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He frowns. “You can imagine. And I’m glad I was there for them, yes, but I hate that it meant I wasn’t here for you. Everyone deserves to have someone. Especially during a time like this.”
“And you’re my someone?” I ask, half-teasing, half-dying of hope.
“Yes,” he says without hesitation. He smiles again. It’s warmer this time. Less tired. Then he shrugs off the backpack and offers it to me. “Each of the survivors gets a bag, but this one I made just for you. It has a few extra things in it. Don’t tell anyone.”
I feel myself blush as he winks at me. “Thanks. Do you… want to come in?”
“Sure.” He steps into the room, his gaze roaming as he takes in the surroundings. “This is nice.”
“It is, yeah. Weird, though.”
“Having a place of your own?” When I nod, he nods too. “I could see that, yeah. You’ll get used to it.”
Will I?
Not in the mood to think about that, I take a seat on the edge of the bed and open the bag he brought me. The first thing I pull out is a pair of sweatpants similar to the ones Ace gave me and Carter earlier, followed by a gray crewneck sweatshirt that’s clearly too big for me. The material is faded in the best way, worn and soft. There’s a tiny hole in the collar. I smile when I see the block letters across the chest- ARMY.
“It’s mine,” he says quietly. “I thought - I don’t even know what I thought, I guess. If you don’t want-”
“I want,” I say quickly, squeezing the sweatshirt in my fist like he might try to steal it. “Thank you.”
He looks away, but I’m fairly certain he blushes. It’s dangerously endearing.
There are socks and underwear next. Deodorant. A toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.
“There are other toiletries in your bathroom,” Jake explains as I set each item on the bed. “And towels are in the cabinet beneath the sink."
Next is a small brown bag filled with food. Protein bars. Beef jerky. Trailmix. Crackers. Hydration gels. Tucked beside it is an empty reusable water bottle.
“You’re free to go to the kitchen whenever, but we wanted to make sure all of you are taken care of until you're ready to leave the room. The water from the bathroom sink is safe to drink."
Next is a little medical kit that unfolds when I separate the velcro, revealing everything from bandages to antibacterial cream to instant ice packs. There are even mini bottles lined up in a row at one end - pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, antacids, antihistamines, and decongestants.
"You guys have thought of everything."
"Probably not. But we tried." He coughs, the sound awkward and forced. "There should be one more thing."
Setting the med kit to the side, I peer into the backpack to see what I could have missed. My heart tries to escape my chest when I find it. A stuffed dolphin.
It's small, easily fitting in my hands when I take it out. The fat belly is white, the rest of it a pastel blue, all incredibly soft against my skin. It's just like Carter's stuffed moose that Travis gave him. My eyes burn with impending tears.
"Travis bought one for each survivor. He wanted you all to have one since Carter's moose helps him so much. I picked this one out for you since you like water. But there are others if you'd rather-"
"No," I say quickly, bringing the dolphin to my chest. "I want him."
Jake smiles, his blue eyes warm. "Then he's all yours."
"Thank you, Jake." I blink rapidly to try and keep the tears from falling. My stupid voice wavers. "For everything. Thank you so much."
"Thank you for trusting me," he counters. He tilts his head like he's studying me before asking, "Can I show you something?"
"What is it?" I ask warily, feeling my exhaustion starting to catch up with me.
"Oh, nothing special…" he sighs a little too heavily to take seriously before flashing me a playful smirk. "Just the swimming pool."
The swimming pool.
The swimming pool.
