"How are you feeling?" Alan entered the room where Riya was bandaging her stomach. The blows she had taken had definitely hurt her.
"I'll be fine. The good thing is it didn't break a rib, or we'd be in trouble." Riya wasn't nervous about being seen by Alan—she had been through too much for something like this to make her react dramatically.
Alan looked at Riya's injuries and said, "Let me help. It'll be easier if I do it."
Riya allowed Alan to bandage her. She tied her hair up, exposing the nape of her neck. Thinking about what had happened that morning, she asked, "Are you feeling better than before?"
"What do you mean?" Alan, who was bandaging her stomach, didn't understand the meaning of her question.
"I've never seen you that angry before."
"Oh…" Alan now understood that Riya was referring to the moment he had killed a man by biting his throat. He hadn't really thought about why he had reacted so brutally—beyond just wanting to save someone he cared about.
"This world is lost. We're just part of its unfolding, so we don't get a say in what happens next," Riya said softly, so the kids wouldn't wake up.
Alan had her turn around to adjust the bandage on her stomach. When he looked up, he met Riya's eyes—she was staring at him.
"Did you drink?"
"Just a little. I wanted to dull the headache," Alan replied with a slight smile.
Riya touched Alan's face with her hand, gently caressing the wound he had given himself during the fight. Then she asked, "What are you going to do now?"
Their breathing slowed. Perhaps their actions were only natural after spending so much time together in life-or-death situations. Now, the desire they had kept hidden for so long was finally unleashed.
"You can hit me if I'm making a mistake." Alan reached for the candle and blew it out, then gently held Riya's neck and kissed her—and she kissed him back.
No thought could suppress the desire to continue this moment. They could be dead in a few days, and everything they had done until now might mean nothing.
Alan had never truly opened his heart to anyone. After his depression, he never thought his first love would come back to him. But that changed over time as he got closer to Riya—who understood his pain and selflessly tried to ease it.
When Riya returned Alan's kiss, her next movements became even more tender.
"Someone might hear us…"
Alan began kissing Riya's neck as if he hadn't heard her soft warning. He lifted her gently and laid her down on the bed. In just a few minutes, several pieces of clothing had vanished from their bodies.
When Alan's tongue traced across her skin, Riya opened her eyes in surprise. Warm lips moved across her soft flesh. A shiver ran through her as she felt a new sensation. Then, suddenly, those lips reached her chest, and a delicate moan escaped her lips.
"Ah…"
"Just relax…"
With his large hand, Alan caressed Riya's back, which trembled under the wave of new sensations and emotions. His damp breath gave her goosebumps.
Rubbing his chin against her soft skin, Alan slid his hand under the fabric that covered her waist. Riya jumped slightly, her hands and lips trembling. She had never imagined Alan's hand would venture into such an intimate part of her body.
On the bed, Riya's legs tensed, but not enough to push Alan away. She didn't want this feeling to end—not now.
Riya had never seen this side of Alan before, but she liked it—this part of him that he rarely showed.
"Wait, I have something in my bag." Riya made Alan pause and, after opening the box she had in her hands, murmured, "It'd be crazy to go back as a mother… Madison would kill you."
Alan smiled and didn't say another word. They didn't stop until well past midnight, when they finally fell asleep.
…
The next morning, Alan was the first to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Riya, still asleep beside him.
"Shit… I lost my mind." Alan didn't regret it, but he knew his actions had been a bit too free, probably because of the alcohol clouding his judgment.
Riya woke up but didn't say anything. It was obviously a bit awkward to talk to Alan after everything that had happened the night before.
"How are your injuries?" Alan approached with a medical kit and handed her a pill before giving her a bottle of water.
Riya drank the water after swallowing the pill and said, "It hurts less than yesterday…"
"Maybe you're overthinking it. For me, it wasn't a mistake." Alan looked at Riya seriously and said, "I'd like to do it again sometime."
"Are you still drunk?" Riya was even more surprised to hear those words from Alan.
"I'm going to fetch some water. You shouldn't make any sudden movements."
Riya watched Alan as he walked away and, before he left, she said, "It's fine with me."
"I'll be back soon." Alan smiled slightly after hearing that. Maybe now he wasn't acting behind a cold mask like he usually did, but the moment he stepped outside the room, his expression returned to normal.
"Where are you going?" Clementine, who was standing at the door, asked with a hint of doubt.
Alan looked at her and said, "To get water. Stay here and let Riya know if you see anything."
"Okay…" Clementine was smart enough to know when there was trouble.