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THE CITY LIGHTS of Casper flickered in the distance, revealing its occupied state, prompting Ellie, Joel, and Cindy to make a cautious detour, much to their disappointment. They knew on approach that something was wrong. But now it was getting very dark, and they were sort of stranded in the forest, following a barely visible path.
They walked in silence for another hour or so, all completely exhausted and just wanting to get far enough away from Casper to know they won't have any trouble from the group that occupied it. Cindy thanked every higher power in the universe when they came across a cabin. It was small and rugged as ever, but it had four walls. No stairs, but four walls.
"Looks pretty untouched." Cindy observed.
Joel went in first. Cindy and Ellie were close behind. It was untouched. Whoever used to own it probably fled to Casper. Big mistake on their part.
"Holy shit, this place is fuckin' old." Ellie marvelled at the living room, which had a man open kitchen right next to it, both very small. She opened a door in the hall and her eyes lit up. "Hey, this bedroom is kinda cool." She exclaimed. There was a single bed, posters on the wall and an old pink telephone on the bedside table. It looked like it belonged to someone of Ellie's age before the outbreak. "I call dibs on this room." She said, lying back onto the bed, exhausted from the journey.
Cindy opened the door next to the one Ellie had just opened - the last door. Another bedroom. Probably belonged to the adults that previously owned the place. One double bed. Cindy bit her lip, glancing at the bed and then back at Joel.
"You can take the bed, Joel." She said. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch."
"Now what kind of a man would that make me if I let you sleep on that old couch while I got the bed?" Joel questioned.
"It's one night, Joel." Cindy said. "And you're always on watch anyway. You need a good nights sleep."
"Not happenin', sweetheart." Joel said. "I got the couch, you got the bed."
"Joel, I'm not kidding." She chuckled.
"Neither am I." Joel insisted.
"Why don't you both just take the bed?" They heard Ellie's voice from the other room. "It's a double, isn't it?"
Cindy ignored the rapid beating of her heart and brushed it off with a casual shrug. Joel stiffened and Cindy noticed, chuckling. "I don't have cooties you know, Joel."
"I know." Joel rolled his eyes. "As long as you don't mind."
"I don't mind, Joel." Cindy smiled, walking into the room and letting her bag slide off her back onto the floor next to the right side of the bed. She heard Joel manoeuvring the couch around, presumably shuffling it in front of the door.
Cindy slipped her boots off her feet and her coat off her upper body. It was chilly, but warmer now there was no harsh winds blowing snow at them. It needed to dry anyway. Joel walked into the room as she was sliding herself under the duvet. She could feel every spring in the mattress, but it was the best they'd had in a long time. He took his own coat off and then sat on the bed to remove his boots.
She admired his broad shoulders while he was facing away from her. God, she wished she could see how they looked underneath his shirt. She averted her eyes when he laid back onto the bed, shifting to get comfortable.
"Aren't you going to get underneath the duvet? It's cold, you know." Cindy giggled.
Joel glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips as he shuffled himself under the covers. "Jus' didn't want to make you uncomfortable, is all."
"Don't be silly, Joel. You'll freeze otherwise." She chuckled. "And you don't make me uncomfortable."
Joel's body heat made a noticeable difference in the warmth of the bed. They both laid on their backs for a moment. Not a long moment, nor a short one. But there was something in the air. Something unspoken.
Joel turned his head to Cindy. She felt his watchful eye and turned to meet his gaze. "So... Lucinda, huh?"
Cindy cringed. "Ellie told you."
"She didn't tell me, per se, but it did come outta her mouth." Joel said. "Why, you don't like it?"
"Lucinda." She tested her own name on her tongue. "It just doesn't sound like me." She chuckled. "Lucinda Sebastian."
"Helluva lot better than Joel Miller." He shook his head.
"Joel Miller is hot shit." Cindy smirked, cocking a brow.
"Nuhuh, Cindy Sebastian is hot shit." Joel argued.
"Shut up." Cindy chuckled, shaking her head.
Another silence enveloped them, but this time their heads were facing each other. There was a faint smile on the corners on Cindy's lips, and Joel's eyes were locked on her. Neither of them knew what was happening between them. Neither of them wanted to be the first to bring it up, or make the first move.
And it wasn't clear who touched who first. But the next thing Cindy knew was that Joel's hand was in hers. It was a delicate touch a first, fingers just slightly brushing together until their hands were fully interlocked.
"Joel..." Cindy barely even whispered his name.
"I know, sweetheart." He responded, his voice the same. "I know." His thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand.
She wanted to kiss him so bad. But she didn't. He knew she wanted to. He wanted her to. Because he knew if he did it he'd be stuck. He wouldn't be able to leave them with Tommy. He was holding himself back so much to avoid that kind of hurt. But, God, he wanted her so bad it ached.
Cindy shuffled closer to him. He let go of her hand and pulled her into his chest. He held her close and she listened to his heart beat. They lay there, content with the physical touch for now.
