'Come on, let's get the stuff,' I told him happily, not wanting to ruin his good mood. We walked down the aisle, not finding any corpses. I felt relieved, I didn't really want to fight any more today. I just wanted to enjoy our little outing for once, it seemed that since being at the farm, we had better days. I didn't know how the others felt, but I was reluctant to leave. We hadn't even talked about where we would go next, the only we could hope was that on our scouting missions we found people. Given the state of this city, I didn't see that happening.
'You guys alright over there?' Jensen called.
'Yeah, we're just heading over to the next aisle,' Marcel called back.
'You found any dead heads?' Frankie asked.
'Nope, its all clear over here,' I answered. We continued to put everything we needed in the trolley, everything from toilet paper to food and drink, we even picked out a few clothes. I found a nice of pair of tight jeans for me, a few nice but practical outfits for the kids. As we ventured down the other aisles, we didn't find any more walkers in the shop.
An hour later we were exiting the shop, with our trolley's full and our moods high.
'You guys been alright out here?' I asked looking at them.
'Yup, we've had a bit of trouble with the dead though,' Rowena replied. 'Time to head home then, I think we've got enough for today,' Frankie told us happily. We all agreed, we'd only been gone a couple of hours but it felt like forever. I was glad to be going back to the farm, I wondered though, just how long we were going to stay for. As I got in the car, I saw Marcel looking over at me, he was smiling. As much as I liked him, I just wasn't into guys. I smiled back as I thought, I'd have to talk to him at some point.
'Were you alright stood out there, with Kyle?' Frankie asked Finn as we set off.
'It was a bit awkward, but nothing too bad,' he replied quietly.
As Jensen and Frankie started talking amongst themselves, I took the chance to talk to Finn quietly.
'I hope she chooses you,' I whispered.
'What?' He asked confused.
'It doesn't take genius to see, you like her,' I replied.
'No I don't, I just worry about her being so close to him,' he responded plainly.
'Okay, whatever you say,' I smiled. Could it be, that he didn't realise how he felt about her. I smiled, looking out the window. Who'd have thought, that we would actually have time to worry about such trivial things. Was it possible, that we'd overcome the worst of this apocalypse, and were now able to enjoy our lives? I didn't dare hope.
As we drove I couldn't help but think about Kyle's new attitude, was it possible he'd changed? I knew that Jade was biased because of how close he and Rowena were getting, but if it were anyone else she'd tell us to give him a chance. I shook my head not knowing how to feel, all I could was give him a chance to prove himself but be ready if he turned nasty again.
Chapter 26
Rowena
It was the 1st September, we'd been at the farm about six weeks. Our lives were normal again, we didn't fear the dead like we used to, we even had time to enjoy ourselves. Things sure had changed, though some of us would say it wasn't all for the better. I found something, something I didn't even know I wanted. I knew the others weren't happy about it, my mum especially. As I lay in my tent, feeling truly happy for the first time in a long time. I couldn't help but think that part of the reason was because of Kyle. While he was still a little stupid sometimes, he'd really grown up since we'd been at the farm. He was kind, caring, loving and just much more pleasant to be around.
It happened last week, it was so sudden that I didn't see it coming. We sat in the corn fields, just watching the day go by. I was talking about my brother, when I accidentally put my hand on Kyle's. He reached up to touch my face, and I didn't stop him. There was a part of me that knew, I shouldn't have. As our lips met and I became lost in the moment, I felt safe, joyful and whole again. He pulled me in close and I felt my heart beating faster, my loins ached in a way that they hadn't for so long. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away.
'I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,' he said apologetically.
I smiled gently at him, underneath that tough, arse hole exterior, he was a softy. He just needed the right person to bring it out.
'Don't be sorry,' I told him as I reached to pull him closer. We sat, just holding each other and kissing for hours. It wasn't until my mum came to find us for dinner that we stopped, I had to admit I thought the days of her finding me kissing a boy and being pissed off were over. Clearly not, I thought as she walked away sulking.
'If this is going to cause you trouble, we can stop this now,' he told me sadly.
'No. I don't want to stop, they'll get used to it. It wouldn't do any harm for you to be a little nicer though,' I replied smiling.
'I'll try, for you,' he said. We walked back over to the house, it was a good fifteen minutes walk from where we were. I nervously took Kyle's hand, I held it all the way back. The look on the other's faces as we entered the house, I knew I'd have some explaining to do at some point. I didn't care though, almost everyone here had someone, there were families here, old married couples. I didn't see why I shouldn't be allowed to have someone I could call my own.
As we sat down to eat dinner, my mum purposely sat between Kyle and I. I rolled my eyes, thinking that she needed to chill out. I was a big girl and I could take care of myself, I just wished the others would give him a chance. He wasn't the same as when we first left the hospital, he'd changed. There was no point in going into it now, I didn't want to cause a scene in front of Rob and his people. 'Did everyone manage to finish their jobs today?' Rob asked kindly.
I had to admit, he'd been wary of us at first, but now he treated us like his own people. He did still let my mum lead us though, but anything that involved his people, had to be ran by him.
'The fields are done,' Finn replied tucking into his dinner.
'Cows are fed and happy,' Jensen chimed in.
'I hope it's alright, as you know I injured my foot the other week. So I just sat and read,' Frankie admitted.
'Don't worry about it, I wouldn't expect you to work with a twisted ankle,' Rob told her softly.
'I gave Finn a hand in the fields,' Delilah said smiling, she look at me for a moment and winked.
Oh god, she and Finn had seen us! Oh fucking hell, I was definitely going to get the third degree later. I smiled back, but said nothing.
'The kids are in bed, I gave their parents the night off,' Brooke chimed in.
'Thank you, it's most appreciated,' Lottie replied. Everyone went round and reported what they'd done for the day, I couldn't get over just how normal things were. We didn't have problems with the dead, no one else had come to our home since we'd been here. I wanted to talk to my mum, when she calmed down, about when we were going to leave. We did have a mission after all.
Once dinner was finished I went back to my tent, Kyle started to follow me.
'Hey, I need to talk to my mum. Can we catch up later?' I asked smiling at him.
'Sure, no problem,' he replied kissing me on the cheek.
Shortly after I got into my tent, my mum showed up. I could tell she was furious, and I knew I'd be getting an earful.
'What on earth are you thinking?' She demanded.
'Calm down mum, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself,' I told her trying to keep calm.
'Why Kyle, why did it have to be him of all people?'
'You know, he's not as bad as you make him out to be?' I replied.
'How can you say that, have you forgotten what happened at the reservoir?' She almost shouted.
'That wasn't his fault, he was stupid yes, but he didn't mean for anyone to get hurt,' I told her.
'That is not the point, he's irresponsible, rude, foul tempered and just plain nasty,' she shouted. 'He isn't like that to me,' I said getting angry.
'How can I trust him to go out on a run and protect you?' She replied.
'
You don't need to trust him, you just need to trust me,' I told her.
'Just tell me why, why him?'
'Because he makes me happy, he's kind to me and loving and sweet. I really like him mum, and while I don't expect you to like him, I do hope you will at least be nice.'
'I'm not happy about this, just please promise me you'll be careful,' she pleaded.
'You know I will mum, just please, try to be happy for me,' I said.
'I make no promises,' she muttered.
Not long after my mum left, Delilah came wandering in. She had that cheeky smile on her face, I didn't think she would go mad at me like my mum did, but she'd definitely want details.
'So come on, out with it,' I said.
'Hey, I'm not here to judge. That's your mum's job,' she laughed.
'Let me guess, you want details,' I joked.
'Damn right, this is juicy gossip this is,' she smiled.
I couldn't help but laugh, if I had to talk about Kyle I was glad it would be a happy chat.
'It only just happened. Not three hours ago,' I told her.
'Did you, you know, take his cherry,' she replied trying not to laugh.
'I most certainly did not!' I exclaimed.
'Oh come on, you're telling me you didn't even want to?'
'I- erm well,' I stammered.
'Ha, I knew it.'
'I'm not going to have sex with him, any time soon,' I told her.
'Well, what's the point then?' She wondered.
'Not everything is about sex, you know,' I replied.
'I know, but you've not had it, in like years. You must be dying for it,' she laughed.
'Says you, how long has it been for you?' 'A little over a year,' she confessed.
'And I don't see you getting any,' I teased.
'Hey, it's not like there's anyone here for me,' she said.
'I guess, but still back to the point. I won't sleep with him because of his age, I know there's no laws but still,' I told her.
'You've got too many morals girl, you both need a good seeing too,' she joked.
'Ack, trust you to come out with that,' I smiled. Since then, pretty much everyone had been in to talk to me. Most of our group thought it was rather funny, surprisingly no one else gave me a hard time over it. As the sun set on another peaceful day, I retired to my tent. I fell shockingly full from dinner and was now ready for sleep. I'd just got undressed when Kyle peeked in, I saw the embarrassed look on his face as he saw my half naked body.
'You don't need to be embarrassed,' I told him gently.
'I just thought, I'd come over and see how you were doing,' he replied quietly.
'You can come in,' I said almost shyly.
It really had been years since I'd had sex, it was before the outbreak. He tried not took look at my boobs as he sat down beside me, I smiled as I kissed him.
'You look beautiful,' he said shyly.
'Thanks,' I laughed.
He brushed my hair from out of my face, and just looked at me for a moment. He then smiled and removed his bag from his shoulder.
'I've got something for you,' he beamed.
'A-a present, for me?'
'Close your eyes,' he told me. I closed my eyes, not knowing what to expect. We didn't really give presents, even now it just wasn't something we did. I felt him place a large rectangular, box in my hand. It felt like it was made of cardboard, I kept my eyes closed until he told me otherwise.
'You can open them now.'
I opened them to see a box of hair dye, it was my favourite colour too. I squealed excitedly as I flung my arms round him.
'Oh, this is- this just great, I love this colour,' I squeaked.
'I thought you'd like it. I just wanted to get you something,' he replied smiling.
'What's the occasion?' I asked.
'Pretty much, you are,' he told me. I pulled him close and kissed him, I felt my desires awaken once more. Our kiss, wasn't some teenage making out or some kiddie kiss. It was passionate, seductive and loving. Before I knew it, he was on top of me. I felt my way under his t-shirt, feeling his surprisingly hard abs. I moaned as he kissed my neck, I'd not felt this wanted, this sexy in years. It was lucky my tent was big, I had enough room to stretch my arms above my head.
He grabbed my wrists and held them down, not too hard but hard enough for it to be enjoyable. I felt his tongue trail down my neck, to my chest and then around the top of my boobs. He reached down with his hands to pull down my bra, I should have stopped then, but I didn't. I felt lost in the lust, in the passion. I moaned as he put one hand around them, I grabbed his hair and pulled him close. Kissing him with such a longing that for a moment it scared me.
It wasn't until he took off his trousers, and I saw that he was no boy down there. Jesus, that was some big cock! I shook myself out of the lust filled trance that I was in.
'W-we need to stop,' I stammered.
I was expecting him to be angry or frustrated, but just zipped his trousers back up and sat next to me.
'I can wait, I'm in no rush. I'm happy just to be with you,' he told me gently.
'Thank you,' I replied as I kissed him. 'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to get you all worked up like that.'
'Honestly, I'm fine. I really like you, and I don't want to do anything you're not ready to.'
'I-I felt safe with you,' I confessed.
'I'm glad. You want to just sleep next to each other for tonight?' He asked.
'I'd like that,' I said shyly. So that's just what we did, I put my jeans back on and redid my bra. I lay there happily thinking about our lives, for once I was able to forget about the dire state of things. If this is what real happiness felt like, I understood why the others fought so hard to keep it.
Chapter 27
Kyle
How was it possible that I'd only been with Rowena for just over two weeks? In such a short time she'd turned my life around, I felt calmer, happier, nicer even. Though I'd been trying to be nicer to the group since the school, being with Rowena had made the evil side of me practically dormant. There were still moments however when I couldn't control him, a sly comment here or a scowling, smug look there. Yet as the days went on I became more like a human, I could smile and actually feel things.
For so long I'd been kept at bay, now I realised what had been missing from my life. Love, of a good woman. If only I'd found this sooner, so many people could have been spared the horror my evil self had inflicted upon them. Like Dom, Tessa and Lex, they would still be alive if it hadn't been for him.
Today I was in the fields with Rowena, it was our spot we liked to just sit and talk. It didn't bother me that she wasn't ready for anything physical, though I knew my evil half felt frustrated.
'I wonder if we'll stay here,' I said softly. 'I've been thinking the same thing, I love it here and I'd hate to leave. But we have a mission, Morgan worked tirelessly to create the vaccine, and we can't let that work be for nothing just because we're comfortable,' Rowena replied sounding a little sad.
'I know what you mean, it's just nice you know, not to have to fear for our lives all the time.'
'I never figured you for worrying about such things, you always seemed so ready for a fight.'
'I guess all that time on my own can't be undone by being with people. I'll always be ready to fight because that's what I became used to,' I told her sadly.
'I know it's easy for me to say, but you don't need to feel like that any more. You have us, you have me,' she answered shyly.
'I'd be lost without you, you've made me into the man I always wanted to be.'
'You know what they say, behind every great man is a great woman,' she laughed.
'You're more than just great, you're perfect.' I leaned in for a kiss, it felt so soft, so right to be here with her. I knew her mum didn't approve and to be honest I didn't blame her, if she only knew the truth, she'd flip out. I doubted even Rowena could love me if she knew what was lurking beneath the surface. She wrapped her arms
around me, I felt safe with her in a way I hadn't since being a child. The others were seemingly fine with us being together but I knew they made jokes, again I understood why. Finn had found it hard to handle, he cared about Rowena even though he wouldn't even admit it to himself.
I felt bad for him, I knew what being with her felt like, how truly amazing and loving she was and Finn would never get to know how that felt.
'Ha, thanks,' she blushed.
'Come on, we should head back before your mum starts worrying,' I said as I noticed the sun was setting.
'She does tend to worry more lately,' she replied annoyed.
'You know why don't you?'
'Yeah I know, but as I've told her she doesn't have to like it she just has to accept it,' she told me sternly.
'I'm lucky to have someone who fights for me the way you do,' I smiled.
'Just because you've made some mistakes, doesn't mean you shouldn't be given another chance.'
'Not everyone feels the same,' I answered sadly.
'They'll see soon enough what I see.'
'Oh god I hope not, I don't want all the girls after me,' I joked.
She playfully punched me in the arm, I caught her fist and just looked into those stunning hazel eyes. I pulled her close and kissed her, feeling my skin warm at her touch.
'Anyone that wants you will have to go through me,' she laughed.
'I'm so privileged,' I replied laughing. We walked back to the house hand in hand, it was dinner time and I was starving. At least Jade had stopped sitting between us, and we didn't rub our relationship in her face, I didn't want to piss her off even more.
We went round the table talking about what we'd done that day, everyone had finished the chores that needed doing to Rob's satisfaction. Just as we'd finished I felt the familiar scratching in my head, that voice trying to claw its way out. It had been weeks since I'd felt him trying to get out, he'd been so quiet that I thought I'd actually escaped him.
'I'm going for a walk,' I told Rowena.
'Do you want some company?' She asked softly.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 27
