Lucky
...xXx...
Any word that related to "ancient" was his way to describe Joel, who was their guide to the community in Jackson. He didn't mean to insult the man, but damn, how could anyone trust such an old man to keep them safe until their destination. There were five people: a married couple with their 10-year-old girl, a mid-thirties woman, and himself. And Maria only sent one old man to assist them. Totally unbelievable.
He, however, had to revise his opinion of Joel when he saw him in action. For an old man, he moved pretty fast, and his aim with guns was good, really good. As they said, looks can be deceiving, and he had to admit that someone like Joel had enough experience to keep them safe. And kept them safe he did. Along the way to Jackson, he had tried to befriend the old man, hoping he would share his stories. The only thing he got from Joel was he had a wife and a young son waiting for him in Jackson. Considering how the world had turned upside down, he could understand why he had a kid pretty late. One would want to think thrice about bringing a new life in this kind of world.
Soon, they arrived at Jackson with little to no injuries. Maria welcomed them all with open arms. It was then that he met Joel's son, Edward, who was running towards Joel. Except for the red hair, the boy was a copy carbon of Joel. Strangely, he didn't see Joel's wife anywhere, but then, from what he heard from Joel, his wife was a pretty good hunter, so maybe she and her group had left to catch some games, for winter was upon them soon. Joel only nodded at him before leaving them with Maria, who started explaining the rules in their new home.
...xXx...
Any word that related to "beautiful" was his way to describe Ellie. Just from the first meeting, he could already tell that the redhead had a pretty strong personality and one hell of a mouth. He might think she cursed better than a true sailor as her words could make a grown man like him blush to the roots of his hair. Nevertheless, he wished to get to know her.
A hard slap on his back broke his stare on Ellie. He turned to Tommy with a glare. "What was that for?"
Tommy shook his head while smiling. "Stop staring. Ellie's taken, man."
He blinked. "Seriously?"
Tommy never got the chance to reply as Ellie had spotted him. "Tommy!"
Both men waited as the green-eyed woman approached them.
Tommy nodded in greeting. "Ellie." He gestured to the man beside him. "This is Robert, one of our five new members."
Ellie's face lightened. "Oh, the group that was tasked to Joel?"
Tommy nodded. "The one and only."
Ellie smiled. "Welcome to the community, Robert."
Robert felt his heart beat faster as he witnessed such a beautiful smile. "Thanks."
Before either of them could continue their conversation, a child's happy cry of "Mommy" rang through the air. Robert felt as if he was punched in the gut as he recognised the boy as Edward. Ellie's laughter was heard by all as she caught the 5-year-old boy and smothered him with kisses. "Eddie, Mommy missed you so much."
It was only now that he noticed Edward's red hair was inherited from his mother.
The boy laughed while trying to get away from his mother. "No kisses, Mommy. I'm a big boy!"
Ellie pouted. "Who said that?"
"Daddy said so."
"Really?"
Edward nodded vigorously.
"Well, we can't have that. You're still a little boy until Mommy says otherwise." Ellie, Edward still in her arms, turned to Tommy. "See you later at dinner, brother-in-law."
Tommy laughed. "Yes, yes, see you later, sister-in-law."
Edward waved his little arm happily over his mother's shoulder. "Bye-bye, Uncle Tommy."
"Bye, Eddie." Tommy gave a small wave at the boy and the retreating form of Ellie. Once they were gone from his sight, he turned to the shocked Robert. He tried his best to hold back his laugh. Really, he couldn't help but feel bad for the man. It was not the first time that someone new was attracted to Ellie at first sight. His brother was lucky to have Ellie, but no one could begrudge or deny their love for each other after what they had gone through together.
..xXx...
One hell of a lucky bastard was how he described Joel. Such an old man to have such a young wife, how fair was that? Though, he knew that life was anything but fair. Honestly, he had a hard time to accept Ellie was actually Joel's wife. No one in the community seemed to go against their relationship. He guessed, even with one eye, one could tell that Joel and Ellie loved each other. It was not a matter of showing affection, because he couldn't see one beside towards their son Edward, but it was about how they looked at each other, how they communicated without saying anything, and how they trust each other without questions.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had no chance to come between them. Besides, he didn't want to become a target of Joel's gun or Ellie's arrow. Since he had arrived here two weeks ago, he had learned that Joel had the best head shot with any type of gun while Ellie was deadly with an arrow. Besides, from what he heard, when Joel and Ellie were put in action together, they became dangerous enemies for anyone. Still, he had to say it again: Joel was one hell of a lucky bastard.
The End
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