Because of that Night (Book 2)

Chapter 24: Zooey

The morning after Zooey had first gone home with Isaac, she lay looking out the crack in the curtains at the rise of dawn on the horizon. She still was in awe that the night before had even happened. Isaac was entirely too charming. He told Zooey how he was from Maine, and that like Zooey, he couldn't wait to leave. Though he had stayed more local for his undergrad, by the time he reached the end of college to begin his masters, he knew it was time to move on. He went to school in Connecticut, which he claimed was an even worse choice than remaining in Maine and decided after his masters that perhaps it was best to move away from the east coast for a while.

"Suddenly I was twenty-four with two degrees and no interest in being in school anymore," he had explained.

"What did you do?"

He rolled his eyes. "What any person does when they don't know what to do with their lives," and he let out a sly grin and said, "fled the country."

"Oh my god," Zooey laughed. "Don't tell me you did the generic "backpacking around Europe" thing."

Isaac held up a hand, but he did it with confidence. "Guilty, but you know what? It's what I needed to figure out what the hell I wanted. I have no regrets." He took a sip of his beer then. They had ordered a second round and Zooey could feel her cheeks growing warmer. "So, what about you, Zooey Cartwright, what's your next move?"

*****

"Zooey." Zooey jolted to attention then as she felt a gentle nudge at her elbow. She looked over into Seth's eyes. They stared back at her, and she could tell he was trying his best not to show too much concern for her and all that had happened that morning. "I had asked you what your next move was."

Zooey wasn't sure. Though Abigail was long gone now, the remainder of Zooey's shift was not. They still had a few hours to go, and it was clear that Zooey's mind was elsewhere. She felt as though her brain was being flooded with memories, memories she had done her best to lock away. Having them only exist hidden away in Chicago was good for her. It kept them at a distance and in a place only she knew about. If she just didn't have to face them, she could move on and never have to think about them again. But with Abigail's sudden appearance, they had once again infiltrated her thoughts. Now, these memories were busted out into the open for all to be a part of.

"Zooey," Seth pressed.

"Nothing," Zooey hissed. "There's no next move."

"That woman attacked you," Seth whispered back. "A person can't just come into a business and slap someone."

"Seth," Zooey said now, facing him where they stood huddled near the coffee machines. "We're not talking about this anymore, alright? I've already been the center of attention once today, and you keeping me there for the remainder of my shift is really pissing me off."

"Who's Isaac Bates?" he asked quietly. His eyes glistened with not just curiosity, but concern and care. For a moment it made Zooey feel like how their relationship with each other used to be, but she shook this away. It didn't matter. Seth was one of the last people Zooey would want to talk to about this. Her heart felt as though it were bursting with shame. She couldn't bear to come off to him like the person he probably had always expected her to be since they had first broken up.

Zooey moved away from the coffee machines then, making her way to where a customer stood staring up at the drink menu. "I don't owe you an answer to that," she responded sharply.

The remainder of Seth and Zooey's shift was quiet, not just in terms of less customers, but also very little communication between the two of them. Zooey could sense Seth staring at her from time to time as she worked. In another situation, maybe she would have found this endearing that he was trying to show that he cared about her, but in this moment, all it did was make her feel more isolated than she already felt.