I was starting a fire when Zero woke up. After I had shot Adrian Zero had pretty much collapsed. I had managed to help him walk far enough away from the scene that it was ,as the saying goes "out of sight out of mind." After that he had collapsed, knocking himself unconscious.
After he was out I had pulled off his uniform jacket, vest, and shirt to revel a long, deep jagged wound that went from his arm to across his chest. Since it was mostly destroyed anyways, I had washed his shirt in the cold stream nearby and used it to bandage him the best I could. As the week wore on, I had found ways to keep myself fed. I had gone back to the site and had taken Sensei's backpack, which was filled with pots, pans, knives and a very handy lighter. I used the nearby stream to bathe and fill water bottles (also courtesy of Sensei's backpack). It was Friday morning, seven days after the death of our classmates and Adrian, when Zero woke up.
"Ugh…"
I jumped from my post by the fire and turned around to see Zero struggling to sit up. Not for the first time, I thought about how adorable and cute he was. I raced over to him and offered him support.
"How do you feel?" I asked. I knew from similar injuries that Adrian had had somehow managed to inflict on himself that it was better to let ask him simple questions instead of freaking out on him like I wanted to.
Zero turned to me and smiled. Suddenly, he winced with pain.
"Watch it. You got pretty badly hurt," I said. I handed him a water bottle and watched him drink it.
"How long was I out?" he asked. He looked more than a little groggy and confused.
"A week give or take a few hours," I said. I got up and returned to the fire. I had taken off my uniform jacket days ago and was now using it was a pillow/place to keep all of the stuff. Whether he knew it or not Zero was laying on his.
While I was tending the fire I heard Zero get up and sit down next to me. When I had finished my task I leaned back and watched the fire. I glanced up at the sky, which was changing colors as the sun went down.
It was nighttime before either of us said anything. I was so sick of what was becoming an awkward silence for me and wanted to blurt out the first thing on my mind. Zero beat me to it.
"So, what happened?" he asked.
I stared at him for a moment then answered, "What happened with what?"
"With that vampire," he said. I winced when he referenced Adrian.
"What about him?" I was stalling by this point.
"You knew him. You knew his name and he reacted," Zero said.
I looked away, hiding behind my hair. Suddenly, he reached out and pushed my hair out of my face. He put his hand under my chin and forced me to look up at him, just like Adrian used to do before he kissed me. I almost lost it.
I gently pushed him away, my heart pounding in my chest and my face flushed.
"I lost my father, mother, sister, and my boyfriend in a car accident. Adrian was my boyfriend. That's how I knew who he was," I said. Zero seemed to lean in closer to me. He touched my shoulders and pulled me close to him. Dimly, I realized he had put on his jacket to cover the bandages.
"I understand," he said, "My family was killed four years ago." The last part was barely a whisper.
"I'm sorry," I said. I leaned against his good arm and closed my eyes. We stayed like that for a while. At some point he laid my head in his lap and started stroked my hair. I immediately thought about the fact that I hadn't brushed my hair anytime recently since I was not about to use Sensei's hairbrush until I washed it. Then I realized my heart was going on overdrive. The last time I had felt like this was on my first date with Adrian when I was 15. That was a year ago. I kept my eyes closed and tried to calm down but to be honest I was too confused. As I was trying to sort through all my emotions, Zero laid me down on the ground resting my head on my rolled up jacket. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I felt myself blush as he walked away and lay down on the other side of the fire. It wasn't long before he was asleep. I opened my eyes, watching him like have been for the past week. As I fell asleep one thought was on my mind. Is it possible that I'm falling in love again? The forest answered by rustling the leaves above us.