𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂 | 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

𝑵𝑬𝑼𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑰𝑪

𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘌𝘛𝘌𝘌𝘕 

☼

 It had been such a long time since Delaney had seen a house as perfect as the one she was stood in. There was no inch of dust or dirt or anything left to decay. It was polished and cared for, so much so it almost had her forgetting what was going on just outside of those metal walls. Whilst the cupboards weren't stocked up, there was some things inside of them, a box of cereal, and some tins that had sticky notes on them, for pie, or, for Jessie. Delaney had put them back as soon as she'd read Eleanor's scrawl, a half smile on her face at the familiarity of the neatness. 

The kitchen was beautiful. The cupboards were a pale grey and the counter tops were a pretty white marble, that shined slightly when the sunlight bled through the window blinds. Her bare feet were warm as they walked along the polished tiled floor, her fingers skating across the counter, as her eyes drunk in every inch of the two bedroom home that belonged to Eleanor.

It even smelt like her. 

The fruity scent of Strawberries - the processed kind of strawberry smell that came from shampoo and non-edible things, but a nice, memorable smell all the same. It reminded her of home, of a life she'd left behind, and every now and then she took in a deep breath. 

The house was small and quaint, full of home comforts and definitely lived in. There was a neat stack of magazines and books and note books that had been scribbled in until they were full. There was photo's - ones of Alexandria pinned to certain pages, with detailed observations and things that could be improved written down along side them. Delaney thumbed through them whilst Eleanor was upstairs getting dressed, curious and interested. Eleanor had always had a unique outlook on things, and being as Delaney had no idea whether this town was worth it or not, it was nice to have some insight on what Elle thought. 

There was a blanket strewn across the small sofa and a pillow, which looked as if it had been slept on, her conclusion only solidifying when she noticed a book and a half empty mug of tea sitting on the nearest table. Rolling her eyes, humored at the fact that some things never changed, Delaney returned to the kitchen to hungrily pilfer some of the cereal out of the box. 

She was leaning against the counter top, reading the back of the box when warm arms came circling around her body, "Feeling better now?" Eleanor whispered softly into the curve of Delaney's shoulder, pressing a kiss there seconds later. Delaney's lips tugged into a smile, as she tipped her head back to meet those pretty green eyes she so adored, "You're smelling better." 

"Oh, you're funny," Delaney quipped, "You try livin' out there with no soap fer months..." Eleanor snorted in genuine amusement as a response, pressing her forehead to Del's shoulder as she hugged her from behind. She mumbled something like, I've missed you, into the warm material of Delaney's shoulder, breathing love into every syllable. If given the chance, Delaney had no idea how to explain just how much she had missed Eleanor's presence, so she'd shown her instead. 

Delaney had always been a little better at physical than emotional, and so the shower had been not only a relief in the sense that Delaney hadn't had a shower in weeks, it was also a relief in the sense that she and Eleanor had that moment of physical contact they hadn't had since the beginning of the outbreak.