After All These Years

39

Chapter 39

For Real

As planned, they proceed to Franco's house when Thursday's last class ended.

"So," Franco closes his cattleya notebook and drops his Pilot ballpen on the table. "Everything's set so I think it's time to go home?"

Moments after, Trixie was dragged by her friends inside Franco's room with Zion.

She was definitely manhandled by James, considering how fast he picked her up and brought her inside Franco's room whereas she saw Zion was pulled too by Franco.

"What the hell, James Christian!" she yelled. "Put me down!"

"Done!" James left quickly the same as Franco and locked the door. Trixie was catching her breath because of what happened and heard Zion was doing the same too.

It all happened so fast that Trixie didn't have time to react, to say anything. But they had just left him alone with Zion.

"Trixie," she heard Zion saying his name. It always began with that, with that voice that before she could do anything about it, it's making her weak in her knees.

"I think I owe you a talk," Zion started. Trixie saw him at the opposite side of the room, seated on the floor with his elbow resting on his folded right knee.

He was staring at her intently. Trixie felt something as she looked into his eyes as she saw that admiration and intensity she's been longing to feel were back.

And she didn't want that now. Not now that they were having a moment, not now that Zion was probably gonna say that he was officially going to end things between them.

That there's no more thinking that should be done.

That the comma that was supposed to be pause for them would be changed to a period because this is where it's all going to end.

And she's not ready for any of it.

Sure she wanted to talk, but to end it all?

Not now.

However, as she's in a situation where she has to pretend that everything was okay, she needs to show him that she's cool with it.

"Ah, but we already talked, right? Friend?" Trixie says with bitterness, trying not to choke on her own words. She wasn't prepared emotionally to have a real talk with Zion just yet.

She remembered and that was the main reason why she doesn't want to talk now because in that little talk she managed to keep a face even if it felt like something dragged into her chest that she can't breathe when ZIon told her that they were too fast so they need to think.

So she silenced herself for days even if there was still a lot left to say, at least in her side - and she felt she was gonna explode if she didn't get it all out soon but she chose to keep quiet because somehow, it felt like Zion asked her for space.

So she gave it to him.

But this? She did not want this talk if it's about ending what they have.

She thought she'll never be ready for this.

"I have more to say," he said, moving from his spot to sit a bit closer to Trixie, but leaving a gap between them, just in case.

"Can't you say it later?" Trixie asked him, almost desperate for it. Later meant weeks or days when they are calmed down and ready to sort things out. "This can't wait," Zion says. She looked into Zion again as if she froze on her spot so she walks towards Franco's bed and sat on its edge and saw his determined face.