forum “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” (O/O)

Started September 01, 2019 by @MusicElle-is-here

tune

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, me too." He knelt, filling both of his water bottles as much as he could, then screwing the caps back on.

Allie finished filling the bottles she had brought with water and putting them back in her backpack. She left one out and took a sip. A water purifier would’ve been an awesome thing to have, but since those were extremely rare now she had to brave random streams and rivers. Thankfully she came across several clear ones and nothing too bad had happened…yet. “This worked out well. Let’s take it back to house.”

He looked over at her, and nodded. "Alright. Sounds like a good plan." He gave a small smile, following her. He took a deep breath, sighing softly. He needed to get a move on again soon, he knew, though he didn't want to.

“Do you hear something?” she asked as they walked, suddenly alert. “Or am I imagining it?” She thought she heard a whirring sound, like machinery. The sound of machinery was bad, because it almost always meant aliens. She hoped she was just hearing things. She glanced at Logan to see if he had reacted.

He frowned, listening. "Hmm. I don't think i hear anything, no." He replied slowly, cocking his head a little as he looked around.

Thank God. “Okay, never mind then,” she replied, laughing sheepishly. She still thought she heard it, but she was probably just paranoid. No need to get all worked up.

He chuckled. "Better safe than sorry, right?" He replied with a small smile as he continued walking. What even would she have done if there had been someone or something there?

She nodded, but the panic bubbled up inside her anyway. She tried her best to hide it. She kept walking, matching Logan’s strides. It was fine. Totally fine. Nothing to worry about. Her pulse quickened, but Allie continued to pretend that she wasn’t internally freaking out.

Logan started to hum quietly as they walked. He glanced over at Allie, wondering if she was okay, but wasn't sure if he should say anything.

Allie tried to steady her breathing. There was no way she was going to have a panic attack over something so inconsequential. It wasn’t real. She stopped walking for a moment, taking deep breaths and telling herself it was fine. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and kept walking like nothing had happened. Of course, inside she was still recovering from the almost-anxiety attack. But she could not show this boy, who was nearly a stranger, anything. She’d never survive if people thought she was this easily upset.

Logan looked at her. "Are you…alright?" He asked slowly. "Is something wrong?" He raked a hand through his hair again, making it stick up even more on his head.

Allie pursed her lips. “Fine, just felt feverish for a moment is all,” she lied, continuing to walk. “Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

Logan nodded, then grimaced. "Oh. That sounds miserable." He replied, looking at her.

“Yeah, but I’m sure it’s nothing big,” she replied, trying her best to look chipper again. “I’ll be perfectly fine in no time!” Allie hoped she hadn’t seemed as incompetent as she thought she had. She looked away from Logan, pretending to study the scenery as they neared the house.

Logan nodded. "Alright, if you say so." He replied with a sigh. He continued walking, unsure of what else to say. He really wasn't sure what to say to her.

Allie didn’t like talking to people about her anxiety since before the invasion and she wasn’t about to start now. She hated looking vulnerable, especially in front of people she didn’t entirely trust. She had to survive now, and to that she would have to cover up her weaknesses. They reached the house and this time Allie opened the door for Logan with a grin.

Logan smiled, and went inside. "You know, typically it's the gentleman that opens the door for the lady." He said with a chuckle.

“That doesn’t mean that the lady can’t be nice,” she teased, following him in. See? She was fine now. It had all been in her head. She smiled at him.

He chuckled. "Mm. I suppose that's true." He replied, looking at her with a smile.

She blushed, her cheeks turning pink. Great. “Of course it is,” she continued, trying to ignore it as she began to put the water bottles away.

He nodded, and stretched. "Is something wrong?" He asked, seeing the way her cheeks were turning pink, and wondering if she really was getting sick. He hoped not.

“Huh?” she asked, confused for a moment. “I told you that I’m fine.” Did he still not believe her?

He gestured. "Your cheeks are flushed." He replied with a shrug. "I just wanted to make sure." He sighed softly.

“Oh, well, um, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Allie dismissed, hastily, still blushing. She turned and finished putting away the water bottles.