Torn (30 page)

“Hell, yeah, I want to win.”

“So competitive. Take your turn.”
Darius
stood up from the floor where he
played
the game with Bret. “Want another drink?”

“Um…
yeah.” Bret fo
cused on the game. A  zombie battle
appeared on her screen. “I
don’t
know how you made it through this level.”

“Don’t collect weapons, just kill them. Scotch?” He walked to the mini bar.

“Yeah, please. But let’s not get
drunk
, in case the hospital calls.”

“Why would they call?” He
asked
.

“For Blain.”

“They aren’t going to call.”

“
H
e
wasn’t…shit…
doing good when we left.”

“He’s fine
. Quite worrying
s
o much.”

“That isn’t very
considerate
of you to say.”

“Why do you do that?”
Darius
asked, tossing out the tiny bottles.

“I don’t know.”

“You know…
we do have to finish that
invitation
list.”

“I refuse.” Bret’s arms soared to the
left as her fingers cli
cked. “You’re being ridiculous about the gynecologist.”

“Bret.” Darius sat on the floor behind her. “Yes, we have to invite doctors into our shelter. But why do we need a specialist.”

“Because we
women need that. If we are a new civilization in a
complicated
world, we need a doctor who knows babies and birth. Not someo
ne who is general. Besides, it doesn’t…
fuck, you’re
breaking
my concentration.”

“Just making
conversation
.”

“
Distracting
m
e. We’ll work on the list after.
…” Bret grunted.

“You’re doing good.”

“Thanks.”

“Besides, I can’t wait to hear Colin’s thoughts on the
gynecologist
.”

“He’ll think you’re
wrong
.”

“Doubt it. Colin wouldn’t want to be like you and build a new world of liberals.”

Darius heaved out a huff. “Bret! Why do you ins
ist
I’m a liberal. I’m neither.”

“You fight like one.”

“Oh, I do not. Colin fights like one.”

“He does not. He doesn’t even fight. Besides
, Colin i
s a
s
right
as they get.”

“True.” Darius shrugged. “Is
that why
you’d
pick him?”

“W
hat?”
Bret
was focused even closer
on the game.

“Is that why you said you’d pick him as your partner in the aftermath.”

Bret
chuckled, then immediately
groaned whe
n
he
r
player died. “Son of a bitch.” She set down the control, looked at Darius and took the drink he
extended
. “No. I said ‘Colin’ because you guys were mentioning everyone else but him. I
thought
it would send you into a tail spin. Thank you,” she said regarding her drink.

“So you wouldn’t be with Colin?”

“
No. But why is this important?”

“Because it is important. If everything happens as we predict
, t
here’s not going to be
many people left in
this world. There’s going to be us and any other pockets that
make up
a survival plan. We will be responsible
for
starting things over.”

“So you want to secure a bed partner?”

“It’s not just that.
…”

“I have to tell you I can’t believe you and Blain
discuss
whether or not I’d put out in the apocalyp
tic
world.”
Bret
sipped her drink.

“Y
o
u heard that?”

“Yes, and I know I’m the big joke. But let me tell you
something
Dare-Dare. This
thing about me
not putting out
for Jess? It wasn’t me. Okay
? I just got used to not doing it and I didn’t want to because i
t was a hassle and aggravation.
Jess had problems.” She nodded. “That’s why he picked a fucking virgin. She didn’t know how it’s supposed
to
be.”

Darius laughed.

“Beside
s
, you probably know how
naive
eighteen
-
and nineteen
-
year
-
old girls are and how easy they are to bed.”

“Don’t have a clue.”

“You’re a college professor. They don’t
throw themselves at you? I mean
. . .
you’re pretty hot.”

D
arius lowered his head in a blu
sh. “I guess they do. I don’t bother. That’s my job. Plus, that’s too young.”

Bret raised
h
er glass. “That’s good to hear. But, you realize that would be
one reason I could never date
you in the civilized
world.”

“I thought it would be because we fight all the time.”

“That
,
too.” Bret winked. “But I’m very jealous. I wouldn’t be able to handle those girls throwing themselves at you.”

“It’s a matter of trust.”

“Yeah, but it’s also a
matter
of someone throwing themselves at you
r
guy.”

“If
you’re so jealous how did you
not know Jess was having an affair?” he asked.

“H
e had that problem. I figured he’d be too
embarrassed to chance it with a woman.”
Bret downed her drink. “I don’t want to discuss this.” She stood up and walked to the bar.

“I’m sorry.
You’re still upset and hurt. I
. . .
”

“No, that’s not it. I’m fine. Really I am. It was just a
blow to my ego, that’s all. But
. . .
”
she
raised
the tiny bottle. “With all the people
we’re inviting into the shelter, m
aybe I’ll get my
self-confidence
back.
I see your point about having a partner. And I’m not talking about a sex partner.”

“A companion.”

Bret
nodded and returned to the floor. “Someone to lean on, depend on, talk to. That one person in the shelter that you have an alliance with that no one can touch.”

“Someone that no matter what
happens is there. Your
life partner. A strong couple can make it
through
anything as long as they have each other.”

“Exactly. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to build the morality back up in the new world. Marriage. Commitment. Start things out right again.”

“Amen to that,”
Darius lifted h
i
s
g
lass.

“Wow, so conservative.”

“There you go again.”

Bret
snickered
. “It
gets
you going. And
Darius
,
I really feel that
once we get al
l the invitees into the shelter, y
ou won’t have a problem finding someone.”

“I don’t want that.”

“Ex
. . .
excuse me?”
Bret aske
d
. “
I’m co
nfused. I thought you just said
. . .
”

“Oh, I want a partner. A ‘wife’ if you must in the old world. Hell, I wanted a wife in the current world. I always wanted someone to come home to. Share my
music
. But I don’t want the hassle of having to worry about dating, or connecting, then you break u
p and have to find someone else.
Under thos
e conditions head games are bad.
We’ll al
l
be living too close to each other for partner
-
swapping.”

“What choice d
o you have?”

“Form it now,”
Darius
sa
i
d.

“You mean
find someone before we go into the shelter. Before the world goes to shit.”

“Y
ep.” Darius nodded. “Find someone who will be as committed as me to making it work. A bond before everything happens.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bret said.

“I want
. . .
I want to form that with you, Bret.”

Bret hesitated and
paused
her glass before her lips. “Me?”

Darius
nodded.

“
Darius, you don’t like me like that.
You said so.”

“You heard that?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I lied.” He winked. “I actually am attracted to
you
, Bret. And I think you and I, if we set our minds to it, can form a fantastic partnership going into this thing.”

“We fight all the time.”

“N
o,”
Darius
corrected. “We bicker. And that will keep us stron
g. We’ve been together for days, s
lept in the same room.”

“You saw me naked.”

Darius
smiled. “That, too. And
at any time did it feel unnatural?”

“Not at all.”

“We click. At least on the friendship part.” He finished his drink. “I want you to think about it.”

“You’re not worried that we’ll get in there and suddenly you’ll find someone better.”

“Nope. Not at all.
I’m a pretty dedicate
d
person
, Bret. You’re
pretty cool. I can see when this thing happen
s, where we’ll be, and you know,
I can see me only having eyes for you.”

“O
h my God, was that sweet.” Bret smiled.

“I’m a nice guy.”

“And hot.” Bret took a
drink
. “I’ll be pretty lucky in the
apocalypse
. Smart, hot, and talented.
C
olin
played
me your CD. You’re good.”
 

“Thanks. So you want to?” he
asked,
pouring a drink.

“Well, we do have the
friendship
part down. A
l
l we have to worry about is will we click sexually.”

“Bret, I don’t claim to be all that in the bedroom. But if all you say about your
ex-husband
’
s
problems are true,
I’m not
worried
. I’ll be a fucking stud.”

Her lips fluttered in an
immediately
sloppy
,
hard laugh, o
ne that knocked her back. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“
Neither can I.
I’m a littl
e tipsy. But in control. That
was a goo
d
line.”

“It was.”
Bret sighed out. “So let’s do it.”

“Partnership?”
Darius
brought his drink to his mouth making his way back to Bret.

“Sex.”

Darius
choked.

“What? You don’t want to?’

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, very. Might as well see if we click all the way around before we both make the final decision.”

“This just doesn’t sound like you. And I’m judging this on the person I got to know. Not you
r
V
irgin Mary reputation.”

Bret laughed. “It’s not like me. But you know what? You and I have been under some extenuating circumstances. I
feel close to you. I haven’t
. . .
I haven’t in a while. I’d really like to right now f
eel that closeness. And I think
. . .
if you want, I think you’d like that too.”