15. Calix

15

CALIX

My gaze followed Tori as she glided around the clearing, interacting with Nathan, Micah, and her family. She got along well with everyone—well, everyone but Daisy. Even Jay had been respectful, but it was obvious that Daisy and Jay didn’t fit in the way Tori and her family did here.

But what they did to Tori wasn’t something that was forgiven easily.

Tori was different than anyone I had ever met. She had sparkling sapphire eyes that lit up when I talked to her. Nobody’s eyes ever lit up the way hers did when I spoke, and they’d done it since the first moment I met her, even though I was rude.

My mother hadn’t looked at me with anything except guarded eyes, but that was because of her phobia of germs. I grew up on avoiding germs like the plague—because germs were the plague.

I understood her fear, but getting to know the survivors in the Oasis and getting to know Tori had taught me that I didn’t want to isolate myself the way I’d been doing my entire life. I just had to break the mindset…but I reacted without thinking most of the time. It was a gut-reaction for me to avoid most living and non-living things, but it was also unrealistic the way we lived now.

Tori made me want to change the way I saw things, but doing it was more than difficult. She was stunning, that was a given, but she was also intelligent and capable. I didn’t even mind the fact that she’d helped skin and debone a deer.

I wanted to touch her anyway.

After she washed off, of course, but that fact was still insane to me.

The cold around us tried permeating the warmth the bonfire gave off, and we’d all begun to stand closer.

Ava and I were cooking the meat on two large rock slabs over the fire, and the sound of the meat searing made my stomach rumble.

It’d been so long since we’d had fresh meat.

“So, Tori,” Ava started, glancing over to where she stood talking with her dad. “She’s sweet.”

“I like her. A lot.” I shrugged, grabbing a pair of tongs and flipping the piece over. “I don’t mind that Micah and Nathan are dating her too. We brought the idea up to her, and I was just happy she felt the same way we did.”

She grinned wildly, grabbing the cooked meat to put on the plate and placing a new strip of meat on the slab. “It’s so good to see you show interest in getting to know someone.”

“It feels good,” I admitted. My gaze wandered back to her, and I smiled behind my mask. “She’s perfect for us.”

We finished cooking the meat, and Tori, Nathan, and their dads went to wash up after cleaning up the mess of the deer prep and setting some meat aside to be frozen in the freezer that ran off the generator.

Tori popped up beside me and inhaled deeply. “Oh my God, this smells so good. It’s been forever since I’ve had venison. We never hunted because we had rabbit and cow meat, which was great, but deer meat is so good.” She glanced at me and Ava with a bright smile. “Thanks for cooking.”

“Thanks for prepping.” Ava waved her hand toward the metal table under the tree where they’d prepped the deer.

“More than happy to help!”

Everyone ended up gathered around the fire, plates full of deer meat and pickled vegetables as we talked amongst each other.

“Are you staying with the guys tonight?” Spencer asked after swallowing a bite.

“Yes.” Her cheeks were pink from the cold, but they seemed to turn an even darker shade.

“Of course you are,” Daisy muttered.

“Yeah. Of course I’m going to stay with my boyfriends. How terrible,” Tori remarked, shoving the last bite of food in her mouth with an eye roll.

I pressed my shoulder against hers, and she leaned into me with a sigh.

Dropping my lips to her ear, I whispered, “Are you okay?”

She turned her head and smiled at me, her face so close to mine it sent chills down my spine. “I’m fine.”

The rest of dinner was uneventful. Bane had been relatively silent for the most part, and we didn’t have any more stragglers come through.

Micah and Charles cleaned the dishes, and by the time they’d finished, the sun dipped below the trees, bringing a blanket of frigid air upon us.

The flames of the fire ceased, and smoke plumed from what was left of the wood.

“You should plan to leave at sunrise tomorrow morning,” Benjamin said, glancing around the clearing. “Who is going to the ranch?”

“Our family,” Tom stated. “Anyone else is welcome.”

“We’re going,” Micah pointed to him and Nathan.

“I’ll come,” I said, and the group snapped their gazes my way.

“Are you sure?” Tori tilted her head, brows raising in concern. “You don’t have to.”

“I go on scavenging missions sometimes.” I shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

I wanted to see where she grew up, and it made me sick to think about her not making it back.

“Anyone else?” Benjamin let out visible breaths.

“I can come and help carry some things,” Charles offered, scratching the top of his head.

“No need.” Micah shook his head. “We need people to stay back too, and I’m sure you don’t want to leave your wife.”

He nodded, a grateful smile taking over his face. “Thanks.”

“You have two husbands?” Daisy gasped at Ava, and everyone shifted on their feet.

“Yes.” Ava smiled, glancing between her husbands with loving eyes. “We actually told you all that already.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “That’s different.”

“We were together before the apocalypse, and I would never change it. Even if it is considered different.”

“Who cares if it’s different? You’re happy, and that’s what matters,” Tori said, and Ava smiled her way.

Daisy went to laugh but covered her mouth with a fake cough.

“Something to say?” Spencer crossed her arms.

Her eyes slanted into a glare at Spencer. “It’s just funny that Tori is saying that since she’s seeing three different men. That’s worse!”

“It’s the end of the world, Daisy!” Tori exploded from beside me, her hands balled into shaking fists. “There’s no need for your constant judgmental attitude anymore! You have done your fair share of actual shitty things, but you don’t see me throwing it in your face!”

“Me? You’re the one who dated Jay even when you knew I liked him!”

“Oh, shut up! You were screwing his cousin and his best friend!”

Daisy flinched back, and Jay’s mouth dropped as he stared at her.

“Why did you say that?” she asked.

“Because it’s true, and because you act like you’ve never done anything wrong. I’m sick and tired of you constantly putting me down when I’m the one who got fucked over.”

“But—”

“That’s enough,” Micah barked. “We leave at sunrise. It’ll be a two day trip there and back. See you all in the morning.”

“But what about the shower?” Daisy piped again, and Benjamin interrupted before Micah could reply.

“It’s too late. We need the generator for the hot water heater, and I need to refill the tank for the shower head. We haven’t had enough rain lately. If you come back, it’ll be ready then.”

“I’ll just take one at home then.”

Tori’s nostrils flared as Daisy rolled her eyes, but she stayed silent, simmering in her obvious anger as Micah pulled her to his side and started walking us back to the treehouse.

Spencer rushed over and hugged Tori, whispering something in her ear before shooting us a mischievous grin and bouncing away.

“Can you stay with us tonight?” Tori’s tired eyes pleaded as she looked up at me, but a shiver racked my body.

“Not yet, honey. I’m closer, but…”

“I understand.” The way she said it didn’t sound like she was upset, but I was disappointed in myself for my inability to give her what she needed.

“We’ll make sure she’s okay,” Micah promised, and Nathan nodded.

“It’s okay not to be ready. You’ve lived the majority of your life alone. Needing time to adjust is normal.”

I knew he was right, and I knew Tori understood. But it didn’t lessen my desire to just be normal.

Ignorance was truly bliss. If I hadn’t known about the complexity of germs and what could happen being exposed to certain things, I wouldn’t live in fear like Mom had.