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I lifted Sadie’s oversized robe from the hook behind the door and shrugged it on, belting it at my waist.

My footsteps were soundless as I wandered from the bedroom into the lounge room, surrounded by that strange silence that only existed in the middle of the night.

Four floors up, the moaning from the infected couldn’t reach us here. A tree branch scraped against the brick wall, and a light drizzle had started up again.

It almost—almost—felt like a normal night in my sister’s apartment.

I passed the couch and headed for the apartment door, checking the handle out of habit. With another glance at the empty spot where my parents’ photo used to sit, I went into the bathroom and made use of the toilet.

As I washed my hands with the dregs of liquid soap Sadie had left behind, I took in my reflection, outlined by the light coming through the frosted window.

My cheeks were leaner than when I left for America, and my eyes were harder now. More watchful. Even my hair had grown longer during the time I’d been away—and it was definitely messier. I used to take pride in keeping it shiny and healthy, and I never would have stepped outside in the clothes I’d been wearing the past couple of days. Everything in my life had changed, but some changes I’d embraced.

Another shadow appeared behind me in the doorway.

“There you are,” Luke said, his voice gritty with sleep.

He approached me in the mirror, his hair standing up in every direction. His chest was bare, his boxer briefs sitting low on his hips.

One side of my mouth tilted. “Did you miss me?”

“You really need to ask?” He smothered a yawn and reached for me. “Everything all right?”

I nodded. “Just thinking.”

“Oh, shit.”

I smiled.

Luke wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing really. That’s the strange part. My head’s quiet for the first time.”

“Sounds like a good thing.” He pressed his mouth into the curve of my neck.

I wondered how I could feel so comfortable with him when only days ago we hadn’t known each other existed.

“It’s strange when I think about how we met,” I said. “I shouldn’t have run over to you at the airport.”

Luke sent me the slightest of smiles in the mirror. “You couldn’t have picked a worse time to talk about regret.”

A soft laugh slipped from me. “There’s no regret,” I said, resting my hands on his where they were linked at my waist. “I meant it wasn’t the smartest idea under the circumstances. I should have run for my life.”

I could still see him sitting alone on the curb, elbows on knees, head bent while madness erupted around him.

“You got me moving,” he said. “You must have known I needed a shove.” His arms tightened around me. “I was lost in my head.”

“I know.”

I thought about all the decisions we’d made after I barrelled into his life. Which road to take and where to sleep, if it made more sense to run or to stay.

“Do you ever think about what would’ve happened if we hadn’t crossed paths?” I asked.

His answer came straight away. “No.”

I turned my head slightly. “Never?”

“There’s no point.” His eyes met mine in the mirror. “We did—and I’m glad we did.”