How To Lose Weight And Survive The Apocalypse

Chapter 18

I'm taking some liberties with locations in this chapter - Lake Tyrell is NOWHERE near the Hume Highway, but it's an amazing place so I'm moving it east a few hundred kilometres because I'm an author, and this is my universe ;)

Bailey passed me a bowl of cereal the next morning. "Eat."

"Yes, parental figure."

With cool eyes, Bailey studied me as I ate the bowl without argument. When I had finished, they said, "Why are you so cheery today?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I said innocently, pouring the dregs of my long-life milk on the firepit ashes. "It's a new day, we're almost in Melbourne, I'm not a bucktoothed freak. Everything is pretty peachy."

Bailey's eyes narrowed. "Are you blushing?"

"I'm eating again. It puts colour in my cheeks." I busied myself packing up, hiding the grin I couldn't stifle.

Rueben emerged from his tent, and his eyes found me, he smiled widely. "Good morning."

"Hi."

He crossed the camp to my side and nodded at my bump. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." I leaned forward so he could see the receding lump.

"I checked on her a few hours ago," said Bailey as they pulled up the pegs on their tent.

"Oh, really?" said Rueben, a broad grin on his kind face. Our eyes connected with shared knowledge; it was only because Bailey had gone to pee before swinging by my tent that Rueben had been able to sneak out without anyone seeing him.

"I don't want to go," he'd whispered, kissing my nose.

With firm strokes, I rubbed the strong muscles of his back. "Then stay."

"I can't." He pressed his forehead to mine. "But I'll come back."

He'd slipped out of my tent flaps only seconds before Bailey had stuck their hand in and whacked my feet through my sleeping bag, asking sardonically if I was still alive. I'd murmured in the affirmative, then finally drifted off to sleep again, the taste of Rueben on my smiling lips.

In the morning light, Bailey stared suspiciously from Rueben to me and then back to Rueben. "You guys are being weird and smiley. Stop that."

"Uh, okay," said Rueben, his voice strangled and strange, his mouth in an even wider grin.

Bailey walked off and I murmured to Rueben as I picked up my sleeping bag. "You're so not subtle."

"I can't help it. I can't stop smiling."

"Me neither."

"Listen, I wanted to ask you about something-"

Emitting a squeal like a siren, Mischa raced past us, chasing Chookie who was chasing Bella.

"What?"

"I'll ask you later," he said. Nudging me with his shoulder, he followed the cacophony of the child/dog/chicken combo to run interference.

As we loaded the bikes, Nev wheeled up next to me. "Can I ride with you today?"

"Uh..." I glanced around for Bailey.

"Please, Karla?" She rubbed her sun-bronzed arms with her hands. I had to give it to Nev; she'd lost makeup, hair products and access to regular showers - and she still looked catwalk fresh. Her hair still fell in a silky wave cascading from her shoulders, and her tan was a perfect golden hue from the time we'd spent in the sun. In her teeny tiny sports shorts and a cropped tank, she looked like a catalogue model for a high-end sportswear company trying to capture the natural-look market. It would be annoying if it wasn't so impressive.