Chapter 30- The "Date"

- Clementine's POV

"I'm gonna make a deck... Decko..." AJ started, frowning when he couldn't remember the word. "A decoration?" I asked, smiling slightly at his furrowed brows. "Yeah! For the party." He nodded, sitting in the chair and starting to draw. Walking around the room, adjusting things and grabbing the heater for the tea, I waited for AJ to finish. Finally he stood, catching my attention as he held the paper in his hand. "You ready?" I asked, walking next to him and taking note of how quiet he became. "Is... something wrong?" I asked, leaning over slightly as he looked at me. "I started thinking... While I was drawing." My stomach tightened. He always thought of things that a kid his age shouldn't be thinking. "What about?" I asked. "I kept thinking about what James was saying. What I'd do if you got bit." My expression turned to shock. I'd told him to be ready, but... He always hated thinking about it. "We've talked about this already. If I get bit then... You kill me." I knelt down to his eye level, now seeing the restlessness in his eyes.

"But James was telling us about being a walker. Maybe it's not bad! Maybe... We can still be together." He argued doubtfully, shaking his head as though the situation were real. "What do you mean?" I raised a brow in confusion. Not that I wanted to know. "If you get bit, then... Then you should bite me too. And then we can be together." AJ tried to reassure himself, but he knew it wasn't real. "AJ... We don't know that there is a 'walker self'. We know that walkers kill people, and that's just how it is. If I get bit, then you kill me. I won't let you become a walker." I shook my head, speaking more sternly to the boy. "Why not? If we can stay together, that's all that matters!" At this point he almost cried. "You need to stay alive. For me. If I get bit, then you need to do that for me, okay?" I grabbed his arm gently, trying to keep the situation calm. Finally he nodded, and pulled me in for a hug. "AJ... I'm still here. And I don't plan on leaving anytime soon." I said in the middle of the hug, letting him go and smiling to him. "Okay, I trust you. I'm gonna go patrol." He smiled back, now regaining his composure and moving to the door.

"Hey little dude!" I heard an older voice say from outside the door. "Hi Louis! I'm going on patrol." AJ beamed back, making his way past the teenage boy and going downstairs. "Patrolling's a thing?" He chuckled, walking inside and closing the door gently behind him. "Yup. Patrolling's a thing." I smiled back, looking away as I realized that I had been staring. However when I looked back, Louis' expression had changed completely, from happy to contemplative. "Something wrong?" I shifted my weight, turning to face him who had walked over to the bookshelf. "It's a dumb question, I know. But really... why'd you save me? Instead of Violet. I know you could've picked her, and... H*ll, I wouldn't have picked me..." He trailed off, looking away with an underlying pain. My heart sped up slightly as I looked around, thinking of what to say. Finally I spoke up, and I wasn't lying. "I couldn't let them take you. You're too important to me..." He cast his eyes to the ground, now standing up straight. I knew he had a hard time believing me, but it was truth. Of course, Violet's my friend, but Louis? He's so much more."Lou, she'll be okay." I tried to reassure. "Yeah. They all will." He nodded back, somewhat forcing a smile.

The serious atmosphere shifted as his expression changed once more. "That's, uh... Not the only reason I came here." He grabbed the hems of his coat, perking up and grinning mischievously. I followed him blatantly over to the dresser, where I half-sat on it, watching as he pulled a candle out from seemingly nowhere, setting it down on the rug and sitting next to it. "What're you doing?" I asked curiously, a small grin tugging at my lip. "Well, I figured since we've never had a real date, why don't we have one now? It's as good a time as any!" He laughed nervously, and I could tell he was blushing. "Oh? Huh, I never thought I'd get to go on a date..." I thought back to my elementary school crush. How I could even remember him, I had no idea. "Are you kidding? Come on, even during the end of the world, someone would've at least tried to sweep you off your feet." He joked, earning a playful eye-roll in return. I sighed, sitting on the floor next to him quietly. "What do you know about dating, anyway?" I asked with a smile, now realizing how warm my face had become. "I'll have you know I found some very interesting magazines in the headmasters office. They had a lot to say about the dating world." Louis smirked, looking into my eyes for a moment. I nodded in response. "Like what?" "Well, like... You can tell a lot about a person based on what they look for in a partner. You know, brains, brawns, looks. That sorta thing." He leaned in closer. "What uh... What would you say your thing is?" He asked, now letting a hint of nervousness lace his words. I thought a moment, pondering the question. "Well, my 'thing' is... you?" I laughed nervously as his cheeks reddened suddenly, causing him to look away in near embarrassment. "Clem..." He looked back at me. "...yes?" My stomach tightened a little, and my breathing became heavier.

Without my realizing, Louis moved closer to me, making me look away in sheer embarrassment as he put an arm around my waist. He nudged me gently as I tried to gather my thoughts. I didn't plan for this!! I thought to myself as I turned to look back at him. Before I could process what was happening our lips met gently. However it escalated quickly into a deeper kiss, with more longing than before. Maybe he thought we were going to die rescuing our friends. It didn't matter the reason, I kissed back, breathing heavily and moving an arm around him, turning to face him more. My limbs started to feel numb as the kissing went on longer and longer, for what seemed like hours compressed into only moments. I moaned quietly with my eyes shut tightly, my face feeling hot and red. Then suddenly I heard the door open...

A/NSo I'm... Kinda taking a break??? Basically just not publishing as often. I'm not sure, just things have been a bit all over, in a way. I'm sorry I haven't been publishing more often, it's just been really hard to get in my writing mode. I'm preparing to move into my new room, so I'm helping paint it. Plus I started a project in English, so school's a bit overbearing. I really have no excuses, but I'm sorry that it's been so long after the final season has ended. I'll try to publish more often, but I can't promise anything. In any case, for those who still read/vote/comment, thank you so much for reading, and staying with me through this whole thing. It means a lot.