You arrived to Jackson around the same time as Joel. You connected quickly, over the same things. Tending to the horses, cheap whiskey, carving wood, playing guitar and taking care of others.

You were friends at first. Good friends. Until during a Christmas party at the Tipsy Bison you both crossed that line. And fuck, did you both liked crossing it. He hadn't been with anyone since Tess. Not that they were together in that way, but it had been the last woman who'd he had been close with.

It quickly became more than a friendship and more like a secret friends with benefits type of situation. Ellie didn't know, he'd be too embarrassed if she ever found out. Tommy too, although you were sure he suspect something was going on.

You never talked about anything more. About what was going on. You didn't want to think of him that way because the last person you loved, got infected. You wouldn't damn Joel to that.

"How the hell did you break it?" Joel groaned as he was fixing your sink. "You know how hard it was to find this piece? I had to trade some of my fuckin' coffee for it."

Joel kept complaining. He never traded his coffee unless it was for something for Ellie or in this case, you.