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Beth was nervous, and when she’s nervous she liked to sing. They decided to meet after dinner for a walk around town and Beth had been singing in a low voice as they walked, cutting the silence they found themselves in. He wasn’t paying her any attention as he seemed to be thinking so loud in his head, that his unspoken words were nearly visible. He was cordial and a gentleman helping her walk around puddles, opening doors and all, but silent as a stone in a rock forest.
They had been in Alexandria for nearly two weeks now and this was the first time they had been alone together since the funeral home. She’d often wondered if he had thought about her since then, like she had been thinking about him. In the quiet moments she could spare apart from the constant drone of survival, she thought about him to the point it seemed like a dream. She thought about him just before she drifted off to sleep or in the morning when she first awaken. she constantly replayed his mumbled confession he had given her across the dinner table. Until that moment, she never entertained the idea. Her and the rough redneck bow hunter from the back woods? But once the possibility showed itself she wondered why she hadn’t thought it sooner. She’d always respected and admired him, and the thought that she could have the opportunity to be in love with a man like him, made her heart wild with delight. To love and be loved by him, had been beyond her conscious desires before that day. But now that the possibility had shown itself, she could think of no one else but him for her heart.
With time and the distance between them came doubt and she was unsure of what those mumbles had exactly meant. Had he been trying to tell her he cared for her more than a brother or had she just imagined it? Had he just wanted to thank her for being his beacon of hope, or could she herself hope for more? Tonight she had gotten part of her answer when he showed up at her doorstep, clean shaven, with a fresh haircut a single yellow flower and a request for a walk after dinner. but instead of the sweet adoration she had been hoping for, she got the silence of her companion and the buzz of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Which is why she began to sing.
“I have something I want to show you.” He said in a soft voice, looking down at the ground at first then traveling his gaze up to meet her eyes. He took her into an unoccupied home in the safe zone, a home used for storage. Inside he brought her to a room covered with dust and sheets. He uncovered one sheet to reveal a piano underneath. She immediately felt the call of the Keyes, luring her to play and do away with the nervous energy. She sat down on the bench and he beside her and she asked him for requests.“Play the one song, from the funeral home” he said to her. She obliged and began to fill the air with the strike of the key and the sound of her soft voice.
The tension dissipated as the music provided a cocoon of memories of when they had been so close. Together, linked by moonshine, grief and confessions. His left hand traveled to her right, gently placing it on top her hand to make her stop. He held it for a while and they both stared down at it amazed at the feel of each other’s touch, his mind heavy with thoughts. She looked at him afraid she had done something to upset him, unsure of herself and how to feel around him when in her mind they sat hand in hand too long. His blue eyes darted upwards from her hand and meet her wide blue innocent doe eyes. He looked at her scared which took her aback to think he felt the way she did. And then it happened…he leaned in and kissed her. Her body instantly felt the buzz and tingle of attraction, and her cheeks and lips exploded with the energy and force of a thousand smiles. She fluttered her eyes open to meet his gaze, her face not giving away the happiness she felt inside as he said ” I wanted to do that back then, and I couldn’t help myself now.” Beth sat shock still staring back into his baby blues hoping he’d never stop touching her like that and ever so grateful for the moment she finally felt real love in this crazy messed up apocalyptic world.
She knew she would love him, really love him like she’s never loved before, until one or both of them didn’t exist anymore.