Chapter 148
The moment her words fell, the air went still.
He froze completely, as if someone had pressed pause on him, locked in the same posture without moving.
Suzy saw his throat bob sharply.
Then his ears... They flushed red at a visible speed, color spreading from the tips down along the curve, so vivid it looked almost unreal against his skin.
At last, he lifted his eyes to her.
Those usually dark, unreadable eyes were now filled with disbelief and shock.
His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Suzy couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. "What, did I scare you?"
The faint regret she’d felt from acting on impulse faded, replaced by amusement at his reaction.
"You..." His voice came out hoarse, rough. "What did you say?"
"Do you need me to repeat it?"
Judging from his expression, he didn’t seem repulsed. If anything, it suggested he wasn’t entirely indifferent to her.
Might as well press the advantage.
Making up her mind, she didn’t give him time to speak again.
"I said—what if it’s because I like you? Is that reason enough?"
His breathing grew heavier.
As Thomas looked at her, the shock in his eyes slowly gave way to something else—something bright.
But the next second, he looked away.
"I..." His throat moved again. "I’m older than you."
She blinked. What kind of response was that?
"So?" she asked.
"Quite a bit older," he added quietly, still not looking at her.
Suzy laughed. So that was what he was hung up on?
"And?" she stepped a little closer. "Do you mind?"
He finally looked at her again, something deep and unreadable in his gaze.
She pressed on, "You don’t like younger girls?"
"No!" he blurted out almost instantly.
Realizing how strongly he’d reacted, he pressed his lips together. "...You don’t mind?"
Thomas was much older than her. He wasn’t good with words, didn’t know how to sweet-talk... He couldn’t understand what it was about him that she liked.
Looking at him like this, Suzy felt as though something soft brushed against her heart—leaving it faintly sore, faintly ticklish.
"I don’t mind," she said, enunciating each word clearly. "If I like someone, what does it matter if they’re older?"
His breath hitched.
"And besides," she continued, "this is the end of the world. Does any of that even matter anymore?"
Shouldn’t people just live in the moment?
The next second, Thomas suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
His grip was a little too firm at first, then loosened almost immediately, as if afraid of hurting her.
"...Suzy."
He said her name softly, his voice still rough.
"Alright, alright." She smiled and pushed the can toward him again. "So hurry up and eat."
He slowly let go of her wrist, then shook his head. "We’ll share."
The canned meat had been meant just for him, but in the end, they ate it together.
Suzy didn’t eat much—just a few bites before she was full.
Thomas, on the other hand, had a much bigger appetite and finished the rest.
After dinner, the two of them began sorting through the bedding Gloria had brought earlier.
They moved the mattress into a corner. After removing the plastic wrapping, Suzy spread a blanket neatly over it.
Because of his injury, he couldn’t do much—only passing her the pillow and blanket as she arranged things.
One pillow, one thick blanket. That was Suzy’s setup for the night.
"What about your blanket? Why didn’t you bring it over?"
She asked it so naturally that he looked at her in surprise.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, puzzled.
"There’s only one mattress," Thomas said hoarsely. "I’ll sleep on the couch tonight."
Suzy glanced at the couch, then back at him.
With his size, there was no way the couch would fit him comfortably, let alone with his injuries. He needed proper rest.
She understood what he was worried about. "I see."
That answer made him quietly let out a breath of relief.
Then she added, "I’ll sleep on the couch. You take the mattress."
She pointed at it.
"No." He refused immediately.
There was no way he’d let her take the couch—it would be far too uncomfortable. He couldn’t agree to that.
"You’re injured. Sleeping on the couch will make it worse." Suzy frowned.
Thomas fell silent.
She offered another option. "Then... you can sleep with me."
Such a perfect opportunity—she wasn’t about to let it slip by. She needed to seize every chance to get stronger.
...It definitely wasn’t because she liked looking at him.
After a moment’s thought, he said, "Alright."
He quietly handed her his pillow.
Suzy placed it on the mattress along with the blanket he passed over.
It was still early.
She walked to the window and drew the curtains closed.
Outside, the sky had darkened. The rain hadn’t stopped, and the air felt damp and cold.
There was no telling when the acid rain would end.
With the curtains blocking out the gray downpour, she switched on a flashlight and aimed it upward, flooding the room with light.
Taking out her phone, she sent a message to Leonard, briefly explaining her situation.
His reply came quickly—he was also trapped by the acid rain.
Fortunately, he had found an unoccupied house, managed to get inside, and settled in. With access to his storage space—and all the supplies Suzy had prepared for him before—his living conditions hadn’t suffered at all.
A few photos popped up in the chat.
Suzy stared at them and swallowed.
It was his dinner.
A pre-packed meal she had bought before everything fell apart—three dishes and a soup.
Braised pork, sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried greens, and corn rib soup.
The food in the photos looked vibrant and glossy, steam still curling faintly upward, utterly mouthwatering.
She thought of her own dinner just now and felt a wave of quiet despair.
She had access to countless supplies... but couldn’t use them openly.
He had all this because of her, yet with him not here, she couldn’t just take things out in front of him.
She wanted to eat that too...
Swallowing again, she continued chatting with him briefly, until he mentioned hearing something outside and went to check, saying they’d talk later.
Suzy put her phone away.
When she looked up, she found Thomas watching her.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked quietly.
"My uncle," she said. "He’s stuck because of the acid rain too, but he’s doing alright."
He nodded.
"So... I guess it’s about time we went to sleep?" she said.