A to Z

Chapter 13- Zoe Faye : In Detail

Chapter 13- Zoe Faye: In Detail

(Still in Aiden's POV ;) )

We decided to walk north. Well, what Zoe thought was north anyway. (We probably weren't walking north at all but Zoe insisted she was right. Apparently, she was right because she had seen a cartoon that said something about walking north, moss and trees.) Seeing as I hadn't a better idea, I shrugged and fell into step with her.

The sun shone above us, high and hot. Clearly, it didn't know it was winter yet. Not that I was complaining. It was better to be sweaty and tired than shivering in the cold, especially with the clothes Zoe was wearing, but we were dehydrated. I hadn't had water since the morning we set off and neither of us could ignore the rumbling aches of our stomach and the constant soreness at the back of our throats. Neither of us mentioned it though.

While we walked, we talked. At first, we walked at a steady pace but I soon realised Zoe couldn't keep up and she was too stubborn too complain. So we slowed down and instead, walked at a leisurely stroll.

We talked quite a lot too. With no one other than each other, we easily fell into conversation. The awkward baby shampoo debacle had had a profound effect on us. We could be classified as friends now.

We bonded over Alexander, or Alex, as Zoe kept reminding me. She asked me about him but whatever I said, she already knew. She just liked to laugh fondly at her Alex, the one she knew so well, as seen through someone else's eyes. She told me about their adventures through nursery, through primary school and through high school. I could see the way she talked about him. Her eyes lit up, she had a spring in her step, she giggled at her own happy memories of them together, and yet she was oblivious to it all. Her obvious love for him. She really couldn't see what was staring her in the face. I, for one, didn't or couldn't understand. I wasn't sure if I wanted to either.

"... wearing a tube top walked up to us and asked if I wanted a good time. Alex went absolutely crazy-"

Zoe stopped abruptly and her hands fell limp to her sides. She was in the middle of a hilarious story where she had inadvertently attracted a male prostitute. But she had stopped, with an almost pained expression on her face. Zoe cleared her throat and laughed awkwardly.

"I've been talking for ages. You should've stopped me." Again, her awkward laugh.

She stopped talking about Alex and I knew he wouldn't be brought up again.

"Tell me about you." She asked brightly.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, with a slight smile.

"Anything." She answered simply.

I rolled my eyes and answered sarcastically. "Well that really clears things up."

Zoe laughed lightly. She did that a lot. I had thought she was naturally an angry person. I realised, I had thought wrong. She was exactly the opposite.

"Ok. I'll ask you a random question, and you answer. Simple."

"Fine. Shoot." I answered, hands tucked into my pockets.

"Cats or dogs?" She asked immediately. She didn't pause to think of a question at all.

I turned to stare at her, an eyebrow raised as if to say, 'really?'

"Cats or dogs?" I repeated, amused.

Zoe seemed insulted, seeming to think I was mocking her question choice. "Yeah cats or dogs! It says a lot about a person." She gave me a knowing look.

I snorted.

"OK. Dogs." I answered, shrugging.

Zoe's eyes lit up, as if she had just discovered the secrets of the universe. "Oooh, interesting."