“Did you get breakfast yet?”
Booker shook his head. “Nah, wasn’t that hungry,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.
He tasted like spearmint and instant coffee.
She was about to suggest he should still put something on his stomach when he took half a step back, staring at her right side.
“What in the hell’d you do to yourself?”
Frowning, Caitlin glanced down. “Huh?”
Along her ribs was a mottled purple bruise the width of…
An arm.
Booker’s arm.
She blinked. “Uh… Oh, I must’ve bumped into something yesterday while setting up camp.”
“What’d y’hit?”
Inching back, she went to pull her tank top over her head.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Probably the edge of the bus door.”
Booker froze, watching her dress as quickly as she could.
“Wasn’t there when we went to bed…” His gaze shot from her side to her face, expression grim. “Cae?”
Her breath stalled in her throat.
“I did that. In my sleep… Last night…” His voice cracked. “That’s ‘cause of me.”
Shoving her arms into her sleeves, she rushed forward. “It wasn’t like you did it on purpose,” she urged. “It was an accident, Booker.”
He shook his head, lip curling in disgust.
“Jack,” she continued. “You were having a nightmare. You can’t blame yourself for—”
“I don’t even remember grabbin’ you,” he said, eyes dark. “What else did I do?”
“Nothing, I promise,” she told him. “You were dreaming. You just held me a little too tight, that’s all.”
Booker swallowed roughly, unable to look her in the eyes. “Looked like more than just a squeeze.”
Offering a smile, she tried to lighten the mood. “Well, you’re not exactly a string bean.”
It didn’t work.
“Booker, I’m okay. I promise.” She started to reach for him, but he backed up.
“I’mma go scrounge up somethin’ to eat,” he said, already making his way out of the tent. “Getcha some coffee if ya want it.”
She didn’t have a chance to respond before he was letting the flap fall between them, essentially shutting the door.
* * * * * * *
She’d barely made it out of her tent when Caitlin collided with someone tall and solid.
“Oof, God, I’m sorry—” she blurted out, grabbing onto the arm of the man.
Looking up, she blinked.
Nathaniel held onto her elbow, steadying her.
“Oh, hey, morning,” he said.
Caitlin’s ears burned as she stared at him. “Morning, Nate.”
“Since when do you call me Nate?”
His amused tone would have been sweet if she didn’t feel so horribly awkward around him.
“I think I just picked it up from everyone else,” she admitted. “Seems like half the camp calls you that.”
“Yeah, it just sort of happened. Not really sure how,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.
Silence stretched as they both shifted their weight, unsure of what to say next.
Nathaniel glanced over to the small group of people getting food and took half a step away.
“Well, I guess I’ll—”
“Nathaniel, can we talk?” She asked, fidgeting with the last button on her shirt.
He gaped for a moment before nodding. “Um, sure. Yeah.”
Wandering a few yards away from curious ears, Caitlin found a spot by one of the Reject hatchbacks and started to lean against it before straightening again.
She didn’t know what to do with her hands.
“I, uh…” She swallowed. “I feel like I owe you an apology.”
Nathaniel frowned. “You do?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “I… I mean, this was…” She took a breath and tried again. “The freaking world ended.”
His surprised laugh broke the tension.
“I thought about you so much when I was lost in Atlanta,” she continued. “I wanted you to be safe. I hoped you were okay. I…” She bit in the inside of her lip. “I also thought about how we were before the world fell apart. You were so good to me. So sweet and attentive. And…”
“And I wasn’t the one,” he finished for her. “I know. It’s okay. I… I really wanted to be. But you can’t force that sort of thing.”
“I never in a million years thought I’d be saying this, but, when you know, you know,” she said. “I guess it took a catastrophe for me to get that.”
Nathaniel nodded, staring at a patch of dry grass.
“I didn’t want you to think I’d just forgotten you or leapt at the chance to replace you,” Caitlin said. “And showing up at your camp after all this time, with Booker… That must have felt terrible.”
He tilted his head, smile just shy of wistful. “It definitely wasn’t great.”
Caitlin winced. “I never wanted to hurt you that way, ever. You deserved better. I’m so sorry, Nathaniel.”
“I’m sorry too,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been such a passive aggressive jerk.”
She grinned. “It was a bit rude. But understandable given the circumstances.”
Gesturing over his shoulder, Nathaniel said, “And Booker actually seems like a good guy. He’s got a good heart.”
“He is. And he does.” She reached for the silver bird pendant at her neck, pulling at the chain gently.
“The accent is still throwing me though,” he teased lightly.
Caitlin laughed. “You get used to it.”
After a moment of much more comfortable silence, she reached for his arm, bumping him gently.
“So… Friends?”
Nathaniel nodded, mirroring her action. “Friends.”
“Thank God. Surviving the apocalypse is one thing but eternally camping with your ex…”
Sucking air between his teeth, he cringed dramatically. “Yikes.”
“Yikes times ten.”
They were all smiles returning to the group, which garnered them a few curious eyebrow lifts from anyone familiar with their situation.
Nicole and Scott however looked relieved.
“So, you two are…” Nicole whispered to her, leaning in.
“We’re good,” Caitlin said. “We’re better. We…” She breathed out a laugh. “We broke
