Set Me Free ▪︎ Joel Miller ▪︎

▪︎○ Twenty Seven ○▪︎

Henry smiled, nodding. "Follow me," he gestured whilst turning and moving towards the open door.

The group followed him with the two teens conversing quietly. Olivia smiled as she listened to the two, her heart warming as Sam apologised to Ellie for pointing a gun at them. It was sweet, especially when the two went on to talk about themselves like the world wasn't a complete disaster around them.

"I'm gonna take a look around," Joel informed Henry as they descended the stairs to the second floor.

Henry nodded along with Olivia, the two leaning against the stair railing while Joel used a shiv to open the only accessible apartment door. He entered it soon after, his gun drawn just in case any infected lurked about in the rooms. Ellie followed behind him, her eyes scanning the interior with mild interest.

"So, Olivia, right?"

The brunette turned her head with a small smile, locking her gaze on the dark skinned man already looking directly at her with a friendly smile. She nodded in response to him, "Yeah,"

"I hope we didn't scare you back there," Henry apologised whilst scratching the back of his neck awkwardly causing Olivia to chuckle at him with a short shake of her head.

"Nah, takes a lot more to scare me."

"Yeah, I got that impression." he laughed lightly. "Is it just you, your husband and daughter?"

"We're not related," Ellie answered for her, appearing to Olivia's right much to the woman's growing relief. "They just promised someone they'd look after me." she shrugged before grinning when she catches the silent "thank you" Olivia sent her way.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make assumptions."

"It's fine. Joel and I are old friends, no marriage I'm afraid." she smirked, attempting to appear unaffected by the question.

"Yeah, you seemed a little young for him."

"I'm thirty three," Olivia informed him with an arched brow, her lips resting in a smirk. Though, unknowingly she had sounded offended by the statement made, as though someone assuming she was too young for Joel hit her deeply. Which truthfully, it had.

"Wow," Henry breathes with a widening smile. "You look great... beautiful, I mean." he awkwardly complimented.

Olivia's smirk slipped into a smile, her cheeks flushing a bright red at the flattering compliment. Henry was flirting with her almost shamelessly. It was both sweet and awkward.

She feels a set of eyes on her and so she turns her head just as Joel dips his and averts his gaze. He didn't want her to catch him staring at she and Henry. He didn't want her to see the jealousy in his eyes and the yearning to be the one to bring a smile and blush to her cheeks like Henry had. So, he had done what he was best at; he had tore himself further away from her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Olivia remarked playfully, her gaze shifting back to the grinning man opposite her. "But thank you," she added.

"No problem," he nodded with the same cheesy grin.

"Alright, let's get a move on." Joel drawled, suddenly appearing beside the pair with a hard look shot Henry's way.

"Yeah, right. This way,"

The group once more followed Henry down the set of stairs to the ground floor, "we gotta be careful. We're right next to one of their lookouts." he warned over his shoulder as he took a sharp left into an adjoining toy store that sparked joy in Sam's eyes. "Wait, wait." he told them in a hushed whisper, dipping down below the windows and gesturing to the group to do the same. "Everyone be quiet. Get away from the windows."