***Chapter 6: Liquid Courage***

2017

(4 Years After Sarah's Death)

Routine was perhaps one of the best things about life in Boston QZ. Most of Joel's days were spent in outside work duty, not that he had much to complain about. It was rather simple, but he did not necessarily mind. Tommy seemed content as well, even though he could get a bit restless. Joel was not one to bore easily, but his brother did not seem to share the habit. Although neither of them would admit it, their relationship had definitely improved, and they were thankful that things were not as icy between them.

Tommy had been social since they arrived, and tried on multiple occasions to introduce Joel to the many women he knew, but Joel took no interest. The only person besides his brother that he could even stand to talk with was Tess.

The two of them had become oddly close. Joel admired her strength and optimism, as well as her dominating qualities. Tess was the one who ran the show. He was fairly certain that she was interested in him, but he struggled to make it known to her that he too felt the same way. Sometimes her eyes lingered on his for a long time after he spoke. She most definitely was not shy, but lately it seemed as if there was a certain extra something in the air when they were alone. A smug little smile would form on her face whenever he did something she told him to do.

He aimed to please.

Yet, words had never been his most effective way of communication, and he felt sure that she would not make a move unless he did first. Not because she was scared, but because her pride had refused to look weak if he rejected her offer of a relationship. Perhaps this was why he had so much respect for her: although she was pushy, she was excellent at reading his emotions when he showed them, and she never tried to pry. The problem was that he was so used to being numb that he did not show emotion well anymore. If she could not understand his feelings were mutual, he could not blame her for the ignorance.

After Tess had pestered him enough, he had finally agreed to accompany her on a smuggling job. Her ability to lead was remarkable, and he was well aware that he was her partner because he provided her with muscle, not necessarily intellect. Joel did not take this as an insult; in fact, it simply forced him to admire her more. With Tess, he did not have to worry or over think, because she always had everything taken care of down to the fine detail.

They had only done a few jobs so far, but they all went well without any mistakes.

Except for tonight, that is...

The job itself had gone perfectly, but more opposition showed up than either of them could have imagined. The two of them spent way more time to fight their way out of the warehouse than expected. Since they had taken the tunnel route to their destination, there would be no way for them to enter Boston QZ from the checkpoint because it was dark. It would have been completely unwise to travel on a night like tonight in unoccupied areas. The moon was nowhere to be found, due to rain, and there were more infected than they had seen last time they were here.

"What are we gonna do, boss?" Joel asked, with a hint of humor almost evident in his voice. Normally, he would be frustrated that a setback occurred, but she was so quick on her feet that he rarely worried around her unless it was vital.

Tess narrowed her eyes and glared at their surroundings for a moment.

"There's no way in hell we're getting back home tonight. I'd say we find somewhere safe and shack up for the night," she said slowly, as if the idea had just come inside her mind.

Joel raised an eyebrow behind her back as they searched for some shelter in an infected-free area. Maybe tonight could be the night he let her know how he really felt about her, like the good romantic soul he used to be before all this madness happened. If there was anyone who had earned affection from Joel, it was her. He was still prone to moody spells, and she sometimes caught the bad end of these emotions, but she could be moody too. Not only did she understand, but she almost couldn't be too angry with him whenever he acted out.

After about an hour of walking in complete darkness, they found the small cottage that seemed to be their best option. There weren't many windows, and although it was near empty on the inside, it seemed easily tenable. Once they managed to get inside, she fumbled around.

"We need some extra light," Tess complained with a sigh.

"I'll take a look around," Joel said, in search of something that he was almost sure he would not find.

As he walked toward the living room, however, he was shocked and excited to find a few candles, and a half bottle of vodka. Across the small hallway, there was a decent sized bed that Joel eyed carefully. It's been a while since I've had a woman...

When he entered the kitchen, he found Tess opening the canned goods that she'd discovered in his absence. Quietly, he sat the candles across the room and lit them with his lighter, before he sat the vodka on the table.

"We could have a hell of a night here, Joel!" she exclaimed in excitement once she noticed the goods, which was something he did not often get to see. He sat his achy body on a chair at the table, and propped his feet up.

The dinner, if one could call it that, was beans and corn. Both ate in a comfortable silence, before Joel got up to examine the glassware in the kitchen. It had only been a few years since the outbreak, so he was constantly surprised at most of the valuables still left in these abandoned homes.

"Well you're eating awfully light tonight, you feeling all right?" Tess prodded, which made Joel chuckle.

He found a shot glass and brought it back to the table.

"I was hoping to get a quick buzz," he admitted, and quickly poured, then gulped the vodka down. Tess watched him carefully with that smug smile he'd grown so fond to look at. Maybe I could get some liquid courage.

"You must be a lightweight if that's gonna give you a buzz. Ugh, I hate vodka," she said with her nose scrunched.

"Me too, but it does the job," he said, and gulped another shot.

"I hope you're planning on sharing..." she warned, and he could not tell if it was flirtatious or not.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a smile, and poured a shot for her to join in the game.

In roughly an hour, both of them were well past the point of common sense or sobriety.

"So...tell me, is the point of all this just to get into my pants?" she asked.

"Seein' as I'm not usually very good with words, and seein' how you're probably not gonna make the first move unless I do, then yes, I reckon I'm trying to get into your pants," he said, and the smile on his face was so genuine that she was almost saddened he had to drink to feel good inside.

"Well, fuck me, I thought you'd never care enough to do it. You're usually so damn hard to read, I thought I was losin' my touch," she admitted, voice husky with lust.

"Hell, I used to be a romantic young buck myself. I mean, look at all these candles," he said, and gestured dramatically with his hands.

A rosy blush from the alcohol painted his face. Tess had never seen him happier. She fought back the urge to pry about his life and his past.

"I like you a lot. I can see the passion in your eyes...not just for me, but in everything you do...even though you try to play it off. I can tell you're one of those people who feels everything deeply...it's almost inspiring," she gushed to him, and he was taken aback with thrill that she had opened so quickly to him.

"Listen, I uh, think about ya a lot, and I admire you...and... I think we're a good pair," he stumbled about with his words, and he cursed the alcohol for not making him as smooth a talker as he wanted to be for her. The awkwardness of his words did not seem to bother her, however, and in fact she looked as though she adored his genuine confession.

"It's okay, you don't have to sweet talk me, I'm gonna fuck you," she said, with a tone that was borderline serious and humorous at the same time.

"Well, we oughta get to it then," he declared, and in one fluid movement had risen to pick her up. He carried her into the bedroom, while she was consumed in laughter.

Her tongue slipped into his mouth within seconds. He felt her wonderful hips buck into his groin, and he took in the scent of her hair, and her neck, and everything. With a grunt, he flipped her over with a hand against her belly.

"I'm gonna pound your sweet ass red, ya hear me?" he grunted into her ear.

Tess shrieked in arousal.

Later That Night...

Joel was thrilled to know he could still please a woman. He knew she wouldn't fake anything for his benefit, so it was a significant boost to his mind. There was certainly a rush of emotion and adrenaline. Almost immediately, he realized that he had never felt like this before.

He had been with a few other women in the span between his ex-wife and his sexual encounter now, but none of them had any meaning whatsoever. And yet this moment just shared with Tess had his head spinning. For the first time, he felt there was an emotional connection as well as a sexual connection. At twenty-nine years old, Joel had just experienced the basic foundation for love.

Of course, love was a strong word, and he was positive he did not love Tess now, but the fact that he could love her eventually had him closer than he had ever been before. He was completely overwhelmed with feelings of infatuation and admiration, but he was doing his best to downplay them so he didn't look desperate or foolish.

"Hey Tex..." she grumbled over her shoulder, nuzzled into his chest.

"Mmhm?" he replied.

"How long we known each other?" she pried.

"This sounds like one of them trick questions, Tess..." he replied, uneasy.

"No, no tricks dammit. You know me better than that. How long have we known each other?"

"Maybe 5 or 6 months? Why?"

"I don't know much about you, Tex," she finally mumbled.

"You know a helluva lot more than anyone else, I can tell ya that much," he deflected.

"Not enough," she disagreed, and then sat up.

Joel sighed, and rolled over.

"Well, what do you wanna know first?"

"What's your age?"

"Uh, 29. How old are you?"

"27, so not too far off," she replied cooly.

"You go to college?" he asked, now intrigued.

"I did, I was trying to finish up there before the world went to shit. Did you?"

"Naw, I was uhh...blue collar. Construction and stuff."

"Mhhm, I can see that. Did you...did you have a family?"

Joel stiffened.

"I got brother, and I had a mother," he said, flat.

"Were you ever...married?"

Joel sighed, and grazed the watch on his arm.

"...I ain't too comfortable with this-"

"-so you're still married-"

"-I ain't married because she's dead. Everyone's dead, that's how the story ends," he snapped.

"Okay, Tex," she responded in defeat, and left it at that.

They sat in silence for a long time. She rubbed her fingers across his chest, and he had calmed down again.

"What are we doin', Tess?" he finally asked. He was more interested in talking about their future than the past he was desperately running away from.

"We're enjoying the afterglow, I think," she deadpanned. He actually chuckled.

"No, no, I mean, what are we doin' together like this. What happens when we leave here?" he asked.

"I like you, and I think you like me," she stated.

"That'd be correct, darlin'."

"Well, that's it. We're gonna keep smuggling. Don't let this ruin our business, Joel," she chastised. He laughed again, but then frowned.

"Wait, are you serious? Is that all?"

"We have work to do Joel. That's what this is primarily. Did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget, I just..." he sighed.

"What?"

"I kinda hoped we'd keep this up," he mumbled, and gestured between them.

"We will, but...that's not our main motivation here. Get your head in the game."

"Tess, that is my main motivation," he disagreed.

"Joel, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I'm not exactly a commitment kind of gal. Is that what you want?"

"I just wanna be with you. You're damn near the only thing I look forward to everyday and I think we work well together," he said agitated.

"I'm not going anywhere, just don't expect me to play housewife or be your girlfriend or whatever old school ideas you have in that head there," she pointed to his temples.

"I can agree to that, I think," he mumbled, somewhat lost.

"Well, all right then. Sleep tight, we have a big day getting back tomorrow."

"Aye aye captain," he agreed, and huffed loudly in annoyance.

Joel was beyond himself, but he knew he was happy. So, he decided to chase this until it didn't please him anymore.

Maybe she's usin' me...even so, I don't think I care.