Waking up is a truly confusing moment for me. There is warmth all around me, but it seems to be radiating from something pressed up against my back, and something is slung across my waist. Blinking open my eyes, I take in the room around me, not recognizing it at first. It only takes me a few seconds to remember what happened yesterday, coming to the bed and breakfast and renting a room.
My full bladder lets itself be known to me, and I throw back the blankets, trying to wiggle free from the bed. Whatever is over my waist though, stops me, making it impossible to leave the warmth of the blankets. Looking down at my waist, I see that the thing pinning me down is indeed an arm. My eyes widen slightly, but then I turn completely and am met with the sleeping face of Finn.
His dark auburn hair is rumpled and splayed across the cream white pillow, highlighting the red. His face is relaxed in sleep, making him look younger than his twenty-two years. When I try to move again, his face scrunches up in distaste, and I am torn whether or not to leave.
Honestly, Finn has gotten barely any sleep over the past week, in between taking care of me and Viola. To see him resting peacefully warms my heart because even though I have not known him for that long, he has already risked his life for me and trusted me enough to listen to my ideas. He didn't have to do either of those things, yet he did.
Just as I am laying my head back down on the pillows, deciding to stay in bed just a little bit longer, Viola starts to wake up. Her little snuffles are soft at first, but I know they will turn into a full blown cry in just a little bit if I delay getting her.
Finn stirs in his sleep, just enough so that I can slip out from under his arm. Quickly, I walk over to Viola, gently shushing her while picking her up. Turning back to the bed, I watch as Finn blinks open his eyes before looking over at us. A small smile ticks on his lips, and I return it.
This is the first time where I have woken up and not been completely afraid, and perhaps Finn feels the same way as well. Everything that has happened so far- me hurting myself, finding Viola, and having to leave the house- has just put us in more danger. This morning is the first time in a while where I didn't wake up tense, waiting for the next danger to be upon us.
"Morning," Finn says, his voice still raspy with sleep.
"Good morning." Walking over to him, I place Viola on his chest, desperately needing to pee now that I have stood up. Finn takes her easily enough, one arm going to rest beneath her bum and his other hand resting on her back. Viola settles there, seeming content for the moment, happy to just be held.
"I'll be right back," I tell him, and he nods his head. Satisfied, I walk into the bathroom, doing my business before walking over to wash my hands. Looking up in the mirror in front of me, I notice that my hair is in complete disarray, the waves more pronounced since I haven't brushed my hair. I run my hands through the mess, hoping to tame it down slightly, but it does nothing. "Ah, oh well."
We are in the middle of the fucking apocalypse, no need to impress anyone.
My thoughts flick over to Finn and how my fondness for him has only grown despite how hard I am trying to push it back. There is no time for us to move past friendship into something else. Despite how much I want us to. And I don't even know if he likes men, he could be as straight as a pole and my feelings would just be wasted.
Sighing, I lean down to splash some water on my face, trying to wash some of the sleep away. Satisfied, I pat my face with the small hand towel hanging to the left of the sink before walking back into the bedroom.
Finn is now standing, holding a sniffling Viola while mixing a bottle. He looks over at me when I walk into the room, smiling slightly.
"Feel better?"
"You have no idea," I respond, making my way back over to the bed. Harry jumps off from the where he slept on the couch, following me over to the mattress. When I go to sit down, he lets out a small whine and looks up at me with his big brown eyes. Not able to resist, I bend down to pick him up before climbing into bed. Harry clambers off of my lap, making his way underneath the blankets where it is still warm.
"He isn't going to be happy with me in just a minute when I take him outside." When I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion, Finn explains. "He has to use the bathroom as soon as he wakes up so that he doesn't have an accident inside, and it is raining now, so he is going to protest the entire time."
"Ah, I see," I say, watching as Finn comes back over to the bed.
"Here, switch with me, you take Viola and I will take Harry." He carefully hands me a now disgruntled Viola and her bottle before he pulls back the covers to take Harry. "I'll be right back."
With that, he picks up Harry before walking over to the couch to slip on his jeans. My eyes widen slightly when I realize that we had both been walking around and doing things with just our boxer briefs and t-shirts on. Oh well, I guess we have seen each other in less.
The door closes behind Finn softly, and I look down at Viola. Her face is scrunched in displeasure. I give the bottle one last shake before slipping the nipple into her mouth. She quickly latches on, guzzling the milk like she hasn't eaten in days when, in fact, it has only been a few hours. With her being so young, she still wakes up about every three or four hours to eat.
Pulling the blankets up, I cover my lap and Viola's legs. It is definitely colder this morning than I was expecting, but really, I shouldn't be too surprised seeing as it is the end of October and almost November.
By the time Viola is done with her bottle, she is drifting off to sleep, her eyelids fluttering as she fights to stay awake. When the bottle is empty, I pull it away from the now practically asleep baby and set it down on the bedside table. Even though I know she will be unhappy with me, I situate her on my chest and pat her back. I don't have to wait too long before she lets out a loud burp and promptly falls asleep on my chest.
With a tired sigh, I lay back in the bed, pulling the covers up just enough so that it rests on Viola's back. Before saving her, I never saw myself taking care of a baby. Maybe in the future- like way future- but not anytime soon. But I couldn't just leave her, and she has grown on me. Now, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either her or Finn.
I am on the verge of sleep when Finn walks back into the room, startling me enough that I sit back up.
He laughs at my expression but continues into the room. Harry gets placed on the ground, but he quickly makes his way over to the bed. Finn has a basket in his arms, and my brows scrunch in confusion.
"Why do you have a basket?"
Finn looks down at it before meeting my eyes. "Oh, this is our breakfast. Mrs. Logan, the lady at the front desk, packed it up for us and gave it to me when I came back inside with Harry. She said, and I quote, 'You two are probably exhausted after last night, so just take breakfast up to the room with you,' and so I did."
My eyes widen at Mrs. Logan's assumptions, but I just nod my head. Finn shucks his cold jeans before joining me on the mattress with the basket in hand. After sliding under the covers, he doles out our breakfast, which consists of bacon, eggs, blueberry pancakes, and orange juice.
Probably the most well-rounded meal I have had since leaving home for college.
We both dive into the meal, silent for the first half of our eating. Swallowing back the last of my pancakes, I look over at Finn, who is busy working on his eggs.
"So," I say breaking the silence, "what are our plans?"
"What do you mean?" he asks, looking over at me with his fork halfway to his mouth.
"Are we going to just stay in this town or move on? Because I don't think we will be able to afford this place for much longer."
Finn nods his head before turning back to his food. "Oh. Well, I agree with the fact that we won't be able to stay here forever. Downstairs in the main living room, I heard some people talking about a safe haven that people have been talking about over the radio. Apparently, a lot of people are traveling there once they leave the major cities and it is able to accommodate everyone. Maybe we can go there?"
Pressing my lips together, I try to think over his idea. On the one hand, it sounds ideal, especially the part where it is able to accommodate everyone traveling there. That means they probably have large supplies of food and water. On the other hand, though, going to a place with a lot of people sounds dangerous, especially during the winter times. Colds are running rampant and we have a baby with us. Plus, what happens when food and supplies run out? Overall, I think the cons outweigh the benefits.
Shaking my head, I look back over at Finn. "I don't know, going there doesn't seem like too good of an idea. Too many things could go wrong and there is a greater likelihood that something will go wrong with all the people who will be there. What if another group of those monsters gets in there, or if a sickness comes over everyone? I don't think we should risk it."
Finn looks like he is about to argue, but then his eyes fall onto the sleeping baby on my chest. After a minute or two of silence, he slowly nods his head. "Alright, so where should we go?"
"Maybe see if there is a place to stay here and stay here for as long as possible. This town is pretty isolated, and it is a farm town, so they probably have a lot of their own home grown products. We can leave if something starts to go wrong."
Finn thinks it over a bit, his brows scrunching together as he chews on a piece of bacon. "Okay, that sounds alright with me. But as soon as something goes wrong, we are out of here."
Quickly, I nod my head, careful not to jostle Viola. "Maybe Mrs. Logan has something we can do around here to get a cheaper price."
Finn lets out an agreeing hum before leaning back on the headboard. "I'll talk with her later today, but until then, I think some more sleep is in order."
A laugh slips from my lips and Viola lets out a small grunt from the movement. "Sounds good to me."