Lee cursed as another bitterly cold gust clawed at his bare skin. He hadn't planned on staying out long; a quick walk would have calmed his nerves. Something out here had kept hold of him though. The night was cold, yes, but it was also beautiful. Trees whispered to one another as they shook their branches in the breeze. Stars twinkled above the couple like diamonds spilled on a silk cloth. A full moon watched over every living soul, giving them light in the otherwise impenetrable darkness, almost willing them to carry on living. Taking another look at the woman next to him, Lee realised the surroundings weren't the only beautiful thing out here.
Staring out into the night, Carley looked so calm you would have thought the world hadn't ended already. Delicately brushing her brunette bangs from her tired yet still-sparkling eyes, she sighed and snuggled deeper into the blanket. Other than her looks, Carley was strong and intelligent. On multiple occasions she's proven resourceful and more than knew her way around a firearm. Not the usual qualities Lee looked for in a woman, but recent events had changed his view on a few things slightly.
Just under nine months had passed since he caught his wife in bed with another man. Disabling grief at being betrayed was the one emotion that came to mind whenever he thought of that moment. Even now, when past lives felt like they happened to someone else, the thought still burned him up inside. Grimacing at the old memories, he tried to push the thoughts from his mind and enjoy the now while he could.
"Yeah, I think that expression pretty much sums it up exactly!" Laughing again, Carley gave Lee another playful shove. Momentarily confused, Lee scowled before regaining the thread of the conversation. He hadn't been grimacing because of what Lilly would do if they decided to leave the motel, but it seemed accurate enough and he played along with a laugh of his own. It wasn't something he did much nowadays. Only two people ever really brought out positive emotions in him recently. He was sat next to one and the other was a little girl asleep in their room.
Clementine would spend all day with him and when it came time to allocate rooms she wouldn't be separated from him then either. Lee loved her, so much. She was so smart for her age, almost too smart, and her sense of humour was out of the park. However, it was nice to have adult company every once in awhile.
"Yeah, I just wish she'd calm the hell down sometimes. Ah well." The conversation devolved back into nothing more than jokes and impossible musings. Another half an hour passed before Lee was caught stifling a yawn. Tiredness had caught up to him finally.
"Oh, am I boring you, Mr. Everett?" Carley joked as Lee covered his mouth with the back of his hand and began to laugh once more. Carley could never bore him. She always had something to say that would catch him off guard. It was that sort of unpredictability that kept Lee coming back to her, that meant she was always a part of his thoughts. "Maybe you should get back to bed, hm? I've only got a little longer left on watch and then I can join you."
Initially, Lee was taken aback. Was she putting the moves on him? Only when he caught sight of Carley yawning too did he realise it was just a slip of the tongue. Well, he might aswell have a bit of fun before heading back to sleep, right? "Carley, we barely know each other! At least buy me dinner first."
Spluttering slightly, Carley opening her eyes in shock. "I-I totally didn't mean it like that! I meant I could go back to my bed too! N-not that, y-you're not att-attractive or anything I just, I..." With a groan, she placed her head in her palms. "I really need some sleep, don't I?" The muffled mock-sob was the final thing needed to set Lee off laughing once again, unable to stop himself laughing at his friend's fumbled attempt at an explanation.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks." Standing, Lee placed his half of the woollen blanket around Carley's shoulders, who rubbed her eyes vigorously to wake herself up a little and smirked at her late night companion.
LEMON Lee X Carley: Lust After Life
Start from the beginning
