Warm Bodies: Awakening

Coming Together

Eventually they surfaced, wrapped in each other, hearts and breaths slowing to a peaceful rhythm. R buried his face in Julie's hair as she lay against him, her hand slowly circling over his chest, and they rested together for a while, happy in the closeness and silence.

"R?" came Julie's voice.

His eyes slowly blinked open. Shifting slightly he rubbed his hand over his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, smiling sheepishly at her. "Guess I fell asleep."

Julie smiled back, "That's okay. I like watching you sleep."

R kissed her softly on the forehead, then propped a hand behind his head and took a look around the room.

"I like this place better now."

Julie laughed, "Yeah, me too. But..."

"What?" he asked.

"It needs more stuff," she finished.

R laughed, "More stuff? I thought you didn't like my hoarding?"

"I never said I didn't like it!" she giggled, "It's just... I miss it."

He smirked, "Well, I'll bring some more stuff over." Glancing around the room again, he sighed dramatically. "I have more serious things to worry about though."

Julie arched a curious eyebrow, "Oh? Like what?"

"Shaving."

Julie laughed as she spoke, "Shaving?"

R grinned at her, enjoying her laugh. "Yeah. Also, bathing. Brushing my teeth, all that bathroom stuff."

She giggled through his whole list, and shook her head. "That's the serious stuff?"

"It is when you haven't had to do it for ages. I'm not going to have time to do anything else!"

Julie lost it, laughing against his chest, and he joined her. It felt great, and he relaxed against the bed, feeling content and happy.

This moment. I want to keep this moment, always.

Her giggles subsided and she smiled up at him. "Hey," she said.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she said softly, and her face grew just a little more serious, her eyes wide and hopeful.

He froze. The look she'd just given him, what she'd said, he'd experienced it before. But it wasn't his memory. It was one of many he'd tried desperately to bury, even as he worked so hard to revive his own. A memory he'd stolen, with a life he'd stolen. From Perry. Julie had looked up at her old boyfriend, with that same hopeful look, with those same words.

The perfect moment was shattered, and his heart grew cold, dread coiling in his gut like a parasitic worm. The horror of what he'd done flooded through him as Perry's last moments of memory - the fear and pain he'd felt, his death as his skull had been crushed - clawed up from where he'd buried them and overwhelmed his mind.

Suddenly R felt like retching. He couldn't explain any of this to Julie either, she wouldn't understand.

A frown crossed her face. "What's wrong?"

No, he couldn't take this. He had to get away from here. "I... I-I can't..." Rolling from her, he stumbled out of the bed, and quickly gathered his clothes.

"R? What the hell?" She sat up and watched him, not understanding, the hurt clear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Julie..." he mumbled, his throat closing up, as he frantically pulled on his clothes. "I'm sorry, I can't..."