(Mels P.O.V that flashback is over)

THIS GON BE A LONG ASS CHAPTER SO BUCKLE YO SEAT BELTS.
-💋

I woke up with Thomas sitting beside me, as I heard screams come from another room.

"What the—" I said, before Thomas began explaining

"Jorge led us here. The others are in that room, where screams are coming from. Everything is fine. How are you feeling on the other hand?"

I looked down on my throat, and saw a bandage covering the slit.

"Fine, I guess" I answered

"Good that"

Silence.

Awkward silence.

"Thomas?" I called out

"Yeah, Mel?" He questioned back.

"Are you and Brenda— Do you... Do you like her"

"Well, yeah as a friend"

"Huh... Didn't seem that way when you entered the club"

"Wh- you saw that?"

"Newsflash, the sun killed our planet and theres sunlight everywhere. Even in the night it seems like it. So yeah... I mean I'm not jealous, or mad, I'm happy for you two. Whatever you got going on, just thought I'd ask"

"She kissed me, but I only think of her as a partner. Partner in crime, of course"

Silence.

"Do you think we should end it?" I asked.

"End what?" He asked back.

"End whatever we had back at the Glade" (see book 1 'our death cage' if you wanna know)

"I think it's best if we should. Focus on survival"

"Survival. Right"

I had forgotten how horrible the world has become. Jesus christ, just thinking about the future makes me cringe.

"Hey, Mel, we're still OK?"

"Of course"

No lies there.

"Good. Because I wanted to tell you something" he said.

I turned to face him after laying on my back this whole time.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't tell this to anyone. I mean no one. I don't know why, but you seem like the most trustworthy person here, and your kind of my closest friend" he replied, but still no answer, "I don't really know how to say it, but I get this weird feeling in my stomach whenever I see—"

BAM!

The door flies open, and Jorge forces us out of the room, leaving Thomas unable to finish his sentence.

Minho walked beside me as we left the building, while Jorge was untying an unconscious man on a chair.

"What happened there?" I asked.

"To be honest princess," spoke Minho "I have no shucking clue. I was napping"

The man on the chair had dirty blonde hair, and blood all over his shirt.

"Yikes" I said.

We walked out of the building, and every time I tried to walk over to Thomas and ask him what he was going to say when I woke up, Teresa or Brenda would beat me to him, instead I stayed by Frypans side.

Minho and Jorge were leading.

Aris joined me and Frypan in out conversation.

"So, Aris, who were you at the Glade?" Asked Frypan.

"What do you mean?" Aris asked.

"A runner, a cook, a farmer? All that stuff. Me, I was a cook. The keeper of the cooks" Frypan answered

"Fry, there's no such thing as the 'keeper of the cooks'. You were just the best cook there" I said

"Ignore what she says, she just woke up from a nap, a but grumpy she is" said Fry, and I softly punched him on the shoulder "As I was saying, Newt over there was our main gardener. He was also out leaders wingman, and would take over sometimes. Uh..." Frypan couldn't say anyone else's names, because they were either dead, or Aris simply doesn't know them, and there would be no point in informing him. "Minho, was the keeper of the runners. He mapped the maze with his sidekick" he continued, and pointed at me.

"Mel? I thought she was the keeper. From what I've heard, people speak about her like she's a goddess" said Aris

"Well, she is our only girl" Said Fry.
Our conversation ended there.

Jorge pushed us into an old jeep.

I sat between Thomas, and Newt.

"Thomas?" I whispered into his ear.

He looked over at me and nodded.

"What did you want to tell me back there?" I asked.

He licked his lips, and a nervous look erupted from his face.

"If you two want to talk, might as well say it out loud" said Brenda, who was sitting in the front, holding a ripped map.

"It would be impolite Mel. I taught you better" said Teresa from the back seat.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

We finally made it to, well, wherever we were heading.
I saw tents not far away from where we were, but Jorge made the bold move and walked up to a lady with brown frizzy hair.

He then waved at us to come.

Turns out, Jorge knew these people, and apparently, so did Aris. Majority of the female teenagers were from group B, a.k.a, Aris' maze.

Teresa, Brenda, and the other girls bonded quickly, but I couldn't stand the thought of making a new friend, and then lose them again.

We were given a tent per two people.

Teresa and I in one, Frypan and Thomas in another, Newt and Brenda in a different one, Aris was in one with a girl named Harriet, and Minho, lucky slinthead, was alone.

I entered my tent while Teresa was out-n-about, to change my clothes.

I put my hair into a braid after changing, when Minho came in, and closed the flappy wings of the tent.

"Got an extra t-shirt?" He asked

Minho, always forgets his stuff, and luckily I was here to save the day.

"Yeah, here" I said, reaching out of my backpack an old t-shirt I had found in the broken mall.

Minho took his shirt off right then and there.

I took the backpack, turned around to face the other way, placed it on the floor, and stayed that way.

"Am I that ugly?" He jokingly asked.

"No.." I said, giggling, "just wanna give you privacy"

I was still facing the other way, when I felt Minhos' chest, which was still shirtless, rub against my back, and felt his chin on the top of my head.
Why was he doing this?
I don't know.

Do I like it?

Well...

I felt his breath against my neck, as his hands moved to the front of my my waist.

What is he doing?

I would stop him, but I kind of liked it? In a weird way.

His mouth moved down to my neck and he kissed it, then, he turned me around to face him, hands still around my waist.

Then, I felt his lips press against mine when he pulled me in. I had my hand on his chest, while the other just hung on the side.

His serious seductive face, let out a giggle ruining the whole 'romantic' thing.

I got worried. Was this just a joke? He knows  how sensitive my heart is, and wouldn't dare to hurt it.

"Im such an idiot" he said, and looked down.

I felt a bit used... By my best friend...

"Mel, I'm sorry. I should've done this earlier" he said.

I began getting nervous.

"I'm in love with you. I have been since the day you came. I know I shouldn't have waited this long, and if you don't feel the same I understand, I just thought you should know. Kind of the end of the world anyway" he confessed.

What?

He's in love with me?

His face went back to a stern look.
I looked at him straight in the eyes, and saw my best friend.

It's been 3 years. All this time... How could have I been so blind? Sure I had thoughts about us being together, but those were the type of thoughts you'd just shake off. Yeah we did talk about getting married just for fun if we're both 65 and single, but that was in the maze, when we didn't know we will leave.

I closed my eyes.

There are plenty of girls here now. I saw one of them flirt with him. They, all of them, were much prettier than me. All looked like they were models before.
To be honest, I thought Minho didn't like anybody that way. He only respects his friends, which is probably why the girl who flirted with him stormed off angrily after their small conversation.

Yes, I did have confused feelings for Minho. I never said them, because I didn't know if he felt the same. Plus, after the incident with Gally, I thought the same would happen to him.

I opened my eyes, and in front saw not my best friend, but my lover.

I don't know how to explain it, but I looked at him differently now.

"It's the end of the world anyways"

That rung in my head.

"I love you" I spat out.

Will I regret this?

Probably not.

He pulled me in closer to him.

"Are you 100% sure?" Minho asked

More like 90% sure, but I nodded anyway.

He sprouted a small smile.

I was going to ask him for a kiss to seal the deal, but...

"Can I kiss you?" He asked me, getting all shy and blushing.
Gah it was so adorable, kind of like a little shy kid asking you to buy you sweets. It was nice of him to ask for consent.

"Yeah" I stretched out, and pulled him in for the seal.