Since When

Chapter Thirty

Before we begin this chapter, can I just say that I am unbelievably happy? I mean, this is chapter 30 for Pete's sake! I made it to chapter thirty and didn't give up!! Yay! Anyway, sorry. Enjoy the chapter. ;)

When I got home, I told mom about Lilly and Charlie. She was happy to hear that Charlie isn't alone. And trust me, I was too. I also told her about Zeke. We sat at the table. Dad was sitting beside mom and across from me, reading a newspaper.
"Well, are you going to?" She asked me. I shrugged. I felt like I should. It wasn't his fault. But then again... I also felt like he cheated.
"I don't know. I mean, yeah. It wasn't his fault. But, he shouldn't have gotten drink, you know?" I asked. She looked at my father and nodded.
"I know." She honestly replied.
"I think you should give him another chance." Dad said. He set his newspaper down and stared at me. I shrugged again.
"I don't know..." I trailed off.
"Let me ask you this. Were you happy with him?" Mom asked. I looked up at her like she was crazy.
"Yes, I was." I told her. She nodded.
"And... was he happy with you?" She asked. I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"I like to think so." I commented. She got a sly grin.
"Yeah? Did his friends like you?" She asked me.
"Yeah. Well, Danny does. And Scott. Davis does, too. Oh yeah, so does Tyler." I said. I felt happy when I realized that was all of the guys he hung out with now. Mom and dad shared a look.
"I need to use the bathroom." Mom stated. I nodded and dad had a mischievous look on his face. Once mom was gone, dad and I kept talking about Zeke.
"So, if he makes you happy. And you made him happy. And his friends like you. And it wasn't his fault... don't you think you should give him another chance?" He asked. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Looking at my dad, I realized how much we have in common. We have the same nose. We run a hand through our hair when we're stressed. We think the same things about certain stuff. And, we both break under pressure. I looked at him. He had an eyebrow raised, and his lips were turned up in a challenging grin.
"When you put it that way, yeah. I guess I should. But, I don't know if I want to." I lied. Dad knew I lied. He blew raspberry.
"Whatever. You like Zeke and you know it. You want him to be your boyfriend. And, if I'm gonna be honest, so do I. Your mother does, too." He said. We eyed each other for a few seconds. I threw my arms up in defeat.
"Fine. You're right." I surrendered.
"How long does mom need to be in there? What is she doing?" I wondered aloud. Dad shrugged and picked up his newspaper again. I grabbed my phone and started playing Word Cookie. (A/N That game is really addicting. xD) When mom finally came back in, she had a suppressed smile on her face.
"So... do you two want some hot chocolate?" She asked us. I looked up fromy phone and nodded.
"Uh, yeah sure." I replied. Dad hummed in agreement. Mom grabbed four mugs. I stood up to help her with the hot chocolate.
"Why the extra mug?" I asked. She looked at me and someone knocked on the door.
"I got it." I told her. She nodded and continued working on the drinks. I went to the door and opened it. There stood Zeke in a pair of jeans, a light blue shirt and a black coat. Snow flakes were stuck in his hair. His gold eyes seemed to stand out on his face.
"Zeke?" I asked. His lips turned up.
"Yes?" He asked. I felt my brows furrow.
"Uh, come on in." I opened the door wider. He stepped beside me and leaned his head next to mine, so our cheeks were pressed together. His was freezing.
"Thank your mom." He whispered in my ear. When he pulled away, I felt confused. Thank my mom? What? I closed the door and followed Zeke into the kitchen. Suddenly, I knew what he meant. The long bathroom break. The extra mug. And now Zeke showing up on my door step. I walked over to my mom and helped her. Zeke sat with dad and chatted about nothing, really.
"So... you called Zeke." I muttered low, so Zeke couldn't hear me. She didn't look up from the two steaming mugs she was working on. I had the other two.
"I don't know what your talking about." She replied. I scoffed.
"We will talk about it later." I whispered. She looked at me and smiled. She looked so young and happy. I shook my head and returned her smile. We brought the mugs to the table. She handed one of her two to dad and kept the other one. I handed Zeke one of mine and sat beside him, keeping my distance. I told him I would think about getting back together again. I took a sip of my drink as Zeke conversed with my parents. Dad laughed at something Zeke said and mom just smiled. I finished my drink while they talked. When I got up to put my cup up, I caught dad's eye. He nodded his head once and I rolled my eyes. I turned my back to them and rubbed my eyes. This was very confusing. Finally, I turned back to them.
"Zeke. Can I talk to you?" I asked. I was taken aback. I basically growled at him. He nodded and stood up. He told my parents thanks for the hot chocolate and followed me to my room. Once we were in my room, I faced Zeke.
"Mom called you." I exclaimed. He nodded and sat in my seat by my desk.
"Yeah. She did." He grinned. I sat on my bed.
"So... have you thought about it?" He asked. I gave him a look.
"What? I was just wondering." He chuckled.
"Yes. I have. I don't know if I want to Zeke." I said hesitantly. He looked at me.
"Why?" He asked. I smiled sadly.
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked. He shook his head and stood up.
"No, Ray. It's not. And I would really lime it if you cleared it up for me." He said seriously.
"Zeke. Rebecca took advantage of you because of me." I threw out a lame excuse. He scoffed.
"You really think that? Ray, I want you to be my girlfriend." He pleaded.
"Why? So you can tell me sweet nothings? So I can worry about other girls chasing after you? So I can be told that you are only dating me because of sympathy?" I asked, on the brink of tears. He looked at me with a strange look on his face.
"No, Ray. Because... I love you, Rachel. You know that. I know that. Hell, Charlie even knew that! I want you to be my girlfriend because I did nothing wrong. I want you to be my girlfriend because I love you. God dammit, Ray." He breathed. I looked at him. He was slumped with exhaustion. I stood up and walked over to him. He look up at me from my chair. I put my hand on his still cool cheek. He turned his head into my palm and sighed.
"I love you, baby." He whimpered. I crouched down to my knees.
"I love you, too, Zeke." I told him. He closed his eyes and smiled.
"It feels good to hear you say that." He told me. I smiled along with him.
"Fine." I said. His eyes flew open.
"Seriously? You'll be my girlfriend... again?" He asked. I nodded. He chuckled and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.
"I have to tell you something." He whispered into my hair.
"Hmm?" I asked. I closed my eyes and curled my arms around his neck. I turned my head into the side of his neck and breathed in his smell. He stood up so my feet didn't touch the ground. He had his arms around my waist when he told me.
"I told someone. I went to the station and told someone. They have dad in custody."

Ahh. He finally listens to Rachel. xD xD