Archive of Our Own

“We haven’t played a game in weeks, since that night with Marlon’ Violet sighed, remembering the dreadful incident that took place two weeks ago.

Louis pretended he didn’t hear her grim words as he shuffled his deck of cards. His eyes moved from his own hands to Aasim, who seemed to be lost in thought while staring at the horizon. He followed his friends’ stare and he noticed Ruby who was helping Omar carrying boxes from one place to another.

‘I mean' Louis' voice made Aasim woke up from his unintended daydreaming. He turned his head to redirect his attention to his friend ‘If you wanna go ask Ruby to come play, I don’t mind waiting.’

Aasim felt the urge to punch Louis in the face, but refrained.

‘Shut up dude!’ He exclaimed instead, shaking his head regretfully ‘I swear to God…’

With the years, Louis had proved to be a good and supportive friend to Aasim, but sometimes he’d wonder just how much he could confide in him.

Of course, Louis meant no harm with his little teasing, but ever since he found out about his crush, he had not been able to catch a break.  Louis took every chance to bring it up, he’d ask questions and sometimes, he would like to imagine scenarios and was very vocal about it..

However, this was the first time he mentioned Ruby in front of others. While Clementine tried not to show much interest in the topic, Violet couldn’t hide her curiosity.

‘You have a crush on Ruby?’ She inquired, her voice as calm as usual. He looked away, searching for the right words in his head. Luckily for him, AJ and Tenn joined the group, saving him from a potential awkward moment.

‘What are we playing?’ AJ asked

‘Truth or Dare’ Louis announced and Violet immediately looked at him to correct him.

‘You don’t use cards in truth or dare…’

‘You do in this version’ He explained as Tenn sat next to Violet on the couch and AJ took a seat on the floor, near Clementine ‘Everyone draws, highest card gets to ask. Lowest card has to answer.’

Right after the rules were set, the game started and during the first round, Violet drew the highest card, while Clementine had the bad luck to be her victim.

‘This should be good,’ She snickered maliciously ‘let’s see…truth: Marry, Fuck Kill…’
‘Vi…’ Tenn reminded her that her foul language wasn’t approved in casual situations like that one.

‘Fine… Marry, Flip, Kill; Ruby, Aasim or…’ She turned her attention to Clementine once more ‘James, that guy who saved you.’

‘Oh, my God..’ Clementine huffed

‘You gotta answer. Them’s the rules’ Louis reminded her, as interested in her answer as Violet.

She considered her options for some seconds.

‘Let’s see…I would marry…Aasim’ Her response caught everyone’s attention

‘I uh… thanks?’ Aasim answered with a rather unsure smile. Louis saw Clementine smiling back.

‘I don’t think you’re his type’ He reminded her, 'He’s into redheads’

‘Dude! Shut up!’

Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Aasim being flustered. That was all the confirmation she needed.

Clementine kept on talking to get out of the spotlight.

‘I would, um…flip...’

‘Flip, flip, flip. Flip…’ Louis chanted, immediately followed by AJ.

‘Ruby.’

Louis threw his head back, laughing gleefully. The rest stared at him in silence.

‘Wh-I’m sorry! I was just imagining her glare while Clem propositions her!’ He immediately began imitating the redhead in a very poor southern accent ‘What? You’re sure that’s a good idea? What’s wrong with you?’

‘She picked,’ Violet sentenced, ‘Ruby gets a flip.’

Louis smiled at her friend and turned to Clementine.

‘So that means you’re killing…’

‘This is amazing’ Tenn said, excited.

‘Boy from the woods!’ Violet cheered. Her and Louis seemed strangely enjoying this very last bit.

‘I’ll try to shed a tear for the poor boy none of us met, who’s probably just a figment of Clem’s imagination.’ He added with fake sympathy

‘No he’s not!’ AJ defended Clementine ‘I’ve met him!’

‘Well, now he’s dead…poor dude.’ Clementine rolled her eyes at him, trying to hide her amusement as Louis continued his little speech ‘This is great; we’re laughing, we’re bonding. It’s a nice break from thinking about homicidal assholes sneaking into our homes to kidnap us.’

‘Not if you bring it up.’ Violet warned.

‘Onto round two!’ Louis announced with a wink, to avoid an argument with the blonde.

The card deck was passed from player to player. This time, Clementine’s luck changed for the better, turning her into the winner of the second round, while Aasim realized he probably had to do or say something against his will by her command.

‘Definitely a dare’ Clem stated, looking at him with malice.

‘Okay. Do your worst’ He said with a smile that denoted fake confidence after hesitating for a second.

After considering her options for a couple of seconds, Clementine finally resolved what Aasim’s fate would be during round two.

‘You have to ask Ruby…for a kiss.’

He did not see that coming.

‘Seriously?’ He questioned, hoping she’d change her mind on the spot.

‘The most legitimate of dares.’ Louis added, letting him know that was happening and there was no way of stopping or avoiding it.

‘Maybe there is one thing I could do to avoid the dare’ He thought while looking over at Ruby, still working in the distance, too busy to notice anyone staring at her. ‘Maybe she won’t talk to me in weeks, maybe months…but God knows I can’t kiss her.’

His idea was even more risky than actually asking her for a kiss and he was willing to take it, with some apprehensions.

‘There has to be a way around it’ He thought to himself while standing up, his heart pounding inside his chest ‘I can’t do it, I have to do it…but I can’t’ His brain repeated with each approaching step ‘Come on, you dumbass, think of something, quick!’

Everyone else was waiting with expectation. Louis was actually waiting to see them kiss. Violet was just impressed Aasim would accept the dare and, Clementine didn’t know what to expect, but whatever the outcome was, she knew it was going to pay off.

And did it pay off.

They were too far to hear a thing, but their body language said it all. Ruby was beyond offended and punched Aasim in the chest. A general guffaw was sparked by the violent display.

Aasim walked back, silently wearing Ruby’s punch like a medal of honor, while the group was still laughing. He earned a ‘damn’ from Violet and a ‘I can’t breathe’ from Louis.

‘I hate…everyone.’ He sat down, grumpily crossing his arms in front of him and looking at the rest of the group with honest indignation.

‘That was amazing.’ Violet smiled at him, to remind him it was all in good fun.

‘Well, I think we all learned something about our good friend Aasim today.’ Louis went at it again, looking at his friend with an annoying smile before continuing ‘Mainly, that he has no romantic charm whatsoever.’

It was harder and harder to refrain the growing urge to strangle him.

‘Shut up’ He muttered.

The game went on for a couple of rounds more, but Aasim was too lost in thought to be invested in it anymore. With all that happened he even forgot about his little fight with Willy for a moment. Louis’ plans always ended up working somehow.

‘Another annoying thing about him’ He thought.

When the game ended, he went on to make peace with Willy and work on the traps together.

It was a productive evening that lead to an uneventful night; There was no sign of the raiders coming that night, so he turned to his books and chronicles to distract himself from the awful things he had to say to save Ruby the embarrassment of being part of a stupid dare.

But he couldn’t

All he could think about was her.

She needed to know he didn’t mean to be nasty with her. He knew that was her biggest pet peeve and he used it against her to break free from a dare. But how could he explain that to her without admitting he was actually in love. It was not a small crush by now. Maybe it was in the beginning, but a crush would never last as long as the vexing sensation he got every time he’d look at her for the past two years. It was clear to him this wasn’t just some childish infatuation.

—–

‘AASIM, AASIM WAKE UP’ Louis sang loudly as he kicked the door to Aasim’s room open, jolting the boy awake between several sheets of paper, scribbled all over.

‘Jesus, Louis, why do you have to be extra loud this time in the morning?’

‘You will not believe what happened to me last night’

‘Did you have an epiphany about how dumb you are?’ Aasim grumbled, groggily rubbing his face with one hand ‘Because if it’s not it, don’t even bother’

Louis stood in front of him, unable to stay still while trying to contain his giddiness.

Aasim realized he wasn’t going to leave him alone until he listened to him, as it was usually the case.

‘Okay…what happened last night?’ He said sitting up and giving him all the attention.

‘Clem kissed me’ The small sentence woke Aasim up entirely.

‘What ,who, when?’

‘Clementine. Last night…she kissed me? Dude, I just told you this, try to keep up!’

‘I mean, did she really? Maybe you just dreamed it.’

Louis sat in another chair opposite to him and leaned in to keep explaining with the same excited tone.

‘It was definitely not a dream, I checked, we were sitting at the piano, I showed her a song I wrote for her, I carved my initial and she did too, then she carved a heart around the letters and I wasn’t expecting that, and then everything got serious so quickly, she said she like-liked me and then she kissed me!’

His rushed words were evidence enough this was a real thing.

‘So, you two are…dating now?’

‘I mean, I guess? I mean, I think so…I never got this far...’ He shrugged, consumed by pure joy

‘Hey, that’s great, dude...’ Aasim smiled along.

‘I know, thanks!’

‘I’m happy for you, it’s nice to finally see you with a sincere smile again… but can I ask you something?’

‘Go ahead’

‘How did you do it? How did everything lead to that one moment?’

‘I’m not sure, everything happened naturally. I mean, if this answers your question, I tried to show myself as I really was, I tried to be as honest as I could with her, I wanted her to know I care but I also let her know how grateful I was that she cares about me, too. Sometimes, showing a little vulnerability is not as bad as you’d think’

‘That makes sense’ He mumbled, still taking in his friends’ words

Louis noticed Aasim was more pensive than usual

‘Is there anything you’d like to get out of your chest, buddy?’

‘No,’ Aasim answered without hesitation while standing to pick up books and paper sheets, ‘after you teased me with Ruby in front of everyone, I don’t think I’ll be telling you anything else.’

‘Come on, we were having fun, remember?’

‘You guys were having fun’ He corrected.

‘I thought you were, too’ The faint smile on his face faded slowly.

‘I was embarrassed and you guys wanted to drag her into it too, that pissed me off.’ He confessed.

‘Dude, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…’

‘Yeah, you never do.’

His remark shut Louis up abruptly and suddenly a tense silence arose.

Aasim finished stacking his belongings, closed his eyes to remember the reason Louis was there. When he turned around, his friend was already walking towards the door. He walked closer to apologize.

‘Wait, I didn’t mean to come off so rude.’

‘I understand, Aasim. I’m sorry, too. I was outta line.’

‘I really am happy for you and Clem.’

‘Thanks.’ Louis smiled at Aasim before turning around and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He was fully aware he had to apologize to Ruby for using her just so he could get out of the spotlight. He thought about doing it in the best way he knew. He sat back down at his desk and starting scribbling on a blank piece of paper. He skipped breakfast and spent all morning writing and rewriting, trying to phrase his apology in the sincerest way possible.

From time to time, he’d stare blankly at what he had just written and angrily scratch over it, frustrated that he couldn’t word his feelings.

‘If Louis, being the dumbass he is, could do it, then I can too.’ He mumbled after a tired sigh directed at the roof.

Then, a sudden realization came to him. Louis never hid behind a piece of paper. His honesty was directly shown through his attitude and his words. If there was a correct way to do it, that must be it.

He looked down at his letter once more before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it away.

He stood up and walked out of his room with decisive steps. He had nothing rehearsed, he had no idea what would happen after, but he knew he had to say something that day, giving the uncertainty of their fates.

Out in the courtyard, he found Willy and Mitch talking to each other at one of the tables.

‘Hey, have you guys seen Ruby?’ Aasim asked, trying to sound casual about it.

‘Yeah, she’s working in the greenhouse’ Mitch said, smiling ‘I’m pretty sure she’s all by herself right now.’

‘Thanks.’

Mitch whispered something in Willy’s ear when Aasim turned around.

‘Go get her, tiger!’ Willy yelled, putting Mitch in a state of cachinnation. Aasim didn’t turn around. He simply flipped them off while walking away.

‘News really do travel fast among small groups.’ He thought, embracing his embarrassment in silence.

Walking closer to the greenhouse felt just like the previous night; an overwhelming anxiety that came out of nowhere.

‘She’s still mad at you’ His brain began ‘You should give her one day more to cool off, you really shouldn’t do this right now.’

He shook these thoughts off with the sole argument that there might not be another day for them to talk.

The door to the greenhouse was open. He peeked inside. It wasn’t as clear as the exterior, but he could still see Ruby sweeping the floor, too immersed in her task to notice him standing awkwardly by the door.

He wanted to say something to call her attention, but it was as if he had forgotten how to speak for a couple of seconds.

He didn’t know what was it about her that made him feel so dumb. He could be the stupidest boy in the world when they were alone in the same space. It had been like that since they were younger and he was sure it would be the same if they made it into adulthood.

He cleared his throat to call Ruby’s attention. She turned around and saw him offering her a half smile. She pressed her lips together, containing her contempt and let him speak.

‘Do you need some help? He said timidly. Ruby looked around. There was still a lot to do and she was visibly overworked, but her pride was bigger than the mess around them.

‘Well, aren’t you precious...’ She exclaimed bitterly almost under her breath, resuming her chores.

‘Come on, give me something to do…I don’t want to keep overthinking about the raiders and I thought…I could help you clean the greenhouse.’

Ruby glanced at him over her shoulder and saw him fidgeting nervously.

‘Are you done bein’ ugly?’ She asked. Aasim looked up at her with puppy eyes.

‘Yes, I’m sorry about last night…I know those were crappy memories and I overstepped my boundaries by bringing them up’ He mumbled.

‘You shouldn’t have said it, if you really knew how bad it made me feel. I spent last night thinking about it over and over. I couldn’t stop reliving it; how much I hated Mitch that night, the rage I felt as I hit him for his stupid prank, how badly beaten he looked afterwards, how guilty I still feel, no matter how many times he tells me it’s alright and he had it coming for bein’ insensitive and immature… and how much I wish Ms. Martin was alive to take care of us like she used to.’

‘I remember that night. Mitch told me what he had done. He looked so proud of what he had done.’

‘You were there?’ Aasim nodded ‘I honestly can’t remember. I was seein’ red the whole time.

‘I helped Ms. Martin take care of Mitch while she was trying to calm you.’

‘I remember she givin’ me some kind of herbal tea and lettin’ me stay in her room because I was too afraid to go back to my own bed,’ she smiled at the memory, ‘She really was so kind to all of us, even Mitch and me, and we were terrible children.’

‘You weren’t terrible, you just lost it because Mitch put roaches in your bed knowing you were afraid of them.’

‘And you had to go and bring it up last night, didn’t you?’ She frowned and started sweeping again.

‘But…’

‘My mother used to say’ She turned around to face him once more ‘ “Ruby, darlin’; if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas everyday” and she was always right.’

‘Would you listen if I just…explained the whole situation to you?’

She pursed her lips, torn between not wanting to hear excuses and her desire to relieve her friend from his notorious guilt.

‘Oh, alright…’ She conceded ‘Spit, what made you say those awful things?’ Aasim hesitated. His silence brought nothing but a tense atmosphere inside the greenhouse ‘Are you….gonna say something or…’ Aasim nodded, but couldn’t found himself unable to speak out of fear ‘I reckon you need to sit, you’re gettin’ pale’

‘I’ll be fine’ He finally said after shaking his head.

‘Now, will you tell me what happened last night, because I don’t understand anything and were wastin’ daylight standin’ here’

‘It was a dare!’ he exclaimed, only to make his friend even more confused.

‘They dared you to …get punched?’

‘No, not really’ Aasim shook his head once more, unsure if it was worth it to keep trying to justify himself.

‘Then what?’ She insisted.

He looked at her and gathered enough courage to end that frustrating conversation once and for all.

‘They dared me to ask you for a kiss.’

Ruby blinked in surprise. She wanted to know more, but there were so many questions in her mind demanding to be answered that she didn’t even know where to start.

‘Oh…’ It’s all that came out her mouth.

‘Would you have done it?’ He asked without thinking, feeling instant regret at the sight of her negative response.

‘No, I wouldn’t have kissed you, Aasim.’

The look of disappointment in his eyes hinted there were some hidden feelings that she was never aware of until then.

‘It’s not like that’ She hurried to justify her rejection with a soft voice, afraid she might have hurt his feelings. ‘You’re a very sweet fella, and very smart too, but …it would have been my very first kiss and I don’t want it to be somethin’ people laugh about. I don’t think I could stand bein’ a joke to everybody all over again.’

‘Now you see why I chose to get punched instead?’ She smiled at him and his heart almost stopped beating. He looked for something to do around the greenhouse to avoid her eye contact ‘It’s starting to look like a functional place again’ He quickly changed the subject as he grabbed a rag and started dusting some dirt-covered shelves with it.

‘It’s like a dream come true’ She sighed, smiling proudly at the place ‘I’m going to put some tomatoes there, someday…and we’ll have the potatoes at the back so we can use this space for spices and other kinds of herbs, just like where Ms. Martin used to have them.’

‘You’re not tired of cleaning up all by yourself?’

‘Oh, absolutely not’ She stated her half-lie with a wider smile. She was visibly fatigued, but she didn’t feel it due to the rewarding feeling of doing something she loved after so many years ‘I’ve been hopin’ someone helped me get this place up and runnin’ again, but Marlon  never let me come and see how overrun it really was, until Clementine showed up, that is…I know I wanted them gone after the little man killed Marlon, but without her we wouldn’t be in here today. She’s tough as a pine knot, that girl…I have lots to thank her.’

‘I guess we all have something to thank her about, she saved my life on her very first day here.’ He said casually, but immediately felt his friend’s silence and eyes behind him.

‘You never told me…’ He turned around and the hurt look in her eyes made him feel guilty again ‘What happened…?

‘A walker appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me while I was cleaning up the place. Clem saved me just in time.’

Ruby took some seconds to let his words sink in her mind. She could have lost one of his closest friends that day and she had been oblivious of it until that moment. She felt a fear she hadn’t felt in a long time while she realized she couldn’t bear to picture Aasim being devoured by one or two walkers.

‘I’m glad you’re okay’ She muttered while trying to push the vivid mental pictures to the back of her mind.

‘It was weeks ago…’

‘And still you never told me’ She interrupted, unavoidingly frustrated.

‘I didn’t think it was something that required medical assistance, I’m sorry.’

‘You could have been bitten!’

‘I wasn’t!’ He quickly answered in the same tone she spoke to him.

Ruby tried to leave behind the anger that came from her unsaid worries by walking closer to the few plants she could save, and watered them carefully. Aasim went back to dusting the empty shelves.

‘Sorry I flew off the handle at you’ She said minutes later, unable to stand the silence between them ‘ I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that’

‘I know, it wasn’t your intention’ He offered her a comprehensive smile ‘ You take care of us, and I should have come to you to check for scratches or bites. I was dumb and it won’t happen again.’

‘You’ve been feelin’ healthy since?’ She asked quietly.

‘I’ve had no health problems whatsoever.’ He assured her.

‘That’s good to hear.’ She returned his smile as she carried trays with small sprouts in them into the sunlight. She admired them like a proud mother ‘Soon, we’ll have this place as green as it was. No more worries about food for us, you’ll see.’

‘You have worked so hard to bring this place back to life. I’m impressed.’

‘Mitch helped a lot moving heavy stuff during the first day, but I worked alone the following days.’

‘You know, if you needed help, you could have just asked.’

‘I never needed the help. I actually like bein’ alone with my greens. It helps me clean my head and lets me think better, but I also like some company from time to time. A good conversation should never be taken for granted.’

‘I bet Mitch is great for good conversations...’ Aasim joked, reminiscing the times when Mitch and Ruby didn’t get along and the hundred of arguments and fights they had and now are clear evidence of their stormy past, ‘remember the Maggie Incident?’

The very first one of their altercations happened when Ruby first arrived to Ericson’s, two years before the outbreak started. She was short, but intimidating for her age. She always kept a serious look in her face and even Marlon admitted he was sort of afraid of her while they were talking about her at lunch. Mitch quickly said he wasn’t intimidated by her, to sound tougher than everyone at the table. Marlon and Louis immediately dared him to prove Mitch’s bravery by going to Ruby’s room and bringing them one of their belongings.

Mitch accepted, so he didn’t look like a complete coward in front of his friends. He sneaked in her room one afternoon the girls were out in a nature walk and stole a framed picture of her and some other kids, all dressed for Halloween. She was dressed as Maggie, from “Maggie and the Ferocious Beast”. Aasim had never seen Ruby smile until Mitch showed him that picture in their room late at night.

Eventually, Ruby found out and, as she was a kid who couldn’t control her emotions, she ran to Mitch to bite him and pull his hair until he finally confessed he had stolen her picture.

Aasim never told Mitch it was him who told Ruby about it.

‘We’ve changed a lot since then.’ She laughed at the memory ‘I mean, he’s still immature and impulsive, I keep tellin’ him that’s gonna come back to bite him in the ass someday, but he just doesn’t listen. He’s too stubborn for his own good, bless his heart...’

‘I believe he stopped being mean after Willy came along. A little responsibility can change a person so much.’ He observed.

‘Well no matter how much he’s changed, everytime we talk, the boy always ends up blabberin’ about bombs and knives…’

‘Hey, we all have our passions. It’s hard not to talk about what we love, like you and the greenhouse…’

Ruby stopped what she was doing and looked at Aasim with a confused expression.

‘If I’m botherin’ you, you have to tell me…’ He walked closer and stood beside her.

‘No, that’s what I meant at all… when people talk about what they truly love, their whole face changes; their eyes, the tone of their voice, it’s something very interesting to see.’

‘It looks like you have studied this very well.’

‘That’s a word for it.’ He shrugged

‘So, what do I do when I talk about greenhouse’ She let her curiosity take over, leaving Aasim wondering how he would describe her when she was at her greatest state of joy.

‘When you talk about it,’ he paused, an involuntary smile adorned his mouth while still trying to choose the correct words, ‘when you do that, your eyes shine, your cheeks turn red when you get excited about the plans you have for it and you talk faster because you can’t contain your happiness. It makes me think you are actually hopeful for the future.’

Ruby was surprised at first.

‘You could have been a detective,’ she laughed, ‘that’s very impressive. I really feel hopeful, now that I’ve had a second chance at the greenhouse, that is.’

‘Joy isn’t something easy to hide and all this clearly brings you joy and honestly, I admire that you can bring life with your own two hands. I mean, like…with both plants and people. You nurse us back to health and you do this…and it makes you happy.’

They looked at the tiny green sprouts catching sunlight in the tray.

‘You bet it makes me happy’ She smiled before looking at him straight in the eye ‘It’s like you and your books.’

Aasim raised a brow.

‘What about…my books?’

‘Aw, it’s cute how you act like it’s a big secret, when in fact, everyone knows that losing yourself in whatever you write makes you happy. It makes sense, too. You’re sharper than a mother-in-law’s tongue!’ The boy tilted his head, trying to understand her last comment somehow ‘…It’s a plant with sharp leaves’ Ruby explained.

‘Oh, yeah, that-that makes more sense.’

‘Anyhow, you have that to keep you up at night, but is that all?’ Don’t you have other stuff in your mind  when you can’t read or write?’

‘You.’

There’s no way he could say that.

‘Lately, all I can think of is you.’

‘Writing is all I have.’ He shrugged while trying to forget about his intrusive thoughts.

‘That ain’t true! What about your skills with the bow and arrow? I’ve seen you bein’ all proud after a good day of hunting.’

‘Being proud for providing is much different than having a passion. I hunt out of necessity, not fun.’

‘That’s because killing is never fun, even in a world like this,’ she agreed, ‘I remember my old man taking me and my brothers on hunting trips. He only allowed them to use guns while I had to learn to fish, because I was little. It was dull, but those were the only times we’d spend actual time as a family, you know, right before they dumped me here, but in retrospective, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.’

‘Ericson was never a five star hotel.’ He reminded her

‘I’m well aware, but if it wasn’t for all the things that had to go wrong, I wouldn’t have met you -none of you.’

‘Life likes to work in mysterious ways like that.’

‘It sure does.’  Ruby rolled her eyes at him, laughing.

‘If you’d like, I could teach you to shoot a bow. Who knows? It could save your life someday’

‘I don’t enjoy hunting as much as my brothers once did, but I know it’s a useful skill to have. I reckon I’ll take your offer.’

‘After we get rid of the raiders, we'll start your lessons, then.’

Ruby appreciated her friend’s optimism towards the possible outcome of their upcoming battle.

‘You better not leave me hanging on this.’ She rolled down her sleeves and put on her jacket.

‘You’re leaving?’

‘Yeah, Omar might need some help with supper. He never says it, but he gets cranky when people don’t help while he cooks’

She walked away letting her hair down while trying to fix it into a fresher updo. Aasim forgot how to breathe for a moment right after his stomach jumped inside of him.

Unwillingly, her name escaped his lips in the form of a breathless whisper that almost sounded like he was asking for help.

She looked over and found him standing almost like a ghost.

‘You look like ten miles of bad road’ She hurried back beside him to make sure he wasn’t seriously ill.

Aasim felt the cold back of her hand press against his forehead and under his right ear.

‘You feel a little hot, but I can’t say it’s a fever’ How are you feelin’?’

He managed to shake his head slowly, unable to focus his eyes on anything.

‘…Dizzy…’ He muttered, shutting his eyes close.

‘You poor thing, come sit…’ She lead him to the wooden bench by the door.

‘Have you eaten well? Have you slept at all?’

Regaining the consciousness he had lost for a moment, he silenced her line of questioning by taking her hands in his. She looked down, then back at him. Her worry only grew with the silence around them. She thought of every single gruesome scenario possible in the span of three seconds, but none of them were remotely near to what was really happening.

‘Ruby, I think I like you’ Aasim spat nervously, ‘actually, I don’t think…I know I really like you, and I can’t keep lying to myself or hiding this from you any longer…’

‘Aasim, I--’ The boy gently squeezed her hands in his, shutting her up immediately.

‘I’ve liked you for years now…Louis found out recently and he has been teasing me about it. So, last night more people found out and that’s why they dared me to kiss you in front of them, but I didn’t want to put you through that kind of pressure because it wouldn’t have been fair if you didn’t like me back and if you don’t- If you don’t, that’s okay, I just wanted you to know the whole truth from me before someone else tells you something they shouldn’t.’

She was astonished as he blurted out his confession to her with his eyes fixed on their hands.

She intertwined her fingers with his, anxiously biting her lower lip before speaking.

‘I like you too, Aasim’ She tried to hide her flushed cheeks with a timid grin.

He looked up at her with round eyes that denoted a mixture of disbelief, adoration and a small hint of the fear that once overcame him. Her smile widened once she realized his face regained some color, too.

‘Feelin’ better?’ She asked softly. Aasim chuckled.

‘So much better’ He assured her. She hesitantly leaned closer to his face, sending a shudder-like sensation up his spine. Just as he was about to meet her halfway, the door opened violently.

‘The raiders are he-’ Mitch found them sitting close and looking flustered ‘Shit, sorry, I didn’t know you guys were…busy’ He smiled while pronouncing the last word as he looked down at his friends’ hands.

Ruby followed his gaze and let go of Aasim’s hands almost as if she could make Mitch unsee what he just saw.

‘Did you just say the raiders are here?’ Aasim stood up, alarmed, making Mitch go back to the more urging situation.

‘Uh, yeah, Clem just saw them. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes. I have to tell the others!’

‘We’ll see you there.’ Ruby nodded at the boy before he ran off.

‘Well…’ Aasim turned around and held her hands once again ‘It’s time…’

‘It’s time’ She repeated, anxiously.

A bell ringing in the courtyard demanded everyone’s presence.

Aasim tried to look outside, but Ruby brought him back to their personal buble with a small peck on his cheek.

‘Don’t be stupid and die on me, okay?’ He looked at her blushing as she uttered her timid plea and couldn’t resist it anymore.

He recovered the kiss she had stolen from him, making the time around them stop as their lips met in a short, tender encounter. It almost felt like their lives weren’t in grave impending danger. As much as they would have liked to stay a little longer in the greenhouse, there were much more pressing matters happening outside.

‘Don’t get kidnapped.’ He reminded her. 

‘We’ll continue this talk after it’s all over.’ She embraced him as a way to give him and herself the strength they needed to fight and win.

(But you know what happened next)