by Jean Haus
Happily Ever After?
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 by Jean Haus
All right reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
~1~
Paige
Before Zach I would have imagined my senior prom totally different. The label on my dress and shoes would have been important. The number of guys checking me out and the jealous looks from other girls would have decided how well the night was going. I would have shared snide comments and giggles with my former best friend, Amanda, about ugly dresses and lanky boys whose tuxedos didn’t fit. I have to admit my immature past is somewhat embarrassing. Okay, maybe really embarrassing. Yet when I’m with Zach, nothing matters but us.
Right now, we’re dancing and he’s holding me so tight it’s kind of hard to breathe. I don’t care about breathing. I’m always happy on cloud ten or eleven or twelve or whatever number in his arms. As usual, he smells divine. Like the woods after a long, clean rain. Ode la essence of Zach. Bottle that puppy, make candles, air freshener, scratch and sniff stickers, or anything. I’d be the number uno customer.
The slow, sweet song comes to an end and I feel the warm brush of his lips against my temple. A melancholy sigh escapes me. My fingers tighten on his shoulders. “It’s moments like these when I don’t want to go.”
“Paige,” he says with exasperation and gently pushes me back by the shoulders. The flashing lights above make shadows on his sculpted face and catch the blue of his narrowed eyes.
My fingers grip the lapels of his tux. The back of my hand crushes his boutonniere. “I know. I know. I have to go. I want to go. I’m just going to miss you so much.”
A fast song starts but he doesn’t move. He stoops and presses his forehead to mine. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about this tonight.”
I frown. “You’re right. I’m sorry, just thinking aloud I suppose.”
My fellow students move around, jostle, and bump into us.
He shakes his head and smiles crookedly. I love his smile. “One day that thinking with your mouth is going to get you in trouble.”
My frown curls into a grin. “It got me you didn’t it?”
He lets out a laugh. “Well I don’t count. To me you’re irresistible.” He grabs my hand and spins me around in a circle. We clap like Spanish dancers around each other. Laughing, we change course plug our noses and shimmy down like sixty hippies. The end of the song gets finished with the running man. We’d never win a dance competition. And we are such dorks sometimes. I used to be terrified of being anything less than cool. With Zach, I’m always just me. The real person he inspired me to find deep within. Usually that person is upbeat but the present moment is a bit bittersweet. We laugh and have fun and pretend I’m not leaving for Finland for four weeks in two days.
The next song, another slow one and the last of the evening, has Zach’s arms around me again. I bury my face in his shirt and fight the urge to cry. What a mental case I’ve become laughing one minute then on the verge of tears the next. My fingers dig into the muscles of his back. Get a grip, Paige. It’s only four weeks. Twenty-eight days. 624 hours. 40,320 minutes. I haven’t figured out the seconds yet. I’m sure while in Finland I will. We’ve been going out for a little over three months. One month is over a third of that time.
Pulled in from a goofy roll away from him, I stifle a groan into his chest. I’ve suddenly become good at math. Who knew?
I’ve been given the chance of a lifetime. Though a minor role, Valkyrie is a major film. I’ll be working with several big actors. And the movie will be seen by millions of people. This could be my break out role. Even if it isn’t, I’m pretty sure it will lead to more jobs. A real career. Something I thought would take years to build. But going on location and leaving Zach has my insides twisting.
We haven’t been apart for more than a week since our first date. And that week? It was when I went with my family to visit my grandparents in Arizona. It’s not like I had a choice because if I did, I wouldn’t have gone.
The song comes to an end and I lift my head from his chest. Beyond his shoulder I catch a glimpse of someone watching us with narrowed eyes. I rear back and Amanda spins away. My heart beats as her glittery form slips through a crowd of people. Ever since I threatened exposing her many ugly secrets, she’s left me alone. The look I just caught in her eye—the evil eye I remember—bodes more than revenge. It’s bodes annihilation. I swallow the dry lump in my throat. Perhaps it’s a good thing I’m leaving in two days.
“Hey,” Zach says with a palm to my cheek. He gently turns my head. “You okay?”
The worry in his eyes forces a smile to my lips. “I’m good.” I grab his hand. “Let’s go.”
The concern doesn’t leave his handsome face, but he allows me to pull him into the throng of departing students.
“Hey Paige, you guys going to Shane’s after party?” Ally Parker, one of my fellow drama geeks, asks as we pass.
“Not tonight. We have other plans. Just us.” Usually I drag Zach to all my drama buddy’s parties. With games and food and the occasional karaoke song, they’re actually fun. So different than the parties I attended for most of high school. With my departure looming, I just want some alone time with Zach. “But tell everyone we said hi.”
“Alright. You two have a great night,” she says with a grin and a wink before taking off to join her boyfriend waiting ahead.
Zach and I look at each other then burst out laughing. Almost everyone we’ve talked to when hearing we plan on being alone has gotten kind of weird. Like it’s obvious we’re going to have sex because it’s prom. We’re not. We talk about it. I’m beyond in love with him. I’m just not ready. We agreed to take it slow and build our relationship on more than just the physical. Boyfriend less for most of high school I’m not the most experienced girl. Well, sometimes I feel ready. Like at the sight of his muscled body dripping with pool water or when he kisses that spot behind my ear as his fingertips create hot trails across my skin. Um yeah, just thinking about that has me pulling him faster through the throng of students.
Outside, the door creaks as he opens the passenger side of his car for me. Though old and dented, he refuses to drive mine—an almost new shiny convertible. And I could care less. I love his car. It reminds me of him with its hula girl stuck to the dashboard, the ever-present pile of library books piled in the backseat, and the mounds of notebooks everywhere filled with his writing.
Zach drives to our favorite place, one of those spots looking out over the twinkling city from above, while I pull off my heels and slip into a pair of flip-flops. After pulling onto a dusty road, we park feet from the ledge. Zach sheds his jacket and tie then spreads a blanket on the hood. I find the list of music I made especially for tonight and set my iPhone next to a wiper. We open two glass bottled Cokes and crawl on the car. Lying back on the windshield, Zach wraps an arm around me and pulls me to him. He lifts his Coke. “Shall we make a date in four weeks? Same place?”
Resisting the melancholy that tries to overwhelm me, I clink my bottle with his. “I can’t wait.”
We both take a sip. A slow love song plays as we gaze at the lights below. The breeze in the air ruffles the sheer gauze of my dress. He catches a piece of the skirt and rubs it between his fingers. “Your mom went picture crazy at your house then traffic almost had us late for dinner.” He leans away a bit and his eyes lock on mine. “I never g
ot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”
I can’t help a smile. Though Zach’s told me many times he thinks I’m beautiful, a warm glow fills me at his words. “Thank you,” I say, snuggling closer to him. “I must admit I looked better with your gorgeous self on my arm.” Zach in a tux was beyond hot. A young 007 couldn’t compete with his dark hair, striking eyes, and tall form.
His chest rumbles with laughter. “Oh, I don’t know about that. More than half the guys there were wishing I wasn’t on your arm.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes and take a sip of soda. Other guys are meaningless to me. Though our coming separation weighs heavily on my mind, I find something else to talk about. I don’t want to be a bummer. Especially tonight. “Have you made a decision about becoming a full time trainer?”
He shakes his head. “ Drake’s still looking for another roommate, but if we don’t find one soon, I may not have a choice.”
My lip curls. “Well that stinks.”
His shirt creases against the skin of my cheek as he shrugs. “I’ll do what it takes.”
I let out a long sigh and rub the cool glass of my drink against my forehead. These last few months have been so happy and carefree. Now he has moved out of his parent’s house and I’m off to another country. This growing up stuff is really what stinks. Me with my career. Him with school and work. Everything in our lives is pulling us apart.
Zach sets his Coke down with a clank then reaches for mine. Another clank on the hood sounds over the music. He tilts my chin up with a knuckle. Those blue eyes catch mine. “Distance, time, responsibility…none of those things will keep us apart, Paige.” His gaze travels over my face. “We’re meant to be together. Since you kissed me awake, I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
My smile is weak. My sigh loud.
Shaking his head, he sits up straight, puts a hand over his chest, and looks over the valley. His profile is tight and serious. “Our love is like pliable super glue,” he says in deep voice similar to a movie announcer. “It can stretch between us, blow in the wind, even suspend from a cliff, but it will never break, never tear, and will always stay together.” A giggle escapes me at his cheesy writer crap and even worse acting. He frowns down at me. His hand tightens on the front of his shirt. “Woe is me. I wax poetically and she laughs.”
My fingers tangle in his silky, dark hair. “Good thing you’re planning on be a novelist. I’m not sure you’d make it as a poet.”
He chuckles. “Oh ye of little faith. As my muse one day, I’ll astound you with an ode to Paige.”
With a light tug on his hair, I pull him closer. “Just kiss me, Shakespeare.”
“Your wish is my command.” Both of his hands cup my face and his mouth covers mine. As always, his kiss has my head swimming.
Soon our legs are wrapped together and we’re scooting down the hood. Lying on our sides with the soft blanket and hard metal underneath us, we kiss again. His mouth moves over mine. His fingers caress the bare skin of my shoulders. My hands tug on his shirt until the bunched muscles of his back are under my palms. The kiss deepens. The tangle of our legs tightens.
The kiss turns frantic before Zach pulls away, drops his head on my shoulder, and groans into my neck. “Four fucking weeks without you.”
I jerk back to look at him but he holds me tight. “I knew it. I knew you were as tore up about this as me,” I say into his hair.
“Of course I am.” He lets out a deep exhale that warms my skin. “Shit Paige, I won’t be able to kiss or touch you for almost thirty days.”
And I thought I was the only one counting. “Maybe—maybe I shouldn’t go.”
He groans into my neck again before drawing back to look at me. “Are you kidding me? This is your big chance. You just finished your exams and graduated early. They’re expecting you. You’ll ruin your professional reputation before it’s even made if you don’t go.”
With a long sigh, he sits up and pulls me between his legs. My back rests against his chest. We face the twinkling lights again. He rests his chin on my shoulder and his arms wrap around me. “You’re going.” He kisses behind my ear in the spot that always brings a little shudder. Knowing it, he grins against my skin as my body trembles. “Being apart is going to suck, but I’m not holding you back.”
He’s right. I have to go. I already signed the contract. My arms wrap around his and our fingers entwine. “I don’t think suck is a strong enough word.”
~2~
Zach
Done loading her luggage, I watch Paige hug her family goodbye before their monstrosity of a house. Her mother started crying so now Paige is crying. Great. That definitely means I’ll get the water works later. And as miserable as I’m feeling about her leaving, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle her tears like a man. Shit, she’ll have me crying like a girl at a chic flick.
While I lean against the hood of my beater and concentrate on keeping composed, her little sister wanders over to me with her flip-flops slapping on the cement of the driveway.
Hands behind her back Emily smiles at me shyly. “We’re still doing something on Saturdays right?”
Her expression looks so hopeful I rear back with a hand clutched to my chest. “You have to ask? I wouldn’t miss our Saturday nights for anything.” Well, except if I could afford to visit Paige but Emily doesn’t need to know that.
Her little nose wrinkles. “You should leave the acting to Paige.”
I can’t help a laugh from escaping. “You’re right but with Paige gone, I’ll be bored out of my mind, especially on Saturday.”
She leans closer to me, tugs the bottom of my shorts, and says lowly, “I don’t think we should do sushi that might upset her.”
“You’re probably right,” I say with a nod. My girlfriend has a serious thing for sushi.
Paige comes and stands behind Emily with her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “What are you two up to?”
“Just talking about our next date,” Emily says with a grin.
Paige frowns. “Ugh. I don’t want to hear about you guys having fun without me.”
I glance at the time on my phone. If I don’t get her out of here, she will miss her flight. A limo would have picked her up, but Paige wanted me to drive her. “You ready?”
She nods before giving Emily one last hug. After a wave to her family, we speed down the lane and pass the gates that lead into their driveway. In the car, Paige is quiet, but her red eyes speak volumes. I’m silent too as I drive through her neighborhood. I’m afraid to speak. Words might lead her to lose it more. Then I’ll lose it.
She lets out a sigh as I turn onto the expressway ramp. “I know I’m acting like a complete idiot. I’ve just never been away from home before without my family.”
My brows rise. “Never?”
Her head shakes as her fingers twist in her long brown, sun-streaked hair.
“Not even like camp?”
“Nope. A few sleepovers in middle school is about it. Suppose I’m a major homebody.”
I should have guessed this. I’d known even lying in a coma and listening to her talk behind her fake sophistication was just a sweet, lonely girl. “Once you start working you’ll be too busy to be homesick.”
“Geez.” Her head hits the seat. “I hope so or this is going to be four long weeks.” We pass a sign for the airport and Paige mumbles, “Maybe you should just drop me off instead of going in.”
The despondency in her voice has me glancing at her. From the quiver of her bottom lip and the tight clasp of her hands, I realize she doesn’t want to lose it inside the airport, but just leaving her on the curb feels like abandonment. However, I always try to respect her wishes. “You sure?”
She shakes her head yes and watches a plane fly overhead.
My fingers grip the plastic of the steering wheel. This is tougher for her than me. She’s going into the unknown. And knowing how hard it is for me, it has to be damn hard for her.
Hands twis
t in her lap as we enter the airport lane. When we pass the signs for long and short-term parking, Paige blurts out, “Just park and walk me in.”
My lips press into a line so I don’t let out a smile. “Okay, sounds good.”
In the parking garage, we each take a rolling bag from the trunk. Still quiet, Paige slips a pair of sunglasses over her red-rimmed eyes. She checks her luggage in at the curb and we proceed inside. Other than taking my hand, she’s a robot.
Near the line security line she finally turns to me. “Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays right?”
With her halfway across the world working and me going to school and working, she’s referring to the schedule we set up for calls. I nod. “Eleven o’clock for you and one for me. I’ll be waiting each day. And don’t forget we can always email and text.”
She scowls. “Ugh. Our relationship reduced to texting.”
“One month, Paige.” I push the glasses up on her head. That we’re both so worked up about her leaving seems ridiculous. It doesn’t feel ridiculous. It feels real. But I’m trying to be strong for her. “In one month, you’ll be home.”
“I know.” Her smile is sad. Her lovely caramel colored eyes even sadder.
Her expression is destroying me. I check my phone then pull her close. “You’ve got to get going,” I say above her before leaning down. I’d meant for the kiss to be light. Instead, she clings to me, digs her fingers into my neck, and devours my lips. Even in middle of the airport with people walking past us, I can’t stop myself from responding. Damn. Paige in my arms—under my mouth—nothing feels better. Unwanted resolve has me ripping my lips from hers. “Do you want to miss your flight?”
“No.” She buries her head into my shoulder. “I’m just having a hard time letting go.”
I hug her tight and breathe in the intoxicating sent of her shampoo and perfume. Though carved into my memory, I’m even going to miss the scent of her. I don’t want her to go. “You need to go.”
