Derek froze. He whirled his head to look at Thomas, his eyes stretching wide with pure disbelief.
Liam was equally stunned. He hadn’t expected those to be the first words Thomas would say to him upon stepping out of the bedroom. Even Suzy’s shock was no less than Liam’s. She had assumed this transition would require a bit more delicate discussion with the two boys, but Thomas had taken the initiative entirely on his own.
This man was far more considerate and perceptive than she had given him credit for.
As Suzy’s gaze toward Thomas softened with quiet appreciation, Derek, watching this unfold, practically ground his teeth to powder. If he had known, he would have jumped in and said it first! Now Thomas got to walk away looking like the perfect, mature partner.
Derek felt thoroughly miserable.
Noticing the look on Suzy’s face, Thomas offered her a subtle, reassuring smile. Then, turning back to Liam, he continued, "You should move into our place; there are still empty bedrooms on the twentieth floor. The heating and electricity are much better than downstairs. Noah is still young—he shouldn’t be freezing."
For a moment, Liam didn’t know how to react. He looked toward Suzy, slightly dazed.
To be completely honest, he hadn’t expected the two men to accept him so readily. Didn’t they even want an explanation? It was almost as if they had been waiting for this day to come.
Standing nearby, Suzy caught his bewildered look, her lips curving into a gentle smile. She glanced at Thomas, then at Derek, before finally locking eyes with Liam. "Since Thomas already offered, what are you still hesitating for?" she teased.
"Okay," Liam murmured. "Thank you."
Sweeping his eyes over the group, Derek quickly chimed in, determined not to be left behind: "Yeah! Since we’re all free today, you guys should just move your stuff up now. If you need a hand, I can help you carry things."
Derek was doing his level best to win some points back.
Suzy looked at him, pleasantly surprised. Did this kid have a personality transplant today? It was incredibly rare to hear him play nice like this. She knew how intensely possessive and prone to jealousy Derek could be. But that was just his nature, and she had never minded it—in fact, she found his jealousy rather endearing, since it was always entirely centered on her.
Yet now, he was being so incredibly sensible?
Sensing her look of sheer disbelief, Derek felt a wave of quiet grievance wash over him. What is that look for? What kind of monster does Suzy think I am?! He felt thoroughly sulky.
"That sounds good," Liam agreed softly after a brief moment of thought.
And just like that, the move was settled in a matter of sentences.
Neither Thomas nor Derek raised any objections to Liam moving onto the twentieth floor. Accepting his presence hadn’t taken them long at all; after all, the writing had been on the wall for a while. Everyone knew this day was bound to come sooner or later.
That very afternoon, with the group’s help, Liam officially moved onto the twentieth floor, sharing the apartment with Thomas and Derek.
Since Liam hadn’t accumulated much baggage when he originally moved to the nineteenth floor, packing took no time at all. In fact, they barely needed to bring anything. The apartment on the twentieth floor was already fully stocked with clean bedding and sheets, and Suzy had even prepared clothes for them in advance. They could literally move in with nothing but their personal essentials.
Still, once Liam and Noah actually stepped inside, they were utterly awestruck by the sheer luxury of the safe house.
The apartment Thomas and the others shared was identical in comfort to Suzy’s. Earlier, when Suzy had fainted downstairs, Liam’s mind had been so consumed by panic over her condition that he hadn’t paid any attention to his surroundings, completely overlooking the ambient warmth and the bright electric lights.
Now that he was actually living in it, Liam realized just how incredibly comfortable Suzy and her group had been living. The sheer convenience of the place was mind-boggling. To call this place "heaven" in the midst of a brutal, frozen apocalypse was an understatement.
While the world outside was locked in a deadly freeze, the apartment was kept perfectly warm around the clock. Indoors, there was absolutely no need to wear heavy winter coats or wrap themselves in layers of blankets. There was hot water running from the taps, allowing them to shower daily, and the rooms were constantly illuminated by cozy, warm lights.
On top of that, the refrigerator was packed to the brim with a rich variety of food. They could eat whatever they craved, with fresh, hot meals served every single day. When they got bored, they could even play video games—the PS5 in the living room was always ready, loaded with a massive library of games.
On his very first night, Liam laid in bed with a surreal thought: The apocalypse isn’t happening.
Because, in here, life was virtually identical to the peaceful days of old.
That night, Liam couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because the bed was uncomfortable; quite the opposite, it was because the bed was too comfortable. The blanket was incredibly soft and dry, the pillow smelled of fresh laundry detergent, and the sheets were laid out without a single wrinkle. As he lay there, sinking into the plush mattress, it felt as though he were being gently cradled.
He hadn’t experienced this sensation in a very long time. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten that sleeping used to be a mundane, everyday comfort before the world ended.
Ever since the disaster struck and the climate went haywire, the temperatures had constantly fluctuated between extreme heat and bitter cold. Getting a good night’s sleep had become an agonizing luxury. With the recent arrival of the extreme freeze, the temperature had plummeted even further. Whether they were on the thirteenth floor or the nineteenth, Liam had frequently been jolted awake by the biting cold.
But here, such miseries simply didn’t exist.
Liam rolled over. In the corner of the room, a small nightlight cast a soft, gentle glow. Just beyond his bed, a small cot had been set up, where Noah was fast asleep.
Though Noah was sharing the room with him tonight, Suzy had specially provided the extra little cot so that Liam could have the entire spacious bed to himself.
Thinking of Suzy, a faint, tender smile graced Liam’s lips. It was entirely because of her that he and his brother were able to sleep in such a room tonight. She... was truly his savior. He owed her far too much.
He would spend the rest of his life repaying her.
After letting his thoughts drift, Liam turned his gaze back to his sleeping brother. On the small cot, Noah’s eyes were tightly shut, his expression calm and peaceful as he slept soundly. In this room, he would never have to wake up shivering in the middle of the night again.
Thinking of how much hardship Noah had endured with him, Liam felt a pang of sorrow. Fortunately, things had finally taken a turn for the better.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he slowly rolled over, turning his back to Noah. Just as he was about to close his eyes and drift off, he caught a subtle rustle from the doorway.
A very soft, tentative knock sounded against the wood.
It was extremely quiet, as if the person didn’t want to disturb him, yet carried a hint of testing to see if he was still awake.
Liam heard it clearly. He slowly sat up in bed, first glancing over to ensure Noah was still undisturbed.