You Can Sit Beside Me When the World Comes Down.

”I’ve never done anything like this before. Especially for a second date,” I said with full honesty, looking over to Joe, watching as his smile worked right across his face, and his eye lit up even more so than the street lamp beside him.

“Really? Never? Don’t you ever just... go somewhere and watch the world pass?” I shook my head, not needing words to express how much this meant to me. We were situated on the bonnet of his car, the heat of the engine warming our backsides as our eyes were cast above to meet the stars.

We were half an hour from town, sitting in the desolate parking lot of a 7/11, with our only source of light radiating from the dimming neon sign a top of the building, and flickering street lights that were few and far between.

“I think everyone gets far too caught up in themselves, and really just need to take the time to stop and listen to their own breathing. You know?”

I did. I did know. It made such perfect sense, lying with my body so close to his and my hand quietly creeping toward his own. Even as we grew to know each other more and more, I don’t think he ever understood how much that night meant to me. My whole world had been tipping violently and just by taking me away for a few hours, he managed to give me the strength to hold on.

Joe rose into a sitting position, causing me to follow, and gave me that crooked smile that caused a flush of endorphins to rush through my bloodstream. He slowly slid off the bonnet and dragged me toward the 7/11, our eyes blinking at the sudden adjustment in lighting. I pushed my feet to gain space between us, my shivering frame steadying at the feel of his body heat.

Joe made quiet conversational banter with the bored cashier, making one of those lame jokes about business blooming, as he purchased two blue slushies, and a packet of Pall Mall cigarettes. I was confused about the last object; he didn’t seem to be the smoker type.

We exited the shop and made our way back to the car, jumping back into our original positions as Joe handed me a blue slushy. I cupped my hands around the sweltering plastic and shivered at how cold it felt against my skin.

“I know it seems silly to have one of these when the temperature is as cold as it is, but I found that your thoughts become so much more coherent with brain freeze.” Joe had this smile that he only rarely gave out, mainly to me, when he said something, opened up his thinking patterns to someone and wasn’t sure how they would take it.

“It sounds stupid,” He finished quietly when I didn’t say anything.

“No... not at all. It makes sense to me,” I whispered back, giving him a smile as I took a sip of the blue substance and felt that rush of coldness hit my brain. He was right, and he knew it.

“What about the smokes?” I asked, focusing on my drink as I listened to Joe fidget slightly.

“I ah... Well if you were asking if smoke, I don’t. My father died of lung cancer, and I just...Every time I walk into a place that sells the damn cancer sticks, I just think, did he come in here? Did he buy a packet, just like this? Didn’t he know it was killing him? And then I buy a packet, and I don’t even know my own reasoning for it. It’s just become a habit.”

Joe let out a sigh, and I pushed my hand back into his and he smiled. A real, genuine smile.

“Delainey... Do believe in fate? Like two people are supposed to be together?”

I was caught off guard. I never did, but just lately... well everything I used to believe in has been jumbled up and I didn’t know who I was most of the time.

“Well... not really. I mean, I never believed that two people could work together, be together, fit together so well that they could stay in total happiness for their whole lives. It just seemed impossible. My parents never seem happy with each other, always fighting and arguing that I just didn’t believe it. But there is something... here, that could make me see differently.”

Joe’s smile went straight to his eyes and everything was perfect. “But you see, it doesn’t have to be like that. You are right, it’s impossible for two people to be in perfect harmony forever, but that’s not the meaning of love. Love is being as angry as possible at someone, but knowing that even if you think you hate them with everything you have, you know you don’t, and no matter how many arguments you have, you’ll always come back to each other in the end. It’s about counting flaws as perfections.”

I nodded, soaking in every word. For twenty-three, he seemed to outshine even the oldest philosopher out of here.

“Is it strange that in the few weeks I’ve known you, I feel the closest to you, than to anyone else I’ve ever known?”

Joe cocked his head, before shaking it slightly. “No. Because I feel the exact same way.”

“I’m glad I took up that first date with you, Joe, and this one too. Even if in the daylight you are the cockiest jerk out.”

Joe let out a loud laugh, his visible breath lifting upwards to the heavens, and I laughed along with him. We both fell into a comfortable silence, finishing off our drinks, and still clutching each other’s hands as tight as our numb fingers would allow.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

I turned to him sharply, disbelief hanging nimbly from my eyes. “How do you know I’m not going to ask something you don’t know the answer to? You won’t be able to answer me then, would you?”

“I just know,” Joe said simply, tapping his nose and in that instant, I had this tidal wave of a feeling the he indeed, did know everything.

“Alright then. What made you pick me, out of every other girl in the city, what made me the girl you decided to chase after?” We both turned to each other, nose to nose, hip to hip, toe to toe.

Joe took a long, hard look at me, before finally giving his answer. “Because you looked lost, destroyed and broken, you looked how I felt. And I knew, I just knew that together, we could fix each other and become whole again.”

That was when I knew. We were just two kids trying to find ourselves that cold night but from there, we found each other and we were perfect. And I knew, he was that person I didn’t even know I was looking for.

I was awake. I knew I was, because the scenery of that memory began to fade, and even though I didn’t open my eyes to let in consciousness fully, I was awake and scared. So bloody scared. I remembered everything, except for how I got into this state. One moment I was awake and the next...

I tried to keep my breathing steady, and blocked out every other sense but my hearing, listening intently for any signs of noise. Sure enough, there were voices.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Pete, I swear, if we weren’t best friends before this, I would throw your sorry ass out for the Invaders to feast on,” growled that soft voice, Patrick.

“I... I’m sorry, but I just freaked. You were going to touch her! She is infected! Pat, you know our whole family needs you, and I’m not just going to let you throw your health out the door for some survivor.” Pete answered, the dull throbbing in the back of my head becoming apparent as he spoke.

Patrick sighed. “Alright. Okay. Just... just go see if Jon needs any help with the water supply, or something.”

Footsteps grazed the earth as I listened to Pete walk off, and suddenly, a warm hand placed itself on my frozen shoulder. The simple gesture from someone I didn’t even know was enough to make me cry. Compassion and warmth from another human being was something I had missed in my weeks of being alone.

“Excuse me? Ma’am? Can you hear me?” Patrick’s gentle voice whispered softly in my ear, tickling the hair around my face as I felt his hands softly pick up my body, resting my head on his knee.

I slowly opened up my eyes, squinting at Patrick before letting out a groan. My whole head seem to be buzzing with pain. Patrick let out a chuckle at my reaction.

“Hello again,” He said with a smile, looking down at me. I lifted my hand and gave him a small wave, my mouth too dry to try and form words just yet. His smile grew as he produced a small bottle of water, my eyes praising him like a god.

His fingertips grazed my skin with no sign of hesitation from Pete’s words as he helped me into a sitting position and guiding the water bottle toward my parched lips. Before the water touched my tongue, I was preparing myself for the taste of stale water, that they have stored to keep themselves alive but instead the flow of clean, pure water ran down my throat and woke me completely.

I began to choke on the water, spluttering ungracefully as Patrick pulled the water bottle away from my mouth with alarm. I wiped my arm across my face, collecting up the stray water droplets as I stared at Patrick.

“It’s clean. Pure. How?” I whispered and Patrick’s surprise faded into that comforting smile once more.

“In all honestly, I do not have a clue. You’ll have to ask our handyman, Jon, later on when you meet him. He’s a genius, with all the tricks of the trade.”

I glanced away from his caring looks, and down toward my shaking fingers.
“He might not want to meet me,” I whispered dully, trying not to show how I truly felt about this matter.

“What do you mean?” Patrick asked, looking a tad bewildered.

“Well if what your friend said is true, I’m infected right? And I thought you promised him you wouldn’t touch me?” I asked in a small voice, curling myself up in hope that Patrick won’t get infected and cause an argument to break out once again between the two.

Patrick exhaled loudly, flicking up the rim of the cap on his head before letting it fall back into place. He looked at me dead in the eye as he opened his mouth to answer, and I knew then that he would never be one to lie unless for a reasonable exception, he would be the one to tell it to me straight.

“Okay. We checked you over quickly, we had to, and we found a very small rash on your lower right arm that has been matched to those on people who have died. The thing is though, there are the rare few that get the disease and nothing comes from it. In fact, it can eventually fade away. I’m hoping this is the case with you, it’s tricky to tell because the rash looks exactly the same whether it’s disappearing or growing. And as for Pete, well, he’s just overly protective over everyone he knows. He lost his wife and kid to the disease so he’s taking precautions.”

I looked up at him through my eyelashes, blinking furiously. “And you? Why don’t you take precautions?”

“Because I don’t care. Everyone of us has been through a shit load, and no one deserves to be finally put back into a society to be immediately shunned out again. That’s cruel, and it’s unfair. You have as much right as we do to stay here and live. Pete just doesn’t... hold the same compassion as I do. He believes that the world owes him, and until then, everyone else can fuck off.”

I smiled a little at how open Patrick was being, it felt amazing to be talking to someone who could actually answer, think, feel. The endorphins were running through me, and the pain in my head began to cease until there was nothing left to remind me of the incident before.

“And as for the others, well, they have a right to whether or not they want to be in contact with you, I hope you understand that.” I nodded at this, of course they had a right. I was in no way going to try and jeopardize their health just so I could feel human again.

“But most people round here, they are like me and would rather have you here with us than out there with them. But...” Patrick feel silent and seemed uneasy. I raised an eyebrow to urge him onward.

He sighed loudly. “We are going to have to take a vote on whether you can stay with us here, or in the isolation cabins. It’s a sort of protocol that we follow. Every decision is made through the whole community here, or as we say, family then it is up to Pete and I to make the final decision, if it comes to that. I really hope you understand.” He offered me a small smile to compensate.

I looked away. I understood, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Patrick rose to his feet, dusting of the back of his jeans loudly before holding out his hand to me. I eyed it, before looking up at his smile and knowing I would reach for it anyway. The human contact set off fireworks in me, it’s been so long.

"Well..." Patrick trailed off, looking at me questioningly.

"Delainey," I supplied with a small smile.

“Well, Delainey, let’s go find Jon, yeah? He’s a cool dude, he’ll like you on an instant,” Patrick said, pulling me along the room and through the dark tunnels as I shivered at the thought of meeting the people who lived here, especially if they reacted like Pete did.

“We... we won’t be seeing Pete, will we? ‘Cause if he saw us now, well... I don’t think my head can handle another hit,” I mumbled and Patrick gave out a strained laugh.

“Pete’s probably jacking off somewhere anyway, don’t worry about him.” Patrick’s attempt at making me laugh failed, but I gave him props for trying, and squeezed his hand tightly as a bright light increased before us both. My teeth began to clatter, and my heart rate stumbled forward as the carried voices got louder with the light.

It’s been... Oh no.