Suzy tilted her head curiously.
"Who was that?"
The man had seed vaguely familiar, as though she had seen him sowhere before.
Liam cleared his throat.
"He’s one of the people living downstairs."
After a brief pause, he added, "The group I warned you about before. The four of them."
Realization dawned on Suzy’s face.
So it was them. No wonder he had looked familiar. She rembered now.
She had seen all four n before, albeit from a distance while observing them from above. Even so, she had gotten a decent look at their faces.
The man who had just left was one of the twins.
As for whether he was the older brother or the younger one, she had no idea.
"How did you end up getting involved with them?" she asked.
When the four n had first arrived, Liam had warned her to be cautious. Yet during the weeks that followed, everyone had coexisted peacefully.
The newcors seed aware that people lived upstairs, but they had never attempted to rob anyone or force their way into the upper floors.
A fragile peace had settled over the building.
Suzy herself had barely left the apartnt lately. Aside from occasionally spotting them from the windows, she had never interacted with them directly.
Liam smiled awkwardly.
"It’s a long story."
After scratching his cheek, he continued.
"A few days ago, I went downstairs to look for supplies and ran into so trouble. They helped ."
Suzy arched her brows. "Why didn’t you tell ?"
She had visited Liam’s apartnt several tis over the past few weeks, sotis bringing supplies, sotis stopping by to spend ti with Liam’s younger brother. Yet he had never ntioned any of this.
"It only happened recently."
Liam spoke quickly, almost hurriedly.
"And I wasn’t sure what kind of people they really were. I’m still figuring that out myself, so I didn’t want to say anything too soon."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he seed to realize how defensive he sounded.
His lips pressed together awkwardly.
"I didn’t an..."
His reaction made Suzy feel a little embarrassed as well.
Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "So what kind of trouble did you run into?"
As Liam explained, Suzy gradually pieced together the story.
Several days earlier, he had gone searching for supplies and happened to encounter the four n downstairs.
They had not been hostile. One of them had simply studied him for a mont before asking whether he lived upstairs. Sensing no ill intent, Liam had answered honestly. The conversation ended there, and they went their separate ways.
Later, while searching through one of the apartnts in the complex, Liam stumbled upon a hidden cache of supplies that sohow hadn’t been discovered yet.
The haul wasn’t large, but it was enough to attract attention. That was when he learned that so of the survivors in the residential complex had ford their own organization.
At first, they had tried to recruit him. Liam refused. The mont he declined, their friendliness vanished. They imdiately attempted to seize his supplies by force.
There were several of them, while he was alone. The situation quickly beca dangerous.
Then, at the height of the standoff, the four n from downstairs appeared.
Their sudden arrival changed everything.
The group threatening Liam backed down instantly and no longer dared to make a move.
Afterward, Liam had offered to share so of his supplies with them as thanks.
They refused. Instead, they simply told him that neighbors should help one another.
Suzy listened quietly before nodding in thought.
Liam glanced at her, forcing a smile. "They’re actually pretty decent people."
His opinion of the four n had gradually improved after getting to know them.
At first, he had been every bit as wary as everyone else.
"What was he here for today?" Suzy asked.
"He ca to trade."
Liam pointed toward a small bag resting on the table. Inside were two packets of compressed biscuits.
Suzy raised an eyebrow. "What did he trade for?"
"Water."
"I see."
She paused before adding seriously, "Still, you should be careful. It’s always wise to stay cautious."
Her gaze settled on Liam’s pale, strikingly handso face.
For so reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was too trusting.
What if the group was simply probing him?
What if they were trying to determine how many supplies he had before eventually coming to take them?
"If anything happens, contact imdiately. I gave you a walkie-talkie for a reason."
Under her scrutiny, Liam looked slightly uncomfortable.
His lashes lowered. "I know."
The obedient way he lowered his eyes made him look unexpectedly gentle.
"Right." Suzy suddenly rembered why she had co. "I’m actually here to bring you sothing. We made dumplings today."
She pushed the insulated bag toward him.
"Dumplings?" Liam flinched. "What brought that on?"
"It’s New Year’s Eve." Suzy smiled. "And we happened to have so flour."
"New Year’s Eve..."
The words struck him like a distant mory. Since the apocalypse began, he had completely lost track of ti.
Every day felt identical. Survival had beco the only thing that mattered.
"That’s right." Suzy nodded. "It’s New Year’s Eve. I brought so for you and your brother."
Then she glanced around.
"Speaking of him, where is he?"
"He’s in his room."
Liam’s expression softened.
"It’s cold, and he doesn’t move around much these days. He’s mostly been staying in bed."
"Make sure you wake him up later." She tapped the insulated container. "Dumplings are best eaten while they’re hot."
"Okay." Warmth flickered across Liam’s face. "Thank you."
Suzy laughed.
"I’ve told you before, you don’t have to be so formal with . Look at our relationship."
Unexpectedly, Liam looked up.
"Our relationship?"
His eyes t hers directly. "What exactly are we?"
Suzy froze. "You’re asking ?"
"Who else would I be asking?"
A small smile tugged at her lips. "We’re friends, of course."
Silence followed.
Liam lowered his head. A faint smile appeared on his face. There was bitterness hidden within it, though Suzy failed to notice.
"I suppose we are."
Glancing at her watch, Suzy realized it was getting late.
She stood to leave. The mont she rose, Liam caught her wrist. She looked back in confusion.
"What is it?"
After a mont of hesitation, he asked quietly, "Would you like to stay and eat with us?"
Suzy shook her head with an apologetic smile.
"I can’t. Everyone’s waiting for at ho."
The answer dimd the light in his eyes. Disappointnt settled heavily in his chest.
Of course. She had her own family. Her own people.
Why would she spend New Year’s Eve with him?
Swallowing the unpleasant ache inside, Liam slowly released her hand.
"Alright."
"You and your brother enjoy the dumplings."
Then Suzy rembered sothing else.
"By the way, do you still have enough heat packs? The ones I brought before."
Not long ago, she had delivered various cold-weather supplies to the brothers. She figured they were probably running low by now.
"We still have enough."
"Good." Relieved, she nodded. "Then I’ll head back."
She had barely taken a step before Liam spoke again.
"Aren’t you going to see him?"
Suzy stopped. "Your brother?"
She hesitated. "Maybe not. I’d rather let him stay warm and rest."
Unlike her apartnt, Liam’s ho had no heating system.
The doors and windows were sealed as tightly as possible, with only a narrow gap left open for ventilation.
Although it was slightly warr inside than outside, the difference wasn’t significant.
Dressed as lightly as she was, Suzy had already begun to feel the cold creeping into her bones.
Liam looked at her for a mont before speaking softly.
"If he finds out you ca all the way here and didn’t even stop to see him..."
His voice trailed off.
"He’ll be heartbroken."
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