I waved my hand at her.
“Don’t worry about it. Thallirin and I hung out at Uan’s and watched some movies. It was good.”
She smiled and glanced at Thallirin again.
“We’re having roast tonight. I think you’ll like it.” She looked at Zach. “Let’s put all of this in the living room for now. I’m not sure what we’ll do with a case of adult diapers, but maybe someone can use them.”
“Adult diapers?” I asked, looking at Zach.
“There was so much stuff that Uan and I just some grabbed boxes and came home.”
“Where did you go?” I went to the cupboard for dishes while Uan, Zach, and Thallirin began to move boxes.
“Harrisonville again. There was a distribution center south of town, way off the highway. A fey spotted it last night, but Ryan figured there would be too many infected. However, given the trap they set for us in town, he decided we should try it. There were only a handful of infected in the place. Slower ones. There was so much stuff we filled the supply trucks in less than an hour. One of the guys from Tenacity knew how to drive a semi-truck. So, we filled up the trailer of one by the loading dock and brought back as much as we could.”
Mom set the table, and I brought over the food. When the guys were finished moving everything to the living room, they joined us.
“And get this,” Zach said, taking the lid off the slow cooker to fork himself a hunk of roast. “Matt would only take thirty percent from what we fit in the three trucks we borrowed.” He passed the meat fork to Uan. “Granted, we crammed as many of us as we could in the cab of every vehicle in order to pack supplies in the truck the humans rode in, but still. A full semi-trailer’s worth of supplies came here. There wasn’t enough room on the shelves of the supply shed for everything we brought back.”
“That’s great,” I said, helping myself to some carrots and potatoes. “About the supplies, not about Matt. Why did he refuse more?”
“I think he’s keeping to the rules so people know not to expect handouts instead of working.”
It made sense.
I took a bite, enjoying the vegetables. I’d eaten too many cheese curls.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I ate some of your food today, Uan,” I said after swallowing. “I didn’t want to come back and bug you guys.”
“You are welcome to any food I have,” he said. “It will be my turn to go on supply runs soon, and I will bring more.” He glanced at Mom. “In a few days.”
She blushed, and Zach and I shared a look.
“So, Thallirin and I heard the plane fly overhead today,” I said, changing the subject.
“We did, too,” Mom said.
“Oh, yeah. Matt said they spotted some signs of survivors to the southeast,” Zach said. “They want a group to go out tomorrow to look for them instead of going on a supply run.”
One day without me, and Zach had all the interesting news.
“Are they looking for volunteers for that?” I asked.
Zach shook his head.
“They’re keeping it small. Just Ryan, Richard, and Garrett to represent the humans. Looks like tomorrow’s another day off.”
I rolled over in bed and tacoed the pillow around my head. It didn’t muffle the sounds coming from the room next door, though.
I regretted not leaving with Thallirin right after dinner. I should have offered to take a shift at the wall or something. Anything would have been better than listening to Mom and Uan have “quiet” sex all night.
Giving up on sleep, I tossed my pillow aside and slipped a pair of jeans on over my sleep shorts. My door opened soundlessly, and the noises continued as I crept down the hall. In the dim kitchen light, I wrote a quick note that I’d gone to Uan’s for the night. I wasn’t doing it to guilt Mom. She’d understand the note was so she wouldn’t worry that I’d just disappeared.
Making as little noise as possible, I tossed my jacket over my tank top and slid my bare feet into my boots, not planning on being in the cold for long. I slipped outside and jogged down the road that led to Uan’s place. I read the house numbers as I moved, counting them down until I found the right one. The neighborhood was quiet as I let myself inside.
In the dark, I kicked off my boots and tossed my jacket in the direction of the hooks. Then, I felt around for a light switch. I’d only explored the living room and kitchen and had no idea where the bedrooms were. I really hoped Uan had a decent bed.
Finding the switch, I flicked it on and saw a person standing less than a foot away.
I screamed. The sound was cut short by a hand over my mouth.
“Brenna, you are safe,” Thallirin said, his expression showing his shock.
Dragging in a breath, I pulled his hand from my mouth.
“Shit, Thallirin. I think you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”
Even as I asked it, his current wardrobe gave me my answer. He wore a pair of athletic shorts. That was it. The broad expanse of his scarred chest distracted me from my question. Yes, I’d seen him shirtless while at Hannah’s, but I hadn’t truly noticed just how muscled the man was. It was impressive and very drool-worthy. I didn’t blink until his hand came up and nervously swiped over his scars.
I focused on his face, guilty I’d made him uncomfortable.
“Uan told me I could have his house,” Thallirin said in his low rumble, answering the question I’d already forgotten I’d asked. “He will live with your mom now.”
“Oh.” I looked around awkwardly. “I’m so sorry I just barged in. I thought it would be empty.”
“Why are you here, Brenna?”
I could feel a flush creeping into my cheeks as I looked up at him.
“My mom and Uan are having sex. A lot of it, and very loudly. I can’t fall asleep there. I figured since Uan wasn’t using his house, I could sleep here. I didn’t know he’d given it to you.”
I turned to reach for my jacket.
“You can sleep here if you wish,” Thallirin said behind me. “There are three bedrooms to choose from. I can sleep outside.”
My initial “hell, nah!” reaction to sleeping in the same house with him was killed with that last addition. It struck me right in my still sprinting, treacherous chest organ that he would endure another cold night outside just to put me at ease.
I dropped my jacket back on the floor.
“There’s no way I’m kicking you out to sleep in the cold. But if there’s three bedrooms and you don’t mind me taking one by myself, I’ll gratefully stay.”
He grunted and stepped aside.
I turned down the hall opposite the kitchen and peeked into all the rooms. The master was obviously used by Uan, and more recently, Thallirin. The other two rooms were neatly made up, ready for me to claim.
“I’ll take this one,” I said. “See you in the morning.”
I closed the door behind me, took off my jeans, and climbed into bed.
My level of trust with Thallirin was higher than I realized because I immediately fell asleep and remained comatose until early morning light shined through the bedroom’s window.
Stretching, I listened to my knees pop and yawned loudly before frowning and lifting my head to look at the open door. I’d definitely closed it last night.