Ding
Among the countless of options, that is my favourite elevator ring. The sound is simple, quick, and even sweet. It's way better than many of the obnoxiously loud and long rings that signify posh and wealth.
I have taken the elevator of my apartment many times, too much to count, but I have never paid any attention to the type of ring the elevator sounds out when the selected floor is reached.
Now, relief washes over me from an anticipating shiver at the beautiful sound while my focus is on the doors to my elevator as they open, freeing me from my captivity. I stumble out of the elevator, nearly falling down on my knees to kiss the bacteria invested carpet of the hallway of the fortieth. I was sure that the thick, and not to mention, awkward tension I was exposed to in the elevator would be the end of me.
I can't believe I'm thinking this but, I'm a survivor!
I just survived four agonizing, hair wrenching, gut churning minutes in an elevator with Double M who is also the man I'm in love with. There were others in the elevator with us but eventually, they reached their floors until it was just Reece, me, and our good old friend, awkwardo.
I'm not a fan of awkwardo.
I hear the elevator doors closing behind me. I peek over my shoulder, hoping to see Reece forgetting to get off and is not on his way back down to the main floor. That hope is cut short when I see the closest definition of my perfection leaning against the closed doors, waiting for me to make my move.
Jeez, Reece sure is determined.
Swallowing a big gulp, I begin to walk in the direction of my front door. I'm in too much thought to pay any attention to my steps. My feet are rubbing against the carpet while I make slow progress to the door. If I wanted to, I could have turned around, and poked Reece. All the friction my feet build up from the carpet would be enough power to gently shock him. Maybe Reece wouldn't see my childish action coming, giving me enough time to run and lock myself in my apartment.
Then again, if Reece really is as determined as I think he is, he'll just bust down my door.
My dad wouldn't be too fond of that outcome.
I reach into the pocket of my jacket and pull out the keys. With shaking hands, I take hold of the door handle with one hand and struggle to insert the keys into the lock with the other.
I bite my lip in frustration to prevent myself from yelling out my silly curses. It doesn't help that Reece is standing behind me, waiting for me while I make a fool out of myself, failing at opening a door.
My embarrassment hits a new high when I feel a soft touch move down my arm. From the corner of my eye, I see Reece tower over me as he leans forward, and gently takes the keys from my hand. With a light nudge, I shuffle over to give him some space. With ease, Reece opens the front door to my apartment and pushes the door wide open. He motions for me to go in first, revealing to me his hidden gentleman side. Through my eyelashes, I look up to see a hint of a smirk on Reece's soft, pink lips. My cheeks heat up at the sight and I quickly step inside. No longer being in a slow daze, I don't waste any time but take off my shoes and walk over to the kitchen.
I don't wait to see if Reece will follow because of course he will. Where else would he go?
The bathroom?
Our intense atmosphere moment would definitely be ruined if Reece pulled a stunt like that. He's acting all serious down at the lobby, stating that we have to have the talk but the moment he steps into my apartment, he goes for the bathroom?
Yah....no. Reece values his cool too much to do something like that.
I toss my backpack on the nearest chair and go to the fridge. Seconds later, while I'm exploring the delicious contents of the refrigerator, I hear a chair move against the tile floor. I close the fridge door and place my chosen item on the island across from Beacon High's Golden Boy.
"Milk," Reece carefully says, reading the label of the milk carton for the second time as I go retrieve three more items.
"And cookies," I finish Reece's sentence with a small smile, placing two glasses on the island and a package of Oreo cookies.
Reece chuckles lightly, "of course," he says, more so to himself and begins to pour milk into our glasses. I take the time to open the package of my most favourite cookies. With some regret, I hand the box over to Reece, letting him have the first Oreo.
Reece raises an eyebrow at my generous action and takes three Oreos, placing two down on the island. "Since when do you share your Oreos?" Reece questions me, twisting an Oreo in his hands, wanting to separate the cookie into two.
Separate the Oreo, lick off the icing, and dip the cookie into the milk.
That is the classical method on how to eat an Oreo. It was always advertised in commercials.
I tried eating them that way once but it was too much work.
I dip my Oreo, icing and all, into my glass of milk. "If you don't want the Oreos, you can give them back. Don't feel obliged to eat them just because I offered some." I respond, taking a bite of my milk soaked Oreo.
Man, this stuff is delicious!
Reece replies by stuffing his entire cookie into his mouth and then, moves onto separating the next Oreo. Reece, being distracted by the sweet taste, doesn't notice the crumbs along the edge of his lips.
I smile at the sight. Reece never was a neat eater.
"What," Reece asks, appearing cuter than ever looking adorably confused with crumbs on his face.
"You didn't eat all of your cookie," I tell him softly, trying to sniffle down a laugh that's threatening to explode. If Reece doesn't clean himself up and fast, there'll be an uncontrollable and unbearable laughing fit coming his way.
If he was embarrassed by the fact that he eats like a pig in front of me, Reece doesn't show it. He played it cool and attempted to lick off the crumbs from his face.
But he licked the wrong side.
I release an overly obnoxious cough to cover my chuckle. "Not there," I tell Reece, using my hand to cover my mouth so that he doesn't see the amused smile on my face.
I thought our talk was going to be all poker face serious mojo but our current silly situations makes me question why I was so nervous in the first place. It's not like Reece changed.
He's the same goof ball I knew before I told him my feelings.
I can see a bit of annoyance displayed on Reece's face. He goes for a second attempt and licks the right side of his face with the crumbs but fails to lick them off.
I burst into a fit of giggles.
"Not helpful, Z-lee," Reece grumbles while he continues to struggle to lick the crumbs off. If he continues, I fear his tongue will fall off.
"Not there," I say, still laughing. Before I could comprehend what my body was doing, I was already leaning over the island and reaching out my hand towards the crumbs on Reece's face. "Here," my thumb gently rubs off the dark Oreo crumbs. Reece stills from my contact and that's when I regained consciousness over reality and realized my sudden and bold action.
I pulled back the next second, moving as far away from Reece as possible until my back hit the granite counter top of my mom's beloved kitchen. The both of us stay silent for a few minutes, trying to overcome our state of shock.
At this point in time, the temperature of my cheeks could rival the sun's surface.
Reece is the first to get over the shock. He loosens his hold on his glass of milk and forms a fist. "Zada," Reece begins, leaving his sentence hanging, struggling to find the right words to say.
I interfere before Reece can figure out the words. "Wait," I say, lifting up one hand to prevent Reece from continuing. "Wait a minute," I tell him and run out of the kitchen. I hear Reece protest but I don't hear him following me.
Did Reece actually listen to me? That rarely happens but I don't dwell on that fact for much longer than needed. I sprint to my room and practically dive for my closet, shoveling through all my clothes and junk.
Since when do I have a toy fire truck?
I move that toy aside and continue my search, throwing a bunch of my sweaters on the floor behind me in order to clear out my cramped closet so I can find my intended target.
Why on earth is my globe in here and not on my desk?
I hold the massive sphere, staring at my country that is painted green; my favourite colour. I look behind me and stare at my desk that is covered with all my school textbooks and Disney plush toys, giving me barely any room to work on my daily homework.
Oh...that's why.
I put my globe back where I found it and search further into my closet. It takes me a few minutes and a lot of childish cursing to finally find the box.
"Finally," I exclaim in relief, delighted that I found it. I immediately get up and run back to Reece, ignoring my messy room.
I'll clean that up later.
Maybe.
With the box held behind my back, I approach Reece who is staring at me, totally confused.
He appears even more lost when I place the blue with white polka dots wrapped box in front of him. Reece stares at the green fluffy bow on top of the wrapped box as if I just presented him with a complex math equation that he must solve in thirty seconds or less.
"It's your super belated birthday present," I quietly clarify for him. I figured now is the only time I can give Reece his gift before he rejects me and everything becomes awkward.
Reece is surprised at the revelation and picks up the box with grave caution as if the box would break with the slightest pressure. It is evident by the clear dismay on Reece's face that he is baffled, too shocked to even speak.
"Happy belated birthday," I softly congratulate him.
My words seem to snap some life back into Reece. Excitement flashes in his brown eyes and Reece doesn't hesitate to rip the wrapping apart.
Reece could never open his gifts with sophistication and ease. He still acts like a five year old: ecstatic, inpatient, and immensely eager to find out what he got.
In three seconds, the wrapping paper is scattered across the kitchen island and Reece is holding a black shoe box from Vans shoes.
I didn't actually get him Vans. That is an old box I found in my closet of hoarders. I just needed something to put my gift in and to confuse Reece.
And confuse Reece it did. Reece examines the box, his eyes lingering for a few seconds on the Vans symbol.
"I would have preferred some Jordans," Reece mumbles, pouting.
I roll my eye and cross my arms over my chest. "Quit being a spoiled brat and open your present before I change my mind and take the gift back."
Reece takes my warning seriously. He sobers up and places the box on the island. Giving me one last questioning look, Reece opens the box.
"Holy shit!"
I smirk, satisfied by Reece's reaction. He jumped back from the box, causing his chair to tip over but thankfully, Reece's quick reflexes allowed him to catch the chair before it collided with the tiled floor.
"What the hell, Z-lee!" Reece exclaims, keeping his distance from his birthday box that is filled with plastic toy cockroaches.
I couldn't resist the urge to prank Reece with his eighteenth birthday gift.
The temptation was too strong.
"Come on, Reece! Look inside to see what you got," I tell him to which Reece gives me the evil eye.
"I am not going anywhere near those disgusting creatures!" Reece declares, keeping a safe distance and his chair between him and the box.
"You mean this?" I ask innocently, picking up one of the cockroaches. "It's not even real," I add and show him, reaching out my hand in his direction.
Reece takes a tentative step back, "don't Z-lee! Don't do it!" Reece pleads when he notices that I'm moving my pointer finger behind the plastic bug that's balancing on my thumb.
"Oops," is the only thing that comes out of my mouth before I flick the cockroach at Reece. In a blink of an eye, Reece uses his speed to reach the edge of the kitchen just as the cockroach hits the floor.
Reece stares at the plastic bug in horror.
I grin, reaching towards the box for another bug. Reece hears my movements and before my mind could register what was happening, Reece was already at my side, holding my wrist in his tight grasp. I couldn't even move my hand a fraction of an inch.
I frown up at Reece, seeing that he seems pleased with himself. I take his short distraction to grab a bug with my free arm as fast as I can.
But I'm not fast enough.
My frown deepens, I can feel my forehead slightly wrinkling. "Reece, you're a grown man now and a superhero for crying out loud!"
"And your point is?" Reece asks, holding down both my wrists.
"Plastic cockroaches shouldn't be on your 'what makes me piss my pants' list!" I huff out, trying to free my wrists from Reece's iron hold but I have no chance.
"Those things are gross. Real or not. Besides, do I have to remind you who, out of the two of us, has a paranoia of spiders?" Reece asks me, no longer scared of the bugs near him. He's in control of the situation now.
"Only the big ones," I defend, "plus, I'm just a regular human. I can have silly fears."
"And I was born a regular human just like you. I can have silly fears too." Reece calmly replies. "Now, can you please exterminate my box from the ugly plastic."
My wrists are freed from Reece's grasp. I know that if I tried anything, Reece would restrain me before I'd have the time to even blink. Knowing that, sadly, the fun prank is over, I pick up all ten plastic cockroaches, including the one on the floor, and throw them out, making sure that Reece is watching.
Once the last cockroach falls into the trash can, Reece relaxes and proceeds with opening his gift. Reece doesn't hesitate and I secretly wish I packed an eleventh cockroach. It would be hilarious to trick him again right about now, when he least expects him.
But I only packed ten of the plastic bugs so Reece is getting off lucky. With no other surprises, Reece pulls out my first gift to him.
"Whoa," Reece says, speechless while he examines the sweater I got made for him.
Its a black, baggy long sleeve sweater with a big white slogan from one of our favourite Disney movies.
ZERO 2 HERO
Reece's face lights up upon reading the phrase. "No way, Hercules!" Then, Reece takes off his zip up sweater and puts on his new one. He pulls over the Hercules sweater and I can't help my smile approvingly at the sight. The sweater is a perfect fit. It is a lose fit but not too lose to make him look sloppy and you can clearly see the Disney quote across Reece's chest.
"This is so AWESOME!" Reece yells out, jumping up and down in glee.
I'm not joking. He's actually is jumping up and down, holding onto his sweater so he can read the words.
Well Reece did go from being a regular Joe to Double M. I wouldn't say he was a zero because to me, Reece will always be my hero, with or without powers.
I just couldn't order a sweater with the phrase 'Reece 2 MM' because that would probably create suspicion among our classmates if Reece ever decided to wear his sweater to school.
So 'ZERO 2 HERO' it is and judging by Reece's jumping and constantly yelling out how awesome the sweater is, I think Reece likes his gift.
Suddenly, Reece stops jumping and grabs me, pulling me into one of his warm hugs. "Thank you Z-lee," Reece murmurs into my hair, lifting me up off the ground.
It feels weird to be suspended in the air with both arms at my side but nonetheless, if I get to be hugged by Reece, I don't mind how. "Your welcome, buddy but that's not all."
Upon hearing my statement, Reece places me back on solid ground and pulls back so he can study my face. When he notices for himself that I'm serious, Reece lets go and goes back to the Vans box.
He moves aside the blue tissue and stares into the box. Reece looks back at me and then back at the box, doing a double take.
"Z-lee," Reece whispers and reaches into the box, pulling out a key chain of TMNT, specifically the orange banded turtle, Mickey.
We discovered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when we were twelve and Reece became a fan boy instantly. Mickey is his favourite turtle, probably because they both share a common addiction for pizza.
Reece reaches again into the box and pulls out an action hero of Iron Man. We watched the Avengers for the very first time when we were fourteen. That movie introduced us to the Marvel universe and also helped Reece cope with his powers.
"This, " Reece says, breathlessly, staring into the box and pulling out the other items.
An expansion pack for the Marvel Legendary board game we discovered last year.
A miniature plush of Perry the Platypus because ever since sixth grade, Reece was obsessed with Phineas and Ferb.
A wooden donkey because when we were thirteen, we came to the conclusion that Reece's spirit animal is in fact a donkey because of his stubborn attitude and tendency to act like a complete a-doubIe-s.
A key chain of the soccer ball used in the FIFA world cup in Brazil because Reece discovered his love for the sport when he was five.
A medium sized water gun with a limited edition Iron man design. Reece went through a water gun phase back when we were seven. Let's just say that I learnt the best places to hide in the cabin and my apartment that year.
A phones case with the picture of an erupting volcano because when Reece was eight, he won the science fair with his homemade volcano (that I helped build).
A flat hat with the logo of the New York Rangers because when Reece was six, he came close to changing his favoutire sport from soccer to hockey when our dads took us to a Rangers game.
A fifteen dollar iTunes gift card because when Reece was fifteen, all he wanted for his birthday and Christmas was iTunes gift cards. He ended up getting 250$ worth of gift cards that year. A lot of songs were purchased in that one month.
A car mouse for Reece's laptop. The lights on the car actually light up whenever Reece will use it. Reece has always been a fan of cars, especially when he was nine and wanted to become a race car driver when he grew up. His mother wasn't a fan of that idea though and asked me to try and talk Reece out of the idea. I did what she asked for by crashing my toy cars into Reece's and telling Reece that cars crashing is what awaits him in the future. I was a tad bit dramatic but I convinced Reece to go back to wanting to become a famous soccer player.
A vintage edition comic book of Batman and Robin to add to Reece's collection from when he was nine.
And lastly, what Reece unwrapped first, was his sweater. Reece decided at sixteen that he would become a superhero.
That was the year that Double M was born.
"It's a memory box of your life for the past twelve years." I exclaim while Reece stares at all his gifts in awe. "I started from when we were five because I don't remember much before that," I add when I see Reece counting all his gifts, "and I didn't get one for your eighteenth year because it just started. Besides, ..." But I can't finish my sentence. I look away from Reece in shame.
"We haven't been spending any time together," Reece finishes and releases a tired sigh.
Here it comes.
I hear Reece moving around and look back at him. He's putting his gifts back into the box. As soon as he started, Reece finished and sat down in his seat. He patted the chair beside me for me to sit.
I can't run away now. I approach the chair with caution and sit on it, keeping my eyes off of Reece.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Reece running a hand through his hair. "Z-lee," Reece begins, "do you remember how I went on a mission before winter break?"
"And barely survived Zero's attack. Yes, I remember." I remember the fear that consumed me when my parents told me something happened to Reece. I could barely focus on anything around me because all I could think about was Reece. Not even Daft Punk music could calm me down.
"We had no idea that there was leak among the prison escort team." Reece explains, referring to the entire Super Trio as we. "The man steered the truck into a warehouse, killing himself on impact and injuring the rest that were on board."
I stay silent, not knowing what else to say. Reece never speaks about what he encounters on his missions for my sake. Hearing him now about how a man killed himself for Zero makes me sick to my stomach.
"Zero escaped into the warehouse and we followed him, thinking we would capture him seeing how it was three against one. We didn't take into consideration that Zero was already two steps ahead of us." Reece clenches his fists as he remembers his last battle against Zero.
I can only continue to stare at the granite island in front of me with wide eyes, anticipating what horror Reece will speak of about Zero.
"The warehouse was rigged. The moment we stepped into the building, bombs went off." I close my eyes shut tight, not wanting to imagine the horrid experience Reece had to endure.
Reece doesn't check with me if I'm ready to hear more. He's too caught up with his memories of the mission against Zero. "I instinctively went to sheild Chasity from the blast since her body isn't as strong as Cameron's and mine. Chasity and I flew to one side of the building from the impact while Cameron went to the other."
That definitely explains how Reece had more injuries compared to Chasity. He was protecting her like any trustworthy ally would do.
"I pulled Chasity behind some craters while Cameron went to deal with Zero's henchmen that were already stationed at the warehouse to ambush us. It was during the short time that Chasity and I were hiding that we came up with our plan."
With my eyes still shut tight, I wonder what kind of plan Reece is referring to. Was it a plan to help aid Cameron or something else?
"I already knew of Chasity's feelings for Bailey and Chasity knew of my feelings towards you. Maybe it was the fact that Zero escaped or the truth of our reality and how dangerous it is. Either way, we decided to fake a relationship to protect you and Bailey."
My eyes immediately flew open and I turned my head in Reece's direction so he can see the outrage, confusion, and curiosity displayed on my face. "What on Mars are you babbling about? Protect Bailey and me? Your feelings towards me?!"
I screamed the last part for my benefit so I could make sure that what I heard Reece say was correct and that my quickened heart rate is justifiable. I reach over for my glass. Maybe milk will calm me down.
"Yes, protect the both of you because guess what, Z-lee? I share the same feelings for you as you to me." Reece shouts back, aggravated.
Like me, Reece expressed his feelings at the time when least expected without considering the consequences.
I began to choke on my milk.
"Shit," Reece curses, taking the glass of milk out of my hands and lets me cough through my fit. He used to pat my back whenever I'd choke but I told him once that patting didn't help, especially in Reece's case because he would typically use a hint of his strength, accidentally hurting me. Ever since then, Reece would put his hand on my shoulder for support.
That's what he's doing now. My choking is slowly subsiding and I finally managed to catch my breath.
"Don't scare me like that," Reece tells me when I stopped choking all together.
"Then don't blurt out rubbish like that," I tell him back, taking a deep breath in.
I catch Reece off guard, "what did you say?"
I roll my eyes. "Come on, Reece! You can't have feelings for me. It's unrealistic."
It takes a couple seconds for Reece to comprehend my words. When he does, Reece stands up abruptly and takes a few steps back. "Are you f*cking serious right now?! I tell you the feelings mutual and you don't believe me?!"
I stand up from my chair and mimic Reece's stance so that there are two chairs between us. "Well yeah! Reece, your an outstanding Superhero and the most popular kid at our school. It's hard to imagine that you would like someone plain as me."
Reece shakes his head. "You're far from plain and I do have strong feelings for you. You know how much it sucked when you kept avoiding me?" Reece asks and then chuckles, "but that's nothing compared to annoyance of having to watch you run off to the Morgan guy all the f*cking time."
I can't seem to find my voice because I can't believe I'm hearing this. Reece admitted, in his own way, his feelings for me and that he's jealous of Charlie Morgan. If I wasn't frozen in shock, I would be dancing circles around the island while fist pumping the air.
"But your right," Reece say out of the blue, "I shouldn't have these feelings but not for the reasons you think."
I scrunch up my eyebrows, confused and unsure of what's happening all together. I notice Reece walking over to me slowly until he's right in front of me.
"Words can't begin to describe how amazing you are. They'd do you no justice." With my eyes locked on the quote on Reece's new sweater, I don't see Reece reaching out his hand. I only notice when I feel him touch my cheek ever so lightly that it feels more like his hand is hovering over me. "But your fragile, Z-lee," Reece whispers. I barely heard him.
Reece gently rubs his thumb against my burning cheek. "I nearly lost you because of some robber; a nobody. What would happen to you if I dragged you to my crime fighting world?"
I still can't find my voice. Now the reason for that is because of Reece's close proximity. I won't bother answering the question. Reece and I both know the answer and its a gruesome one.
"Guess we'll never know because we're not going to find out the answer." Reece replies.
That sentence leaves an impact. My eyes widen when I realize what he's saying.
Reece moves his hand down my cheek and rests it on the crook of my neck. "Know that I love you too," Reece tells me and I have never seen such a tender expression on him as I do now. That sweetness morphs into solid determination. "But, for your safety and my sanity, we can't be together."
That is the last thing Reece says to me before planting the softest kiss on my forehead and walking out of my apartment, leaving me stunned beyond words.
__________
Dun dun duuuuuuun!
What? Did you all think their relationship would be easy? If that were the case, the story would be too short and would lack the suspension it needs so sorry folks, but Reece and Zada's story is far from over! :P
Now, can I just say...
THANK YOU FOR LETTING DOUBLE M REACH ONE THOUSAND READS!!!!!!
My reading count goal has been reached and I am ecstatic. I'm jumping up and down like Reece!
Except, Reece looks a lot more cooler than me.
Thanks for all your support you awesome peeps!
Next Update: May 17, 2015
~Till next time!