Page 128 of My Undead Love Life

The icy air slammed into me as I climbed up through the opening and stepped onto the roof. It burned my lungs on the first inhale, sharp enough to make my eyes water, but the pain was welcome compared to the uncertainty in my chest.

Up here, at least, the world made sense. There had been no zombies up here when we cleared it earlier, and it was just a flat one with a couple of air vent boxes on each side, easy to check and easier to defend. Snow covered most of the surface in a thin layer, crunching under my boots as I walked toward the edge.

The city stretched out in front of me, buried in white and not even close to recognizable anymore. A few zombies dragged themselves down the street below, aimless without the horde. The world was ugly, but the sky was worse. Clouds still smothered everything. There were no stars, once again. Not even the moon. Just a dull, gray-black sky pressing down over the city.

I tipped my head back anyway.

“You planning on jumping?” Luck asked from behind me, hoisting himself onto the roof, “or just talking to the stars again?”

I closed my eyes briefly. “Just needed air.”

I wished I could see the stars. It was the worst part of storms, blocking them.

Mad snorted as he came up behind Luck, climbing through the hatch with his usual grim efficiency. “In a blizzard?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s literally snowing and in the negatives,” Luck huffed, brushing snow off his sleeve.

“Doesn’t make it a blizzard,” I argued.

Mad looked around at the rooftop, the drifting snow, the low clouds, the frozen city, then back at me. “Fine. The tapering-off part of a blizzard.”

I couldn’t argue that one. It was the aftermath of one, after all.

“What’s got you spiraling?” Luck asked, leaning back against a vent.

I let out a breath, watching it fog in front of me. “What do you think?”

Mad sighed and walked closer. “Spencer.”

“Keith,” I corrected.

“Same problem,” Luck muttered.

“I wouldn’t call our girlfriend and her boyfriend a problem,” Mad said.

The word girlfriend still did something painful and warm to me. Our girlfriend. Her boyfriend. The sentence sounded impossibly messy.

“He came back,” I said, stating the obvious. “The guy she loved before any of this. Before us.”

Mad’s gaze took in our surroundings before returning to me. “And?”

“And?” I turned toward him. “That’s not an insignificant thing, Mad.”

“No one said it was.”

I laughed once, but there was no humor in it. “You’re acting like it is.”

“I’m acting like panicking on a roof won’t change it.”

“That’s very helpful. Thank you.” I scoffed.

Luck crossed his arms, shivering. “You know, as someone who also has feelings and would also prefer not to be emotionally abandoned, I am choosing denial with a side of optimism.”

“You always choose denial.”

“It keeps me charming.” He wiggled his brows.