AFTER THERE'S YOU // ZESSA

Chapter 34: Taco Burrito Shack

"So, you're going where with who?" Zed asks with a smile, standing in my bedroom doorway while I change out of my work clothes and throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"I'm meeting Hanya at Taco Burrito Shack for dinner," I say, running a brush through my hair while rushing around the room to find my white sneakers. "And then later Stephanie is meeting me there to talk about... something, I'm not sure what but she said it was important," I say, finally spotting my shoes under my bed.

"Well, dinner with Hanya will be fun, but I haven't even heard from Stephanie in a while. Is this the first time she's talked to you?" he asks, sitting on my bed while watching me get ready.

"Yeah, it's weird. I mean, I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to her after she didn't believe me the night Hardin... well, you know," I say, sitting next to him on the bed. Looking at the clock and seeing it's already 5:45pm, I shove my feet into my shoes as fast as I can.

"Crap," I mutter, "I'm going to be late. Hanya went straight to the restaurant after work because she doesn't care about getting her work clothes 'covered in delicious cheese sauce from the God's' as she says, but I don't want to ruin mine," I explain, grabbing my purse and heading for the door.

"Well, have fun tonight," Zed says, walking out of my bedroom while I follow closely behind him. "And if you're free afterward, you are more than welcome to come over and let me go down on you," he says slyly, biting his lip before he opens the front door.

"Zed," I blush, playfully hitting his chest.

"Sure," I whisper, embarrassed by his blunt offer and my more than willing response.

"Great, see you then," he replies, his voice husky and a tad mischievous, before leaning down to kiss me.

It is a quick kiss, but it sends a wave of heat through my body - the prospect of tonight in his bed heavy on my thoughts. I watch him walk towards the stairs to his apartment, almost wishing I could have just a few extra minutes with him, while I head to the elevator.

-

"Ugh, I am so jealous of you right now," Hanya gushes, sipping her second, very large margarita of the night.

"Why? I mean you and Nik seem to be hitting it off pretty great," I reply, sipping my water as I'm still too young to drink and this place asks for ID.

"Well, yeah, but I mean we aren't at the, professing our love to each other over amazing sex, level of great," she says, raising her eyebrows and smiling widely at me. "That is some fairytale shit. Well, minus the part where you didn't say it back. Is he, like, cool with that whole situation?"

I think back to that night, how Zed exclaimed his love to me before falling to my chest.

"I think he is okay with hit, actually," I answer truthfully, "he has never pressured me into anything. And he knows I need more time than he does to sort through emotions like those. So, I think he was just letting me know how he is feeling and giving me as much time as I need to process it."

Taking a bite of what is left of my taco dinner, I can't help but smile at the realization I've just had while explaining my feelings about Zed. Zed loves me, truly. He doesn't expect anything more from me, even if I can't promise I love him back. That is the kind of character I want in a man, maybe even a future husband.

Just then, I feel my phone vibrate in my purse next to me. I quickly check it while Hanya scrapes what's left of the queso dip from the bowl using only her finger. She said she was a savage when it came to Mexican food - she wasn't lying.

Steph: Almost there, the text reads.

Already? She wasn't supposed to come until 9pm. Glancing at the clock on my phone, I see it's 8:54pm. Wow, time really does fly when you're gossiping about boys and swapping sex stories. Looking around the restaurant, I see there are only a handful of patrons left this late on a Monday night.