Life After the Undead (Completed)

PART 17: Relationship Drama .2

Melissa's P.O.V

That night I couldn't sleep.

When I had first gotten the story about Steve, Evelyn had left out some things. Like holes the size of football fields, I wasn't stupid I could see them. I hadn't been in a place to ask about them, back then. I was more worried about whether or not I'd survive, if she'd take me back with her.

Now, after that long pow-wow in the kitchen, there were less holes. Oh there were still holes, but you know... it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

I knew that Evelyn was secretive but I couldn't help but wonder what the hell she was hiding.

But that wasn't all I was thinking about.

I was thinking about Jack. About how at no point did he actually leave me behind and... well... if it had been me, I might've left him. It was survival of the fittest out here, or well survival of the craftiest. So I'm surprised, I'm surprised that he didn't just up and abandon me the second things got hard.

At first, I was thinking that maybe he was just trying to get laid. But who puts their life on the line for someone they just want to get a quick screw out of?

My new theory? Yes, yes he was originally only interested in a one time thing with me, or a casual sort of situation, but now, after what we just went through, I wasn't so sure anymore. Feelings could change, I knew that first hand, because I completely loathed the guy to begin with. Now... well... yeah, I'm not so sure about that either.

I was thinking that I liked him.

Like, kissy-faced, get married, have kids kind of like.

And considering I was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and dating was basically impossible these days, I never thought this would happen. I was okay with just plain surviving, to be honest.

Evelyn had long since retired for the night. She had locked herself up into her attic room hours ago. We had all turned in at varying times.

I had gotten a blanket and pillow out of the linen closet for Jack, who would be sleeping on the couch. Godrick, however, went into Richard's room.

Evelyn still wouldn't tell me who Richard was, but I knew his room, even though it had the computer in it, was off limits. I tried to tell him that but he said: "Don't worry, she won't mind."

So I shrugged and figured he could deal with Evelyn's anger tomorrow. I could just sit back and watch her yell at him, and add a very smug: "I tried to tell him," when necessary.

I had been one of the last people to go to bed but even though today had been tiring, I couldn't fall asleep.

My mind was alive with all the thoughts and possibilities. Trying to decipher if what I was feeling was real emotion or just something that built up because he rescued me. That was a thing, people getting together after surviving something traumatic together.

What if that was what he was feeling too?

Eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I got out of my bed and got down those stairs. Jack was on the couch, right where I left him, hands behind his head.

"Hey, you asleep?"

Jack turned immediately. So that answered my question, but I still got a: "Nope," from him.

I came into the living room fully and then sat down on the coffee table before him. I did so gingerly because I wasn't sure if it would hold my weight, but Evelyn was pretty good at getting sturdy stuff, so I didn't just go through it.

"I wanted to ask you a question," I said and he nodded. "Please don't lie to me."

"I never lie to..." "—Jack please."

"Alright. Total honesty. Fine. But uh... you can't get mad at my answers if you don't like them."

"I won't," I said and then took a deep breath. "I want to know how you feel about me."

He shot be a bit of a confused look, his bushy dark brown eyebrows furrowed in my direction. "Uh... okay? Uh... I like you?"

"Like as what?"

"I unno a person," he said with a shrug. "You're badass and you're capable and... I unno... you don't put up with my shit. You're just a cool girl, that's all."

"And you think I'm pretty."

"Yeah, I think I mentioned that before."

"So you'd want to sleep with me."

"You're pretty and I'm a guy. Yes I want to sleep with you, why?"

"Well... because... maybe... I unno... maybe I..."

At that Jack sat up, his legs swinging forward. "Melissa Burrows are you trying to tell me you want to fuck me?"

My nose crinkled at the crude words and I looked away. "I don't know..."

Jack's face softened. "Or are you trying to tell me you have feelings for me?"

"Yeah, very stupidly... I might have grown some... feelings for you... or maybe I do just wanna fuck you," I said throwing his own crass words back at him. "We did just survive something traumatic... maybe that's what we have a trauma bond that makes us want to fuck one another..."

"I've wanted to fuck you since I met you. That's not trauma bond for me. And I liked you, as in feelings wise, before that trauma too," he admitted and finally I'm looking up to him. Mostly cause I'm shocked he admitted it.

Jack liked to pretend he was this big macho man, admitting feelings was very much not in line with that image he liked to present.

"But hey, if this is just a trauma bond and you wanna hook up, that's fine too!"

At that I couldn't help but chuckle.

"God you're an idiot!"

"Yeah, but an idiot you think you like," he said with that smug smirk painting his face. "So what are we doing here? What would you like to do?"

I thought about it long and hard and decided: "I want to take you up to my room. See if I still like you in the morning."

Jack threw the blankets off of himself and was up on his feet before I could say anymore. I laughed, I couldn't help it, he just looked so excited. He offered me a hand to take which I did, and then together we went up the stairs, him leading the way.

I was only half surprised that he knew where my room was.

That night he went slow with me, I wanted passionate and fast love making and he gave me slow and torturous, made me beg for it. But it was good, my, my, it was good. Like, I should have given in long before this, kind of good.

In the morning I felt the same way as I did the night before... if not a little bit stronger and he agreed to come back, when allowed to visit me and see where this went.

And I couldn't have been happier.