"No problem. Consider it payment for the company." Carley's sarcasm never stopped coming, but somehow Lee felt warmed by her words. Did she find him attractive? Was there something more than friendship here? Sighing, Lee paused and took one last look at the night sky. When the dead started eating the living, the last thing on his mind had been finding romance. But sometimes it just snuck up on you.
"Any time..." Swinging his body easily over the edge of the RV's roof, Lee slowly made his way down the thin, rickety ladder. His dull footsteps rang out into the night, bouncing off the dank, motel walls as they took him closer to his room. The doors were all a deep brown, but not from the natural colour of the wood used to make them. Instead, the peeling paint probably hid a flimsy, soft wood beneath. In the dark, it was hard to tell where the doors actually were and Lee had forgotten his torch but this path was so well trodden it didn't matter.
Hand stopping at the chilling touch of the door handle, Lee turned back to look at what he expected to be the back of Carley's head. Instead, even in the dim light of the moon, they locked eyes. She'd watched him all the way back. Both parties quickly turned their heads in embarrassment. There was something there, Lee could tell. And if they both reacted like he had, Carley's cheeks would be flushed a bright red right about now. At least it might warm up the poor girl a bit. Smiling and shaking his head in disbelief at the feelings within him, Lee gently turned the golden door knob and walked back into the comfort of his warm room.
"Lee? Is that you?" The sweet, quiet voice greeted him instantly. Clementine must've woken up at the sound of the creaking door. "Are you okay?" Torch in hand, she shone it around the room until the beam found Lee's face. Such a bright light was torture to eyes so accustomed to the darkness.
"Hey sweetpea." Protecting his sensitive eyes to with the back of his palms, he spoke softly and with a genuine happiness that had been missing for a while now. Lee always tried to stay positive when it came to Clem, but sometimes it just wore thin. "You mind not blinding me with that thing?" Clem mumbled an apology and turned the torch off, leaving a rainbow of twinkling stars in his vision despite not being outside any more.
"Where did you go? Is something wrong?" She sure did ask a lot of questions sometimes, but Lee couldn't blame her for being inquisitive. As his eyes recovered, he maneuvered over to Clementine's bed. Originally, the bed in this room had just been a double but Lee thought Clem deserved a bed of her own and shifted a single one in here too. It fit in just right with a bit of rearranging of the other furniture. However, it did mean movement space was a bit tight for him. Clem, with her small, petite frame, managed to get around with ease.
Sitting upright in her bed, Clem's hair was a ruffled mess. Her eyes were half closed and every time she spoke she stifled a yawn. Eventually, Lee crouched next to her and tucked her back into bed. "No, everything's fine. Just went for a little walk is all." She was halfway through a reply before sleep caught back up to her. Smiling at such delicacy, Lee stripped off his shirt and crept back into his own bed.
Cold sheets greeted him, but anything was better than the temperature was outside. Before even closing his eyes Lee had joined Clementine in the land of slumber, wrapped in a chilly, yet comfortable, embrace. Instead of a nightmare, this time he was taunted with dreams of a brighter future. Everything was hazy, as most dreams are. Colours blurred into one another; time flowed in mysterious ways.
It was a dream about normal life, which right now could be nothing more than a dream. Lee was driving. He wasn't alone, either. In the back seat sat a young teenage girl with long, curly, brown hair and a blue and white hat. A bold, blue 'D' was emblazoned on the front. Next to her was a small child, no older than five. The girl leant over and wiped some food from around its mouth, smiling as she did so. Lee continued to drive along an ever changing road. Past fields of flourishing flowers and bustling cities, along winding country lanes and speeding down endless highways. Lee reached to his right to change gear. As he did so, a warm hand was placed atop his. A loving touch. Even in the glorious sun, the hands owner wore a puffy, purple winter coat; the one she always wore. She leant over and kissed his cheek, sending a wave of happiness through his body.
LEMON Lee X Carley: Lust After Life
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