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-Kyleigh's POV-
A chill runs through the air as I anxiously bite my finger nails. Last year I made a resolution to stop biting my nails, but since the apocalypse started, that resolution went out the window.
It's been twelve hours. Twelve hours since George and Chip came back, and twelve hours since anyone has seen Chris or Erica. Everyone has assured me that they'll make it back soon and that they're strong enough to return unharmed. And I believe that. But I still can't help but worry.
It's currently 4:12 in the morning. I've been sitting by the front door, feeling like an idiot. I wanted to go out and look for them, but the boys convinced me to stay here. I argued for a little while, but once it got dark out, I knew fighting them was useless. But the more the hours pass by, the more I regret my decision of listening to them.
I hear footsteps walking my way and I turn my head to see Harry with a mug and a blanket in his hands. I sit up a little as he hands me the mug first.
"It's tea," Harry says when he catches me looking inside the mug.
"Thank you," I say. I welcome the warmth that radiates from the drink before taking a sip. "What are you still doing up?"
"I figured you could use some company," He smiles as he sits down next to me, loosely placing the blanket over both of us. My heart warms at the gesture.
"How are you doing?" He asks once we're comfortable.
I shrug, "I honestly don't know how I'm feeling anymore. I think I worried so much earlier that I'm kind of numb now."
"Kyleigh, you know them. They're fine. They're probably hiding out somewhere in this very moment, completely safe, and Erica is making fun of Chris' height as Chris insists that he's taller than her," Harry says.
I let out a small laugh, and I can see the relief on Harry's face.
"You're probably right. I just wish they were here right now so I would know for sure. It's hard to not let my mind wander," I say, taking another sip from the mug.
"I think I know how I can distract you," Harry says and I can see his brain thinking.
"Oh no," I jokingly groan, "Are you about to do Fun Facts with Harry?"
Harry smiles, "You know me so well. Okay, let's see. Did you know...that the last letter added to the alphabet was J?"
"What? There's no way," I say.
"I swear. Look it up," Harry insists as he holds up his hands.
I give him a look and he laugh as he realizes what he said, "Okay, you can't look it up. But I promise it's true."
"That's so random. How did it get thrown in the middle of the alphabet?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you. But I can tell you that whoever came up with 'LMNOP' is a certified genius."
"I fully agree," I nod, "What else do you have?"
Harry thinks for a second before saying, "Did you know that sunsets on Mars are blue?"
I raise my eyebrows, "Really?"
"Yup. The sky appears red during the day and blue during night."
"That sounds so pretty," I say, "Do you think humans would have eventually traveled to Mars if all of this didn't happen?"
"I hope not," Harry replies, scrunching his nose, "Space terrifies the fuck out of me."
"So you can survive a zombie apocalypse, but you wouldn't travel to Mars?"
"A thousand percent yes. I'd take on zombies over aliens any day," Harry replies.
"That's fair," I laugh.
Harry smiles, "Okay, I have one more for you."
"Hit me," I say.
"Humans can't breathe and swallow at the same time."
I immediately try, and I realize he's right. My eyes widen, "Holy shit. How have I never realized that before?"
"I only found out this year. It's crazy stuff," Harry replies.
I agree with him as I rest my head on the wall behind me, "You're good at this. At being a distraction."
"You can't control what's going on out there, so there's no use on dwelling on it," Harry says, "They'll be back soon."
"I know you're right," I say quietly before we fall into a comfortable silence. Harry moves his body closer to me, and I lean over into his side as he wraps an arm tightly around me. I've been thinking so much about Chris and Erica that I didn't realize how tired I am. I try to fight it, but soon I give in and I fall asleep.
-
When I first wake up, I feel like I'm in a dream. Harry's asleep next to me with his arm still wrapped around my side. I check my watch and see it's only been thirty minutes. I'm about to close my eyes again when I suddenly hear talking from the other side of the door. Before I can even process what's happening, the door swings open and Erica and Chris walk through the doorway.
"Oh my God," I say as I scramble to stand up. I immediately wrap my arms around Erica and she laughs as I tightly squeeze her. I then move to hug Chris, and once I do, I pull back abruptly.
"Wait. Are you guys okay?" I ask, scanning them, "No one got hurt, right?"
"Yes, we're completely fine," Erica says.
"Good," I say before quickly punching both of their arms.
"Ow," Chris says, holding his shoulder.
"That was for scaring me half to death. I think you guys took ten years off my life."
"I know. I'm sorry. We got trapped by the horde and had to wait it out in an apartment. There was no way to reach you, but we came back as soon as we could," Chris says, pulling me back into a hug.
The other guys run toward the front of the store, and everyone's moods are instantly lifted.
"Thank God you guys made it back," Ethan says, pulling the two in for a hug.
Chip suddenly tackles Chris into a hug, nearly knocking him over in the process. Everyone laughs as Chip then makes a show of hugging Erica and spinning her around.
"Chip and I felt so guilty about leaving, but we didn't know what else to do," George starts to apologize.
"No, you guys did the right thing. There was no use in all of us getting trapped," Chris brushes him off.
The group catches up for a few minutes on everything that happened before Erica says, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm fucking exhausted."
We all laugh and head to where the makeshift beds are located. Arthur offers to let Erica and I share his bed for the night and tells us he'll share with George. We thank him before getting comfortable on the bed.
"So," Erica says with a small smile, "You and Harry looked comfortable tonight."
"No," I hold up a finger, "We are not having this conversation right now. You had a long day. We should get some sleep and we can talk about it in the morning."
"I'm holding you to that," Erica says.
I turn over onto my side, and I'm shocked at how quickly I fall back asleep.
-
It's a little past eleven in the morning when Erica wakes up.
"Hey, have you been awake for long?" She asks as she moves to sit up.
"Not at all. I woke up like ten minutes ago."
She nods as she yawns. I'm about to make a move to get up but she holds out her hand to stop me.
"Nope. Don't think I forgot about last night. You promised you would tell me about Harry, and I know you won't say anything if the boys are around."
I groan as I dramatically lay back on the bed, "I was hoping you would forget."
"Wait. Did something actually happen last night?" She asks.
My eyes widen, "No. No, nothing happened. I was just worried about you and Chris, and Harry came in the middle of the night to keep me company. That was it."
I can practically see Erica's shoulders deflate, "That's it?"
I bite my lip, "Well."
Erica perks back up, "Well?"
I sigh, "Okay, I have something to tell you, but you have to promise to be quiet. I don't want the guys running over and making it a whole thing."
Erica mimics zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key.
I lower my voice a little, just in case one of the guys walks by. "I started telling you this the night before we found the guys, but um, long story short, Harry and I kissed."
Erica's jaw drops and I can see her physically trying not to scream. Instead, she leans forward and slaps my shoulder, before whisper screaming, "Shut the fuck up. When? Where? Was it good?"
I laugh at her excitement, "The night of the Halloween party. It only lasted for a few minutes, but you know how long I've had a crush on him. I never imagined he would ever make a move on me."
"Halloween? You waited over a month to tell me," Erica gasps, "I'm offended."
"There was never a right time. Plus, if Chris ever heard about it he'd murder both me and Harry."
"That's true," Erica says, "So what's up with you and Harry now?"
"Nothing. Nothing has happened since then," I shrug.
"Have you guys at least talked about it?" She asks.
"Nope."
"You're kidding. Kyleigh, this is your chance. You like him, he likes you, and it's the end of the world. Screw what Chris thinks," Erica says.
I immediately shake my head, "I can't. He probably doesn't even actually like me. It might have just been a spur of the moment thing for him."
Erica rolls her eyes, "Even you know you're talking out of your ass right now. At least talk to him about the kiss. It's not like you're asking him to marry you. Just bring up the subject and you'll see from his reaction how he feels about it. But I can almost guarantee that he likes you back."
I turn over and bury my head in the pillow. "It's too scary," I mumble into the pillow.
"Come on. Are you seriously saying you can kill zombies but you can't talk to a guy that you've known for years?"
I lift my head, "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."
Erica looks at me like I'm insane, which is further proven when she straight up says, "You're insane."
I mentally consider the pros and cons of talking to Harry, and I honestly can't tell where I'm leaning. Finally, I make up my mind and say, "Fine. I'll talk to him."
"Yes! It's going to go well. And don't worry about Christopher. I'll just beat his ass if he tries to keep you two away from each other," Erica smiles.
"Thanks for the support," I laugh, "Okay, let's go get some breakfast."
We stand up and head to the front of the store where all the guys are eating out of cans.
"Good morning, sleeping gremlins," Chris says as we walk over.
"Sleeping gremlins?" I repeat.
"I think he means sleeping beauties," Chip says as he winks at me, which causes Chris to glare at him. Chris walked straight into that one.
"We left two cans for you guys," Arthur says, nodding to the cans on the table.
We each grab a can and crack it open. Erica sits down next to Harry and loudly says, "Good morning, Harold. How are you doing today?"
I send her a warning glare and she just smiles back.
"Pretty good. I'm just glad I was able to fall back asleep after you guys got back. How are you doing?" He asks.
"Can't complain," Erica grins, "But I have a feeling today is going to be a great day."
"You're surprisingly chipper for someone who almost got murdered yesterday," Harry says.
"The key word there is almost," Erica replies before casually saying, "But it's a new dawn, it's a new day."
"Alright, Michael Bublé," Harry jokes.
Arthur suddenly gets everyone's attention, and I'm silently thankful that he interrupted Harry and Erica's conversation.
"Alright, after yesterday's events, George and I decided that everyone should have a training session. There's a place not too far away where we can practice shooting guns, archery, and kickboxing. We've all gotten by just fine so far, but it doesn't hurt to sharpen up our skills. So do whatever you have to do over the next ten minutes to prepare for George and Arthur's Bootcamp, and we'll meet by the door to head out," Arthur states.
We finish eating our breakfast before heading to get changed. "This is going to be so humbling," I say as I slip on my gloves.
"I know. I haven't shot a gun or used a bow and arrow in my entire life," Erica says. Her eyes lock on something behind me, so I turn around and see she's looking at Harry.
"He's alone. You should go talk to him while you can," She suggests.
I scan the clothing store and see Chris is distracted by Ethan and Chip. I have no idea where I get the courage from, but I take a deep breath, "If this goes terribly, just know I'm kicking your ass at George and Arthur's Bootcamp."
"It won't go horribly. And you'd probably kick my ass anyway," Erica replies.
I laugh and straighten my shoulders, "Okay, I'll be back."
She holds up two thumbs up before I turn around and walk over to Harry.
"Hey," I say, feeling nerves already rising in my stomach.
"Hey," Harry says, quickly bending down to tie his shoelaces, "You excited for Boot Camp?"
"Not at all, but it's smart for us to train. I just know I'm going to suck ass," I laugh, "But uh, I just wanted to quickly thank you for last night. You know, for the tea and for staying with me."
Harry stands back up, "You know I'm always here for you. You don't need to thank me."
"It still meant a lot," I say, nervously picking at my fingers, "I also wanted to talk about something else."
"What's up?"
"I, uh," I start. I have absolutely no idea why I'm this nervous. I'm literally talking to Harry, a guy I've known for years. I finally find the words to continue, "I thought we should talk about Halloween night."
Recognition crosses his face and his hand moves to the back of his neck. He's nervous. He always does that when he's nervous.
"Right, yeah."
When he doesn't say anything else, I suddenly feel the need to keep talking.
"This might not be the best time to tell you, but I just need to get this off my chest. I like you. I've liked you for a while, which I'm sure you already knew."
"Kyleigh," Harry says abruptly, and the look on look on his face makes me want to disappear. I keep waiting for him to say something else, but when he eventually does, all he says is, "I don't know what to say."
"Is it because of Chris? Because his opinion doesn't matter. He doesn't get to decide who I date, and he never has. We're also in the middle of an apocalypse. You and I being together should be the least of Chris's worries," I ramble, but then another thought comes to my mind, "Oh my God, I'm so dumb. Do you not like me back? Because if you don't, that's totally fine. We can just forget this conversation happened."
Harry takes a step forward and my heart beat picks up, "No. It's not that. It's just...it's just complicated."
"It shouldn't be."
"But it is," Harry sighs, "Us being together would just mess everything up, and I don't want that to happen. We have other things to worry about."
I furrow my eyebrows, "What do you mean it would mess everything up?"
He chews on the inside of his lip before closing his eyes. He opens his eyes again and I can already tell what his decision is before he says anything.
Instead of answering my question, he simply says, "I can't. We can't."
"Is it because of Chris?" I ask.
"Yes," He says honestly, "But it's more than that."
"What happened on Halloween night then? Why did you kiss me?" I ask, hating myself for how desperate I sound.
"Halloween night was a mistake," Harry shakes his head, "I never should have kissed you. It was a mistake."
Embarrassment and hurt slap me in the face as I finally take a step backward.
"Okay. Got it," I say, "That's all I needed to hear." I begin to turn around, but Harry grabs my arm.
"Wait. That's not what I meant," Harry says quickly.
"It's fine. I know what you meant," I say, pulling out of his grasp. I take another step when I hear him say, "Kyleigh, stop."
I hate myself for how fast I turn back around.
"Don't leave it like this," Harry says.
"Leave it like what? We're fine," I say, crossing my arms.
"I don't want you to be mad at me," He says, and I can't tell if the expression on his face makes me want to hug him or slap him.
"I'm not. We're fine. I'm just glad we know where we stand now," I say, "Come on. We don't want the guys to come looking for us."
I walk away again, and this time I don't stop. I head to the front of the store, where the other guys are.
"You ready for some kickboxing?" Chip asks me as he begins to start shadowboxing me.
I laugh, grateful for the diversion from what just happened, "Definitely. I'm ready to see you be humbled."
"Humbled?" Chip repeats, placing his hand on his chest in fake offense, "I'll have you know that I was top of my karate class in 2002."
"When you were 8?"
"The age doesn't matter," He insists, "I was still top of my class."
"Sure, Chip," I say, playing along, "I'm excited to see those skills in action then."
A few minutes later, we all leave the base. I walk with Chip and George, and I notice Harry trailing a few feet behind everyone. Ethan walks back to talk to him, but I catch Harry shrugging him off. There's a small part of me that feels bad, but there's a larger part of me that doesn't. As long as Harry keeps his distance from me, today should be a good day.