Page 26 of What Remains

Jay nodded from near the passenger door. “That’s fine but wake me in three hours and I mean it Seth don’t be a hero we all need rest.”

Seth gave a brief nod and moved off into the shadows, rifle slung over his shoulder.

The moment the SUV's doors closed, the world outside softened into distant silence. The faint echo of Seth's footsteps faded.

Cara crawled into the sleeping nest she'd made, then glanced over her shoulder to watch Jay climb in behind her. The interior lights stayed off, but a faint glow spilled through the tinted windows, washing everything in muted silver. Jay stretched out beside her until their shoulders brushed, and his warmth seeped through the layers of blankets and clothing, grounding her instantly.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice low.

Cara nodded into the dark. "Yeah. Just... thinking."

He smiled faintly, brushing his fingers along her forearm—even that small touch carrying an intimacy she still hadn't grown used to. “Well don't hurt yourself."

She nudged him with her knee. "You're impossible."

“Well you look worried," he said.

Cara looked away, "It's just... everything. The city. The stores. What we'll find there or won't. What could happen to us."

Jay shifted closer, his fingertips tracing up her arm until he could cup her cheek gently. She leaned into the touch without hesitation.

"Hey," he whispered. "Look at me."

She did.

"We're going to be okay."

She swallowed at the certainty in his voice. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've got you," he said. "And Seth's with us. Nothing is getting past the three of us."

A soft laugh slipped into the dark. "You always sound so sure."

"I'm not," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "But I'm sure about you. Im sure about getting us home safe.”

Her breath hitched as Jay's voice dropped, quiet, wrapped in the night.

"I love you, Cara."

Her eyes widened, not in fear, but with a warmth that spread through her chest.

"You... love me?" she whispered, the words almost unbelievable even as she heard them.

Jay brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I do, and you don't have to say it back. Not yet. Not until you're ready. But I don’t want to go another day with out saying it to you.”

Cara stared at him, her chest both tight and soft. These were words she'd only ever heard from a distance, never directed at her. Slowly, she lifted her hand and pressed her palm flat against his heart, its steady beat thrumming beneath her fingers through the fabric of his shirt.

"I think... it's that for me too," she said, her voice barely audible. "I just... just don't know how to say it yet."

Jay smiled and gently pulled her close. "That's enough for me."

They lay together beneath the blankets, bodies curled close, the SUV cocooning them from the cold world outside. Jay held her with protective tenderness, his lips brushing her forehead, then her temple, then her hairline. Cara melted into him, feeling safe and wanted all at once.

Outside, Seth kept his silent guard.

Inside, curled together in the dark, they were shielded from the cold.

Seth sat just outside the car bay's side door, the night cold and quiet around him. He'd dragged a metal stool close to the entrance, where he could watch both the lot and the road beyond.