Chapter 15:

I paced around the room. Dawn had come and go and I was still freaking out about George's former group.
I was the one who brought this entire mess onto us.
And now, my entire group was gonna have to pay for a mistake that was entirely my fault.
I heard a knock at my door and I shot my head up to it. I sighed and walked over to it, opening it and looking at the person standing in front of me.
It was Geoff.
"Hey, Michael. How you doing?" He asked me.
"Better. I just have a lot on my mind right now," I told him. Geoff knew me most of my life, no point in lying to him now.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked me, giving me a concerned look.
I looked up at him for a moment, wondering if talking about it would help any. He would have to carry my burdens along with me. Was it really fair?
"No," I muttered. Geoff sighed and nodded, knowing not to push me into telling him.
I followed him outside to the rest of the group. They were all running about doing the normal work that needed to be done each morning. I smiled at them, admiring how they could all work together.
My morning went as usual. Talked with people and made sure the weaker members of the group were okay. Gus's wrist was surprisingly healing well and infection hadn't set in. He still seemed a little weak on his feet but he was recovering quite well.
I spotted Gavin walking with George. He was smiling and laughing at something he said which made me smile, knowing he was happy. His entire demeanor seemed to change once George showed up and he especially seemed happier and more carefree.
I smiled and shook my head as I continued doing my rounds of everyone. Surprisingly, everyone was doing quite well, which took some of the weight off my shoulders.
As I walked around, I noticed Ray doing absolutely nothing. I rolled my eyes at his laziness and walked over to him, thinking up an idea for what we could do today.
"Hey, Ray," I called out to him. Ray's head shot up and he smiled, standing up.
"Sup," He replied, smiling. For a moment, I lifted my head to him, acting as if I were his superior, until I realized this was Ray and lowered it again.
"Want to do something? I'm bored and there really isn't much to do around here," I asked him. Ray nodded and walked with me as we made our way to the forest.

"I don't think I've ever heard Geoff scream so loud!" Ray cried out, doubling over in laughter. I laughed with him, laughing more at his laugh then the joke he made.
"I miss this," I muttered, not realizing I said anything.
"What do you mean?" Ray asked me.
"I mean, the laughter. The jokes. I haven't heard much of it since the start of this. Do you ever just find yourself remembering all the times that we played those apocalypse games and laughed about it because it seemed so unrealistic and impossible?" I asked him, giving him a sideways look.
"Yeah, more then you probably think," Ray said, rubbing his wrist. I sighed and nodded.
"You know, Gavin isn't too bad," Ray said, changing the subject.
"Ya think?" I asked, blushing.
"Yeah. I mean, if Lindsay were still around, I'm sure you and Gavin would've had a gay friendship," Ray laughed and nudged me playfully. I rolled my eyes and smiled as well, ignoring the pang of grief at the mention of Lindsay.
"But, if I were you, I'd stick close to him. During these times, YOLO really applies to everyone," Ray told me. I nodded and we continued to talk about the times before the apocalypse.

That night I laid on the roof of the house for my guard shift. I watched the stars twinkle in the sky and sucked in a deep breath.
I heard a shift on the roof and my eyes darted up, along with myself. I saw a dark figure standing before me, but the distinctive blonde turning brown hair of the person made me realize it was Gavin.
Or George.
When he sat beside me and snuggled into my side, I knew it was Gavin. I gently kissed his head and smiled, feeling relaxed and comfortable for the first time in a while.
"You looking at the constellations?" Gavin asked me. I smiled and shook my head.
"I couldn't show you one even if I had book or something in front of me," I told him, chuckling a bit. Gavin did too and gazed into the clusters of stars.
I noticed his eyes scanning the dark expanse of twinkling lights. My heart skipped a beat when I watched each star reflect off his emerald green eyes. He looked so mysterious and curious right now, and I believed he couldn't look anymore handsome in any instance.
"There. That's Aquarius," He said, pointing to a string of stars that looked like nothing to me.
"How can you tell?" I asked him curiously. Gavin took my hand in his and made me point with him.
"Well, it's represented as a man pouring water from a bucket. So here you can see the bucket, and then the man holding it, here," He told me, pointing my finger to the places he was talking about. I finally saw it and was astounded by his intelligence to tell where all these things were.
"How do you know all that?" I asked him. Gavin smiled and looked down for a moment.
"My dad taught me it when I was younger. Some nights he would take me out to the biggest hill and show me the stars. He would point out all the constellations and tell me the stories behind them. I guess I never really forgot about it," He told me. I nodded and held him a little closer to me.
For a while, Gavin pointed out stars and constellations to me and told me the origins behind them. It was amazing, really, to see him talking so passionately about a subject he really cared about.
But, during his explanations and showings, I realized something. Ray was right. Now was the time that we needed to live, because in a world like this, we weren't gonna be living for as long as we thought we would.
So when Gavin paused to look at me, I didn't waste a single moment when I pressed my lips against his. I needed him more than ever now. I would've fallen apart long ago if it weren't for him.
I paused during the kiss and pulled away. Gavin slowly blinked open his eyes and I ran my thumbs along his rosy cheeks.
"I love you, so much. Please, don't leave me," I begged him. I put as much meaning as I could in those words and Gavin's eyes showed worry as I stared into his emerald depths.
"Promise me," I told him. Gavin nodded quickly and hugged me tight.
"I promise I won't, love. I love you, too," Gavin told me.
But even as he hugged me, I could feel myself slipping away from his grasp.
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Hehe... Foreshadowing much?
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