The window's open.
Louis slips in and out of darkness, stuck between a dreamless calm and a waking reality. Cool air drifts in through the cracked window, brushing against the bare skin of his arm. A grumble bubbles up his throat as he pulls the blanket closer to his chin.
It's not the morning chill or the golden glow flowing in through the parted curtains that wakes him up, though.
A gentle hand shakes his shoulder.
A familiar presence looms over- he can feel it even in his drowsy state.
Nothing dangerous, of course. Otherwise, he'd be bolting out of bed in a blind search for Chairles.
He rolls over onto his side, eyes too heavy to open.
"Louis?"
The hand grasps his shoulder again, this time shaking a little harder. His grogginess worsens. It's as if someone poured wet cement into his bones. He reaches out over the empty spot next to him in search of Clementine's warmth, inhaling the morning air and letting it out with a groan.
The hand shakes him again, harder this time, so he grabs and holds it.
"U-uh-"
Louis buries his face in his pillow, his voice coming out muffled, groggy, "Darling, come back to bed."
"Louis!"
His nose smashes against the mattress.
"Ow! Hey!"
He's ready to complain about such a rude awakening until he realizes whose hand he's still holding.
The room is awkwardly silent until Louis mumbles, "You're not Clementine."
"No," Aasim pulls free and hits Louis with the pillow, "no, I'm not."
Louis snatches the pillow back, fluffing and tucking it under his head with a heavy sigh. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" he yawns. "I didn't take you for the creeper type."
"I wasn't watching you sleep," Aasim rolls his eyes. "I came to wake you up. We're going hunting."
"Hunting?"
Well, that's the first he's heard of this.
He and Aasim usually go hunting every few days, and they just went the day before. Louis props himself on his elbows to peer up at him with a dull expression. Another yawn builds in his throat.
"You must have your days mixed up," he says. "Mitch and Willy go today. We're not supposed to go 'til tomorrow, so we can all go back to bed now. Goodnight."
"No, it's our turn," Aasim says quickly. "We gotta go now. James was out there earlier and he saw a deer."
A...
A what ?
"A deer?" Louis perks a brow. "Sure it wasn't just a big possum? Or a walker on all fours? Maybe even a bunch of bunnies standing on each other's shoulders?"
"He's pretty damn sure it was a deer," Aasim insists, spreading the window curtains farther apart. More light floods in, causing Louis to wince as his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. He yanks the blanket fully over his head, curling up.
"He's already out there tracking it," Aasim grabs Louis' coat from off the desk chair and tosses it to him, "so we gotta move fast if we want any chance of hunting it. We also have to check the traps and make sure the fishing shack is still secure."
"A deer?" Louis presses again from beneath the blanket. "Like, a real deer? Like Bambi?"
"Bambi was a cartoon."
Aasim jerks the blanket off, dropping it to the floor far from Louis's reach.
"You know what I mean," Louis sighs, squinting back up at him. "We've never seen a deer out there, like, ever. Not even at the beginning."
"Well, James just saw one, so... Get up and get ready. We're leaving soon."
Aasim scratches at his chin, turning to gaze about the room, searching for something.
Louis swings his legs over the side of the bed and stretches out his arms, groaning in satisfaction as the muscles loosen.
"How soon is 'soon'?"
"As soon as you put your boots on."
Louis lets out an exaggerated groan.
This definitely isn't what he had planned for this morning.
He planned on waking up to Clementine sleeping peacefully beside him, happier and more content than she was last night.
It's been a long time since he's seen her so physically upset.
He knows Clementine well enough by now. He knows that she still holds in most of those awful feelings. Whenever something upsets her, or even after she has a nightmare of her own, her face defaults to a stoic expression. Whether she does it out of habit, or because she doesn't want him or anyone else to worry, or some concoction of both, he's not entirely sure.
She has enough room within her to bottle it up. She has the strength to hold it in.
He wishes he was more like that.
Sometimes, he felt he was bursting at the seams.
And there she always was, trying to sew him back together.
Seeing her like that… shit, it's one of the most hopeless feelings when all you can do is hold someone without the power to heal their pain.
Louis squeezes his eyes shut, biting the inside of his cheek.
"I talked to Violet…"
Violet.
Shit, what could've possibly brought that on?
He hadn't asked, even though he wanted to. God, he really wanted to. He's so desperate to know... why now? Did it just happen, or has it been weighing heavier in her mind again? What was it about? Why didn't she tell him?
He didn't want to upset her any more than she already was, though, so he left it alone. She would tell him when she was ready.
And, Violet…
He can't imagine how she must be feeling right now.
He watches Aasim as he paces over to AJ's desk, stopping to look over the several drawings hanging on the wall.
Louis really doesn't want to go hunting.
He already had his morning planned out.
First, he'd wake up and kiss Clementine before her watch. Or, if she already left, go find her and then kiss her.
It's sort of a rule he has. While Louis was never one for strict rules or planning, he does have certain things that have to be done. Kissing Clementine every day is one of those rules.
Okay, maybe it's not considered a rule, per se.
But, he made sure to kiss her every morning, and whenever one of them left to go hunting or scavenging or on watch without the other, and every night before bed. It didn't have to be a crazy, passionate kiss. Sometimes, just a little peck on the cheek was enough.
It made him feel better, even if he knows it's his subconscious telling him, "Kiss her! It might be your last chance! Death is always watching you, Louis!"
A lovely thought, as usual.
After he kissed her, he'd ask her if she was feeling any better, or if she wanted to talk about it. Whether she would or not, he didn't know.
Next, he'd grab two plates of breakfast and head over to Violet's room. If she answered, they'd eat together. If she didn't answer or let him in, she'd at least have food waiting for her. Then, he'd find Tenn to keep an eye on her, make sure she ate.
However, it seems that Aasim's determined to foil those plans all in the name of some deer James supposedly saw.
Seriously, a deer ?
Louis tries to rub the drowsiness from his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. Aasim might as well have said, "Hey! Leprechauns are frolicking in the woods! Quick! Let's go get their gold!"
Well, okay, maybe a deer is more plausible than a leprechaun.
But, still.
When Aasim notices Louis's lack of movement and vacant stare, he crosses his arms and shoots him a stern look.
"Now, dude."
Louis scratches the back of his neck as he hangs his head. "Do you really need me to go?" he asks. "I mean, it's not like we need three people tracking a deer that may or may not be a figment of James' imagination."
"It's not a figment of his imagination," Aasim insists. "Will you just put your boots on? We're wasting daylight."
"You're awfully pushy this morning."
"No, I just-" Aasim stops, looking away. "I want that deer, okay?"
Louis studies him for a moment as he pulls on his jacket, trying to understand the stress prominent in his features.
"Dude, if you're so worried about the deer, just go without me-"
"No! No, you- I-uh, " Aasim presses his mouth into a thin line. His eyes dart around at the floor. He wears a taut expression that Louis recognizes. It's one that Aasim usually has when he's jotting down the day's events and he can't figure out how to word something.
Louis gets off the bed, hands on his hips and head cocked curiously.
"You okay?"
"You have to come with me," Aasim says slowly. He scratches at his scruffy chin and looks towards to door, saying, "We need three people to carry it back when we get it."
"I doubt it. Two people's enough."
"No, three people are needed to safely carry it."
"James' strong. Honestly, the dude could probably drag it back here himself. You don't need me there."
Then, Aasim blurts out, "I-I don't want to be alone with James."
Louis almost laughs.
"What?"
"Uh-" Aasim stutters, "Yeah, he makes me nervous, okay? You guys are friends. If you go, he'll have someone to talk to and I won't have to worry about him."
"Are you serious? I thought you two got along. You talk to him every time he's here. Hell, don't you always eat together, too?"
"That- that doesn't mean anything. Will you just put your damn boots on, already?" Aasim finds his boots on the floor and kicks them towards him. "Why do you always have to be so damn difficult? Just once, can you do what I ask with no questions asked?"
Louis opens his mouth to speak, but then promptly shuts it.
Something's weird.
Aasim's being weird.
He never argues this much. Usually, by now he would've thrown his hands up, stomped out and left him behind, grumbling about what a pain in the ass he is.
But, there Aasim stood, moving about the room impatiently, still waiting for him.
Louis slips on his boots, keeping an eye on the other boy, and begins slowly lacing them up.
Aasim picks up the small venus fly trap on the desk and pokes it, causing it to steadily close its mouth. He's so forcefully fixated on the plant that Louis is convinced something's up.
Louis has known him for a long time, and he knows that Aasim avoids eye contact and becomes defensive due to three things: when someone brings up the delta, when he's lying about something, or when someone confronts him about his crush on-
Louis' mouth falls agape.
Oh.
"He makes you nervous, huh?" Louis asks, hopping to his feet.
Aasim almost drops the plant, but luckily, he catches it. "Yeah, so what?"
"Why?"
"Uh?"
"Why does he make you nervous?" Louis repeats, drawing out each word. "I mean, aside from the whole wearing another dude's face and hanging out with his walker friends."
Aasim's lips part as though he's ready to speak, but it seems he's stuck. He moves his hands about as if somehow that'll help him articulate the words he's looking for. In the end, he gives an agitated sigh and heads towards the exit, saying, "Just drop it and let's go."
However, Louis is quick to stride ahead and shut the door, pressing his back against it and raising his brow suggestively at him.
"Not so fast!"
"Dude, really?"
Louis smirks.
"I see you, Aasim."
"What?" Aasim scowls. "Get out of the way. Clem's gonna be pissed we haven't left yet."
Louis grins brightly. He ignores Aasim's protests, reaching out to grasp his shoulder, saying, "It's finally happened. Our poor Aasim, the fool forever trapped within the realms of unrequited love-"
"Uh, what?"
"-has finally moved on from dear, sweet Ruby-"
"No-"
"-and onto the ever so mysterious-"
"No, no -"
"-handsome James!"
"Oh my god…" Aasim rubs his eyes, fingers curling over his face in irritation. "Oh my god, you're so stupid."
"Ah, James," Louis disregards the insult, continuing, "Gotta say, I did not see that one coming. Never thought I'd see the day you give up on sweet Ruby. She'll be devastated. Oh Ruby, don't know what you got until it's gone. "
"I don't have a crush on James, you idiot."
"Uh-huh."
"I never had a crush on Ruby."
"Uh-huh."
"I don't- didn't !"
"Uh-huh."
Aasim inhales sharply through his nose. "I swear, it's like you strive to piss me off!"
Louis holds his hands up defensively, saying, "No, I hear you, dude. I just don't believe you. You can't look me in the eye and say with a straight face that you never had a crush on Ruby."
Aasim rubs his palms over his jacket before crossing his arms, not saying a word.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Louis continues, "Ruby's a sweet girl- well, sweet until pushed otherwise. And James is really cool underneath that walker getup. In fact, I dare say you two would be pretty damn adorable-"
Aasim holds up his hand inches away from Louis' face. "I'm gonna stop you right there before you say any more stupid shit," he says sternly. "I don't like James."
"If that's true, then why're you being so weird?" asks Louis. "Hmmm?"
"Look," Aasim sighs. "We could stand here all day arguing about this stupid shit, but the longer we do that, the farther that deer gets, and the longer James is stuck out there waiting for us by himself. Clementine is counting on both of us to go out there and track it, so can you please just take this seriously for once?"
"Who says I'm not being serious?"
Aasim shoots him a look.
"Okay, fine," he sighs. He pushes away from the door. "You really believe he saw a deer out there?"
"Yeah, I do."
"And so does Clem?"
"Why else would she send me to wake your ass up?" Aasim asks, glancing back down at the floor.
Well, so much for morning plans. He'd have to shorten his list and make it quick.
"Just answer me this last question," Louis says with a wide grin. "How long have you liked James?"
"I'm not playing this game with you."
"What game? You wanted me to be serious, so here I am! Being serious! How long? Details, my friend!"
"I don't-" Aasim groans, rubbing his hands harshly over his face and through his hair.
Alright, that's enough teasing, he thinks. Louis would ask him about it again later when Aasim isn't so flustered or preoccupied with thoughts of a prancing deer.
"Okay, okay, let's go get Bambi. But before that, can I at least do my morning business first?" he asks. "Or am I gonna have to hold it the whole time?"
"Fine," Aasim sighs, relieved, "just hurry up. Meet you at the gates."
And with that, Aasim rushes out the door.
Louis shakes his head with a small smile. What an interesting development, he thinks. Aasim and James… Louis frowns. Now that he thinks about it, that might make things complicated if his theory about Mitch and James is- … It's probably nothing. He's thinking about it too much.
With Chairles in his possession and a set determination, Louis leaves the bedroom, ready to complete his morning plans in the short amount of time given.
From down the hall, Louis can hear the sound of glass shards scraping against the wooden floors. His gut tightens.
Violet's door is wide open.
Uneasy, apprehensive to continue, he comes to a stop.
Violet never leaves her door open, not even a crack. Whether she's alone or not, she always makes sure her door is shut and locked. There's been plenty of times where he'd gone to see her and after she let him in, she'd almost push him out of the way to slam the lock shut.
He'd asked her about it the first time it happened. She hadn't answered him. She was too ashamed to, so she pretended not to hear the question.
He didn't say any more about it. If it made her feel better- safer, more secure- then he wouldn't argue. He's gotten in the habit of locking it himself every time he comes to visit just so she doesn't panic.
Eventually, he does peek into the room.
But, he doesn't find Violet.
No, he's alarmed to find Mitch bent down on the floor with a dustpan and a small, broken broom, cautiously sweeping up shattered glass bits. There's a small bag next to him with a wooden frame protruding from it. Clear concentration knits his brows and his lips move as if silently mumbling to himself.
Louis' eyes narrow. He tries to wrap his head around just what he's seeing.
Think of the devil, and the devil will appear... Or something to that effect.
When he moves closer, right into the door frame, Mitch doesn't seem to notice, even when he clears his throat.
So, he speaks.
"Hey, Mitch," he says, loud and flat.
Mitch jerks back, losing his balance, hissing out, " Jesus motherfucking- !" He drops the dustpan to help steady himself, letting glass slip out onto the floor again. He scrambles to his feet, cheeks flushing a furious red, but his glare dies when he sees it's Louis standing there. He grows tense, unmoving, with eyes wide like a small child just caught sneaking around where they weren't supposed to.
The two stare at each other for many seconds before Mitch points at him.
"You're not supposed to be here."
"Funny," Louis scoffs, pushing his jacket back to place his hands on his hips firmly, "I was about to say the same thing."
"I, uh-" Mitch straightens out, looking down at the broom in his hand and the glass on the floor before peering back up at him. "Shouldn't you be out hunting?"
"Don't change the subject," Louis frowns. He approaches the other boy, asking, "What are you doing here? Where's Vi?"
"She's with Tenn," Mitch says. "Spent the night in his room after she, uh," he motions down to the broken glass, "flipped out."
Concern tightens in his throat. The panic must be clear on his face, because Mitch shakes his head and explains, "She did it after their talk." He kneels back down and starts sweeping again. "Clem told'ja about that, I assume?"
"Yeah," he says slowly. "And, how do you know about it, exactly?"
"I was keeping watch. Made sure Violet didn't do anything." Mitch dumps the glass bits into the small bag before motioning towards the desk. "She didn't, at least not while Clem was here. She smashed this after we were leaving. I left the picture over there."
Louis hesitates, but steps around Mitch, wary of the remaining glass bits. As he approaches the desk, he notices that her water bottle is tipped over onto its side, empty. What's worse, is he can see it's completely dry, like it hasn't been used in a long time. He stands it up, moving it right next to her journal.
He remembers when Aasim gave that to her. It wasn't bound like a real book, but Aasim had gathered some thicker paper from the basement and had Ruby sew it together into a makeshift book. It even had a cover, drawn by Tenn.
Aasim gave it to her after the delta, said that writing was easier than talking. He gave her a bunch of pencils and pens, too, but he can't spot any lying around. Louis doesn't know if she really writes in it, though he hopes she does. Anything to help, anything to release a little bit of that pain.
Louis considered it once. But trying to write down his feelings only frustrated him. Instead, he turned to Clementine and music for solace.
He glances away from the journal and to the photo laying at the bottom corner of the desk.
Violet, Minerva, and Sophie, all together, all smiling.
He can't help but grin, even if there's no joy in it.
The photo's covered in scratches, from the glass, no doubt. But, the faces are still clear.
Minerva.
The real Minnie.
Not the husk that pointed her crossbow at him, who tried to kill Clementine and take them all away to that sick hellhole.
As he stares at her face, her long hair and sincere eyes, he wishes that's the only way he could remember her; happy, radiant, beautiful.
Fuck, he couldn't even remember her laugh, or how charming her singing was.
She used to always laugh at his stupid jokes, at his silly voices and silly songs. Even when no one else would, she'd take pity on him and laugh.
They'd sing together in their downtime, too. They'd sing until Violet threw her head back, groaning out that he was ruining the song. So, he'd shut up and just play the piano, and Minerva would sing.
Louis thinks that's when it happened.
When Violet first fell in love.
That's why she always told him to shut up. Something in Minerva's voice brought her comfort, gave her some sense of purpose.
He can remember Violet sitting there, watching both of them, and when Minerva sang to her, it was like he didn't exist anymore. He was just there for background noise, a mere puppet to set the mood and a witness to what was blossoming.
It was beautiful.
Violet was beautiful.
He'd told her that shortly after she and Minerva became official, told her how happy he was for her. She punched him in the shoulder and called him stupid.
Minerva had agreed with him, though.
God, the way they looked at each other.
"I killed her."
But, the memories of her glazed-over expression, her washed-out, gaunt face overshadow those fond times now.
Minerva...
"I killed her."
Sophie.
"I killed her."
Poor, poor Sophie.
He has to squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lip to stop his quivering chin. He's not about to cry here, especially not in front of Mitch. He swallows the lump forming in his throat and breathes in, and out. He places the picture in the desk drawer.
"She wasn't hurt, right?" Louis asks, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. "By the glass?"
"Not that I could see. Didn't see any blood anywhere."
Well, at least she's physically still intact. That doesn't make him any less worried, though.
Mitch's eyes dart all around the floor, looking for any shards he might've missed. He turns on his heels to grab his bag again.
"Clem told you?" Louis asks. "That she was gonna talk to her?"
"Yeah."
Louis knows Clementine and Mitch had some sort of understanding with each other, but of all the people he thought she would've turned to when it came to talking to Violet, he didn't put Mitch too high on the list.
"Why?"
"Uh," Mitch stops sweeping. "Why what?"
"Why'd she tell you?" Louis asks. "She could've come to me."
Mitch tenses. "I-I don't fucking know, dude!" he exclaims far too loudly. As he continues, his speech becomes quicker, more defensive, "She just said it and I told her it was a shit idea but no, she just had to come and poke the bear right in the fucking eye and when you do that you get your hand bitten off and so I said I'd come with her and make sure her hand doesn't get bitten off- shit I didn't actually say it like that but I said, 'don't do it,' and she was all, 'I'm doing it,' and-"
"Okay, okay," Louis interrupts, overwhelmed by the outburst. "I get the idea. But why are you here now ?"
Straightens himself out again, leaving the broom and dustpan on the floor to tie up the bag. "She wasn't gonna clean it up," he mumbles. "Hey, shouldn't you be hunting? Aasim's gonna kick your ass if you don't get moving. We need that deer."
Again, with the hunting thing.
"Yeah, yeah, the deer," he sighs. "I'm going. I just wanted to check up on Vi first."
"Doubt she wants to see anybody. Better off going straight to Aasim. Like right now."
"I will," Louis crosses his arms, "as soon as I see you out."
Mitch eyes him questioningly before it dawns on him.
"Oh, right. Fair enough."
He leaves the broken broom and dustpan in the corner of the room and scopes out the floor one last time. "Tell her not to break any glass shit next time. It's a pain in the ass to clean up."
Louis doesn't bother responding. Mitch is already out the door anyway, leaving him alone in the emptiness of Violet's room.
It's chillier this morning. While the sun is still bright in the sky, there are more clouds floating about, all various shades of gray. Maybe not dark enough to worry about rain at the moment, but they still pass over the sun and bring a coolness over the school.
Louis tugs on the collar of his jacket, covering up a bit. Upon looking around, he's a little surprised to only see Tenn sitting at his usual table, holding a board with a piece of paper taped on it in his lap, and Aasim pacing in front of the gates. He can faintly see Clementine and AJ up on watch.
No Ruby, no Willy, no Omar.
Even Rosie isn't outside.
Odd.
But, he shrugs it off. He didn't think he was late enough to miss breakfast, but that does bring up another concern.
Ignoring Aasim for a moment, figuring he can wait just a little bit longer, Louis makes his way towards Tenn.
There's a line up of old bottles, some broken, some filled with a gross looking grey liquid. The board rests comfortably in Tenn's lap. He's focused on his drawing, his eyes constantly darting up to stare at the bottles before going back to copy it onto paper.
"Hey, Tenn," Louis greets.
The boy looks back at him, eyes wide and blinking rapidly. "Oh, hi, Louis," he says.
"What'cha drawing today?" Louis asks enthusiastically, peering over his shoulder.
Tenn sheepishly sets the board on the table, careful not to knock anything over. Several drawings of bottles fill up the page, all a little wobbly or disproportionate.
"James said I need practice drawing from life more, but," Tenn sighs, "bottles are hard."
"Yeah, but it looks like you're getting the hang of it." Louis points to a sketch in the right corner. "I like this one. It looks real enough to drink out of!"
A small, timid smile spreads across the young boy's face. "Really?"
"Totally," Louis gives an encouraging grin. "Wait until James sees these. He's gonna be floored at how good you're getting. Oh!" Louis pats his shoulder. "By the way, that one you did of me looks amazing on our wall."
"You-you hung it up?"
"Of course I did!"
Tenn looks away to hide his diffident smile. "Thanks, Louis…"
"Of course," Louis grins. He moves around and takes a seat next to him with a sigh, his usual grin replaced with a more serious look. "Hey," he lowers his voice, "how's Vi doing?"
Tenn sets his pencil down, keeping his eyes locked on his hands. "She's okay. She slept in my room last night."
"I heard," Louis scratches at his chin thoughtfully, "but, she's okay? Well, as okay as she can be?"
"I think so," Tenn says. "She-...she cried a lot, but she's stopped, so..."
Shit.
"Did she get any sleep?"
"A little. She's still in bed. She told me I didn't have to wait for her."
"Did she eat anything?"
"I brought her some breakfast," he nods, "and she ate a little."
Relief washes over him.
"Good," he says. "That's good. Keep an eye on her, okay? I would go check on her myself but it seems I'm needed elsewhere."
Tenn goes back to his drawing, pulling the board back into his lap, saying, "Uhm, aren't you and Aasim-"
"Going hunting, yes, to capture that magical deer prancing in the woods." Louis stands up again, giving Tenn one last pat on the back. "Her water bottle's in her room. When you take a break, would you fill it up and bring it to her?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks, buddy," Louis smiles warmly. "Keep up the good work."
He waves good-bye to the young boy, but still strays away from the gates. He knows Aasim can see him, and it's only a matter of time before he stomps over and drags him out by his ear.
There's just one more thing he has to do.
Approaching the post where they take turns on watch, Louis calls up, "Clementine?"
At first, he doesn't get a response. Then, AJ leans over and smiles down at him, excitedly waving. "Hi, Louis!"
"Hey, little man!" he laughs. "Clem up there?"
"Yeah!"
Clementine appears beside him, giving AJ a set of binoculars. Louis steps back, watching her climb down.
He's pleased to see her smiling.
In fact, he dare say she's glowing this morning.
She hurries over to him and slips into his open arms. Her cold nose brushes his skin when she leans up and pecks him on the lips.
"Good morning."
"Good morning," he grins. He opens his jacket up more, pulling her close and wrapping it around her as much as possible. "You're freezing."
"Been out here a few hours," she sighs, melting into his touch, soaking up his warmth. "I expected to see you a lot sooner. Aasim's been waiting."
"Ah, yes, so we can hunt this famous deer everyone's so obsessed with," he says, "He was ready to drag me out of bed by my feet this morning. I think I can actually feel him glaring at us right now." He peeks over Clementine's head nonchalantly, and sure enough, Aasim is staring at the couple, exasperated.
"Believe me, I heard all about it," Clementine pulls back with a stern look. "You shouldn't give him such a hard time."
"Yeah, I know. He just makes it too easy sometimes. Anyway," Louis leans forward to kiss her cheek. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay before I took off."
She hums against his chest, mumbling, "I'm a lot better, actually. All things considered. It's… a good day."
"It's a cold day."
"It's not that cold."
"Your nose is about to fall off."
"So dramatic."
Louis chuckles, pulling back to rub warmth into her arms before stopping to hold her hands.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Later," she says. "You have a deer to hunt."
"I'd happily cancel to make time for you."
"Nice try, but no."
"Ugh."
He's getting pretty tired of hearing about this deer.
"Don't pout. Think about how much a whole deer could feed us."
"Not much, because I'm, like, eighty percent sure Bambi doesn't really exist."
"Louis."
"Okay, ninety percent."
She shakes her head, trying to hide her smile. She playfully smacks his chest. "Just go. You two have kept James waiting long enough. We'll talk later, okay? I promise."
Louis doesn't let her hands go.
"You sure you're okay?" he asks.
"Yes."
He studies her face for any sign of unease but finds that she's still smiling up at him.
When she notices his hesitation, she tugs on his hand.
"Are you okay?"
He's quiet as he says, "I went to check on her. She wasn't in her room."
Clementine doesn't say anything, but her grip on his hands tightens.
"I did find Mitch cleaning up glass. That was pretty weird."
Her eyes flutter shut as she lowers her head. "The picture…"
"Yeah," he nods, "Tenn promised to keep an eye on her today. Try not to think about it too much. And if she does come out, well... "
"I know."
He doesn't say any more about it. Her promise to talk about it when he gets back is enough assurance for him.
"Louis!" Aasim calls from the gates. "Let's go!"
Louis shakes his head and forces a cheerful smile. "Best not keep poor Aasim waiting. He's gonna need a shoulder to cry on when we don't find that deer."
Clementine rolls his eyes. "And here I thought you were the optimist."
"Optimist, sure. Delusional? Not as much as you'd think."
"Just don't give Aasim such a hard time," she says, quirking a knowing brow. "I hear he's had a rough morning already."
"I won't," he promises. "I have a feeling that he won't hesitate to shoot at me today if I push the wrong button."
Clementine's fingers brush against his cheek before she pulls him down. Their lips press comfortably together as a pleased sigh escapes her. They savor the moment, reluctant to pull away. It takes him a second to recover, a second before he can open his eyes again.
God, she is glowing today.
And he's just standing there, smiling and chuckling like a fool.
She turns away to hide the pretty blush blossoming on her cheeks, hitting his chest again.
" Go ."
" Fine ."
Louis goes to the gates, turning to wave good-bye to her. He's still grinning when he meets Aasim, who shakes his head and gives an exaggerated eye roll before pushing through the gates.
Louis isn't too far behind.