Page 5 of Cora

“Someone cook it then,” I ordered. “It’s my turn for a shower.” I left them to finish dinner while I went to the bathroom. Iremoved my dirty clothes and added them to Derrick’s pile. If we had running water and electricity, the house should have a washing machine. I haven’t had properly washed clothes in ages.

I stepped under the spray and groaned loudly as the high-pressure hot water beat against my back. I’m never getting out of this shower. I live here now.

Chapter three

Cora

My heart pounded as I heard footsteps above me, my breath coming out in silent pants. Someone was in my house. I set aside the book I was reading and crept upstairs.

I didn’t spend much time outside the bunker but occasionally went upstairs. Returning to the house was too painful when I first went into the bunker. There were too many memories, but as the years have passed, it’s gotten easier and easier.

I slipped through the walls, following the unfamiliar sound of voices. I stopped when I could see them in the kitchen from a living room and watched them through the spaces between the boards.

Four men stood in my kitchen, one rifling through the cabinets. They opened the fridge and got excited. I had listened to the radio in the beginning before the airwaves went silent, so I knew that the world had fallen rather quickly. They probably hadn’t been anywhere with electricity in some time.

This was further confirmed when they raced to the bathroom. Their antics made the ghost of a smile flit across my face. I watched the man in the bathroom as he undressed. His dirtyblond hair fell over his hazel eyes as he bent to remove his pants. I admired his muscular back and the black, tattered wings tattooed there when he suddenly stood and turned toward me.

My mouth fell open in shock. His wasn’t the first penis I’d ever seen in person, but it was definitely the biggest.

Four Years Ago

“I don’t know about this, Kelly,” I hissed as we approached the movie theater where Kelly’s boyfriend Jake and his friend Cody were waiting for us.

Kelly stopped walking and twirled to face me. “Dammit, Cora. You said you felt left out because you were stuck on that mountain. Cody is a sure thing. He’ll catch you up on dating and boys real quick. Don’t chicken out on me now.”

“But I don’t even know him,” I protested.

“So?” Kelly laughed. “That’s what makes it even better. You can fool around and get your rocks off without worrying about all the complicated relationship crap that the rest of us have to deal with. Listen, if it makes you feel better, Cody is a fantastic kisser.”

“Kelly!”

“Cora!” she mocked.

“I thought you were in love with Jake.”

“I am. But I got bored one night. He was busy, Cody wasn’t. It didn’t mean anything, relax.”

The more Kelly spoke, the less sure I was about doing this. But then I thought of all the other girls I knew and about how they’d all been to second base, and I hadn’t even been kissed yet, and I pushed my uncertainty away. I was going to do this, dammit! “Ok, fine. Let’s go.”

“That’s my girl!” Kelly grinned. She grabbed my hand, and we skipped to where the guys were waiting. “Cody, this is my best friend, Cora. Be nice to her, or I’ll kick your ass!”

We waved awkwardly at each other as Kelly jumped into Jake’s arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cora,” Cody said. “You wanna go get our tickets and snacks? I know from experience that those two could be stuck like that for a while.”

I laughed lightly and accepted the arm he offered me. “I’d love to.”

Cody bought our tickets and snacks like a gentleman. By the time we had our popcorn, Jake and Kelly had caught up with us.

“Are you going to get any snacks?” I asked.

“I already have mine,” Jake grinned as he pulled Kelly closer, making her giggle.

We followed them into the theater and to our seats in the back row. Jake and Cody left a few empty seats between them. I craned my neck around to look at Kelly. I knew we were on dates, but I had also hoped to sit beside her. Jake’s tongue was already down her throat again, so I shrugged and turned back to the screen. Cody and I made small talk until the lights went down and the trailers started. That seemed to be the signal he was waiting for because he moved the bucket of popcorn from between us as he raised the armrest.

I looked at him questioningly in the dark, and he seized the moment and pressed his lips to mine while sliding his arm around me to pull me closer. While the move itself felt overly aggressive, his lips were soft and teasing as they moved against mine.

I forced myself to relax in his embrace. This was why I came here, after all, to finally get my first kiss, and here I was, making it all weird and awkward. I felt him smile briefly when I leaned into him before I felt his tongue slide across the seam of my lips. Tentatively, I opened my lips, allowing him entry. I sat there with my mouth open, unsure of what I was supposed to do, until Cody dipped his tongue into my mouth to brush lightly against my own. He teased and prodded my tongue until I began to respond. It only took a few more seconds for me to figure out how this kissing thing worked. I was enjoying myself when I felt his hand brush against my breast.

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