"Clem?"
"What is it, goofball?"
"Have you ever loved someone?"
My brows furrow. "Well.., Define 'love'."
AJ pauses. I can see him fidgeting with his revolver from across the room. "I don't really know- that's why I'm asking you."
I smile. "Come here." I pat at a space on the bed beside me.
He grins and walks over. I wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Love is complicated, AJ. It can be between friends, lovers, family... the list goes on." I bite the inside of my cheek, counting the cracks in the ceiling. "I've only loved a few people."
"Like who?"
I let out a soft sigh. "I loved Lee. And I loved Jane- she took care of me for a long time." I smile, turning my hand so that he could see the little tattoo of his initials on the place where my thumb and hand meet. "She was the one who gave me this tattoo."
"I like it."
"I loved my parents, too." My chest aches at the thought of what my life was before there were walkers. The memories were beginning to fade, but some were embedded deep in my head. I touch my hat subconsciously- the last gift that my father gave me.
I think back on what happened after Lee's death. How Luke took me under his wing. How Kenny wanted to protect me and AJ no matter what. How kind and soft Alvin was. "I loved a lot of people, AJ. Some like family, and some like good friends. The people I've met... they're the reason we're here. I wouldn't of survived without them."
AJ nods, but there was still a hint of confusion etched across his face. "What about Gabe?"
I laugh. "We didn't get close enough to love each other. I did like him though."
For a few minutes, we sit in a comfortable silence, listening to the birds chirp and watching the afternoon glow seep through the boarded windows.
"Do you think Marlon and Brody loved Minnie and Sophie?"
I close my eyes, recalling the events that unfolded in the basement.
I close the basement door behind me, making my way towards the boiler where two figures were arguing loudly. I recognize both voices instantly: Marlon and Brody.
"We have to tell them! About Minnie and Sophie!" Brody says in a panicked whisper, loud enough so that I can hear.
"We don't have to tell them shit," replies Marlon. I can see his clenched fists through the shelves. "Goddamnit, Brody, keep it together!"
"Keep it together? Keep it together?" Brody scoffs. She starts pacing. "We have to! They saw one of the raiders back at the train station! We have no choice!"
I position myself behind a shelf to hear better, heart pounding in anticipation of what Marlon was going to do next in response to Brody. I never knew Marlon was capable of anything like this- nor Brody.
"Who's there?"
Shit.
Marlon shines the flashlight on my face. "Clementine? What are you doing down here?" Despite the bright light, I can make out Brody's horrified expression.
I glare at them.
"We were just talking," states Marlon, in an attempt to excuse everything that I had just heard. Brody looks as if she was about to say something. Marlon could seemingly sense this too, so he steps in front of her.
"It didn't sound like 'just' talking. I heard what you said about Minnie and Sophie."
For a moment, Marlon stands there, face contorted in rage and shock. Brody steps forward, breaking the silence.
"Marlon and I gave away Minnie and Sophie to the raiders," she blurts out. "They promised us that we'd be safe if we did."
"Goddammit, Brody!" Marlon clenches his fists. "Fuck!"
"We had no other choice! Clem, please." Brody reaches out, almost as if she wanted to touch me.
I stare at them for a moment, unsure of what to do next. I didn't know if I should run or try to reason with them. They had me outnumbered, but I wasn't sure if Brody wanted to fight in the first place. It's Marlon that I'm worried about. I take a deep breath.
"You have to tell the others," I say firmly. I step back, hand ready to unsheathe my knife if necessary. I don't know what either of them are capable of.
Brody and Marlon exchange a look- a mix between angry, scared, and guilty. After a long pause, they respond in unison:
"Fine."
I open my eyes and sigh. "I'm not sure."
AJ nods quietly. I can tell that his attention span is beginning to stray.
"Okay, goofball. Enough about that." I glance out the window. It was the late afternoon, but there was still a few hours of daylight left. "There's some time left to kill. How about you hang out with Tenn or Ruby?"
AJ smiles. "Okay!" He gets up and starts for the doorway, but pauses.
"Clem?"
"Yeah, goofball?"
"I love you."
I smile. "I love you too, AJ."
"Clem. Clem!" I can feel a pair of hands shaking me awake. My eyes snap open.
Violet was sitting at the edge of my bed, grinning. "How was your nap?"
I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "It was good until you came along."
She laughs. "Aw, don't be so sour."
I yawn, grabbing my hat from the nightstand. I tuck my hair behind my ears and stick it on. "What's up?"
"I'm going to head down to the stream tomorrow morning to check up on the fish traps. Do you.. maybe wanna come?"
"Sure," I say with a smile.
She smiles back, and then her expression grows serious. "I was also wondering if you wanted to talk about last night." She hugs her knees, dropping her gaze towards the floor.
I tilt my head to one side. "What is there to talk about?"
"We kissed."
I laugh. "I know that, Violet." I scoot closer to her so that we're touching. "It was nice."
She meets my eyes, looking almost relieved. "We haven't really gotten the chance to talk about it." She pauses, then smiles. "Ruby didn't really let us finish."
I pause, unsure of what to say. "Then... let's finish now."
Her eyes grow wide and her cheeks flush. "Finish? How?"
"Well..." I stare at my lap for a moment. I've never really been in a relationship before, let alone something that's grown as serious as this. I like Violet, but I'm not exactly sure how to express it.
"Clem... What are we?"
I turn to look at her, studying her features- like the way her light lashes brought out her green eyes, the way her lips were slightly parted, and the way her soft hair framed her face. "I know that I like you." I turn away and heat rises to my face. "A lot."
She takes my hand in hers. "I like you too, Clem." Her voice trails off as if she's about to say something else. I raise an eyebrow. She stares at her shoes for a moment before turning to face me.
"Do you... maybe wanna... be my girlfriend?"
My heart is beating so hard I'm scared that she can hear it. I take a moment to compose myself, meeting her eyes shyly. "I do."
She beams, squeezing my hand. I squeeze back. And before I know it, both of us are leaning forward. Our lips meet, and I gently set my hand on her back. I scoot closer, letting our kiss draw out. My other hand creeps up her neck to cup her cheek. Moments like these were the ones that I wanted to last forever.
We both pull away, out of breath. "That was..." my voice trails off, not knowing what to say.
"Hot." She giggles.
I join in, shaking my head. "Yeah. It was hot." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I wanted to kiss her again, but I glance outside. "It's getting late, I should probably go get AJ."
Violet sits back, our knees touching. "Okay. I'll go ahead and check up on Marlon and Brody."
I nod, grimacing at the thought of having to deal with them. They were in quarantine, almost, with Mitch, Violet, and Louis taking turns watching over them. "If you need help just let me know."
She gets up, leaning over to plant a kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight, Clem."
"Goodnight, Vi."