Tale 2: War of the Seeker

Chapter 4

The others left the room.

Everyone but Zeke.

I tried to look everywhere but at him, but he wasn't moving. He was rooted to his spot, staring at me.

"What?" I muttered breathily. I coughed, crossed my arms, and forced myself to look up at him.

Heartbroken. That was the look in his eyes. "You're not even fighting to stay here with me... with us." His tone broke my heart.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine he wasn't in the room when I said, "I can't. I belong somewhere, Zeke. I... I never..." I coughed to clear my throat. "I never belonged here. And I never will."

"But you do belong." His voice was coming closer, and when I opened my eyes he was standing in front of me, his shining eyes inches from my face.

"Zeke," I whispered. "I can't." Nevertheless I reached up and thumbed away a little wetness from my own eye. "All this time I've been wondering who I am. What my name is. And these people... They're my people. They would know, and I would finally know. And... you don't understand how good it feels to finally discover who I am."

"But I already know who you are," Zeke whispered. "You're one of us."

I looked down, my stomach flipping.

He twined his thumb and finger around a strand of my hair, looking away from my eyes and watching as he combed his fingers down the strand.

Butterflies batted around my stomach until I was dizzy, almost wavering on my own feet.

I had known that Zeke showed a little bit of interest for me, and I knew that I was a little interested back. But... I couldn't. I might have had a special someone before I lost my memory.

No matter how much I liked Zeke. No matter how much I loved his rants when he got home, and his patient explaining of stories about Sky that I couldn't remember, and his sweetness towards me. No matter how much I wanted this, this was wrong.

I was distracted from my thoughts by a warm hand against my cheek.

"Zeke." I caught his hand.

But what happened next I couldn't really explain.

In a blur of movement, his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, my toes hanging inches from the ground.

"Zeke." I gripped his rock-hard biceps, wary.

"Please," he said. "Stay with me."

I was going to answer. But I was interrupted abruptly when his mouth met mine.

I pulled back in surprise, but I couldn't really go anywhere. And... His kiss was just really nice.

Really. Really. Really. Really nice.

I wrapped my legs around him, locking my fingers into his mop of soft brown hair.

His kiss was really nice.

He tossed me on the bed and joined me quickly, immediately drowning me in his kiss.

And I forgot I might have had a someone. I forgot that I belonged somewhere else.

I shoved him off of me and crawled on top, pressing him into the bed as I kissed him.

I forgot that I didn't know who I was. I forgot that I was still searching for myself. I forgot that I had only met Zeke mere fourteen waketimes ago. It felt like I had known him for forever.

My shirt rode up my waist from the friction between us. His hand accidentally brushed my bare skin and my head swam in ecstasy.

I forgot how potentially wrong it could be. To possibly cheat on a special someone I wasn't even aware of.