A few hours later and Jonah and I find ourselves amongst the hustle and bustle of East Landing Mall.

I had spent the majority of the morning cancelling all my cards and getting new ones ordered. Jonah agreed to let me stay at his place while I got things sorted and even offered to pay for my clothes since I had no means of accessing any of my accounts until my new cards arrived.

Frankly, I’m not sure why he’s going so out of his way to help me. But, I’m not really in a position to object even if I wanted to.

Jonah frowns as we pass through the entry of Victoria’s Secret. “Are you sure I had to be with you for this?”

Pausing at the five for $25 table, I poke through the varieties of lace panties laid out in neat rows. “My replacement cards won’t be here for another week or so.”

“I mean, I get that. But is there any reason I couldn’t have just gotten you some cash out of the ATM?” He asks, slipping his hands into his pockets and peering around.

Having made some selections, I turn from the table to browse the nearby bra selections.

Truth be told, I hadn’t actually thought to just ask for money. I’ve been on my own since Julian left and before that we’d gone everywhere together. The whole ‘safety in numbers’ mindset.

I forgot there was any other way to do things.

“I suppose you could have just given me some cash, but you also could have suggested that before we were already in the store.”

He shrugs.

I make my way around the space and collect my desired choices. I know the panties will fit just fine, but it’s been so long since I’ve done any sort of bra shopping I’m honestly not entirely sure of my size anymore.

Suppose it would defeat the purpose of coming all the way out here to replace my wardrobe if the replacements didn’t fit.

Flagging down the salesgirl, I head toward the dressing rooms, Jonah trailing a few feet behind me eyeing the items on the display racks with an expression somewhere between curiosity and confusion.

“Are you looking to try those on?” The young woman asks as she weaves through lingerie racks, a set of numbered cards clacking in her hands.

I hold up the bras I’ve selected, “just these three.”

“Alright. It looks like number one right here is open.”

The clerk slips open the pink curtain that covers the first stall on the end of the row and hands me a plastic card from her hand with the number ‘3’ printed on both sides.

“There you are, just have your boyfriend flag me down if you need anything!” With a quick smile the clerk retreats back the way she came and enthusiastically greets a customer waiting by the counter to check out.

Slipping a glance at Jonah, I shrug. It doesn’t really matter if the clerk thinks he and I are an item. She’ll never see us again after today. It doesn’t even seem like Jonah heard her given how attentively he’s eavesdropping on the conversation of a nearby couple.

I focus my attention in their direction to see what has him so interested.

“I bet this cheetah print would look great on your tan ass, baby girl.” The tall, muscled man holds up a skimpy slip of silk to his plastic girlfriend who giggles as she takes the garment from his hand.

“Better than the zebra stripes?” She asks, batting her mascara smeared lashes up at him.

“I’ll just be a minute.” I say, and retreat into the dressing room.

Jonah hums acknowledgement.

I didn’t pick anything elaborate, just some simple styles I know will provide functional and comfortable support. After all, it isn’t like I have anyone to impress and I need maximum functionality if I’m going to be wearing these while taking on revenant.

Pulling off the dark tee I’d selected from Jonah’s wardrobe this morning, I unhook my worn, black bra and hastily clip into a form-fitting grey one. I pause as I look myself over in the mirror, leaning forward to examine the bite once more. The bruising has receded considerably during the night leaving only some brown and mustard yellow discoloration around the twin punctures.

Frowning, I flip my hair over my shoulder to cover the bruise. Maybe if I can’t see it, it won’t bother me so much.

Willing myself to ignore the wound, I turn my mind back to the task, and bra, at hand.

I like the feel of this one, and it doesn’t seem too tight. Just as I’d begun to wonder if the cup size wasn’t slightly too small, the stall curtain slips open and Jonah quickly slides into the changing stall with me before abruptly snapping the curtain shut behind him.

“Jonah, what the f-“

“Shhh!” He clamps a hand over my mouth and pushes me back against the wall so he can peek out at the display room from the edge of the curtain.

In that moment I am immediately and distinctly aware of every place his body meets with my bare flesh as he leans against me to better see out from the curtain, seemingly unconcerned with my half-dressed state.

The plastic wall of the dressing stall is cool against my bare back, but the heat of Jonah’s body staves off the inevitable chill that would have found its way up my spine at the contact with the cool surface. It surprises me that he can be so warm even through his clothes, but more surprising is the feeling of the rock-hard abs that are pinning me there.

I hadn’t noticed any sort of muscle tone on him before now, probably due to the fact that his entire wardrobe is made up of loose-fitting t-shirts, but given that the pressure on my front is nearly as solid as the one at my back, there’s no denying it:

The man is ripped.

After a tense moment wherein Jonah continues to crowd my personal space and I spend a generous amount of time deciding whether or not to bite his hand, he tentatively removes his palm from my lips and presses it to the wall just to the side of my head, lifting himself off me ever so slightly as he continues to eye the edge of the curtain cautiously.

“Jonah!” I hiss, trying my hardest to suppress the blush that’s threatening to stain my cheeks. “What. Are you doing?”

Using his free hand, he lifts the edge of the curtain just a fraction before dropping it back into place in the next second. “Revenant.”

With my nose practically pressed into the crook of his neck, every breath I take fills my senses with the sweet spice of Jonah’s musk. It’s a rich scent; deep and intoxicating.

“Wait,” I say, struggling to think through the haze that’s taken over my mind. “What?”

“The couple shopping together. I think they’re revenant.”

“Revenant? But how? It’s the middle of the day, shouldn’t their eyes be burning out of their sockets?”

“Not necessarily. I didn’t notice them right away so these two might be newly turned. With the assistance of some shades, the young ones can walk in the daylight with only minimal effects.”

Raising one hand to the edge of the curtain, I cautiously lift it a fraction to peer out into the display room. “Well, revenant or not, they’re gone now.”

“What?”

Jonah leans into me again in an effort to peek past the curtain but stops short at the gentle but insistent pressure I apply with one firm hand to his iron chest.

He seems surprised, his questioning gaze shifting from the curtain down to my face. Then down further as he takes in my nearly naked torso.

“Oh.”

I can feel the blush I was trying so hard to fight creeping up my neck to stain my cheeks as he takes a step back, putting a much more appropriate distance between us.

My body immediately breaks out in goosebumps at the sudden withdrawal of his warmth and I casually wrap my arms around myself in a futile effort to cover my body.

“Right, well, if they’re gone I suppose I’ll just wait for you out there then…”

I look up to give him an affirmative glare but find myself taken aback at the light dusting of red across his cheeks. It’s difficult to tell with his curls hanging in his face, but if I’m not mistaken, Jonah is blushing.

I only barely stop myself from reaching up to brush the hair out of his face, just to be sure.

He sneaks me a cautious glance, then clears his throat a little.

“By the way,” he says, “I think the gray looks nice.”

“Jonah.”

“Yeah?”

“Get out.”

“Yeah.”