Licking Wounds

I woke to a splitting headache and a dim room. Panic made my blood run cold when I noticed I was on a bed. My shoes and my jacket were gone too. I looked around to notice I was in the second room of this floor I strained my eyes further to see the supplies in the center of the room and a few cans of food and drinks were on the nightstand. The pot of water I filled earlier today was also with the food.

My eyes scanned the room and found Trey sitting with his back against the door, the wooden club within reach, and a blanket draped over his shoulders. He was sleeping seated in the fetal position. I felt an overwhelming amount of guilt sitting on my chest. I looked at my hands and notice they were clean from the zombie blood then I reached up to feel my wound only to feel a bandage instead, I quickly stood up, walked over, and tapped Trey. He opened his eyes and stared in a daze for a moment before snapping out of it.

"What are you doing up? Go lay back down." He was whispering his order at me, but his expression was serious.

"I'm fine. Go to sleep, I'll keep guard."

"I don't think so." he pushed my leg gently in the direction of the bed.

"Well, I'm not going to sleep unless both of us get some, and there is only one bed so go." Trey looked at me and rolled his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Are you serious?" Feeling like I won I sat down next to him and nodded.

"... Then this is an easy fix." He stood up and I smirked… But it disappeared as soon as he scooped me up and carried me Princess style to the bed. I was glad it was too dark... he couldn't see me blushing.

"What are you doing?" With me still in his arms, he pulled the sheet back and placed me under them, going so far as to tuck me in. Then he walked back to the door and picked up the club and blanket, I watched as he propped the club against the bed and folded his blanket adding it to the supplies in the center of the room.

"Since you said that you won't get any more sleep unless both of us get some sleep..." He even climbed into bed laying on top of the blankets I was under and rested his hand over my waist. we stared at each other for a moment before he continued.

"… I'm working with what we got. The door is locked and there's only one clean bed, so stay under the sheets and I'll stay on top. I blushed some more and stared into his eyes he really was comforting but it felt wrong somehow to be so close to him.

"If you ever feel uncomfortable tell me and I'll get up... Okay?"

"Okay." He was so kind and protective, and my brain kept echoing... If Brandon were here instead, I'd be dead, or he'd be forcing himself on me. Either way, I wouldn't feel nearly this safe. Then my brain wandered further, what if I got bit during the fight?

"Hey, Trey…" His eyes were closed, and he just hummed in response.

"What would you have done if I got bit?"

"Don't worry you didn't," he spoke opening his eyes then closing them again.

"No, seriously come on, what if it did bite me?" I stared as he opened his eyes and gave me an apologetic smile.

"...You are literally the only person I ever had in my life that cared and stayed. So, if you got bit, I'd either let you turn because I couldn't kill you and let you kill me, or I would kill you when you turn then I'd kill myself... I-I know it's not cool of me... A-And I know it's not right... But... what else would I have left? Ya know?" It sounded like he was about to cry but he kept talking

"... We don't know the symptoms of the infected and we don't know how long we have before someone turns, so I panicked the whole time searching you for bites. Don't worry nothing invasive if you weren't bleeding there, I didn't check.

"I get it, don't worry. I trust you."

"Are you... feeling okay though? Like is everything alright? You're not going to just... Croak on me by morning... right?"

"I'm fine. My abdomen and my head hurt but my stomach is just probably stressed and my head I know is a mild concussion... but All in all survivable, no croaking for me. I smiled while I rested my head on the only pillow and stroked the stubble on his face. He froze... Then relaxed and smiled too.

"Good. I need you more than I'd like to admit." What he said stroked my ego a bit so smiled in response.

"I'm going to call you cactus until I get you a razor." I couldn't help but giggle at the thought of hearing or seeing him respond to it.

"Oh really?" He softly grabbed my hand and moved his face closer to mine. He stared into my eyes for a second before his gaze glued itself to my lips, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. I didn't respond or move; it was way too soon for me.

Trey noticed I wasn't pulling away or moving closer and shot a glance up to my face and seen my sadness. Which made him freeze. My eyes started to well up with tears, I felt conflicted and guilty. I loved Brandon but he was toxic, and it's clear to me that Trey loves me but... it felt wrong to love his back so quickly... really wrong. I was slowly falling for Trey and because Brandon was dead Trey is now expressing his feelings for me freely, but this was all happening fresh out of a terrible break-up and I don't want to jump into anything too fast or else... he'll feel like a rebound and if he doesn't, then I still will. I want to heal and then fall in love... I need time but will that be asking too much? What if I lose Trey too? I don't want to think anymore.

Please help me. Help me heal... Help me decide.

Trey read my mood and pulled away a bit returning to how he once was. He released my hand and placed his arm back on my waist and apologetically smiled. I did the same as I pulled my hand to my chest. We both froze when we heard a distant scream. It was a man...

Trey was still stiff with worry after a few moments listening out for any more screams when I reached over from under the sheet and touched his heart. He jumped a bit.

"It's alright. Tomorrow we start planning and taking inventory. We have to leave this mountain." His muscles relaxed a bit as he calmed down, signing away his stress.

"Okay then... let's start by getting some sleep."

It took an hour after the scream to fall asleep, and without any alarms to wake us up, we slept until about 10:50 in the morning, that's late when you're used to waking up at five in the morning for class or breakfast. I saw that he was still sleeping with his arm still coiled around me. With nowhere to go and no immediate place to be, I stayed there wrapped up in his arms. I placed my hand on his face my soft hands getting pricked by his many hairs and smiled to myself, I was preoccupied with his stubble so when Trey woke up and just stared at me, I didn't notice. That is until he smiled which made me look up to see he was indeed awake. I pulled my hand and blushed.

"Looks like you like cacti more than you admit." Still blushing and looking away I tried my best to ignore the statement. It didn't work.

"I'm not used to seeing you so close, you're always so clean-shaven and neat, so it's different." I sat up and started leaving the bed.

"Is my stubble bad?"

"No. No. No... I like it. It just feels weird, even..." My mood became sullen and withdrawn.

"Even Brandon kept his face bare... I know." Trey shuffled around the bed to where I was now standing and lifted my chin so I would look him straight in the eyes. He was trying to keep his distance, but my heart was still going a million miles a second anyway.

Why? Calm down, your ex just cheated on you and died. Give it a break.

"Don't tell me you have a soft spot for men with facial hair... you'll make me wanna stay looking like this forever." My face all but burst into flames as I looked away, unable to get my composure, I pulled away and started to make my way to the door.

"D-don't say things like that... I- I..." I cleared my throat, massaged my neck with my left hand, and tried again. "I just like the way it feels."

"Even better..." I turned to look at him seeing a cocky crooked smile on his face. I kept my hand on the doorknob.

"What? Why?" I calmly waited for a response at the door half expecting him to leave the room with me, when he walked over, he walked straight up to me and pushed me against the very door I've been waiting at. He placed his elbows and forearms against the wood of the door on either side of my head.

My mind flashed to last night, but for some reason, I didn't panic. I made full eye contact with him Instead.

Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.

I blushed like an idiot at how close he was to my face, his grey eyes staring back at me with a smug grin on his face. I tensed and closed my eyes when he moved closer. He went straight to my ear.

"All the more reason for you to put your hands on me." The whole time he spoke his lips barely grazed my ear and his breath tickled my neck. The whole situation made me feel fuzzy all over. I felt him pull back to how he started, and I mentally screamed as he chuckled. I had forgotten to open my eyes and when I did, he was staring at my lips then his eyes shot up to meet my green ones. I glanced down at his lips as he licked them and back up into his warm gaze, he pulled me away from the door a few steps by the small of my back and leaned in until our lips grazed each other.

"After you." He pulled away and opened the door at the same time it took me a second to register what just happened and took another few seconds to collect my thoughts and react.

"Oh, I'm gonna put my hands on you Alright... when I beat you up!" Frustrated I marched out of the room with him close behind.

He ushered me out of the room by the small of my back while chuckling deeply. The pangs of guilt were getting weaker and weaker with every touch, but admittedly so were my knees. When we broke contact, the area his hands were, went cold then readjusted. I guess he stopped searching after last night's attack because the 1st floor was still as I left it

"We haven't properly checked this floor, but I think we should close these curtains first," I whispered as I made my way to the windows.

"Romantic." I looked back at him with a look that said "really? Behave." and continued to sneak over to the curtains, carefully closing them to avoid drawing attention.

Oh god. This is terrifying.