A look of skepticism washed over Lorenzo's sharply angled face, even as he shifted his wrist to press his palm against Hayley's, lacing their fingers together. He let out a heavy sigh, his head falling back on the tattered cushions of the sofa. "Jesus. We've really been reduced to wearing someone else's clothes? A dead person's at that!" His lips twisted as he glared up at the ceiling. "I sure hope she had a boyfriend or something, or this is gonna get real awkward, real fast."

Smirking mildly despite himself, he turned his head to glance at Hayley, who was leaning in slightly towards him, seemingly enjoying this quiet moment together as much as he was. Her brassy blonde hair was draping over the yoke of her bare shoulders in glossy sections, looking much nicer than its previous unwashed state. Remembering his own freshly shampooed hair, he noticed an inconsistency, and reached his other hand forward to confirm his suspicion.

Lightly brushing a lock over her ear, he found her hair quite dry, and shook his head incredulously at the discovery. "Did you really make me wait all that time, just for you to fix your hair?! You are so selfish!" He laughed loudly, lifting his head and straightening his spine to sit upright again. As his view shifted, a small, rebellious wave in the section of hair near the crown of her head came into view, inconsistent with the pin straight texture of the rest. Craning his neck, he gestured to it with his chin, stating, "You missed a spot."

"God, complain more please!" Hayley said with a laugh. "You're the one who let me shower first, and you know how long I take getting ready..." Hayley's cheeks flushed as the disobedient curl was brought to her attention, and she pulled her hand away from Lorenzo's to run it self-consciously through her hair. She cast a furtive glance at the bathroom, yearning to run to her straightener, but the flippancy of Lorenzo's remark kept her from doing so. Not like she needed to make a good impression on him anyways.

Snatching the cigarette from Lorenzo, Hayley lifted herself from the couch, careful to keep the towel safely secured around her lanky body. "I hope this bitch owns only dresses," she muttered, still tugging at the irksome curl and stalking towards the bedroom. A nagging urge to return to the couch conflicted with her embarrassment, but it wasn't strong enough to break her stride. She had no right to be upset, she knew; it was the nature of their relationship to tease one another... But I'm practically naked! What more's a girl gotta do to get a compliment? She had gotten used to unrelenting complements from people she didn't really care about which, though they were without a doubt insincere, allowed her to keep up that pretense of confidence. But with Lorenzo, it was like an endless cycle of vulnerability. As much as that one part of her wanted to let her guard completely down, she knew he would only hurt her. There was literally nothing to lose at this point, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe that there wouldn't be consequences.

Taking a long drag, she exhaled her thoughts, clouding Lorenzo's visage before her with smoke. "The clothes should just be in the bedroom but it's probably not light enough in there to coordinate our outfits," she said with a snicker, turning around to walk down the hall.

Even though the gesture was already made, Lorenzo allowed his hand to linger beside her ear for a moment longer, lightly tracing the backs of his fingers across her pale cheek before dropping his hand to join the other that was gripping hers. In the soft, diffused lighting of the fading morning fog, her skin took on an almost ethereal glow, and he pursed his thin lips, gaze falling down the sharp edge of her long nose to the charming dip just above her mouth. The lips themselves were stained a violent red, a splash of paint across an off-white canvas.

Maybe it was because he had never been this close to her in the daylight, or because he'd never seen her in such a state of undress, but he was taken back by how... pretty she was. Not in the traditional, "delicate flower" kind of way; that was too fleeting, easily forgotten. She was more like a precious stone; a little unpolished, but strong and multifaceted under the surface. A frown crept across his face; he was never one for poetry or pretty words, yet he couldn't help but want to create them from her inspiration, regardless of how tacky and awkward they ended up sounding.

Her voice drew him out of his thoughts, and too soon she was standing and walking away from him, seemingly insulted. Was it something he had said? Or maybe he had been making a stupid face while he was staring. Her thin frame was all shades of cream and white against the darkness of the hallway, blood red lips wrapping around the filter of their cigarette in a way that made his face run hot. Smirking at her words, he stood and stepped over to her through the exhaled smoke, the wispy tendrils curling around his dark skin.

"Well, forgive me for not leaping at the chance to get into some dead broad's clothes, but.. what's the rush?" he asked, leaning in towards her as his dark eyes glinted mischievously. The "rush" was that their apartment was surrounded by the undead, and that any given moment safety could become compromised and they may have to abandon their refuge and flee, but he pushed that reality to the back of his mind in favor of the present one.

Holding her breath and letting the smoke burn her throat like the longing she was suppressing, Hayley turned back to face Lorenzo. She exhaled wispy plumes and couldn't help but wish it was her fingers caressing Lorenzo's skin instead of the smoke. Finally inhaling, she let the first breath of cool air cleanse her mind only to have the lust return in spades as the faint scent of Lorenzo and the realization of his physical nearness filled Hayley's senses.

Her face turned as red as the lipstick she'd left on the filter as the meaning behind Lorenzo's words set in on her. He had to be flirting with her, there was nothing else that question could possibly mean, unless he was really that hesitant to wear a woman's clothes... But thinking back on the past two nights, the truth became clear: he was feeling the same things she was. He had to be! Or else, he really was the biggest tease she'd ever met.

Hayley loosened her grip on the towel and stubbed the half-finished cigarette out on the wall, letting it drop to the floor beside her. She raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, moving closer to the man in front of her. "I guess there is no rush," she ignored the moans of the undead contradicting her point. "But what are you waiting for?" she asked, looking down into Lorenzo's dark eyes with a look that said she wasn't talking about the clothes.

Her flushed face fueling his confidence, Lorenzo stepped closer to Hayley, until his bare feet bumped against hers and the rest of their bodies were mere inches apart. The smell of cheap grocery store soaps mingled with cigarette smoke and her own scent was intoxicating, sending his head swimming and goosebumps rising all across his skin. He smiled knowingly at her words, gaze meandering down her features to again rest at her scarlet mouth, tongue subconsciously darting out to moisten his own lips. He had wanted to let her call the shots, but the want he was feeling was too great to ignore any longer, so he could only hope to God that what he was about to do wouldn't backfire.

"I'm waiting for you to shut the fuck up,"

With his blunt words still hanging like the smoke in the air around them, Lorenzo closed the rest of the small distance between himself and Hayley, pressing against her until they both fell backwards against the grungy hallway wall. His hands found a resting point on her sharply curving hips, and using that as leverage, he craned his neck and pushed himself to face level with the taller woman. For a moment their gazes met, her pale visage softened through the dark eyelashes of his half-lidded eyes, before he allowed them to fall completely shut and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers with an almost desperate need.

It had been so long, he'd almost forgotten how nice it felt to kiss someone, and that extended absence made this particular one all the sweeter. But... did she feel the same way? As they parted, he pressed one last quick kiss against her full lower lip, before leaning back to gauge her reaction. Some of her lipstick had smeared around her mouth from the rough way he'd pushed against her, and a quick wipe of his own lips across the back of his hand confirmed his face was in much the same state. Still, he hoped he didn't look like too much of a fool for his actions.

Her head clouded by the kiss (or was it just the smoke?), Hayley found herself unable to form coherent thoughts. If she had been able to, she might've worried that Lorenzo was fucking with her, or thought to run to the bathroom to redo her now-smudged makeup. But as it was, she wrapped her arms around Lorenzo's shoulders, pressing her fingertips against the back of his head and pulling his face back to hers. She pressed her torso against his, shuddering at the feel of his skin warming hers and the cool water dripping onto her milky skin from his ebony hair.

Lorenzo's warmth seeped into Hayley's bones, making her feel for the first time that she wasn't empty. His scent intoxicated her and suspended the reality that threatened to crash down around them at any moment. She moved one hand to his cheek, feeling the scratch of his stubble as her fingers lightly caressed the man's sharp cheekbones. She pulled away just enough to speak, brushing her nose against his. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Relief flooded through him as her thin arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he relaxed into the hug with a grin, again wiping at the lipstick smudged across his mouth with one hand. So she wasn't as immune to his charm as he had originally thought...

"I don't know," he muttered in response, trying to remain focused on her question even as his eyes slowly drifted down the smooth curve of her throat. "We've been a little busy trying to survive, and up until last night I didn't think you really gave a fuck about anyone other than your dead boyfriend."

Carefully sliding his arms around Hayley's slight figure, Lorenzo pulled her closer against him and, unable to resist any longer, ducked his head to press his lips against the cool flesh on her neck. Kissing lightly upwards until he reached her jawline, he reluctantly leaned back to catch her gaze. "I don't wanna jump to conclusions though; you're not exactly the easiest person to read," he said, thick brows furrowing. "You are okay with this, right? I mean... we don't have to be anything more than you want to be, but... I'm the last guy in the whole city, maybe even on the fucking planet! Throw me a bone, for Christ's sake."

Shuddering at the feel of his lips, Hayley pressed herself up against Lorenzo close enough that their bodies held her towel up, and she moved her other hand to his hip. But as soon as he had began kissing her, he stopped and Hayley relaxed with a disappointed half-sigh.

"Have you ever thought..." Hayley ran a thin finger along his jawbone. "That maybe you're just awful at reading people?" she said with a smirk. Leaning in closer to Lorenzo, she followed the path of her finger with her tongue. She gently kissed his cheek, leaving faded a faded lipmark, then pressed her lips against his. She parted his lips with her tongue and flicked her tongue against his as she slowly turned the pair so her back was no longer pressed against the wall. Then she pulled back from Lorenzo so her towel would drop to the floor. "Is this a clear enough answer for you?"