"Well, by the looks of it, we have to perform another search," Cody said, knitting his brows.
My fingers clutched the edges of my sleeves. "Then we should go right away. What if something happened?"
Pete nodded. "We should split again and check. I'm gonna tell Mark, one second."
At that moment one of the large metal doors opened and Suz and Nick rushed into the room. Suz' eyes searched around, landed on me, and then she barreled into me like a battering ram.
I stumbled back, right into Killian. All the air left me in a whoosh and I would have probably fallen over if he didn't somehow catch us both.
"Tay!" she huffed. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"
"I'm fine," I wrung out between breaths. She was way too strong for someone her size.
Killian pried her off me. "She might actually flop over if you keep squishing her like that. And why didn't you pick up your phone?"
"Oh, there's legit no reception in this place. But you wouldn't believe the shit we found." Suzy's high-pitched voice drew everyone's attention and a crowd quickly formed around us.
"What did you find?" Cody asked.
She pulled out her phone. "We heard someone and went into the northeast wing of the second building. We found a shelter or something. It was super freaky. There was food and clothes, and even some dead animals."
"We also found a few knives and stuff to make a fire," Nick added. "After that, we left right away."
Killian stilled next to me, but I could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves.
"Okay, I've had enough. I'm leaving," Rosalyn said, crossing her arms.
"Wait. This is awesome, we could—" Mark started but Killian silenced him with a look.
"We are leaving," Killian and Cody said at the same time.
And that was that. There was just one problem...
We all gathered in the doorway staring into the veil of rain.
Suzy hovered at my side like an overprotective mother hen. Nick kept shooting glances her way and I pushed her toward him. We had a small staring contest until I whispered into her ear, "I sacrificed myself for your love life. You better grasp this chance or it will be all for nothing."
She pouted. "But—"
"Suz," I interrupted her. "Cody and Killian are here. What exactly do you think could happen now?"
"But you were—"
"I'm perfectly fine. Aside from my poor physical condition... I should really start working out again..."
She screwed up her eyes. "Don't worry I will drag you to the gym starting next week. And I'm going to stay over at your place tonight whether you want me to or not."
Oh, dear.
"Fine. Now can you please make this night worthwhile?"
She huffed out a breath and turned to Killian and Cody who stood right behind us. "You keep your sights on her, right?"
"Definitely," they both said simultaneously.
I rolled my eyes.
She pulled a face at me and finally walked over to Nick.
A burst of lightning lit up the night and for a brief moment, the trees of the forest flashed in front of us. Then everything disappeared back into a dark grayish haze.
"It was a good idea to come here during a thunderstorm, huh?" Rose's friend snapped.
I grimaced. Then I turned back and tugged on Killian's shirt.
He leaned down a little.
I started shrugging out of his jacket. "You can have your jacket back. I'm much better now—"
He drew back and gave me a flat look. Then he pulled his hoodie back over my shoulders, zipped it up, and said, "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Behind me, the constant drumming of raindrops continued. I couldn't make him take an unwanted outside shower while I stole his jacket. No way.
Suddenly his lips were close to my ear and I twitched when his breath hit my neck. "Whatever you're thinking about right now? No. Just remember to stick close to me and we're good, alright?" His tone left no room for discussion.
Which of course made me want to argue even more. Besides, he couldn't order me—
He folded his arms and stared me down. "Or should we ask what your best friend has to say about this?"
Oh, God. If we'd ask Suzy for an opinion she would probably steal Cody's jacket on top of it and force me to wear that as well.
"You always have to have the last word, don't you?" I grumbled and snuggled into the fabric. It was hella comfy. Not that I would admit that out loud.
Killian's gaze was still trained on me but there was a watchfulness to it, tinged with amusement. "And you always have to argue about everything."
"I'm not arguing about everything!"
"See?" he countered, a smile tugging on his lips. "Now you're arguing about arguing."
Ugh! I turned away. This guy was so frustrating.
After a while, the thunder grew more distant and the rain receded into a steady drizzle. We all filed out. Nick took the lead with Suzy right behind him.
I followed after Cody, Killian close on my heels.
A few times I slipped on the uneven terrain, but every time Killian snatched the back of my jacket and kept me up. I felt a bit ridiculous, but after all that running my legs were trembling with exhaustion and the wet, muddy ground didn't help.
By the time we made it to the house, my shoes squealed and squished out water with every step. My pants stuck to my legs but Killian's jacket was so long that it was only from my knees down. Overall, I wasn't doing too bad.
Suzy turned to us. "Did you guys come here by car?"
"We'll drive you guys home," Cody said matter-of-fact. "I'm just gonna grab something."
"Ah, good," Suz replied, relieved. Nick was waiting for her a few feet away. "I'll be right back, okay, Tay?"
I managed not to roll my eyes at her protective tone. "Yes. Yes."
They both disappeared inside the house and Killian nudged me. "Let's get going."
I felt myself bobbing my head in agreement.
He led me to his car and I let out a long exhale when I settled in the passenger seat.
Killian slid into the driver's seat. My breath hitched when he reached behind me and retrieved a shirt. He reached up to pull the damp fabric over his head, his muscles rippling and it was all I could do not to stare.
Shit, he looked hot. It the worst part was that it was clear he wasn't even trying. Suddenly, the dashboard seemed immensely fascinating.
My heart pounding had nothing to do with him being half-naked. Nope.
When I deemed it safe to look again Killian had put on a green-black flannel shirt, slightly open at the front. So, I knew he worked out—I had seen his abs before—but he really worked out. I filed that little piece of information somewhere in the back of my head. I might look at it later. Maybe.
"I am having a weird sense of déjà vu," I said, mostly to distract myself.
"And I'm starting to feel like I'm your clothing supplier or something," Killian remarked dryly.
I snorted. "You keep pushing them onto me, I feel like I'm being used."
He let out a quiet laugh. "That's because every time I see you, you seem to be in danger of becoming a human popsicle. It's making me restless." The engine started and he cranked up the heating.
I nestled into my seat. The clock said it was five in the morning. My whole body felt like it'd been dragged through the mud. My legs seemed to weigh a ton and a stinging pain originated from my heels. That probably got me a few blisters. Despite all that my mind was wide awake. "Hey, I dressed for an indoor party and not a field trip. And honestly, I already dressed too warm for that."
"And out of all the people of course you had to stumble upon some freak," he said under his breath and shook his head. "You're like the weirdo magnet."
I had to resist the sudden urge to punch his arm. "Are you counting yourself in that? Cause for some reason I keep running into you."
"I'm the exception," he deadpanned.
"You sure? Cause out of all the guys I know, you are the most..." I trailed off. He hadn't exactly been annoying today.
"Yeah? You wanna finish that?"
Shit. He wasn't wrong. "Fine." And that reminded me... "Um, by the way, thank you." I twisted my hands.
His voice was quiet. "Don't thank me."
"What?"
He twisted in his seat, his left arm draped across the steering wheel, and I shifted under the sudden weight of his undivided attention. "Tay. I'm sorry for being an ass. When you helped me last time."
My mind went blank. I hadn't expected him to bring it up again, let alone apologize.. I wanted to ask why he'd gotten into a fight but then again it was none of my business. "I-It's okay. I already forgot about that."
He studied me with an impenetrable gaze. "No, it's not. What's wrong with you? You don't usually have a problem saying these things to my face."
I shook my head, exasperated. That one time I didn't argue and he managed to turn it back on me. This guy... "Well, I wasn't that nice to you either and you still helped me out. So, I suppose we're even."
He frowned. "Still, I'm sorry."
"Alright. I'm not gonna apologize though. Just saying."
His mouth quirked "Good. I should also thank your neighbor though. For fixing me up." He cringed a little. "And I think some blood got onto your blanket. Sorry about that."
"Oh, don't worry about it," I said after a pause. "That happens all the time." Especially when I had a flare.
"What?"
I blinked. "W-what?"
His brows rose.
"No," I squeaked. "I mean—It's not what you're thinking!"
The amusement was clear in his voice as he spoke. "So, what am I thinking then...?"
My cheeks flushed when I realized what else it could mean. "I mean it's also not the other thing you're thinking—don't laugh!"
He pressed his lips together but his eyes crinkled around the edges.
I wanted to pull at my hair. Why did I have to say that?
Fortunately, the back door opened just in time, sparing me from having to come up with an explanation that I didn't have.
"Sorry, it took me so long," Suz said and jumped in, closely followed by Cody. "Thank God, it's the weekend. We can finally finish the last episodes of Strong Girl Bong-Sun."
"Of what?" Cody asked confused.
"Strong Girl Bong-Sun. It's a Korean drama. It's super funny. There's this girl and she's tiny but really really strong and—"
Killian and Cody grimaced while Suzy enthusiastically summarized the happening of every single episode. By the time we made it to my apartment, she just finished.
I hid a grin. At least they saved me from having to explain that awkward situation earlier. Knowing Killian he would have definitely pried.