The Quake

Chapter 26

After a full failed day at the bridge site, Tyler came back to the RV that night near to collapse with exhaustion. Nothing he'd attempted had gotten them close to reaching the other side where the school and firestation and maybe a way out of town was. He didn't want to face parents like Nenita who were depending on him to reunite them with their kids.

But he couldn't stay in a depressed state when he was greeted by Erin's bright happy face. "You will not believe what I found out today." She crowed. She knelt in the middle of the bed, wrapped in a tattered hoodie that he was sure was Drew's from a sports team in high school. She had books and snack wrappers strewn all around her. If this was their new normal, he could get used to this.

He scooted the debris to the side so he could join her on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. He should probably suggest that she shower at some point. She smelled like work. "What?" he asked.

"Karen's been holding out on me."

"Not surprising." Still marveling that he could, he tilted her back to kiss her thoroughly. When she kissed him back, he got a rush that rivaled any accomplishment he could have made today. Their roommates were back with them this evening, but he found that he wasn't disturbed by it. Erin made him feel like he'd been asleep all of the days before this. He rained kisses over her eyelids and cheeks. She curled her fingers into the sleeves of his t-shirt.

Gary, the needy bastard, pressed his hairy back against Tyler's thigh. Ok so he cared a little. Unwilling to break their kiss, Tyler attempted to shove the dog away. The beast was heavier than he looked and flopped onto Tyler's leg. Erin tried to pull away to see what Tyler was doing with the hand that wasn't creeping under her shirt, but Tyler managed to dislodge the dog who fell to the floor with a thump and a grumble.

Unbalanced after his tug of war with the dog, he pulled Erin backward harder than he intended. She giggled, landing roughly on top of him, causing him to lose his breath. A state he was fairly certain he was going to be in for awhile, like every time she smiled at him. She rubbed a hand over his eyes, concerned. "You have dark circles. You've been working so hard."

"I could say the same thing about you." He responded scooting down to make himself more comfortable. "But I don't comment on how you look." He flopped her unwashed hair. "Or smell."

She scrunched her nose at him. "Touche." She sat up on the bed, then got a mischievous look in her eye. She pressed him all the way down into the mattress to straddle him. "We could kill two birds with one stone."

He blinked. "What two birds?"

"Your rude assumption that I need a shower and my thorough sexual fantasy about that shower."

Tyler gulped. "Your what now?"

She squeezed with her thighs and his brain lost functionality. "You owe me a date and I've been thinking about that shower ever since our first morning here."

Tyler's throat dried. He remembered that awkward moment hiding his desire from her in the shower with her perched on the toilet. Was she implying that they shower together right now? His skin prickled at the possibility. He'd been so very careful not to pressure her last night. After a very thorough make-out session and a home-cooked meal that left her swooning, he'd tucked her chastely into his fully clothed arms and passed out. "I thought to you wanted to go to the movies."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Tyler Fritz." She blinked at him coyly while keeping her hips firmly pressed against his, firmly trapping him on the bed. "I am a 23 year old virgin, and I would like that to end. It is time I stopped being that person I was before the earthquake.

He scowled. "I like that person."

She bunched his shirt in her hands, beginning to tug it off of him. "If I have to wait for us to reopen the movie theater, I'm going to be a thirty year old virgin. Now, are you going to help me with that?"