Romance
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It's been a tough day, sneaking out of the QZ for a full day and taking on clickers on your journey isn't ideal. You just want to get home and relax, perhaps have a little whiskey and collapse on your couch.
Once you enter your apartment, filthy with dirt and clicker blood all over you, you release a sigh and close the door.
To your surprise, you see your best friend Joel Miller there... The place is clean and a few candles are lit. He heard the door shut and snapped his head in your direction, his eyes widened and got a little nervous.
His curly grayed hair was slicked back and his clothes, for once we're neat. You look the opposite of him.
"What's all this?" You ask and raise an eyebrow, looking around the home. You take your shoes off and place them by the door.
Joel is silent for a few moments, unsure what to say. He's not very good with his emotions or expressing them verbally. "Nothin', just... A little thing I did for you," He mumbled in his gravely voice.
You tilt your head to the side slightly in curiosity, hardly understanding that, it's a lot... Not 'nothing'. "Well... I appreciate it Joel," you say.
You go into your room, careful not to make any mess with your clothes since Joel had just cleaned up, and you change into some comfortable clothing for the night. Once you come out of there, you see Joel setting plates down on your coffee table, it's spaghetti... How'd he manage to get his hands on those ingredients...?
He seems nervous, he hasn't felt this way in a while, not since before the outbreak. You're... Different.
You walk over to Joel, now in fresh clothing, and you have a slight smile on your face. "Spaghetti?" You ask him.
He looks up at you and nods quietly, "Mhm." He gestures awkwardly for you to sit down and wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans.
You release a little laugh as he gestures for you to sit down in your own home. Though, you do and pick up your plate of spaghetti and take a bite.
He watches you take a bite with a bit of worry in his eyes, he's hoping you like it.
"Didn't know you could cook so well, Joel," You say with a satisfied smile and take another bite.
He sighs in relief and runs a hand through his hair, it messes up slightly.
"Ah, good... Good..." Joel grumbles with a nod and closes his eyes for a moment as if to calm his nerves and collect his thoughts.
There's a thick silence for a moment and Joel tries to think of what to say. "Been working together for a while," he begins, his low Texan accent pokes out. You nod and raise an eyebrow, wondering where he's heading with this. "You know..." His words get caught in his throat and his cheeks burn slightly, becoming a little embarrassed. "Mm.. I 'been thinkin' about you a lot... Lately. And um..."
Joel looks around the cleaned apartment with lit candles and he gestures to the food.
You smile and feel butterflies in your stomach. "I think about you too," you admit.
"You do?" Joel asks, his deep brown eyes widen slightly, though he tries to keep it cool- he's very nervous... And it's evident.
You nod and set your plate of spaghetti down, "I do," you say and stand up, taking a step toward him. You place a small kiss on his cheek, causing his cheeks to redden, yet a smirk appears on his face.
"Well... That settles it then darlin'," he says and pecks your nose lovingly.
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620 words :)
Short and sweet.
