Alicia spent half the night staring at the ceiling. Thought after thought rushed like a whirlwind through her head. She'd been so wrapped up in Elyza and her story earlier that she failed to notice the blonde's fairly obvious indications of affection until now. The kiss to her hand and forehead... not easily mistaken for anything but affection.
Butterflies fluttered so strongly in her stomach she had to arch her back and stretch for relief.
It had crossed her mind that she hadn't even known this girl for a week, and that actions that straightforward may be a bit bold. Immediately, she shook the thought away, refusing to allow society's old regulations creep into her head the way her teachers hoped it would through years of "social training." This was a new world. She could die any second.
Even if death wasn't just two steps behind at all times, Alicia couldn't help the bubble of joy that rose through her body at the thought of Elyza liking her. She hummed as silently as she could to release the joy bubble's pressure without waking everyone, and little giggles tumbled up her throat unexpectedly. Jesus, I hope Elyza's asleep.
Just as Alicia began to relax into the comforter beneath her, the door at her end of the hall creaked open and light footsteps crept toward her door. Praying Elyza hadn't heard her, Alicia held her breath and focused on the padding of bare feet on the hallway's thick carpet. They paused, but shortly after passed her door and continued, thumping up the stairs the same time Alicia let out her breath to stop the tingling in her legs.
The pounding of her own heart kept Elyza from sleeping. She expected unbearable emotional pain after opening up to Alicia, yet none came. Of course, she did get upset while talking about what she'd seen and experienced on her deployment, the fate of her mother, and the unconfirmed fate of her father, but nothing beyond the tears she shed in Alicia's presence. She believed opening up to be therapeutic, but she never expected it to be so intensely alleviating. The lack of judgment in Alicia's eyes most likely contributed to this newfound comfort, or maybe it was how gently the green-eyed girl touched her cheek and dried her eyes.
She didn't mean to tell Alicia that she thought of her group as family. It was much too soon, perhaps downright wrong to become so vulnerable to them. For all she knew, these people could be planning to kill her and take the property and supplies for themselves. Or worse... they could just leave abruptly, Alicia in tow.
The mere idea of never seeing Alicia again stopped her heart for a split second. No, she couldn't ever let that happen. She survived on her own in this wasteland for months without breaking a sweat, but that was before she accidentally endangered the girl - perhaps, ironically, the best thing she ever did in the apocalypse.
But screw not meaning to tell Alicia something so sentimental, she definitely didn't mean to kiss her, not even something so platonic as a kiss on the hand. I didn't mean to, but I definitely wanted to, she counseled internally. Letting her guard down could be dangerous in the new non-society, yet, somehow, she felt like Alicia was worth it.
Chill, you've known her for like three days.
Elyza sighed and pulled herself out of bed. There was no way she could fall asleep being so riled up. The clock on her bedside table read 2:53 a.m. "Jesus," she muttered, slipping on sweatpants and a hoodie.
Tip-toeing didn't offer much help, considering her creaky door and the floorboards beneath the carpet that rasped with each light step. If Alicia wasn't awake before, surely she is now, Elyza figured. She paused momentarily outside the closed door, debating. Maybe just a peek, to make sure she's okay... but it would be best not to. She was completely unsure if Alicia's feelings mirrored her own. There were no clear signs to her observance. Straight girls wipe their friends' tears, right? ...Ugh.
Thinking better of it, she resumed her trek down the hall to plod upstairs. Even if she hadn't a clue about Alicia's emotions, Alicia undoubtedly noticed her own... right?
"Fancy seeing you here."
Elyza just about shot up to the ceiling at Ofelia's soft voice from the kitchen. "Jesus, what are you doing up so early?" She clutched at her chest as if it would slow the beat of her racing heart.
Ofelia waved a half-eaten apple beside her head, both elbows supporting her on the kitchen island. "Couldn't sleep."
"You do know apples are like the coffee of fruits, yeah?" Elyza headed straight to the refrigerator for a glass of water, lifting an eyebrow at Ofelia as she passed by.
"Well shit, I wish I'd known that half an apple ago," Ofelia groaned.
Elyza perched herself on the seat across from Ofelia. "I'll keep you company, I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight either."
The dark-haired girl set the apple down and leaned forward slightly. "Are you okay? It seemed like that little kid really got to you."
"I'm fine," Elyza waved her hand, trying to brush off the other girl's concern. "It just kind of reminded of someone I knew, not totally uncommon nowadays."
"I feel that," Ofelia sighed and picked up her snack. "After my mother passed, it seemed like every dead woman I found looked like her. Maybe my father experienced the same thing, he...lost it, ended up burning himself alive. He talked about her constantly, saying she was everywhere."
The blonde took a sip of water, pressed her lips together, and stared down at the table. "I almost want to go to the hospital my mom worked at, but I'm not quite sure what I'll find."
"You think she's still there?"
"I have no idea," she shrugged. "If she is, at least I'll get some closure, you know? See what became of her..."
"What about your father?"
She shrugged again. "For all I know, he could be alive and well. Haven't seen him either, though."
"I'm sorry," Ofelia watched Elyza carefully, eyes full of concern.
They sat together, silently, both contemplating the whereabouts of everyone they had once known. Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, coworkers...either alive or eating the living.
Minutes later, Elyza broke the silence. "How did you meet this group? You guys don't look related."
Ofelia chuckled. "Is it that obvious? Madison's husband and his son took refuge in my father's barber shop when the riots began. My parents and I went back with them to their house, to their family, and we all traveled together. They've grown on me, I can't imagine being apart from them," Ofelia smiled softly. "Nick's like the best friend I wish I had before all of this, Madison's the overprotective mother my mother tried so hard not to be, and Alicia's like the little sister I never had."
"Where are they now? I mean, Madison's husband and his son."
"Travis and Chris... just like your father. No idea."
Elyza hummed curiously. "How are you guys doing, considering?"
Ofelia sighed, a guilty smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Honestly, things are much better with them gone. Chris started going down a dark path, I could swear he tried to kill Alicia. And, of course, Travis denied it, so he and Madison argued like 24/7," she rolled her eyes. "I can't really read Nick, but he seems perfectly fine with it, and I think Alicia's probably just happy Chris isn't around to scare her anymore."
"What did he do to her?" Elyza clenched her fists on the table, nearly seething.
Ofelia furrowed her eyebrows at the blonde's subtle reaction. "Wait a minute..."
Christ, here we go. Elyza stared up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact.
Ofelia gasped, an open-mouthed smile stretching her face. "You like her, don't you?!"
"Shhh!" Elyza flung her hand over Ofelia's grinning mouth. "You're going to wake everyone up!" she whispered vehemently, now making steady eye contact. "Can I remove my hand now?"
"Yes," Ofelia whispered, and Elyza withdrew her hand. A smile still lit up her face. "Oh my god, does she know?" Another gasp. "Does Madison know?"
"Jesus, no!" Elyza whisper-yelled. "Are you mad? She'd kill me!"
"Hell yeah she would," Ofelia laughed, eyes wide open. She set her apple back on the table to direct all her focus to the woman in front of her. "She is waaayyy too protective of Alicia, that poor girl's on a tight leash."
"Is it worse than what I've seen already?"
"Oh yeah, girl," she nodded, eyebrows raised. "Like I understand being protective of your autistic child, but this is like, way overboard."
"Autistic?"
"Oh, yeah, don't tell Alicia that I told you, she'll be furious with me. She hates it when people treat her different when they find out. You should've seen on Strand's boat, she roasted him because he started using a second-grade vocabulary when he talked to her." Ofelia cackled at the memory. "She used words so complex we hadn't even heard of them before, but man can that girl roast!"
"Wasn't planning on it. But...this is going to sound so ignorant. God. She doesn't...seem..?"
"No no no," Ofelia wagged her finger and shook her head. "Definitely do not say that either. I can't help you much with figuring her out, but I can tell you not to treat her differently or ask something like that."
"And how did you find out not to ask that?" Elyza countered.
Smirking, Ofelia spun the apple around the counter. "Strand. Again," she laughed. "What an idiot, I swear. He told Alicia that she didn't seem 'off.' Bad word choice, right? Like...anyway, she glared daggers at him and said 'and you didn't seem stupid, clearly we both made assumptions.'"
Elyza grinned and shook her head. "I'd better do some research, I don't want to end up a crispy-skinned fool like Strand with all that roasting."
"What, like on the internet? It's been down for weeks," the brunette sighed.
"There are these things old people would read, they're called books."
Ofelia stuck her tongue out at the woman across from her. "Good luck on finding one, you'd be better off talking to Nick."
Elyza's apprehension and anxiety must have been plastered across her face, as Ofelia chuckled on her way down the stairs, leaving Elyza with no company but a half-eaten, browning apple.