Page 71 of Dating After the End of the World
“What? Blake literally pretended to lose his memory. Who does that?” I roll my eyes.
Greg and JJ burst out laughing and high-five one another, sharing the same sentiment over Blake’s antics.
“Classic,” Greg says, still chuckling.
“So he’s in the clear now?” Elaine tilts her head to the side, her eyes practically pleading with me to say yes.
“Not yet. In another twelve hours or so, we’ll find out if he turns into ... one of those monsters.”
“I’d argue he already is one,” Tessa calls from the couch. It garners a mix of laughs and disappointing looks. Her mother swats her leg, clearly unamused.
“Oww,” Tessa groans in response.
I force a tight smile, finding both the humor and the sadness in the situation. I really don’t know what the odds are either way. Was I one of the lucky ones? Will Blake be just as lucky? Only time will tell. I walk to Elaine, who’s washing dishes at the sink. The color in her face has returned, and she looks so much better.
“How are you doing?” I ask in a low voice.
I haven’t had much of a chance to check in on her after we got back from the hospital run, aside from administering her insulin. There are tears in her eyes, but they’re not sad ones. They’re grateful ones. Elaine wipes her hands on a towel and takes mine in hers, patting the top of it.
“More than fine, sweetie. You saved my life.”
I smile softly, knowing it’s all I ever wanted to do. I wasn’t able to save my own mother’s life, but to save Elaine’s feels restorative in a way—like the guilt I’ve carried for far too long is starting to fade.
“Just returning the favor,” I say, full well meaning it. Elaine was there for me after my mother passed, in ways no one else could be. She might not have saved my life. But she saved me. Elaine smiles and squeezes my hand, knowing exactly what I mean.
My dad clears his throat, addressing the room. “We should get back to work,” he says, his voice deep and commanding. “This place needs to be a fortress, because we can’t survive if we’re not safe.” Dad slowly scans the room, and he’s met with nods all around. Everyone knows what’s at stake.
As much as he’s spent his life and a huge chunk of mine preparing for the end of the world, there are some things you can never truly be ready for. This is one of them.
“Do you think there’s more people out there like the ones that showed up yesterday?” Helen asks. I haven’t seen her since Chris’s funeral. She and her family have kept to themselves, locked away intheir cabins, dealing with the grief of losing a husband, a father, a son-in-law.
She hugs her boys, sitting quietly on either side of her, a little tighter. I don’t know her well at all, having only spoken to her a few minutes. But I can see she’s different now that she’s lost her husband. That’s what death does. It changes you.
Dad looks to me and nods, his way of sayingGo ahead, speak up. I want to lie to her, especially with her kids in the room and that terrified look plastered on her face. But I can’t. Lying won’t protect her or her children. If anything, it’ll put them in harm’s way. They have to know so they can be prepared.
“There’s more out there just like them. Whether they show up here or not isn’t a question of if. It’s a question of when.”
Helen’s chest deflates as she lets all the air out of her lungs, making room for the answer I gave, which she most definitely didn’t want to hear. But it’s the one she needed to hear.
“We have to prepare for the worst if we want the best outcome,” my dad says. “Any questions?”
Tessa gets to her feet and shakes her head, crossing the room to me. “You all right?” she whispers.
I nod in response. I think the seriousness of my words and flatness in my tone have her worried. But I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about Blake. I let out a small sigh, hoping in twelve hours, he’ll be the same asshole he’s always been.
“I don’t have a question, but I do have an announcement,” Greg says, standing from the couch.
“Okayyyy.” Dad’s voice is full of hesitation as he draws the word out into three syllables. He knows it’s never a good idea to give Greg the floor.
Tessa and I exchange an amused glance, and she bumps her shoulder into me. Whatever this is, it isn’t going to be serious, but maybe that’s what we need right now. A little Greg palate cleanser for the shit show we’re in.
“Molly,” he says, turning to face her. She’s seated in the sofa chair, wearing a scowl, purposefully looking away from him.
“I know you’ve heard some rumors recently from some gossipers”—Greg shoots a glare in my direction—“about me thinking you’re only a one-night stand. And I’ll admit I did think that, but only because I was scared, scared to love someone and scared to let someone into my heart.” He places a hand against his chest. “Yesterday when Blake was savagely bit, I had an epiphany about us. I wasn’t scared to love you, Molly. I was scared to lose you.”
Molly slowly turns her head, his words pulling her to meet his gaze. She’s still wearing the scowl, but it’s fading ever so slightly as her eyes begin to develop a sheen.
“And I realized I’d rather be full of fear with you by my side than the bravest man in the whole world without you. You’re not my one-night stand.” Greg plants one knee on the floor. His hand disappears into the pocket of his jeans, re-emerging a moment later with a massive diamond ring. Pinched between his thumb and finger, he extends it to her. “Molly Ronan, will you be my forever-night stand?”
