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ELLIE HAD FALLEN asleep with her head resting on Joel's back on the horse, and Cindy rode alone on her horse, spaced out in her thoughts. The silence stretched between herself and Joel as they rode on, the only sound was the soft rustling of the horses' hooves on the dirt road, mixed with the thinner layer of snow in the area.
Cindy couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight.
Joel, wanting the distance between them to disappear desperately, tried to break the ice by offering Cindy the last breakfast bar he had packed. "Here, have this," he said, holding it out to her.
Cindy shook her head, refusing his peace offering. "Save it for Ellie," she said, not meeting his gaze. She could feel his eyes on her, and she knew he was feeling guilty about everything, but she knew she'd cry if she looked at him. God, she was an emotional wreck at the minute.
Joel withdrew the bar, feeling the sting of rejection, and that u comfortable silence settled between them once again.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness began to blanket their surroundings, Ellie stirred awake, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She sat up straight on the horse, blinking to adjust her eyes.
"Hey, sleepy. D'you have a nice nap?" Cindy asked, a hint of amusement in her voice as she smiled at Ellie.
Ellie yawned and stretched, a grin spreading across her face. "Yeah, I feel great! Thanks for the pillow, Joel. Ten out of ten." She said, giving him a playful pat on the back.
Joel chuckled ever so slightly and shook his head, as Cindy spoke up again. "You'll have trouble sleeping tonight, Ellie. You've had your fill of naps for the day," she teased.
Ellie laughed, shaking her head. "I can always make time for more sleep," she replied with a grin.
Joel chimed in, "That's surprising for someone who talks so much." He joked.
"I'm gonna pretend that was a compliment." Ellie remarked.
Luck seemed to have sided with them as a crumbled old wooden house came into view. Completely stand alone in the middle of nowhere. Quite eerie actually.
"Weird fuckin' place to have a house." Ellie commented as she climbed off the horse to let Joel off.
"Yeah," he agreed, "I'll check it first. You two stay out here with the horses." He said as he cocked his gun, approaching the house.
They waited a while. Cindy had her gun ready in her hand at all times, waiting for him to come back out. She grew more and more nervous with every empty moment that passed.
Ellie fidgeted with the reigns of the horse nervously as they waited for some sign of Joel to come back out.
Cindy frowned and jumped off her horses back, biting her lip. "He should be out by now."
"Do you think he's okay?" Ellie questioned with equal concern.
Just then, the garage door creaked open, and Joel emerged from the dark, thankfully unscathed. "The horses will be safe in the garage for the night," he called out to them and Cindy let out a silent breath of relief. "There are two bedrooms inside that should do for us." He added.
Cindy and Ellie guided the horses to the garage and Joel pulled the door down. They went through a door in the garage that lead to the inside of the house, which was, expectantly, ransacked, like these houses usually were.
"Bedrooms are upstairs." Joel cleared his throat and followed behind them.
Cindy entered one of the rooms and dropped her bags, sitting on the bed. Ellie and Joel paused outside the door and silently gestured for Joel to take the room with Cindy. Joel hesitated but shook his head. Ellie rolled her eyes and gave him a 'seriously?' look.
"She doesn't wanna talk to me yet." He whispered.
Ellie groaned, "I don't know how much more of this I can take." She pushed open the door into the room with Cindy and slung her bags down too.
That night, as Cindy lay in bed next to Ellie, she couldn't sleep. Tossed and turned. Her mind was filled with Joel. That was it. Just Joel, Joel and more Joel.
Ellie could sense her restlessness and rolled over in bed to face her. She was on her back facing the ceiling and chewing the inside of her cheek. Ellie sighed.
"You need to talk to him," she said softly. "I know you want to. You're just stubborn." Cindy snapped her head towards her. "And hurt. And pissed. And sad." Ellie added. "Rightfully so. But you're just letting it fester."
Cindy sighed, running a hand through her hair, groaning when it got tangled. "I'll do it in the morning."
"No you won't." Ellie sang and rolled over with a sigh. "He's probably still awake. Just saying." She urged.
Cindy hesitated, thinking for a minute. She was gonna explode if she didn't talk to him. Overthink herself into insanity. She rubbed her face aggressively before slipping out of bed and creeping towards Joel's room. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't know why. It was only Joel. She stood outside his door for a moment, gathering her courage, before finally pushing it open gently.
Joel was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to her. He turned when he heard the door creak open, and his eyes softened, but they still held some concern, as usual. "Is everything alright?" he asked, standing up as she approached him.
Instead of answering him, Cindy slid her hand around the back of his neck and gently pulled him down, pressing her lips to his in a deep and forgiving kiss that took his breath away. Joel placed his hands either side of her waist, pulling her close to him and feeling all his unease melt away as he kissed back.
