Chapter 2
"Elyza, I"
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"You can't..."
"I said no, Alicia."
"Well that's... "
" ALICIA."
"Fine," Alicia snorted finally and rolled her eyes. "But don't even think I'll sleep in the same bed as you if you don't take of that jacket and let me clean it."
"Well what a shame, I was looking forward to cuddling with you all night," the blonde said sarcastically and rolled her eyes back. "But whatever you want princess, you're welcome to sleep on a floor."
"What the hell is your problem? You're the one who wanted to help me, remember? But clearly you've changed your mind, so I'll just grab my stuff and leave first thing in the morning. It was really nice meeting you, Elyza," Alicia said angrily and got up from her place on the couch.
They've been in the safe house for more than two hours and they've been arguing about that jacket most of the time. And yes, there was only one clean bed in the house.
Alicia was almost out of the room when Elyza stopped her.
"Wait."
Alicia sighed, turned around and lifted her eyebrows in question.
"I'm sorry," Elyza continued silently, looking away from the brunette. "I still want to help you. Just... Don't touch that jacket, okay? Please."
Alicia's expression softened when she heard the pain in Elyza's voice but she was still mad. She wanted to ask what the story behind this jacket was, but it didn't feel like the right moment.
"Okay," she responded and slowly returned to the couch. She took a seat next to the aussie haltingly. "I'm sorry I took your jacket without asking."
Elyza nodded and looked down. Silence fell between the two girls but it wasn't uncomfortable. They were both lost in their own thoughts. Alicia was thinking about the other girl's past. When she heard how Elyza talked about her jacket she realized that the badass blondie had probably her own history of losing people.
Alicia was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a sound of guitar. She looked up to see Elyza already looking at her and playing the guitar. They shared a smile, agreeing to stop fighting without using any words.
"Can you sing something?" Alicia asked sleepily and closed her eyes, her head falling on the couch.
"Come on buttercups, is there anything I can't do?" Elyza smiled slyly. She was back to her cocky self.
Alicia rolled her eyes (she rolled her eyes a lot around that blonde) but Elyza saw the corners of her mouth lift in a tiny smile. That encouraged Elyza to start singing.
"Hello, goodbye my friend
I’m sorry that I’ve been so bent
Out of shape I’m sure you’d make a wonderful partner
Truth is that I do love you
And everything you are
But I do not deserve you
Not your mind and not your heart"
Alicia could just stare, mesmerized by Elyza's voice, that was filled with emotions. The melody was beautiful but also kind of sad and nostalgic.
"Sorry that I made you think
Our future lay together
Laying there I met your stare, I prayed for stormy weather
Pick a fight I hoped you might
See the sense in leaving
You didn’t though
But I made you go, despite your own believing
I just saved you from myself
One day you might thank me
And take me off your shelf
Wish I could save me from myself
But until then I’ll jut figure it out
And sing to someone else
Yes, until then I’ll just figure it out
And sing for someone else"
Alicia blinked a few times when she noticed the tears in her eyes. She cleared her throat and swallowed before looking at Elyza, but the older girl was looking out of the window with a stoic expression.
"That was beautiful."
Elyza finally looked at her, small smile playing on her lips.
"Who wrote that?" Alicia asked, but she already knew the answer. She could tell by the way Elyza sang the song, her tongue cuddling with every word she let out of her mouth and her fingers touching the strings with so much care and love. She could tell by the sadness deep in Elyza's eyes.
"I wrote it, a while ago. You know, before the world fell apart," Elyza chuckled nervously and ran her fingers through her hair.
Alicia's heart broke a little for the girl sitting next to her. She'd known Elyza wrote it before she said it, but hearing her actually say it made it more real.
This situation with walkers somehow broke everyone. Everyone's lost somebody and everyone's lost a piece of themselves. But Elyza had been lost before the infection even spread. And for some reason, it made Alicia sad. At least Alicia knew what it's like to live a normal life, be with her family.
"Elyza?"
"Yeah?"
"What happened to your... I mean, are you looking for someone too? A family, or a group?" Alicia wasn't sure if she wasn't crossing a line, but she was curious.
"No, I'm not looking," Elyza answered. Her expression tightened a little but her voice was soft. She started to strum the guitar quietly. Alicia didn't ask more questions. After a few minutes, Elyza spoke again.
"I had a group. We weren't exactly friends, but we could count on each other. We had a history so we trusted each other. One day I woke up and... " her voice broke. She gulped and tried again after blinking a few times.
"One day I woke up and I saw Finn and Charlotte eating the rest of them. I took my gun and killed them. I figured after a few wasted bullets that I had to aim for their heads to kill them. I found another girl of our group that survived so we ran. We saw some soldiers so we followed them, we thought that the army could help us. They shot her right in front of me. That was when I realized how bad this was. The army that's supposed to protect us was killing innocent people... I found some guns and knives and I've been on my own since. Until now that is," Elyza finished.
And Alicia's heart ached for her companion again. She wanted to say something to make her feel better, she wanted to tell her that she's not alone now, but the words didn't come out. And Alicia knew that no words on this world had the ability to help Elyza anyway. So she did the only thing that felt right. She wrapped the blonde girl in her arms and held her tight.
Elyza felt a little startled at first, she hadn't been so close to another living person for a long time. But then she breathed in the smell of Alicia's skin and hair and she let herself relax into the embrace. They stayed like that for a while, quiet.
"I knew you wouldn't resist my gorgeous body for long," Elyza muttered against Alicia's neck.
"Shut up," Alicia said, and although Elyza couldn't see her, she heard the smile in the brunette's voice.
They finally let go of each other and decided to go to sleep. They changed their clothes in silence, Alicia secretly peeking at Elyza's body and Elyza unashamedly scanning Alicia's.
They both fell into the bed totally exhausted. Alicia was almost sleeping when she felt a body press to her back. She hummed contentedly. Elyza took that as a good sign and she wrapped her arm around the other girl's waist, touching the exposed skin on Alicia's abdomen. Alicia shivered form the touch, her heart rate increasing. It will be hard to fall asleep with Elyza so close to her body.