Chapter 406: Is Christopher in love?
I climbed up through the hotel toward the sixth floor, where all of us had been staying.
We had pretty much taken over the whole floor by now. Our rooms were spread out along the corridor, close enough that we could find each other quickly if something happened, but with enough distance that nobody had to feel like they were sleeping on top of everyone else.
I did not run into Sydney, Rachel, Cindy, or the others on my way up.
Hopefully they were still there. I wanted to see all of them if possible.
I was mainly here to get Lucy. Marlon wanted to speak with her about Callighan, Brigantine, and whatever information she could give us before we started putting together any serious plan. Still, I also wanted to see everyone else.
I had left so soon after the Golden Nugget fight that I barely got the chance to properly talk to them. Since the argument that night, I had avoided coming back to the Whitesun more than I needed to. It had felt easier to stay busy on the Boardwalk, speaking with Marlon or checking the marina, than walk through this hotel wondering who still blamed me for Kunta and Lucy.
By the time I reached the sixth-floor landing, a few doors were already open.
Voices carried out from one of the rooms farther down the hallway. Its door stood half-open, leaving a narrow gap.
"You are truly useless when it comes to these things, aren’t you?"
Lucy.
"If you came here just to insult me, you shouldn’t have bothered," Christopher shot back. "Actually, I already regret calling you."
I stopped.
Christopher and Lucy?
I had been about to walk into the room, but I stayed where I was instead.
"If you’re a man, you should know this stuff," Lucy said.
"Three months ago, I was a student," Christopher replied. "Not some experienced marine. And if you should know, they don’t teach us about firearms at school."
"You should have learned anyway. Carrying weapons you do not understand is dangerous. It can get you killed."
"I’m pretty sure most people using guns don’t know every little part inside them," Christopher said. "Thankfully, they don’t have an annoying person standing next to them and telling them to study useless things."
"So useless that you begged me to help you check them."
I had to press my lips together to stop myself from smiling.
They sounded like an actual couple arguing over something stupid.
"Not like you have anything useful to do either," Christopher muttered. "With how hated you are around here."
Damn it, Chris.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then something struck the wall inside the room with a loud crash.
It sounded heavy.
A gun, probably.
"What the hell?!" Christopher shouted.
"Do it yourself," Lucy replied.
Her voice had gone flat again.
Footsteps moved toward the doorway.
Fuck.
I quickly stepped back from the gap and tried to look casual, like I had only just reached the hall and had not been standing there listening to them argue. Before Lucy came out, though, the footsteps stopped.
I glanced through the opening again.
Christopher had caught her by the arm.
"Wait," he said. "Fuck, I’m sorry. Just help me out here. I’ve got, like, five guns that are jammed. Show me how to deal with one of them, and I’ll handle the rest."
Lucy looked down at the hand around her arm.
Christopher seemed to realize it a second later and let go.
"You’re supposed to be an expert at this stuff, right?" he added, trying to sound less desperate than he obviously was.
Jammed guns.
I considered telling Christopher he could ask Mark. Mark would probably know more than enough about it.
Still, Mark was busy trying to get the electricity working again with that alien item, and I could understand why Christopher did not want to drag him away from that. He had work to do.
Christopher asking Lucy instead was still strange, though.
Not bad strange.
Just unexpected.
Was there actually something going on between them?
If Christopher liked her, I would be happy for him. He was my best friend. After everything with Cindy, he deserved a chance to have something good in his life that did not involve getting shot at, chased by Infected, or dragged into another disaster because he happened to be near me.
And Lucy clearly did not seem completely bothered by him.
She was still here, arguing with him instead of walking away for good. Christopher had also put his life on the line for her when Penny attacked. I did not know much about romance, but I was pretty sure that kind of thing could affect how somebody saw you.
Anyway, why was I even standing here thinking about Christopher’s love life?
And spying on them?
I shook my head and leaned back against the wall beside the doorway.
Christopher was my best friend. I wanted him to be happy. That was all.
Still, I needed to bring Lucy to Marlon soon. I decided to wait a little longer and give them time to finish whatever they were doing before I interrupted.
"Fine."
Lucy sounded like she had given up on leaving. Her footsteps turned back toward the room instead of the hallway.
What the hell?
That was not how Lucy usually acted. Normally, if somebody annoyed her enough, she would just leave and let them deal with their own problem. She did not waste time arguing or giving people second chances.
Even her voice had sounded a little different. It was still low and serious, but it had lost some of that usual cold, neutral edge she used with almost everyone.
"You better pay attention," Lucy said from inside. "I’m not doing this again."
"I’d rather practice more with lethal weapons," Christopher replied.
Lucy was quiet for a second.
"Are you asking me to come here every day and teach you?"
"No," Christopher answered quickly. "I mean... when you have time."
There was another pause.
I stayed beside the wall outside, arms crossed over my chest.
After that, I heard the clear mechanical sounds of guns being taken apart. Metal pieces touched the table. A magazine was pulled free. Something small rolled across the floor before Christopher stopped it with his shoe.
Lucy began explaining in a lower voice. I could not make out every word, but she sounded like she was going through the weapon piece by piece, probably telling Christopher what he was doing wrong and why he should not force anything when a gun jammed.
I really did not want to interrupt them.
"Ryan?"
I turned my head.
Daisy stood a few feet down the hallway, looking surprised to see me there. She had probably been heading back toward her room before she noticed me lurking outside Christopher’s door like a complete weirdo.
I quickly raised a finger to my lips and pointed my thumb toward the half-open door.
Daisy blinked.
Then she walked closer, careful with her steps, and stood beside me. She tilted her head toward the room, listening for a few seconds.
"What’s happening?" she whispered.
"Christopher and Lucy are together inside," I replied.
Daisy looked at me with concern.
"Are they hurt?"
"No," I said. "They’re just... Lucy is helping Christopher with something."
"Oh."
She nodded like that explained everything.
I looked down at her.
"You aren’t surprised?"
Daisy gave a small smile.
"They became quite close, didn’t they?"
"Yeah," I said. "I guess they did."
"I think Lucy feels at ease with Christopher," Daisy whispered. "Christopher seems happier too."
I looked toward the doorway again.
Inside, Lucy was still talking Christopher through whatever he was doing with the gun. Christopher interrupted once with a question, and Lucy answered him without sounding annoyed this time.
"Do you think they love each other?" I asked.
"L...Love?"
Daisy’s face immediately turned red.
"I... I don’t know," she said, looking toward the floor. "Maybe?"
I did not say anything after that.
We stayed there for another five minutes, standing outside Christopher’s room and listening like the two awkward introverts we were.
At some point, I realized how stupid this probably looked.
I was supposed to take Lucy to Marlon, not spy on my best friend while he flirted, or whatever the hell he was doing, with her over a pile of jammed guns.
I lifted my hand and knocked on the door.
"It’s Ryan."
Something hit the floor inside.
A piece of gun equipment, probably.
"Oh, Ryan," Christopher called out. "Yeah—come in."
He reached the door a second later and opened it with a smile that looked way too forced.
"You okay there?" I asked.
"Y-Yeah. I just dropped something."
His eyes kept moving past me, checking the hallway.
"Did you see Lucy?" I asked.
"Lucy?" Christopher repeated. "Nope—"
"What?"
Before he could say another word, Lucy walked up behind him.
Christopher winced.
He looked at me with an expression that practically begged me not to say anything.
I smiled.
"Yeah," I said, turning toward Lucy. "Marlon asked for you. He wants to talk about Brigantine and anything you know that could help us."
Lucy gave a short nod.
"We were done anyway."
She walked past Christopher and me without waiting for a reply.
Christopher watched her go for a second before looking back at me.
"Done with what?" I asked.
"Shut up," he said, glaring at me.
I laughed lightly and followed Lucy down the hallway, leaving Christopher in the doorway with Daisy still standing nearby and trying very hard not to smile.