Falling for a Superhero

Chapter Fifteen-"The Lion and the Zebra"

"Sure," I said, only to make him believe I didn't trust him. "But no motorcycle."

"Aw..." Jem mumbled.

"Maybe some other time," Dastan winked to Jem. Before I could say anything, he looked to me. "I'm just gonna take my bike home and grab my car. By the time I get back you two should be dressed and ready to go."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, somehow. He left shortly after Jem ran excitedly upstairs to his room, and it's a good thing he did because I was hit with a realization when I got to my room. Dastan just lured me into spending the day with him by using my little brother. Great.

I watched Dastan zoom off with his Harley before I started to get dressed. When I walked out of my bathroom, ten minutes later in a cute yet casual outfit, I noticed something hanging from my window. A note.

I pulled it off and looked around, only to see a stylish black truck parked along the street that I'd never seen before. I pried my eyes away from it, assuming it was Dastan's, and then opened the note.

I'm giving you a fair warning that includes three words: I. Saved. Cheyenne. Be prepared for the ranting -P

Great. That means when the time is inconvenient like usual, Cheyenne will talk my ear off about Proliator saving her. However, I laughed at the fact that Proliator left me this silly note.

I folded it up and shoved it into my purse that I grabbed on my way out, only to notice that Dastan was waiting downstairs with Jem. I reached for my phone that was on the dining room's counter and Dastan raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't have a new phone," he commented. I completely forgot. He was there when it broke and I had lied when he needed my number for Journalism. But that didn't really matter because he had texted my old number (however he got it) since then.

"Guess I do..." I said, awkwardly.

"She got it as a gift from some mystery person," Jem blurted.

"Jem!" I hissed.

"Hmm," Dastan said, walking over to take it out of my hand. He pressed the screen a few times and then handed it back to me. I questioned what he did, but didn't check my phone. I mean, I rarely used it anyways.

"Can we go now?" Jem whined. I shot him a look.

"Calm down, kiddo. It's only ten minutes away," Dastan actually laughed. The curves in his smile gave him a new youth that I loved to see. However, I never really did because he was always having a need to be a bastard around me.

"Sorry. He hasn't really been to a zoo since our mom died," I said, trying to produce an assuring smile.

"It's fine," Dastan nodded with a composure that said 'it's alright. I understand'.

"Let's gooooooooooo," Jem cried out. Suddenly, Dastan tore his gaze away from me and swooped up Jem over his shoulder and started running out of the house and I heard Jem's bouncy fits of laughter go down the stairs. I only rolled my eyes playfully as I locked the door and took the elevator.

***

"So how long has it been since your mother died?" Dastan asked me in a soft voice. We were now sitting on a bench at the zoo eating ice cream and watching Jem waltz through the petting zoo. The joy in his eyes proved that he missed the animals in the comforts of our farm...he wasn't the only one.

"When I was about...ten," I answered, eating a spoonful of ice cream. This was the first time anyone here, in New York, besides Cheyenne asked me about my mom.