Tethered North

Chapter 16

I'm smack bang on time for work, my heart racing in my chest, my breath manic, trying to recover from the marathon I just ran.

Zac was gone when I woke up this morning, and if I'm completely honest I was a little surprised, some part of me hoping that we'd passed the ignoring each other phase. I guess I thought we were getting somewhere, that we were headed towards some form of civil alliance, maybe even towards friends. I guess I was wrong.

When I finally forced myself inside last night Zac was asleep on the couch, one of his muscular, inked arms draped across his face, his lower body covered with a blanket. We had no curtains in the living room, the moonlight glistening across his abs as I stared, almost drooling at the impeccable sight.

I had to force myself to walk away, running up the stairs as fast as I could before I accidentally reached out and touched his bare skin, letting my hand run down his chest from top to...

"Emilia!" A sudden exclamation tears me back to reality and I stop on my path down towards the fields, turning to see a flustered looking Kayla.

"Kayla," I greet, my voice harsher than intended.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaims, stopping beside me. "I had no idea that he was your husband!"

"It's fine," I reply, turning away and continuing towards the field, her feet hurrying to keep up with me.

"No it isn't!" she retorts. "I could tell from the moment I saw your face how much it upset you."

"Kayla, if it wasn't you then it would just be another random chick." I scoff, glancing at her to see her furrowed eyebrows.

"Even so, I would never have done it if I knew. I know that we used to be enemies at school, but that's all changed! I never meant-"

"Kayla!" I stop her. "It's fine."

"I don't believe you." She shakes her head at me as we stop in the field. "But I'm not sure what I can do to make it up to you."

"Just don't do it again. It was so reckless," I lecture her. "Do you want to go back to the Cell? If Mrs Germain finds out I have no idea how bad it'll be!"

Kayla bites her lip, shaking her head as she leans forward onto her shovel. "Of course not. Jace and I argued all day so I went to the party alone and drank so many beers. I just wanted some attention." She grimaces at her own words, clearly embarrassed.

"Zac was a good choice for that." I snort, shaking my head at the thought of the guy who can't seem to keep his hands away from anything with a vagina.

"For what it's worth he didn't try anything with me," Kayla retorts. "I was the one throwing myself at him. Desperately."

"Thanks Kayla but-"

"No really! It was embarrassing." She interrupts, holding her hand up and shaking her head at me. "I don't know what's happened to me, Mils."

"You aren't happy with Jace," I reply, shrugging at the answer.

"I'm... not unhappy," she says, wrinkling her nose.

"You don't like him as a husband."

"I don't think so," she admits, looking down at her shovel.

"Sadly, that's not enough for the State," I reply softly, biting my lip as I watch her look down at the ground.

"I know," she mutters. "I promise I'll never throw myself at Zac again."

"Or any other boy! At a party at least, Kayla!" I exclaim. "The Enforcers could have caught you."

"I promise."