finding solace in her hazel gaze. It was the truth, he'd imagined scenarios where their paths crossed in a non-apocalyptic world. He would've been at a bar, drinking. He'd notice her from across the room, of course he would, her beauty was striking. She would sit down with a couple of her friends and their eyes would meet.

     " I don't think you would've been interested in me back then" he laughed, but somewhere deep inside, the thought pained him. " That's not true" she disagreed, " you're exactly my type" her tone had grown playful, pressing her soft lips against his patchy beard. " You mean to tell me that pre apocalypse, you had a thing for men 13 years older than you?" His eyes squinted humorously.

" Not all of them... but I definitely wouldn't have minded if it was you" her smile was like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world. " I would've probably bought you a drink" he murmured as he pressed his cheek against her forehead " asked for my number?" She giggled, leaning closer to him. " Taken you out on dates... let you meet my family... have amazing morning sex..." she gasped with faux outrage, playfully slapping his chest.

The painful truth that they would never have that dug itself deep into Joel's chest and made it's home there. He didn't meet her at a bar, she had killed her way out of her own personal hell and just so happened to pass out from blood loss in front of him.

Sarah was dead and Tommy was nowhere to be found. The world had ended, going on dates and having movie nights were faded memories of the past.

He wished they could've met at a bar, where he would've bought her a drink and given her his number, that they would have started to get to know each other through dinner dates at her favourite restaurant or long walks home to his place. He longed for late Friday nights in a world where Sarah was still alive, sleeping soundly on Eden's lap as they watched tv together.

He could wish on every single falling star.

It would till never come true.

Honey is typing...
I've noticed I enjoy writing moments that aren't exactly shown in the series or games, so I think might incorporate more of those moments into the story (while still following the canon timeline)

Let me know what you guys think, i wanna hear your opinions about it :)