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Jamison
Normally in the mornings I wake up to the early sun drifting in through our fairly new windows, the cheerful tweeting of the birds that remained after the end of the world and the collapse of the food chain and the not so cheerful grunting of the warm body next to me followed by the usual raspy just five more minutes please as if either of us knew what’s the exact time. This morning is different, though.
I hear constant rattling coming from the kitchen whose increased size still surprises me sometimes but I’m getting used to it.
“Ow, Jesus fuck” I start toward the kitchen with a few crusts still remaining in my left eye but before I could enter the room, I hear a few more rattling sounds and even pants now.
“Are you okay my love?” I ask as Andrew is crouching near a drawer looking for something with more and more frustration but as soon as he turns around and registers me, I see his shoulders relax a bit and his eyes get warmer.
“Morning beautiful, did you get your beauty sleep before the big trip?” He asks with so much enthusiasm you’d never guess he was in a bad mood just half a minute ago.
I yawn and sit down on one of the chairs near our dining table before I reply. “I tried but some construction worker I assume kept making loud noises.” I shake my head as if I was slightly offended. “Did that wake you up as well?”
He smirks and sits down next to me seemingly giving up on whatever mission he had by the counters. “Yeah, he did but it’s fine since he was like super-hot.” He whistles and shakes his head. “You should’ve really seen him.”
He stands but before he could retreat back to where he was, I close my arms around his waist and rest my right cheek on his abdomen. “Hmm I may have missed out on him but I’m sure my also super-hot boyfriend will be able to make up for it.”
Now I look up to him and we close our eyes on each other. He caresses my cheek and gives it a warm kiss before moving back to where I found him a few minutes ago. I grab an apple off the table and turn back towards him. “What are you searching for anyways?”
Andrew
“The sunscreen Howie and Raven brought us a few days ago. I know I put it here somewhere but I can’t find it now.” I’d never really been super interested in skincare even before the apocalypse and I think most people who managed to survive the bug care more about having enough food and water and shelter than about getting sunburnt but ever since we semi joined Howie and his settlement and nothing dangerous or life-threatening event took place in the past year or so we can finally care about problems we faced before the world ended like “Where the heck is that damn sunscreen bottle?” In addition, when Raven gave it to us, she explained it very very detailly why it’s so important we apply it frequently during our trip. Even though me and Jamie already knew most of what she mentioned, the kid, I mean Albie, was also present when they visited and for some reason ever since he became fixated on the topic and recites Raven’s entire mini presentation whenever we bring up the trip around him.
“Oh, I’ve already put the bottle into my bag.” Jamie says in between taking a few bites from his apple.
“Jamie, we specifically made a list so we know who packed what and where and the sunscreen is supposed to be in my backpack.” I say with a tiny bit of my previous frustration returning but also relieved that we have it and we won’t have to deal with a mental breakdown from Albie.
“I’m sorry, I must’ve misread the list but it’s not that big of a deal, though, right?” He says it cautiously but I can’t help but grin and then burst out laughing.
He looks at me as if I’ve lost it completely at first but then he can’t keep his serious face and starts grinning too. “What?”
“Did you just say a big dildo?” I try to say it as seriously as I can manage but slip up and continue laughing by the end.
He looks down to the floor and starts shaking his head but when we lock eyes he joins in on my uncontrollable laughter. “That’s not what I meant and you know it too.”
“I do but it’s funnier If I pretend I don’t and blame it on your morning horniness.” I tease him as I start cleaning up the mess I made in our kitchen.
“Even though you don’t deserve the help-” I do a mild gasp as I pretend to be aggrieved but let him continue. “I’ll finish cleaning up the kitchen, don’t worry about it.” He says the last part so casually but with so much care simultaneously that I go up to him and give him a big kiss. Plus, getting me out of doing chores is one of my main love languages.
Jamison
Having cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, I go on and make some breakfast for ourselves while Andrew takes a shower in the bathroom. I hear him singing pretty clearly since the bathroom is just next door and in spite of the plumbing system working well that the settlement managed to build into the cabin when they renovated it, the water pressure is still not very strong. I have to admit he’s no Beyoncé but it’s still nice hearing his melodies each time he showers. Mainly because it’s been a while since I had access to my Spotify playlists but also because, despite spending almost every single day together in the past few years, I can’t seem to get tired of his voice.
As I clean off some of the utensils I used for preparing our breakfasts, I hear footsteps from the front yard. Before Andrew came along and I was alone in the cabin I would’ve been terrified to hear footsteps nearby but ever since we moved back here it’s been mostly either people from the settlement or our little family who came with us from the Keys.
Not so often it happens that wanderers show up on our front doorstep but most of them have been friendly so far, only asking for food or shelter for the night which we provide before directing them towards Howie’s farms. At first, I was very wary of strangers and didn’t let go of having my rifle in my hands in case any of them tried to hurt me or worse, they tried to hurt Andrew. As time went on, though, with Andrew’s help, I realised there’s still kindness and genuine love out in the world even after everything that happened and not everyone craves violence. A lot of people just crave to be taken care of and to care for others just like in the before times. I’m not naïve however and still carry some kind of weapon with me because you never know but I’ve also learnt to trust people more which led me to being able to be friendlier with people I don’t know that well.
I take a few steps and look out the window near the front door to see that this time it’s Niki who’s holding the hands of Albie on her left. He’s carrying his little Pokémon themed backpack as well as a small duffel bag ready to hit the road while Niki is holding Bobo, Albie’s hippo plushie, in her right hand.
I open the front door and as soon as Albie sees me, he drops all of his bags and starts running towards me and hugs my leg. I ruffle his short hair before picking him up and giving him a proper hug. “Hey guys, who’s ready for a big summer vacation by the lake?”
I give Niki a kiss on the cheek and let her cool down a bit as I hear a constant me, me in my one ear.
I put him down to move into the living room where Niki sat down. “Don’t think he’s very excited to be honest” says Niki from the couch sarcastically and grinning.
“No, don’t think so either” I say with a cheeky smile as I sit down near her in an armchair facing her. I try to look for the kid to see his reaction but to no avail since he’s already moved on to hugging Andrew’s left leg as he’s exiting the bathroom, ignoring our little conversation all together.
Andrew
“Hi little guy, I missed you so much” I say to Albie as we’re hugging in the entrance of our bathroom. You’d think it might be a little awkward since I’ve got basically no clothing covering my body except for a towel draped around my waist but he doesn’t seem to mind and I don’t either. Even when we all lived back in the Keys, I considered them all a family but after everything we’ve been through together following the events of the hurricane, I think our relationship just got even stronger if that’s even possible. With all the time we spend together through movie nights (where I tell the story of a movie to the best of my abilities at the request of whoever wins rock, paper, scissors), cooking together (where Jamie does most of the cooking while everyone else pretends to contribute a lot and be a very helpful and valuable member of the team) and going to the playground, we really formed into a family I never imagined I could have. One I wouldn’t trade for anything in the entire world (or at least what is left of it).
“I missed you too.” He says while giving me a kiss on the cheek and then holds up his hippo plushie. “And Bobo missed you too.”
“Well, I missed you both very much.” I say while giving both the kid and his plushie a kiss on the cheek.
“Come on, let’s get back to the others.” He nods but doesn’t let go of my neck. I hold him with my arm that didn’t almost get eaten by an alligator while making sure the towel stays on me with my other. I can still feel the pain sometimes, but it’s a lot milder thanks to the creams I received from a nice lady, Linda, from the settlement who apparently worked with creams and lotions before the bug. I still can’t use two of my fingers, but I’ve grown used to using my hand like this and I don’t even notice it most of the time anymore.
“Are you sure you guys have everything ready?” asks Niki when we enter the living room but before Jamie could answer I excuse myself and put on some actual clothes because even though I could make a thousand jokes about it, I’d rather do anything to avoid accidentally flashing my nether regions especially in front of an 8 years old.
As I get back Jamie has already started checking off items on our list of necessities for our little one-week getaway to make sure Niki (and I’m assuming all the others) are convinced we’ve got everything covered and we’ll be safe out there.
“When Cara came around last Christmas, she mapped out the safest route for us to take so we also got that covered.” Jamie is holding up his hands and counting off the times with his hands, but Niki seems to be already reassured.
Around Halloween time last year, during one of our move nights, I was telling the story of a horror movie (I did skip over the bloody parts to make it more kid friendly, but I kept a few of the scarier scenes, just so it didn’t seem too watered down) and it was based on a suspicious murder that took place at a lake house. Later that night when Jamie and I were in bed, cuddling, he brought up the fact that his family owned a little house by the lake about 25-30 miles north from the cabin. He did add that no one visited it in a while and he’d got no clue of its condition. Although the timing might not have been the most perfect, we started talking about the possibility of visiting it one summer since being in the cabin during a heatwave is almost unbearable and air conditioning is not a luxury, we can allow ourselves. And that summer became this one.
“We’ll be safe, and I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to any of us… not even to me.” I add just so she sees we’re both determined and on the same page. She chuckles at the last part which seems to ease most of the tension she came here with.
“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you to it.” She stands up and looks both of us in the eyes. “I know you guys will only be away for a week and nothing bad will happen, but can I still get a hug?”
We both stand up and give her a big, warm hug and we stay like that for a bit. After about half a minute Niki takes a step backwards and places an arm on Jamie’s shoulder. “Oh, and remember Jamie, only shoot someone if it’s absolutely necessary.”
She grins, then retreats and goes out the front door while Jamie is doing his signature move when he’s a little bit embarrassed but also finds the situation funny, shaking his head downward, smiling.
Jamison
We started our little journey to the lake house my family owned before the bug a few hours ago but we’re already facing some complications. Albie is holding my right hand as we’re walking down a dirt road but he’s been tugging at Andrew’s left hand for a little while but he doesn’t seem to notice as he’s lost in his own little world at the moment.
“Everything alright, buddy?” I ask cautiously which seems to get both of their attention. Andrew stops in his tracks and crouches down next to Albie with concern in his eyes.
“I’ve really got to go.” Says Albie a little shyly while Andrew and I share a look. “Albie, we went by a gas station about 10 minutes ago. Why didn’t you say anything then?”
“Didn’t feel it yet.” Replies Albie with a little bit more confidence. Andrew looks up to me again, but he seems understanding. Maybe he got the same flashback as I did from high school when I asked to go to the bathroom during class to which the nastier teachers usually just replied with “You should’ve gone during your break, young man”
“Can you hold it in until we find another one nearby?” Asks Andrew not annoyed but lovingly like a patient father.
The kid just nods sideways with so much determination that we both know it’s emergency time.
Andrew stands up and gives me Bobo which he was holding in his other hand as well as his backpack. “We’re gonna be back soon. If you feel hungry, feel free to get a snack.” He kisses me on the lips just as lovingly then takes Albie’s hand and leads him into the woods near the road.
While Andrew helps Albie take care of his business in the forest, I notice a log a few feet ahead and sit down on it to stretch my legs a bit. You might think after everything we’ve been through recently, going on a trip on foot would be the last thing Andrew and I wished for but we both thought it would be a good idea. When I brought up the idea of going to the lake house to Andrew, he reminded me how amazing it would be to make new memories being on the road to fade the old ones where we always had to either be anxious about our supplies or about someone finding us or both. I agreed and noted the fact that even though Howie lets us use an ATV here and there, fuel is still pretty hard to come by and it’s best we only use it when absolutely necessary. After that we both acknowledged that this is our best option but neither of us minded and for some reason when we mentioned it to Albie, he seemed thrilled about it. I’m not sure if his memory is just not among his strongest skills or children simply experience situations we faced on the road from the Keys up to the cabin differently but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that he’s happy and so are we.
I spot Andrew and Albie returning from among the woods, so I stand up and go towards them.
“All good.” Says Andrew as he’s brushing off some dust gathered on his hiking boots. He straightens and leans a little closer to me. “God, I love this little guy but sometimes I miss our Marry Poppins and the rest of the group who helped us last year.”
I chuckle but nod agreeingly. “I hope Rocky Horror is doing well with the guy he met.”
“Ramiro.” Andrew adds. He did tell me the entire story about the ice cream truck and how the people driving it around vicious axe murderers but instead two lovely brothers driving across the country, but I’ve never really been good with names. “And his brother Hector.” He pauses for a second as if reminiscing that last night together with him.
When I found out Rocky Horror stayed with them and I didn’t get a chance at goodbye I was a little sad but Andrew reassured me he’s in good hands now and he managed to find his happily ever after, just like we did.
“Come on, we have to continue if we want to reach the house by tonight and we can always read some of Daphne’s smuttier books in remembrance of both of them.” He winks and I can’t help but start laughing which is something I never knew I’d be doing so often one day but life with Andrew has brought so many unexpected, beautiful moments that I’m not surprised. I just continue walking and keep on smiling.
Andrew
The sun is shining down on us increasingly brightly and the weather is getting hotter minute by minute but thankfully we’ve got enough water and sunscreen with us (if the apocalypse will teach you one thing, it’s to pack efficiently) and we try to find some shade to cool down in as often as possible. Albie seems to be getting more tired too, however his mood seems to change almost instantly as soon as he notices something approaching us. I follow his line of sight to see what he’s looking at and luckily, it’s nothing we ought to be afraid of.
“Kitty.” Albie exclaims as he jumps and goes in the direction of the little kitten who doesn’t seem to be frightened by our presence. Quite the opposite, actually.
I get to my feet and so does Jamie as we start following Albie in case it’s some kind of trap or there are other dangerous animals close by. After a few minutes of petting the little kitty, we declare that the sight is clear and as soon as Albie picks… her up, she starts purring.
“Can we keep it? Please, please, pleaaaaaaase?” asks Albie as he’s cuddling the little fur ball.
I look over at Jamie who simply raises his hands and says “You were the one telling all those movies with kids pleading in them. This is your responsibility now.”
“Ugh, you try finding a family-friendly movie in which no kid is pleading.” I say, a smirk appearing on my face.
“Home Alone?”
I start nodding approvingly. “Yes, my love. Home Alone is really just the perfect movie to tell the story of in the middle of a steaming hot July.”
“Hey, I’ve never seen anyone frowning at a little Christmas spirit no matter the time of the year.”
“Touché”
“So, is that a yes?” asks Albie again a bit more calmly as he’s distracted by the cuteness of our new little companion.
I exhale and sigh just to add to the dramatic effect but nod intensely as Jamie is smiling back at me.
“Yayyyy, I’m going to be the best cat dad ever, I promise.”
“I believe you kiddo.” I ruffle his hair and crouch beside him. “What shall we name her?”
Jamie puts his backpack on the road and pulls out the map Cara customised for us so we can navigate to the house easily. “We are pretty close to a town named Lisle, how about we keep up the tradition?”
He’s referring to naming our pets based on the place we found them after he named our dog “Newt” when Jamie and Niki stumbled upon him near a town called Newton. We thought about bringing Newt along on our little holiday but he’s getting a bit old and Raven assured us it’s best he stays with them for the week since they really don’t mind it.
“I say it’s a pretty cute name, what do you think, Albie?”
Albie doesn’t say anything, just smiles down at her and nods eagerly as she continues purring intensely.
“Welcome to the family, Lisle.”
Jamison
After we gave our new family member some food and a lot more pets, we decided to hit the road again so we don’t arrive too late to the house. In the following hours we mostly just walked, talked and played a few games of I spy with my little eye (truth be told, it’s not as fun as in a car but we still enjoyed it).
Around dinner time we stop at a smaller building which was probably a café or a diner in the before times but due to many natural disasters, I assume, the outside is so destroyed it’s difficult to determine. We find a way in after having checked there’s no threat nearby and inside.
“Is the sky getting angry again?” Albie asks just as we finished having dinner and started packing back into our bags. Andrew and I look out the window near our table and it does seem pretty overcast.
“How’s your leg doing?” I ask Andrew. Ever since his little date with the bear trap near the cabin he feels a mild pain in his left leg whenever there’s a storm coming. Considering the fact that we don’t really have access to weather forecasts, it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.
“It’s hurting a bit.” He replies as he massages his knee gently.
I look over at Albie who’s still looking out the window and then back to Andrew who’s sitting next to him. “Maybe we should stay here for the night and continue our journey when the storm has settled down tomorrow?”
Andrew seems a bit sad by my question and the realisation that we can’t go on but we were aware things like this might interfere with our plans and there’s nothing we can do. He nods. “Yeah, we shouldn’t risk it. We still have some ground to cover and it might start raining any minute.” He grunts and looks down at his leg which means the pain intensified, backing up his statement.
“Hey.” I say and he looks up to me. I take his hand in mine and stroke it gently. “I know it’s not the same but we can set up camp here for one night and cosy up just like we would at the lake house.” I look around the little café/diner and in spite of the outside being pretty torn down, the inside seems to be in a pretty good condition. Except for a few broken windows, for which we were all grateful since there’s nothing better than a little drift in a mid-July heatwave, the place looks exactly like you’d expect it to… if you take the apocalypse and everything that happened after that into account.
“Yeah, I guess so, though I was pretty fired up at the thought of a little skinny dipping in the midnight moonlight after a long ass day being out in the sun.” He’s looking down at our linked hands while caressing my middle finger with his thumb.
“And we can still do that just not tonight.” I lift his chin with my other hand and give him a small smile which he returns.
Andrew
The rest of the night goes by pretty fast. Me and Jamie set up all our sleeping bags while Albie sat down in a corner to introduce Lisle to Bobo and to play a little until it’s bedtime. The storm arrived not long after I first started feeling pain in my left leg which started off faint but soon felt like striking thunderbolts were hitting my knee. Jamie sensed my discomfort, so he tried to distract me to the best of his abilities with kisses, hugs and stories from his childhood. I appreciated his efforts, but the agony was too intense.
A year ago, I probably would’ve tried to laugh it off, say a few silly jokes and pretend I’m perfectly fine. Otherwise, I would’ve felt like I was defeated, like I was too weak to handle the pain and I thought if the others recognised my weakness, they’d just leave me behind because I’m no use anyways. Not Jamie, thought. Even back then I knew Jamie would never leave me behind but I was aware he’d try to solve something he couldn’t and I didn’t want to disappoint him so I just tried to hide everything.
Now I know that I can show my weaknesses because everyone has some and it’s perfectly fine. The people who matter will stay by your side and try to help. They might not be able to find a solution but that’s not what’s important. Some things may never be resolved entirely but love is capable of doing magical things and sometimes you just need to let it work its magic.
When the storm calms down a bit, Jamie tucks in Albie, Bobo and Lisle who seems totally fine by the idea of sleeping next to a boy and his plushie and I prepare our makeshift bed for ourselves.
We talk and cuddle for a few minutes quietly so we don’t accidentally wake the others but we’re both exhausted by the events of the day behind us and we need to recharge our batteries for the day ahead of us so we doze off pretty quickly.
Jamison
I wake again to hearing grunting and pants close by but this time it’s not from the mysterious super-hot construction worker, but a person in a mask going through the counters close to the front of the café/diner. It’s still dark outside so I can’t see anything other than a human shaped dark figure, but I know they’re up to no good. I try to stay as silent as possible to make sure the figure doesn’t hear me as I search for my handgun on the floor. Andrew seems to be waking up too. I’m not sure if it’s the grunting of the stranger or the quiet sounds I make while scrambling for my weapon but as soon as he tries to raise his head I put a hand on his shoulder, put a finger before my lips and move my eyes toward the figure who’s still searching for something while cursing softly.
Andrew seems to understand what is currently happening as his pupils extend and he gives me a tiny nod. He looks in the direction of Albie who’s still sound asleep. Not for long, though.
I stand up as quickly as possible and point my gun on the intruder but… they don’t even look at me. I step closer while shouting “Hey!”. Nothing. As I get closer and closer they suddenly register me and they startle and look so frightened as if I was the unexpected guest and not the other way around.
They remove the pair of earphones they had in their ears and take a step back, putting their hand up. “Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.”
As they get closer to a window and move into the moonlight, I can see it’s a teenage boy, maybe a few years younger than us. “I swear I was only trying to find some food; I’m not meaning to hurt you guys.” Andrew and I share a look. By the way of his glance, I can tell he thinks the same thing I do.
After we calm him down and reassure him that we don’t intend to hurt him either we move and sit in one of the booths near the front of the place so we don’t wake up Albie and we start talking.
His name is Ethan and he’s 16, so my assumption was correct. He doesn’t live in a settlement but instead with his two mums, Lisa and Janice, near the lake we are headed to. They all survived the bug but during the beginning of the pandemic they thought it would be safer for the family to live in a more secluded place like the lake house and after the world ended it seemed easier to just stay here permanently.
“Actually, we’re on our way to go to the lake too.” I say after we made sure Ethan is calmed down so he doesn’t see it as a threat. “My parents had a house there and though it hasn’t been visited in a while, we thought it’d be nice to take a look at it and spend a few days there.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s so cool.” Replies Ethan with genuine enthusiasm in his tone as if he was excited to be able to spend more time together. “Which one is yours?”
“It’s a pretty small, blue house with a wraparound porch on the northern side of the lake.” I say hoping he knows which one I’m talking about because my memory of it is pretty vague at this point.
“Oh, ummm, that house.” Ethan says, not looking at either of us, scratching his neck.
Andrew closes his eyes and exhales loudly. “Let me guess, a tree fell onto it?”
“Bear attack?” Andrew continues.
“Nope.”
“Alligator attack?”
“I’m not exactly sure if that’s even possible up here.”
“Okay, I give up.” Says Andrew leaning back into his seat and closing his arms around his chest.
“You know, there was a hurricane about 2 years ago, I believe.” Says Ethan now a little timidly.
“Of fucking course.”
Andrew
I should’ve expected it. I really should’ve expected it. I wouldn’t say I’m an unlucky person. Have I accidentally stepped into a bear trap once? Yes. Have I almost been shot by some homophobic, racist, misogynistic fascist? Yeah. Have I almost been eaten by an alligator? Yeah, I couldn’t really deny that even if I tried. However, at the same time I survived a freaking apocalypse which killed billions of people. Despite the whole world ending I not only found the love of my life but also a loving family I never had in the before times. Not to mention now we live in a lovely little settlement which neither wants to kill us for being queer, nor does it want to sell us to people who want to kill us for being queer. Maybe not everything has gone right in my life but yes, I’d say I’m lucky.
“I mean, no pressure, but do you guys wanna maybe stay with us? For a week or so?” asks Ethan a bit shyly which makes me feel a little bad for getting frustrated earlier.
Jamie at my side looks at me. A question in his eyes to which I just blink approvingly and he understands immediately. I’ve never been a huge fan of those sappy, unrealistic romance novels my sisters were obsessed with but one thing they did get right and that’s the telepathy between soulmates. The invisible strings, the tiny eye movements, the minuscule changes in our expressions are enough to perfectly understand the other no matter the circumstances.
“That’s really kind of you but sure you wouldn’t mind? What about your mums?”
“Also, we got a little one over there and a petite kitten.” I point out because inviting two guys to your home is already not the easiest business to deal with let alone a whole family.
Ethan chuckles at that. A cat person I presume which makes me like him even more. “I’ve always wanted to adopt a cat but then came the…” He stops, looks at us and we nod because we know. Many of our plans and dreams were crushed entirely by the bug. “And my mums love being, you know, mums so I’m sure having the little guy will be no problem.”
He smiles at us and even though I’m not 100% convinced about this plan I do still feel a bit better and have some hope that we might not have to turn right back around while having to explain everything to Albie who has been thrilled about the trip for weeks.
“I’m sorry I know this isn’t the most important thing right now but how the heck are you still able to listen to music?” asks Jamie with so much curiosity in his eyes it makes him look younger. Just a simple teenager who didn’t have to go through all the shit he had to, who’s just eager to know about all the little secrets of the universe.
Ethan chuckles again and starts explaining it and Jamie just watches him intensely and I just stare at him, not registering anything Ethan says. I capture all his little nods, his sounds of amazement and the little wiggle he does with hips as he asks a follow up question, and I think I just fell in love with Jamie a little more.
Jamison
Ethan and I talk for a little over an hour about how he’s still able to listen to music through his headphones and it’s actually an MP3 player attached to the end of the cord which belonged to one of his mums, Lisa, but thought Ethan could find better use for it. There are mostly only songs on there from the late 80s and 90s, but he still appreciates the ability to listen to actual music and its battery can be recharged with the help of a little machine his other mum, Janice, made that is connected to a solar panel attached to the roof of their house.
When we finish talking, I see Andrew asleep beside me with a bright smile on his face and my heart tugs me towards him. I place a gentle kiss on his lips, so I don’t wake him up and bring a light blanket and place it on him. It would be pretty difficult for him to catch a cold in this heat but his left leg can be pretty sensitive to drift so I make sure it’s covered.
The adrenalin rush I got from hearing about Ethan’s MP3 player woken me up so much I don’t feel sleepy at all and according to Ethan he drank so much coffee the previous day that he couldn’t fall asleep even if he was hit with a shovel on his head so I move to the sleeping bags scattered on the floor and grab one of the card games we packed which I find easily thanks to Andrew’s list. Ethan and I move to a booth distant from both Albie and Andrew to ensure neither of them wake before they feel rested and we start talking and playing the card game.
“What are you guys doing over here?” asks Andrew as he approaches us with the blanket on his back and his hands in his eyes to clean off some of the crust accumulated there. Ethan and I could’ve been playing for about an hour or two. The sun is still below the horizon but it’s starting to get brighter, the sky gradually becoming lighter and more colourful. Albie is still deep asleep where we all flaked out the night before.
Ethan told me a little bit about his life before and after the bug and all the challenges he and his family had to face. I told him a little about how Andrew and I met. It definitely isn’t the usual café date or tinder match story which visibly made him a lot more invested. I also mentioned snippets of things that happened following our unique meet cute. I was pretty vague because I can’t utterly trust someone who I met less than 24 hours ago even though they let us stay with them for an entire week, but progress is progress.
“Oh, we’re just playing some games and chatting.” I say but shortly I stand up and give him a kiss which makes that lovely smile I saw on him earlier return. I try not to kiss Andrew too much in front of Ethan because, even though it’s highly unlikely he’s homophobic, I still don’t want to make him uncomfortable or awkward. At the same time, though, it’s unquestionably difficult to resist kissing someone as handsome and cosy-looking as Andrew right now.
“Fun, budge up, I wanna join in.” I smile and scoot a little closer to the wall when I take my place at the table to make enough space for Andrew. We continue playing and chatting about movies, music and random memories we decide to share for a couple of hours until Albie wakes up and it’s time for breakfast.
Andrew
“Do you like Pokémon?” asks Albie as he’s trying to get to know Ethan. He didn’t seem startled by the presence of a total stranger when he woke up at all. He acted like it was the most natural thing ever and then he effortlessly moved onto introducing himself and asking questions and I’ve got to admit I’m really proud of him. I remember back in the Keys he barely talked to anyone and he mostly just spent time with his plushie and, albeit he’s not the most extroverted kid I’ve ever seen, he changed and evolved a lot in the past year and I couldn’t be happier for him.
“Umm I’m not really familiar with it but I like the little yellow guy, what’s his name? Pikachu?”
Albie nods, not too disappointed by that answer. He continues his cute investigative saga with Ethan whilst Jamie and I share glances over the table which either say I love this little guy so much after Albie says something that makes us giggle or I wanna kiss you so badly which just occurs randomly because well we are we.
After we finish our breakfasts and pack everything back into our bag, we say goodbye to our temporary home that served us right throughout one pretty eventful night and we hit the road.
Around half-way to the lake, disturbing Ethan’s bonding time with Lisle for a moment, we once again make sure he is okay with us staying and he once again reassures us that he is. It’s only a half win since our ability to stay still largely depends on the decision of his parents but I remain hopeful for the rest of the last bit of our little journey.
“Of course, my lovelies.” Says Lisa as she caresses my cheeks, giving me a wide smile before she moves in front of Jamie and doing the same. “Oh, we haven’t had a visitor since… forever” She extends and throws her arms toward the ceiling to stress the severity of that statement. “Gosh I’m so happy you guys came along, ah” She presses her hand to her chest and blinks rapidly to push back tears.
In any other scenario I would think Linda is being sarcastic (I’m good at recognising it since it’s one of my main personality traits) and is actually displeased to have to house two random men and an 8-year-old but this time it’s different. The way Linda’s pupils extend whenever she stresses a word which makes her eyes look even warmer and brighter than they looked before or the intensity of her hugs that make you fill up with warmth and a giddy feeling in the best way possible. She might be very expressive but she is being genuine, it’s just simply her nature.
On the other hand, Janice is a lot more preserved and quieter but she still makes us feel welcome with her bright smile and the offer of her cookies she just finished baking.
“I’m not sure how she is still capable of making these or what exactly are those chocolate chip shaped things but I promise you it’s the best cookie you’ve ever tasted.” It’s not the best cookie I’ve ever tasted but if we only take into account cookies I’ve had since the bug, it’s most definitely the best one and Linda’s enthusiasm about them almost makes you forget about the wood dust like aftertaste.
“Okay, okay, let’s let these young gentlemen cool down a bit and show them to their room, shall we my dear?” Lisa places a kiss on Janice’s cheek and she nods agreeingly.
Jamison
I know it’s only been a couple of hours since we first met Ethan’s parents but I can’t believe I ever doubted them letting us stay here for a bit. They were absolutely the sweetest people I’ve met in a really long time and, despite an apocalypse wiping a fairly large part of the population off the face of the Earth, I’ve met quite a few.
When we arrived at their house, we introduced ourselves and gave a little explanation of how we met and where Ethan spent the night. Apparently, Ethan often spends the night exploring or just going on long walks whilst listening to music and comes home late or only the next morning so his mums weren’t anxious about that but it’s not often that he comes across a tiny family and invites them to stay with him and his family. As soon as we finished telling our little story they sat us down, offered us tea which actually tasted good and some cookies which didn’t but it was still nice to eat something sweet and insisted on us staying for as long as we wanted.
“Hello there my young gentleman, what do you say we spend this exquisitely stunning night under the beauteously star-speckled sky?” asks Andrew looking at me suggestively while combing his imaginary moustache with his one hand and removing his not-so-imaginary hat and bowing.
Lisa and Janice didn’t only insist on us staying but they let Ethan and Albie share a room (after several minutes of pleading from the both of them) so they can become closer friends and so that Ethan has enough opportunities to spend time with Lisle before they have to say goodbye.
Not to mention they gave me and Andrew a giant bedroom upstairs with a balcony that looks out onto the lake. I’m not a religious person but I’m pretty damn sure this is heaven and from the way Andrew is looking at me I’m pretty sure he feels similarly.
“In my modest opinion that’s a rather splendid idea my dear sir.” He grins at me and blows me a kiss which I capture with my hands and pull tight against my chest because if I could I’d store all of his kisses right there, next to my heart, safe and sound, for the rest of eternity.
We make our way out onto the balcony and pull the two cushioned lounge chairs together so we can cuddle together while looking out onto the lake and the sky covered with skies.
As we lie there together, our arms resting on each other’s chest and stomach, trying to find all the constellations we recognise, I realise I’ve never really appreciated the absence of light pollution and the beauty it brings in front of our eyes each and every night. Then as I link my hands with Andrew’s and kiss his fingers, I realise that it’s okay because even though light pollution ended, the world didn’t really. We’re still here, pressed against each other, soaking in the moonlight, talking, laughing, kissing, reminiscing the good memories and rewriting the bad ones and I come to the conclusion that this is all I really need my entire world to be.