Page 70 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

I can see a visible release of the fear and anxiety Jonah must have been carrying around on his shoulders. He breathes a sigh of relief. A relief that is validated when Amos slides next to me to say, “I can promise you, Jonah, you are safe here. You wouldn’t have been given a room, nor would you have been invited to this celebration if we didn’t consider you a member of the community. Just don’t mess it up.”

“Thanks, man.” Jonah sticks his hands in his pockets, getting a little shy.

Amos pats Jonah on the shoulder, then turns his attention to me, sliding his hand around my waist and spinning me around to face him. “You look stunning tonight, Lori.”

“You can thank me for that. I picked out that gorgeous dress,” Mina shouts from the other side of the firepit.

Amos just laughs, turning his golden eyes back to me. He takes a couple of steps backward to take me in. Dress and all. I can’t help but agree that the dress is stunning. A large floral print spaghetti strap dress that hugs my waist, flowing down to my ankles. Something wild flashes in Amos’ eyes, and I want to know what he’s thinking. I’m already desperate for him to do whatever it was that flashed across his mind.

“Can I steal you away?” Amos whispers in my ear, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

“I’m yours. Remember?”

Amos grabs my hand, twirling me around and starts walking us across the quad. I look behind me to wave farewell to my friends, who give me a smile in return. Before I turn my attention back to Amos, I see Jonah slide close to Mina until their shoulders knock into each other. Freaking cute.

Chapter 44

Amosguidesusthroughthe celebration in the social quad, following the setting sun. When we break from the crowds of people, Amos makes a beeline toward the music building. I’ve never been inside before, but I know this is the building Amos used to work in as a music professor. The idea of him teaching music to a bunch of college students is a vision I can’t seem to conjure. It’s so unlike the Amos I know. Perhaps that’s because we rarely talk about who we were before.

I let go of his hand as he opens the door to the music center. When we are both inside, he lets the door close behind us. The hallways are a stark contrast to the loud, rowdy party happening outside. Quiet and still. I need to take a moment to readjust my equilibrium to the chilling silence, but Amos keeps walking down the dimly lit hallway.

He walks backward, taking the sight of me in. His smile is contagious, spreading a happiness within me I don’t think I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I love this man. How, in this wretched, deadly, post-apocalyptic world, have I found the most wonderful man? The most beautiful soul of a human being has chosen me.

I feel my smile widen, not just on my face, but inside my chest. My heart beating to a rhythm only Amos can hear. He reaches his hand for mine and I take it as if my hand has been waiting for the invitation. My balance is nearly thrown off as he twirls me into him. Before walking me through a set of large double doors, Amos plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

Chills creep down my spine as we enter a dark room, but I trust Amos with my life. He walks confidently through the room like he knows every inch of the space. He stops us just before the wall at the back, his hand gently pressing against it. That’s when I notice it isn’t a wall, but a curtain. Amos throws the curtain back and ushers me through to the stage of the auditorium.

“What are we doing here?” Anxious nerves rattle my body. I hate being on stage. I hate being the center of attention. No one else is in the auditorium. It’s just me and Amos, and yet I can’t help but feel like we are being watched.

Amos doesn’t answer. In fact, he leaves me alone on the goddamn stage. After a minute, some of the lights flick on, giving me a better view of the space. We are most definitely the only ones here.

I whip my head around when I hear notes of a piano. Amos snuck back in, taking a seat at the piano on the other end of the stage. I walk over to him, slowly, savoring the music he makes with his five fingers.

Silently, I slide onto the bench until our thighs touch. His amputated arm wraps around my waist, as best as it can, and he continues to play a haunting melody that rips apart my soul. Tears threaten to burst as Amos’ fingers glide along the keys, coming to the end of his song. A song I’ve never heard before but sounds vaguely familiar.

When he plays the last note, I take in a shaking breath, releasing it with a sigh. “What song was that?” I ask.

“A song I wrote.” Amos keeps his fingers hovered over the keys as if he’s itching to play another song. Instead, he drops his hand down to his thigh.

“It’s beautiful.” My compliment comes out in a whisper, like the quietness of the empty auditorium has muted the volume of my voice.

“I wrote it for you. Every note, every stroke, is you, Lori.”

“Me?” I look up at his golden eyes, sparkling in the stage lights. There’s fear in his eyes too. A fear I don’t understand as his attention is focused solely on me. We are alone in this large auditorium. So why does he look afraid?

“I hadn’t played music in years. After the world ended and then my mom died…I didn’t care about music. Then you came into my life and this song was all I could hear. You brought music back into my soul, Lori.”

“Amos,” I sob. A happy sob.

“With you in my life, I’ll never give up on music again. And I’ll never give up on us again. I want you to know that. Because what I did—”

“Shush, Amos, you don’t have to explain again,” I interrupt.

“Yes. I do. I tried to let you go because I thought you deserved better. I even told Jonah he was free to win you back. The asshole refused. Said I’d be stupid to let you go.”

“Stupid indeed, thinking you could get rid of me that easily.” My voice wobbles as I try to be light-hearted, but those few weeks of loneliness when Amos was trying to push me away is not a memory I want to linger on.

“What would you say if I asked you to marry me?” Amos asks, his golden eyes locking onto my blue ones. I go still, as if someone placed a freezing spell on me. All I can do is look into those beautiful, dreamy eyes. Amos pulls out a silver ring from his pocket, fingering it gently with his thumb.

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