The moment her words fell, the air went still.
He froze completely, as if someone had pressed pause on him, locked in the same posture without moving.
Suzy saw his throat bob sharply.
Then his ears... They flushed red at a visible speed, color spreading from the tips down along the curve, so vivid it looked almost unreal against his skin.
At last, he lifted his eyes to her.
Those usually dark, unreadable eyes were now filled with disbelief and shock.
His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Suzy couldnāt help but laugh at the sight. "What, did I scare you?"
The faint regret sheād felt from acting on impulse faded, replaced by amusement at his reaction.
"You..." His voice came out hoarse, rough. "What did you say?"
"Do you need me to repeat it?"
Judging from his expression, he didnāt seem repulsed. If anything, it suggested he wasnāt entirely indifferent to her.
Might as well press the advantage.
Making up her mind, she didnāt give him time to speak again.
"I saidāwhat if itās because I like you? Is that reason enough?"
His breathing grew heavier.
As Thomas looked at her, the shock in his eyes slowly gave way to something elseāsomething bright.
But the next second, he looked away.
"I..." His throat moved again. "Iām older than you."
She blinked. What kind of response was that?
"So?" she asked.
"Quite a bit older," he added quietly, still not looking at her.
Suzy laughed. So that was what he was hung up on?
"And?" she stepped a little closer. "Do you mind?"
He finally looked at her again, something deep and unreadable in his gaze.
She pressed on, "You donāt like younger girls?"
"No!" he blurted out almost instantly.
Realizing how strongly heād reacted, he pressed his lips together. "...You donāt mind?"
Thomas was much older than her. He wasnāt good with words, didnāt know how to sweet-talk... He couldnāt understand what it was about him that she liked.
Looking at him like this, Suzy felt as though something soft brushed against her heartāleaving it faintly sore, faintly ticklish.
"I donāt mind," she said, enunciating each word clearly. "If I like someone, what does it matter if theyāre older?"
His breath hitched.
"And besides," she continued, "this is the end of the world. Does any of that even matter anymore?"
Shouldnāt people just live in the moment?
The next second, Thomas suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
His grip was a little too firm at first, then loosened almost immediately, as if afraid of hurting her.
"...Suzy."
He said her name softly, his voice still rough.
"Alright, alright." She smiled and pushed the can toward him again. "So hurry up and eat."
He slowly let go of her wrist, then shook his head. "Weāll share."
The canned meat had been meant just for him, but in the end, they ate it together.
Suzy didnāt eat muchājust a few bites before she was full.
Thomas, on the other hand, had a much bigger appetite and finished the rest.
After dinner, the two of them began sorting through the bedding Gloria had brought earlier.
They moved the mattress into a corner. After removing the plastic wrapping, Suzy spread a blanket neatly over it.
Because of his injury, he couldnāt do muchāonly passing her the pillow and blanket as she arranged things.
One pillow, one thick blanket. That was Suzyās setup for the night.
"What about your blanket? Why didnāt you bring it over?"
She asked it so naturally that he looked at her in surprise.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, puzzled.
"Thereās only one mattress," Thomas said hoarsely. "Iāll sleep on the couch tonight."
Suzy glanced at the couch, then back at him.
With his size, there was no way the couch would fit him comfortably, let alone with his injuries. He needed proper rest.
She understood what he was worried about. "I see."
That answer made him quietly let out a breath of relief.
Then she added, "Iāll sleep on the couch. You take the mattress."
She pointed at it.
"No." He refused immediately.
There was no way heād let her take the couchāit would be far too uncomfortable. He couldnāt agree to that.
"Youāre injured. Sleeping on the couch will make it worse." Suzy frowned.
Thomas fell silent.
She offered another option. "Then... you can sleep with me."
Such a perfect opportunityāshe wasnāt about to let it slip by. She needed to seize every chance to get stronger.
...It definitely wasnāt because she liked looking at him.
After a momentās thought, he said, "Alright."
He quietly handed her his pillow.
Suzy placed it on the mattress along with the blanket he passed over.
It was still early.
She walked to the window and drew the curtains closed.
Outside, the sky had darkened. The rain hadnāt stopped, and the air felt damp and cold.
There was no telling when the acid rain would end.
With the curtains blocking out the gray downpour, she switched on a flashlight and aimed it upward, flooding the room with light.
Taking out her phone, she sent a message to Leonard, briefly explaining her situation.
His reply came quicklyāhe was also trapped by the acid rain.
Fortunately, he had found an unoccupied house, managed to get inside, and settled in. With access to his storage spaceāand all the supplies Suzy had prepared for him beforeāhis living conditions hadnāt suffered at all.
A few photos popped up in the chat.
Suzy stared at them and swallowed.
It was his dinner.
A pre-packed meal she had bought before everything fell apartāthree dishes and a soup.
Braised pork, sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried greens, and corn rib soup.
The food in the photos looked vibrant and glossy, steam still curling faintly upward, utterly mouthwatering.
She thought of her own dinner just now and felt a wave of quiet despair.
She had access to countless supplies... but couldnāt use them openly.
He had all this because of her, yet with him not here, she couldnāt just take things out in front of him.
She wanted to eat that too...
Swallowing again, she continued chatting with him briefly, until he mentioned hearing something outside and went to check, saying theyād talk later.
Suzy put her phone away.
When she looked up, she found Thomas watching her.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked quietly.
"My uncle," she said. "Heās stuck because of the acid rain too, but heās doing alright."
He nodded.
"So... I guess itās about time we went to sleep?" she said.