Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48 – Settling Frost
Days had passed, the snow piled deep outside, and she had begun helping in the medical school, though she had not yet taken on teaching.
Mary encouraged her to feel things out first. She found herself enjoying it there, and for the first time in a long while it felt like a glimpse of her old self.
When their work in the medical school finished for the day, Mary and Iyisha went to help Ester in the garden.
The air was thick with the smell of wet soil and the faint sweetness of sprouting plants. Dirt clung beneath her nails, and her palms ached from pressing seeds into the damp rows.
The two women teased her gently about her soft hands and how she would toughen up with time. Their laughter was easy, comforting, yet tinged with curiosity.
Ester tilted her head, studying Iyisha with a knowing smile.
"So, is he your man?"
Iyisha blinked. "Who?"
"Malcolm," Ester said as if it were obvious. "The way he watches the room before you walk in. Damn!"
"He looks like the type women would fight over," Mary said, smirking as she wiped soil from her fingers.
"That kind of man, you should be all over him," Ester laughed.
Iyisha’s heart leapt before she could stop it. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to claim that space, to make it real.
But Malcolm’s words echoed sharp in her mind: It will not happen again. The memory cut through her warmth. She swallowed and forced a smile.
"No. He is not."
Mary leaned closer, lowering her voice. "A lot of women here are already talking about the man in room 406."
Ester laughed. "As if you were not with him in the room."
"Malcolm will have his hands full," Mary added as she washed the soil from her hands.
Iyisha froze, her mind spinning with the thought that Malcolm was considered attractive, and she had already noticed how the women looked at him.
Mary smiled knowingly at her. "Are you worried?"
Iyisha shook her head. "I do not know. Malcolm does not really like people."
Ester nodded. "I remember when I married Lando. The women were jealous," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Now he has gone bald, but women still keep gunning for him, so I keep a tight leash." Lando was a guard at the gate, and Iyisha had seen them sharing meals together.
"How about you?" she asked Mary.
Iyisha stopped, taken aback.
Mary’s smile softened into something lonely.
"I lost my boyfriend last year during a supply raid to the next town. He was bitten." She gave a small, weary smile. "That is why I say do not take it slow. In this world, time is borrowed."
Her words stayed with Iyisha, heavy in her chest, as she stepped out later that afternoon.
Snowflakes swirled light across the yard, settling on the fencing where Malcolm worked with a few of the men.
His coat was open, sleeves rolled, forearms corded tight as he lifted a wooden beam into place. She paused, hidden half in shadow, watching.
One of the young women from earlier stood beside him, laughing at something.
Iyisha saw the moment clearly, the girl reaching out and laying a hand on his arm, fingers lingering. For a breath, Iyisha waited for the inevitable: Malcolm stepping back, pulling away as he always did with her.
But he did not.
He just let her touch him. He did not even flinch.
A hot, sour rush flooded Iyisha’s chest. Her fists curled so tight her nails dug into her palm. freewebnoveℓ.com
Fu— She swallowed the word down hard. Her cheeks burned, her throat tightened.
How could he? He resisted her every touch, pushed her away as if she were poison. Yet here he stood, letting another woman’s hand stay against his arm as if it were nothing.
Jealousy bloomed sharp and ugly. It tasted bitter on her tongue. She told herself there had to be a reason, that maybe it meant nothing, but the thought rang hollow.
The ache swelled until she could not stand another moment. She turned on her heel and stormed back inside.
When she returned to their room later, Malcolm was already there. He sat at the table, rifle stripped apart before him. A small lamp glowed, casting light on his face, on the precise rhythm of his hands cleaning steel.
Iyisha sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, watching him in silence. For a long moment, only the click of metal filled the room.
"They are all very curious about you," she said at last, voice tight, too casual. "They cannot stop asking questions."
He nodded once, did not look up.
She pressed harder, words brittle. "Even the girls think you are hot."
Malcolm did not flinch. His gaze stayed on the rifle, running the oiled cloth slow along the barrel. The silence stretched thin, pulling at her nerves until she wanted to scream.
Iyisha fidgeted with her shirt hem, heart pounding. She wanted to demand it out loud, Why cannot you look at me that way? Why do you only let them close? But the words choked in her throat.
The rifle snapped back together with a clean, final click. The sound felt like a door slamming shut between them. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
When the bell rang, they went together to the communal dining. Long tables were lined with steaming bowls of stew, bread passed hand to hand.
Iyisha sat across from a young man she barely knew. Malcolm stayed close at her side while a group of men circled near, trying to draw them into conversation, focusing most of their attention on her.
The young man was kind-eyed, his laugh a little too eager, his fingers tapping against the table whenever he paused. He was too quick to laugh at her awkward attempts at humor. He introduced himself with an easy smile.
"You are the girl who is teaching at the school, right? I am Michael."
He looked closer to their age than most of the men around the table.
She smiled and answered, "Yes, I am."
One of the older men jabbed his fork in their direction. "I was there when we found them. Thought they were mice." He glanced at Malcolm, then chuckled. Malcolm kept quiet.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Malcolm’s stare. Cold and unblinking, sharper than the snow piling outside. He did not speak or move, yet the weight of his gaze pressed against her like fire.
She wondered if he might be jealous, and the thought sent her heart racing. To test it, she leaned further into the men’s attention, laughing at their remarks and drawing out the conversation.
Malcolm stayed silent, his eyes fixed on her, and the quiet weight of that stare lifted her higher, as if she were walking on clouds, because he was visibly unsettled.
The young man talked about the storage systems, about the water lines running under the snow. "I could show you sometime," he offered brightly. "If you would like."
Iyisha laughed softly, tilting her head. "Maybe."
The word was sweetened, stretched, aimed not at the boy but at the ears across the table. And when she dared to glance back, Malcolm’s jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed.
For the first time all night, Iyisha felt in control. Yet it tasted as bitter as it did sweet.
Iyisha returned late, the room colder than the hall she had left behind. Malcolm sat at the table again, pistol laid out, each piece gleaming under the light.
She undressed slowly, deliberately. Every fold of fabric took longer than it should. She set each piece down neatly, her skin prickling with awareness of his silent presence. When she slipped under the blanket, she left a wide gulf of space between them.
Her chest ached. Malcolm finally spoke, his voice low. "Do not be too friendly with them."
The words made her heart jump with a strange happiness at his reaction. She whispered back, "I needed to talk to someone. You barely talk to me."
Malcolm did not reply. The silence cut deep. Frustration coiled hot beneath her ribs as she got ready for bed. They had been sharing the same bed for days, yet it felt as though they were farther apart than ever.
She could not stop herself. "That woman you were talking with earlier," Iyisha said, forcing a casual tone. "The one who touched your arm. Who is she?"
Malcolm’s eyes lifted briefly, then dropped back to the pistol.
"Therese. She was Elmer’s wife."
Iyisha gave a small nod, pretending it did not matter.
"Oh." The name sat heavy in her chest.
She realized then why he had not pushed Annette away, since she knew Elmer was one of the leaders of the community, but the knowledge did not soften the sting of watching how easily he had let her linger.
She wanted to tell him not to let anyone touch him, but what right did she have?
She swallowed the words and simply went to bed.
