Locked Away [10k Z Nation]

19

We were all tucked away inside an apartment and believe it or not, it was actually really nice.
Nobody got bit trying to find a free room, so that was a plus. The apartment itself consisted of two rooms, one had two bunk beds, so the majority of the group was piled in there. I had for sure seen Doc and Warren enter the room, but no Murphy.

I guessed he had slipped off again, but I couldn't quite find it in myself to care as much this time around.

I guess I was somehow rewarded with the couch in the living room, it felt nice to be in a room all by myself.

Everyone was settled in their rooms, and I was left alone on the couch. I fiddled with my thumbs for a while, unsure of what to do. Though it was dark outside, I wasn't tired at all.

"Hey," I heard 10k's voice from behind me.

"Hey,"

"I brought blankets," he dumped an afghan and a pillow down on the couch.

"Thanks," I spread the blankets out on the couch and adjusted the pillow to my liking.

He sat down on the opposite side of the couch and I automatically crawled over to him.

"Hello," I kissed his cheek and almost laughed out when I saw the shocked look on his face.

"Hi," he smiled. I slung my legs over his lap, and he leaned over and kissed me. I've missed this so much in my time away.

He pulled us both so that we were both laying down on the couch.

"I've missed you," he whispered in my ear, and his lips moved down to my neck, slowly.

I arched my back and turned to face him, and traced a pattern on his cheek with my nail and watched his eyes flutter closed.

I heard someone enter from the bedroom across the room and jerked away from him, and quickly sat up.

I saw Cassandra standing in the doorway, looking like she just sucked on a lemon. I felt 10k sit up beside me. I could physically feel the heat that was probably burning his cheeks.

"Sorry." She said pointedly and turned to leave, then quickly turned around.

"Hey," she said calmly "Remember to wear protection." She closed the door, and I looked at the space where she had been standing. I felt embarrassed, but most of all pissed off.
Who did she think she was to just come in here and assume things like that?

"Did you two have something?" I turned to face him, he too was looking at the spot where she had stood. He sucked in a breath and collapsed back on the couch.

"Sort of. She was my best friend here. We weren't involved or anything..." He wasn't looking at me, "But I had a crush on her. And I think she liked me too."

"Did I interrupt anything? You know, between you two? Like, before I was in the group? Did you two have something?" I asked quietly

"What?"

"Did you stop your relationship because of me?"

"There was no "relationship."

"Okay, fine! Friendship. Did I ruin your friendship?" I pushed

"No! She's just become distant... That's all." He said, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. I noticed that he looked really tired all of the sudden.

"Go to sleep," I told him, sinking down under the covers. I moved my body so that I was facing away from him, towards the wall. I was still angry, but I wouldn't press the subject tonight. Not when we had come all this way.

"Hey," he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer so that we were pressed against each other.

"Goodnight," he kissed the back of my head and buried his face in my neck.

It was amazing to think how close we had grown in the past month. He had gone from yelling at me outside of a gas station for saving his life, to snuggling up on a couch. Which reminded me, I never did ask why he freaked out on me that first week after I practically saved his life.

"Hey," I nudged him, he grunted into my hair in return

"Why exactly were you so mad at me after I saved your life in the gas station?

I felt him draw back and prop himself up. I rolled around and watched him.

"I just didn't want to be responsible for you dying." He told me, but I could see his eyes were saying something else.

"That's all?" I pressed

"You really wanna know why?" He asked, he looked uncomfortable and shy, exactly like the first time I had met him outside of my treehouse.
His shyness made me wonder if I really did want to know.

"Yes," I charged on

He sucked in a breath and said, "Because you were a connection to my old life, the only thing reminding me of what things used to be like. If you had died because of me, I don't think I could have ever lived with myself after that."

I let that process. Was that all I was to him? A link to his old life? I get that he wanted something, or someone, to remind him of his past, but it was a shitty thing to be on the receiving end of.

"Is that why, why-" I gestured my arms around at us cuddled in the blankets
"-we are a thing? Is that all I am to you?" I felt my fave turn red and I looked up at the ceiling to keep the tears forming from escaping.

"Cody, that's not fair." He whispered.
I felt him sit up next to me.

"It's completely fair!" Although I knew it wasn't, at least not completely.

My voice sounded shrill and a little too bitchy for my liking, but I couldn't stop myself.

He didn't answer.

"Geez Cody,"
I heard Murphy's voice from behind the couch, "Stop being such a bitch."

I felt myself tense up.

I knew for certain that I was going to kill that man by the time we arrived at California.

A/N:
I've been really busy lately guys, sorry!
25 votes for next chapter!

(Also guys we have 10k reads on a 10k fanfic! I don't know, I just thought it was funny.)