by A. D. Ellis
Sighing heavily, she took the bait, but not before getting in her thoughts on the situation. “Zach, I know what we have is special and unique and not the same as other relationships.”
She paused, and he pictured her big green eyes watering. “But this really sucks. I just want you home, with me. I don’t want to think about how my calls may interrupt your sexcapades. I don’t want to keep telling Jason and the other guys that I’m not interested.”
When she paused after that statement Zach felt his heart bottom out.
“You don’t want to tell them you’re not interested? Are you interested? Pretty girl, I never wanted to hold you back. I won’t let you go easily, and I won’t like it at all, but if you want to date other guys it’s okay. It’s not fair of me to tell you not to. Except, I will tell you not to date Jason. He’s a douche bag.” Zach was adamant.
“No, Zach, that’s just it. I don’t want to date any of them. I’m just so tired of telling them no. I want you here at home so they all will just back off.” Zoey’s weariness was clear.
“One semester, Zoey Belle, that’s all we’ve got to get through. Then, I’ll be home and we can spend all the time together that we want.” Zach smiled into the phone thinking about being home and having her by his side.
“Oh! I almost forgot the reason I called. I’ve been keeping a secret from you until I knew it was all official.” She sounded so excited Zach couldn’t help but grin.
“I’m not sure I like secrets, Zo. What is it?” There was no way it was a bad secret or she wouldn’t have sounded so excited.
“I’m graduating high school a year early. So, when you guys come home, I’ll officially be out of school. I’m going to start taking classes here in town so I can become a certified personal trainer, and I’ll work at The Center+ when I’m not in class.”
“Zoey, I’m so proud of you. I knew you were hella smart, but I didn’t realize you’d been doubling up on classes so much that you could skip a whole year.”
“Well, I didn’t have to do much doubling. I tested out of quite a few. I’ve been working on getting out early since my eighth grade year, but I just found out today that I officially have all of my classes completed.”
“So, let me get this straight. We have about five months and then I’m home doing what I’ve always dreamed of, and I’ll have my favorite girl by my side? This is close to the best day of my life.”
“Only close to the best day of your life? Gee thanks!” Zoey laughed.
His voice lowered into a whisper, “Close to, because the best day of my life will be when I finally get to take you in my arms and kiss you.”
He heard her voice catch, “I can’t wait for that. I dream of it every day.”
“Hey, pretty girl, I’ve got an early class, so I better go. I’m so proud of you, and I can’t wait to be home and living my life with you.”
“I love you, Zach.”
“Love you too. Still my forever girl?” Zach husked out.
“Always your forever girl.”
**********
“Zach, it’s not your usual time to call. Is everything okay?” Her sweet voice filled the air, and he immediately felt more relaxed.
“Yeah, pretty girl, everything is fine. I’m studying for a really hard test, and I just wanted to hear your voice.”
She sighed into the phone.
“That’s so sweet. I’m glad you called.”
“I really can’t stay on the phone long, I just needed a five minute break and wanted to talk to you.” His voice held an edge of exhaustion.
“Call me anytime. Kick ass and take names on your test.” She giggled as she gave him the pep talk.
“Goodnight, pretty girl.”
**********
His phone trilled from the bedside table.
Rubbing bleary eyes he tried to focus on the clock.
1:00 a.m. Who would be calling at this time?
Immediately he realized it was Zoey’s ringtone. He’d fallen asleep studying for finals. Removing the book from his chest he rolled to the side and snatched his phone.
“Zoey Belle, what’s wrong?”
“Hiiiiiii, Zaaaach.” A fit of giggles erupted over the phone line.
“Zoey? What’s going on? Where are you?”
“I’m with Aly. We’re at a par-tay.”
“Zoey, are you drinking?”
“Nope.” Her lips popped on the p.
“Zoey…” His voice held a warning tone.
“Okaaaay, maaaybe I’ve been drinking just a tiiiiny bit.” Another eruption of giggles.
Rubbing his eyes, and trying to think with a level head, Zach got out of bed and walked to Decker’s room.
His cousin was up studying. He looked up with a confused look.
Mouthing quietly, Decker asked, “What’s up?”
Zach covered the phone and whispered, “Zoey’s at a party. She’s drinking with Aly. Call your dad and let him know he needs to go get Aly and Zoey. I don’t want to call my dad, he and mom will just worry too much. Calling Kyle and Josie may get Zoey in trouble. I think Uncle Nate is the best bet.”
In the few seconds it took to tell Decker what was going on Zoey had gotten very quiet on the phone.
“Zoey? Zoey Belle? What are you doing now? Who’s with you?” He attempted to keep his voice calm.
“Zach? Zach, I’m so tired of it all. Tired of being the smart girl. Tired of being the hometown girl. Tired of waiting on you to kiss me, like really kiss me.” She hiccupped.
“Hey pretty girl, as soon as I’m home, we’ll fix that.” He worried about her being drunk at a party if she was wanting kisses.
“Zoey, where’s this party?” He knew he needed to get an address for his uncle.
“It’s at Jason’s house. You remember Jason? Cute guy, wants me for my brains as much as my body.” Another giggle and hiccup.
“Can you believe he told me that? Zoey, you’re so smart. I’m in love with your brains as much as I’m in love with that tight-ass little body of yours. Yeah, and that’s supposed to make me want to date him?” She snorted.
While Zach attempted to control his temper there was muffled talking over the phone.
“Shut up, Aly. He’s not my cousin.” Zoey sounded close to tears.
“Zoey? Hey, why don’t you and Aly walk outside and get some fresh air.”
Since he’d made it his business long ago to know where Jason lived, he scribbled the address down and handed it to Decker.
“Zach? What if I’m a bad kisser, you only gave me a tiny kiss that one time? Maybe I should let the boys here kiss me for practice. Or sex? What about sex? You’ve had sex, but I haven’t. What if you find out I’m no good at it and you want to give up on me? I should have lots of sex with the boys at this party so I’m good at it by the time you get home. I can spread my legs just as well as these other girls.”
A slight beeping sound made its way to Zach’s brain as he fought off hyperventilation from what Zoey was saying.
“Zoey, what’s that sound, pretty girl?” Zach began to feel even more panicky.
“Beep, beep. It’s my battery. It’s almost dead. My phone wants to sleep.” A giggle. “Zach, I want to sleep too. I’m so tired.” Her voice faded and it sounded like she slid down a wall hitting the floor with a thump.
“Zoey? Zoey Belle? Uncle Nate is coming to get you and Aly. Stay where you are and don’t let anyone take you anywhere. Zoey?!”
The line had gone dead.
Cocking his arm back to throw his phone in frustration, he jumped in surprise when a hand grabbed his elbow.
“Man, you don’t want to do that.” Decker, calm as usual, forced Zach’s arm down.
“My dad is about five minutes away from the address you gave me. He’s going to stay on the phone and talk to us until he gets there, finds them, and has them safe in his car. You don’t want to bust your phone.” Decker put his phone on speaker.
Zach paced the room, silently cursing, while the
worst of the worst scenes played out in his mind. Zoey would never have said those things if she was sober. But she was drunk, and as far as he knew it was the first time she’d ever been drunk, so there was no telling what decisions she might make. He could only hope Nate found them in time.
About fifteen minutes later he almost wept in relief.
“Hey there Zoey, Aly. Why don’t we get in my car and I’ll take you both home.” Nate’s voice came through the phone line.
“There you go, upsy-daisy, I’ve got you.”
Zach could hear the concern in his uncle’s voice, but he also noticed he sounded slightly amused.
“Hey, boys, I’ve got them. They were just sitting on the front porch. There are about ten other kids passed out in the house. I’m going to load the girls up and get them home.” Nate filled them in as he helped the girls to the car.
“If they puke in my car, you two are chipping in to pay for the cleaning.” Nate chuckled.
“Uncle Nate?” Zoey’s miserable voice was heard over the line.
“Yeah, Zoey Belle?”
“I think I’m going to be sick…”
Zoey and Aly spent the next day suffering the consequences of drinking at the party by drowning in severe hangovers. They spent the next two weeks serving their consequences by cleaning the bathrooms at The Center+, even the hair from the shower drains.
Chapter 5
Zach and his cousins watched as the apartment they had called home for the last four years disappeared from view. Leaving campus for the last time, the four men were nostalgic and, at the same time, excited.
There had been both good and bad times in those four years. But, a day’s drive was all that stood between them and their futures. With the U-Haul loaded, and all four piled into Zach’s dark red Ford F-150 Raptor, they were grateful their other vehicles had been driven home after graduation by other family members. With four of them on the journey they’d each only have to drive about three hours.
Each man had fond memories of college, but knowing they were headed home to Torey Hope to see their dreams come to fruition, it was easy to catalog the memories under ‘good time’ and look ahead to bright futures.
Driving through Torey Hope brought smiles to their faces. They’d been home occasionally throughout college, but traveling the streets where they grew up and planned to settle down had them seeing things in a whole new light. As the truck pulled into the driveway of their grandparents John and Cindy Morgan, they each took in the sight before them.
“Aw, man, look; they hung a banner out for us.” Sawyer spoke softly.
All four turned to look out the windows of the truck; the words WELCOME HOME blurred slightly in four sets of eyes as they blinked back tears.
The homecoming was emotionally charged, but happier than their other visits through the years because this time they were staying put. Hugs, kisses, and tears flowed abundantly.
After a tear-filled bear hug, Zach patted his father, Nicky, on the back and assured him he wasn’t leaving again. Turning at the squeal of delight he heard from behind him, Zach opened his arms to welcome Zoey into them. Picking her up around the waist and swinging her around, he hugged her close. “Zoey Belle, girl, I’ve missed you so much.”
She buried her head in his neck and breathed deep.
“Zach, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’re home, I need you here with me. We can talk about it more later, but I’m just really glad to have you here again.” Zach raised a questioning eyebrow at her words, but more welcomes and hugs were being given and the subject was dropped for a while.
After a dinner of Chinese takeout that reminded Zach of the old days, he and Zoey headed out for a walk. They spoke of random things as they meandered through town. Zach had her giggling at his play-by-play of Decker’s recent break-up, and Kendrick’s sexual escapades during their time away.
They discussed their ideas and plans for sharing the job of fitness instructor at The Center+. Since Zoey had graduated early she was available to teach several classes each week as long as they worked around her college classes.
“I’m so proud of you, Zoey. Graduating early, already working on your degree to become a personal trainer. What types of classes are you taking?” Zach asked, genuinely interested, but also attempting to avoid the emotional tension growing between them.
“Well, I’m either taking or will be taking classes in nutrition, exercise physiology and kinesiology.” Zoey took the bait, though Zach knew she recognized his avoidance. “And working at The Center+ will help me because I can earn hours toward my certification. I’m also going to become a certified Pilates instructor; Uncle Nate said the new mixed martial arts instructor he’s hoping to hire is also certified in Pilates, so maybe the new guy can help me out.”
They reached the local park and slowed in a grove of trees. A huge boulder was positioned perfectly for sitting in a secluded location. Climbing on the rock and patting the seat beside him, Zach invited Zoey to sit.
“So, what will be on your agenda once you get started at work?” Zoey’s interest was real, but he knew she was taking her cues from him and avoiding talk of anything serious.
“Well, Decker is going to get an assistant manager hired. All of us are going to work out which classes to offer and schedules; we’ll work closely with Mom, Aunt Libby, and Aunt Audrey to get all of that planned. Kendrick will start building the foundation for his sports teams. Sawyer and your mom will be working closely with the new MMA instructor on the new arts program; I’ll be assisting with that a lot because we’re wanting to combine a lot of the arts and fitness programs. Hopefully you’ll be able to attend some meetings and help with decision making.” Zach leaned over and bumped her shoulder with his. “I’ll also be drumming up funds through our advertising partners as well.”
“I want to be involved in as much as I can be. I’ve been waiting four very long years for you guys to get back here and move The Center+ towards the vision you have for it.”
With a slight sigh Zoey leaned her chin and arms on her pulled-up knees.
“What is it, pretty girl?” Zach’s fingers grazed her cheek.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.” Zoey whispered.
“Just talk to me, do your best, we’ll figure it out together.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Taking a deep breath Zoey began. “Having you climb out of your truck today, knowing you were home for good was the best feeling in the world. Except it was also the most disappointing and scary moment I’ve had in a long time.”
When Zach’s face crinkled in confusion Zoey smiled and continued. “See, I told you it’s hard to explain.”
“Go on.”
“Ever since I hugged you today, I’ve been trying to pinpoint my uneasiness. For four years I’ve pinned my every hope and dream on you coming home and us finally being able to be together. Every time I’ve learned of your dates or more intimate moments I’ve been able to shake it off because of our age and waiting on this moment. But, now that you’re here, I’m worried that we’ve grown apart. I’m not experienced at all when it comes to boys; I know you didn’t ask me to, but I pretty much ignored most other guys because they weren’t you. But, you’re older, more experienced. Even if you still want to be with me like you promised four years ago, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be a good match. You’ve been my best friend and protector since the moment I was born, what if that’s all we’re meant to be?”
Zoey raised teary eyes to look directly at him before she glanced away.
“I guess, as bad as the four years of waiting were, I could at least pretend everything was going to work out for us. But now that you’re home, I have to face the very real possibility that we’ve drifted away from those long-ago promises.”
Moving abruptly so he could pull her close to his chest, Zach kissed the top of her head. “I hear what you’re saying, I do. But, I think you need to know some things before you doubt what we have. Yes, I’ve had
a few sexual encounters between high school and college. More often than not though, I’d settle for oral sex and then feign exhaustion and send the girl on her way.”
When Zoey scrunched her brows in confusion, he continued.
“I just never could get into it very much. Do you know why?”
Zoey just shook her head.
“Because I was thinking of a beautiful green-eyed girl keeping my heart warm back in Torey Hope.” He wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his nose in her hair.
“Zoey, I told you that last night in your room, you stole a piece of my heart the moment you wrapped your little hand around my finger. I could no more move on from you, from us, than I could stop breathing. There’s no way we won’t be a match, we’re soul mates, meant to be together.”
His finger reached out to gently lift her chin, turning her face to look at him.
“How many kisses have you had, pretty girl?”
As he spoke, his mind and heart were at war.
She’s still just seventeen, man. Reel it in.
She’ll be eighteen in a very short time, she’s mature enough to have a kiss.
Sure, a kiss from someone her age, but not a kiss from a twenty-two year old.
Her next words pulled him from his thoughts and sealed his decision.
“Two or three aside from the one from you, but none of those others were very good. I really didn’t see what the big deal is.” Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks.
Leaning in, his lips hovering just above her sweet mouth, he whispered, “Well, we’ll just have to change that.”
His mouth feathered kisses along hers. When his tongue ghosted along her bottom lip, she gasped, and he was done for. Threading both hands into her hair, holding the back of her head, he deepened the kiss.
Her arms came up and snaked around his neck, pulling him closer.
Letting his tongue dance along the seam of her lips, he begged an invitation all the while knowing she’d be smart to stop him before things got too heated on his first night home.
But she didn’t stop him. A moan from the back of her throat sounded as she opened to his request. Their tongues played a sweet game of hide-and-seek before he pulled back, holding her face in his large hands and breathing heavily.
