It's Us Against The World

8. Unexpected

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned to months. Walter, Amethyst, Kieth, and Rogers. All of them working together, and surviving. The last couple of weeks had been zombie-less, believe it or not. For fun, Walter decided to take Rogers "camping" in his hotel room for the night. This left Amethyst and Kieth with a night to themselves.

Neither of them had admitted feelings, but you could tell something was there. It was an elephant in the room that was starting to suffocate anyone else there. Walter found it funny, in a sense. He remembered what it was like to be in love. Rogers didn't understand it, of course. Kids know love, but don't always realize when it's an unspoken attraction.

Nonetheless, the young adults enjoyed the quiet.

Amethyst flipped through the hotel's magazine while listening to her radio. Kieth sat by the window before noticing that a storm was beginning to roll in. Over time, he'd helped Amethyst get more and more used to them. She wouldn't have a panic attack anymore, she'd just get a little shaky.

How had Kieth done it, you may ask? Three words: trial and error.

He'd found out that by distracting Amethyst from the storm, she wouldn't think about it and let the sounds get to her. It wasn't easy, but both were grateful that she could manage the stress.

"There's a storm rolling in," Kieth sipped his water.

Amethyst grunted in acknowledgment, her eyes glued to an article about the stars. Kieth chuckled as he sat next to her, glancing at what she was reading. A low rumble of thunder caused Amethyst to let out a long breath. She tapped her fingers against the page as she tried to stay focused.

The second rumble of thunder was louder, and she turned up the radio. Kieth made his way back toward the window to close the curtains. "Wait," Amethyst sat up. "Leave the curtains open. I wanna try and watch the storm this time."

"Are you sure?" Kieth turned to Amethyst, one hand on the curtain. She nodded and he paused before dropping his hand and letting Amethyst get up to stand next to him. Her deep blue eyes watched small droplets beginning to appear on the window.

Kieth placed a hand on her shoulder, and rubbed it absentmindedly. Amethyst rested her hand on his, her eyes fixed on the dark, rolling clouds. Kieth watched her lips purse, a sign the gears in her head were turning.

"I've got an idea," she turned from the window and slid on her shoes. Kieth watched with his head tilted like a confused puppy. Amethyst looked at him. "Get your shoes, come on." She pulled on her coat.

Kieth opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Amethyst put a finger to her friend's lips and giggled. Kieth put on his shoes and coat, his mind racing with every scenario to what was going on. Amethyst grabbed her radio before taking Kieth's hand and pulling him out the door.

Their shoes clattered down the stairs as Amethyst pulled Kieth. She laughed as they raced around the corner and into the lobby. Kieth stopped to catch his breath, still visibly confused as to what she was doing.

Amethyst smiled before pulling him underneath the awning of the hotel. She grabbed the radio and fiddled with the dials before she found what she was looking for and cranked the volume as high as it would go. Kieth blinked at her. "Amethyst, what are you-"

"She asked me son, when I grow old, will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone, will you take care of me?" she began to sing as she stepped into the rain.

"She asked me son, when I grow old, will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone, will you take care of me?" Kieth joined in, instantly recognizing the tune.