22. Time

A year has passed since Jack first arrived to your cabin. You still sometimes can’t believe how much has changed in that time. You and Dex had a close call but thankfully you didn't end up pregnant. Jack still lives in the shed, the medical knowledge he gained from the military, proved to be valuable over the past year. He’s earned some of Dex’s respect and appreciation for this.

The cabin has also changed and is slightly larger now. During the spring and summer Jack helped Dex build an addition to the cabin. You now have a proper bedroom with a door that shuts. You look out the window as lay back in the bed. You’re worried about the upcoming months. Winter is nearing it's end and the men are gearing up to make a 60 mile walk to see if there’s any other people left around this area.

It’s your last hope for now. Anything beyond that point would mean everyone completely packing up and possibly not returning to the cabin. You tried to argue that you should join them but ended up agreeing that someone needed to stay back to keep an eye on the cabin. You get up to stretch and quickly reach down to grab down to catch your pants as they begin to slip. Life in the cabin isn’t easy and you’ve already quickly become more lean but strong. You threw on a pair of pants this morning that you still haven’t re-tailored down to your size.

You know Dex and Jack will be leaving at the end of the week once the last of the snow has melted. They want to get an early start so they can try to make it back before the fall. You shutter at the thought of being alone for so long. But Dex and Jack have both taught you a lot in the past year. You’ve became quite the sharpshooter though you can’t practice as often as you’d like. Bullets are one of the many things they hope to find if there’s anything left of the city.

You know how important the journey is but still wish they didn’t have to go. Or at least that they didn’t both have to go. You know you can’t ask Dex if Jack can stay. You’re sure the only reason he’s taking him along is because he doesn’t trust him alone around you for that long. He knows Jack is a good guy but he’s keenly aware of how long Jack has been without a woman. And you certainly can’t ask Jack to make the trip on his own.

You glance turn and grab a book off of the makeshift nightstand by the bed. You’ve gone through all of Dex’s collection in the past year and have found yourself starting over where you began, with “The Great Gatsby. “ You make a mental note to try to read slower this year so you don’t get bored of the books too quickly. You specifically requested the men bring back any reading material they come across. Even a car manual would satiated your craving for something new to read.

After reading a chapter you reluctantly set the book down for the day. It isn’t a long book and you could easily get through the whole thing in one sitting if you weren’t careful. You hear Dex chopping wood outside and walk over to the window. He’s been chopping every day for the past week trying to stock pile as much as he can for you before he leaves. You smile at how thoughtful Dex has become in the past year. He’s always been very good to you but he’s truly gone above and over the past year.

Despite this you catch your eyes wandering over to Jacks cabin. A small stream of smoke is a pouring out of his chimney and you imagine he’s likely cooking lunch. You wonder if he’ll bring you over some again like he did yesterday. You blush and shake your head returning your gaze to Dex. It’s been a year since Jack arrived, why can’t you finally shake this feeling that’s been steadily growing inside you?