A thick blanket of undisturbed snow lay still outside your cabin, a peaceful silence encumbered Jackson. Your woolly sweater hugged at you, fighting away any draft or uneven air from touching your warm skin. The TV blurted out random noises of a channel that had played automatically after you abandoned the movie you were watching to converse with Ellie over your walkie talkie. Your new life in Jackson really was to die for when you considered how many years you had been surviving. Now you just got to simply live.
“You still awake?” Ellie’s tired voice slurred over the radio.
“Yeah- just admiring the snow we’re gonna have to trudge through today.” You replied, reminding her about the patrol shift you shared.
“Really? I’m admiring you. You may wanna practice shutting your blinds more often. Especially when you’re getting changed.”
Your face lit up scarlet red as your eyes shot to your window, immediately connecting with Ellie’s.
“naughty.” you remarked.
You stood up, the quilt covering your legs cascading to the floor. The crisp air causing goosebumps to grow over your skin. You widened your eyes at the auburn haired girl and snapped your blinds shut, no longer able to see the white landscape outside or your girlfriend.
“Let’s see if your imagination can figure out what I’m doing now.” You teased.
“Won’t need my imagination if I come over there.”
“Come then.” You beckoned.
Flirtatious conversations with Ellie were not new to you. You guys had been dating for around 7 months now.
It all started when Joel found you barely surviving in Newhaven. You had been alone for around a year. You had barely had any human contact for months, you had barely had food for weeks. He didn’t even know how you were still alive. You really were a ‘tough one’ as Ellie labelled you. The apocalypse wasn’t going to bring you down. But someone was certainly going down for you, in more ways than one.
“If I come over there right now we’ll never make it to patrol.” You could practically hear the smirk across her face.
Frustration was a feeling you knew all too well.
“You can’t just provoke me like that. No fair.” You huffed.
“I’m sure you can wait till after patrol. Or are you gonna let me take you in Eugene’s weed den again?”
She really knew how to rile you up.
You couldn’t work up an answer.
“Nothing to say beautiful?” She poked.
“I’ll see you soon. Do not wear your canvas sneakers. There is literally 5 inches of snow outside.”
“Don’t wear anyth-”
You switched the radio off abruptly, ceasing your girlfriends sentence. You really had it coming for you today.