𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿

26. the way i loved you

After the argument with Thomas, Nancy had a little conversation with the girls to keep her minds off, but realising it's not really helping, Nancy tried more and went up to a hill, not far but far enough from her friends.

She was staring off the distance, replaying Thomas' words in her head: "𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴!"

So lost in her thoughts, she became unaware of the presence approaching her. Once she realised the footsteps, her face grumbled and twisted. Nancy had this thing where she recognised all her friends footsteps. She didn't really knows how it happened, she just happens to memorize it. Sonya's footsteps, Harriet's footsteps, Prim's footsteps, Vicky's footsteps. Their way of walking and stepping the ground or anything just stuck in her head. And she too, happened to knows Thomas footsteps.

"Hey," He said, softly and slowly, afraid of scaring the girl off. After having a talk with Mary, he learned a few something about Nancy. "Can we talk?" She didn't turned to him, just listened.

Thomas noticed and sighs defeated, "I'm sorry. Really, what I said.. I don't know what's gotten into me. With all my friends death, it's just- I'm tired. I'm so tired. I'm sorry." Thomas blurted, hoping for the girl to meet his eyes.

"Well, I'm tired too, Tommy," Nancy said, still not looking at him. "I don't care what you said," Nancy tolerated, standing up.

"Please," Thomas begged. She finally met his eyes. "I don't like this. Talk to me, let me make it up to you." He steps closer.

"No, I don't care what you said back in tent, Tommy." She let out a laugh, "I mean, sure, it hurts, really badly. We all experienced death, Tommy. We all feel, and watched our loved one dies, in front of us, well some. But, Tommy, we all experienced the same pain, just different levels." Nancy expressed, taking a step closer, as he did the same.

"Then, why are you mad at me? Apart from in the tent?" He asked. She looked down, "Something's bothering me, and I don't know how, it's just- look, sorry for getting mad at you, and no, you are not annoying." Nancy admitted.

"Really?" She nodded as response. "I actually think you're really cool, like, the type of "clueless, dumb but great leader" type." She grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment and ignored the dumb part." Thomas said, as Nancy expressed a laughs.

"I need to tell you something and I don't want you to respond." Nancy began, as Thomas nodded. "It's neither of our faults, but I still feel like I could've stopped this from happening if I just didn't let myself thinking about us becoming something more."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't I just tell you to not respond?" Nancy glared through his soul. Thomas closed his mouth as he nodded in terror.

"Tommy," She began again, this time lot softer as she takes his hand, playing with his pinky and palm. "I love you. I love you like the way the sun sets so the moon can shine, The sea greeting the shore no matter how many times she is pushed away. I love you how the leaves blushes at the sight of autumn. I love you like dreams that shows the way out of your maze. I will believe in you even when no else does. Even if you don't believe in yourself,

"Tommy, I'll love you through Winters that forget how to ends, I'll love you through heat, through fog. I won't forget how to love you, I won't grow weary of it, I won't call it a burden, and find ways to set it down. I'll hold you up and hold you to yourself, what you owe it to yourself to be. I'll love you simply with a joy that borders through madness; And that's the way I loves you, Tommy."

For once in life, he believed in love. True love, as one standing before him. Thomas stared at her, his brown eyes sparkled, glowing as it reveals his heart eyes to her. Nancy too, shimmered, her blue eyes managed to froze him right there. It gets a little more comfortable as they leaned in, nose touching, hands found themselves around her waist, pressed against his neck and cheek, when suddenly-

"Nancy!" A voice interrupted them, sending them flinched aggressively. Snapping out of her dreamy state, Nancy bore over to see Jorge standing near the cliff, looking over the two. "Oh, hey. Am I interrupting something?" Jorge cringed.

Thomas and Nancy nervously shakes their heads, looking everywhere but themselves. "Uh, No. No worries, what do you need, Jorge?" Nancy asks, saving them from embarrassment.

"It's Brenda. She wants to talk to you, Nance." Jorge said, nodding towards the base. Nancy followed his gaze, "Oh. Right, I guess I should get going, yeah?" She walks past Thomas, giving him a peck of kiss on his forehead. Thomas froze.

Nancy walks over Jorge, leaving a flushed Thomas behind. Jorge held a knowing look and a smirk as he guided Nancy by her lower back. Nancy noticed and smack his arm as they both heading down to Brenda's tent.

Thomas touched his forehead. "I'll never washes my forehead ever again." He watched with doe eyes as Nancy entered the tent. "For you, Nancy, I would fall from grace, just to touch your face."

Oh, boy, how he is in love.