"𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛."
~~~
𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕
"Are you fucking Zach?" Vic stalked up to me as I sipped my drink, which seemed to go down the wrong windpipe.
It was the middle of the day and I had finished two gen ed classes along with a paper I had due for the newspaper. Between our conflicting schedules Vic and I had finally found a set time good for us both to sit and catch up to talk about the crazy experiences every freshman in college seemed to go through their first semester. And well for me it came in the size of a hot tattooed football player.
As I walked down to the cafe, the smell of Mediterranean food filled my nostrils and my eyes followed the line until I noticed Izzy with her beats around her ears, sitting alone. Now we were here, three of us sitting at the round cafe table towards the very back of the congested dining hall. Although the two haven't met yet, their personalities were strikingly similar and I was certain they would get along.
"She totally is. Look at her face. It's been doing this weird upside down frowny thing for the past two days." Izzy laughs.
"Well would you look at that you're right..." Vic trailed off, finally turning to the other person sitting across from me.
"Isabella but you can call me Izzy." She replies with a bright smile. Izzy screamed friendly but she was in fact far from innocent like people portrayed her to be. And it looked like Vic had already caught on.
"Izzy," Vic pauses, inspecting the name like a foreign object in her mind. "I like that."
I calm down after my small coughing fit and give them both a look in which they both respond by shrugging their shoulders. That was weirdly in sync. Somehow I knew this dynamic of us three hanging together would work itself out.
"Well I'm glad to see you two bonding over my sex life." I say jokingly.
But I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth
"So you two have-" Vic gasped dramatically, holding her hands to her hanging jaw.
Izzy just stuffs another fry into her mouth as she looks between the two of us, enjoying where this was going.
"No!" I blurted out quick and fast. "Why would you even assume that?"
The thought of it even happening sends my mind to wild places. Although my first time was with some band kid who swore up and down to never tell a soul I was hardly experienced. Zach and I have only kissed all but twice. We were nowhere ready for that stage yet. Even my embarrassed expression and the curls cascading around my face can't hide my reddening cheeks.
"Well it's blatantly obvious that something happened. You came home the other night soaking wet in a hoodie that wasn't yours, you can't keep your head out of your phone lately and you just have this glow about you that I can't say I've seen it before."
"That's not true." I sputter, half confident in my words.
Of course Vic would be the one to read me like an open book and I didn't even have a chance to tell her a thing.
"What's not true," a deep alluring voice says from behind me.
I look down to my chair to see a firm grasp covered in tattoos and a crisp jacket blocking my way out. Chills run through me as we lock eyes even though his seemed to be blocked by a curtain of hair.
After our heart to heart yesterday I wasn't too sure about testing the waters publicly but it's evident he was listening to my concerns because in no way is he hiding the way he's feeling with the expression on his face.
"Nothing, hi." I breathe all at once.
"Hey." His mouth curled into an almost smile which I returned. Zach looked much lighter today, opposite of his hair, dark and messy while curling around his ear.
"Nothing my ass," Vic mutters as Izzy snorts in agreement before her eyes go wide behind us.
"Oh, right." Zach says pulling the chair beside him so a really tall friend of his could sit. His face is particularly annoyed but passive at the same time as he chews down on his bottom lip. His aura screams a friendlier version of Zach but with less tattoos and light brown skin that closely resembles mine. "I brought a friend, this is Ezra," he said flatly.
The name finally clicked in the depths of my mind. He was Syracuse's Football captain and top NFL recruit and by the way all eyes have seemed to shift to our table, having them both in here was a rare occurrence.
"I was forced to be here," Ezra mumbles underneath his breath while taking a seat.
I could see a drop in Izzys enthusiasm as she had no idea what he was saying. It wasn't his fault. She didn't wear a sign saying I'm partially deaf and I noticed it was a daily problem for her.
"Why?" I ask, "were you forced to be here." I repeat the words louder so Izzy could hear.
"Zach was afraid to come see you alone." He admits, smirking.
The tips of Zachs ears turned the faintest pink as he glared in his teammates direction.
"That sounds like him." Miles appears from nowhere and in his arms is a sleeping Bria with her head resting just above his shoulder. I melted at the sight of a large buff guy carrying around a child not even a third of his size. And so did the other fifty girls in the room, which caught Vic's attention.
"Hey babe." Vic smiled and sat up to get a peek at Bria whose mouth was formed into an O as she drooled. "And who do we have here?" She cooed softly.
Miles greets everyone at the table by giving Vic a forehead kiss, Ezra a silent head nod, which he returns and me a knowing grin as he looks between Zach and I. His eyes drift over to Izzy stuffing her face with my untouched food, which I didn't have any appetite for. The food here sucked, truly. I would kill for one of dad's home cooked meals right now.
"Guys," Miles looked at us with a dead look on his face. "I think there's a stranger at our table and she's eating Sages food."
Vic elbows him as he clutches his ribs in fake agony.
"Be nice." Vic took Bria from his arms and gently rubbed her back as she fussed due to the change of setting.
"Miles, this is Izzy, a friend of mine. We met in newspaper club." I say, which is true.
Izzy introduces herself but I can tell she's just a bit uncomfortable with how much people have shown up. Although she knows how to hold her own I didn't want this to be the last time she decided to hang with us.
"Oh so you know all about you and Zach's secret endeavors. Please spill the beans because I'm getting no type of information from them and if I want my wedding speech to be spectacular then I kinda need every detail. You know." Miles breath races as he finishes.
"This is Miles, Miles." Izzy blurts out to Vic with wide eyes.
"I'm just kidding," he laughs "unless I'm right." Miles' eyebrows raise in suspicion.
"Yes unfortunately this idiot is my boyfriend." A small smile plays over her lips as she glances back at the ranting giant.
I hear a deep sigh beside me which I can only assume is Zach. "And my best friend who clearly can't keep his mouth shut" he adds as I try to contain my reddening cheeks.
"He just doesn't want you finding out about how distracted he was at practice with you watching him." Ezra says in my direction.
I choke back a laugh as Zach smacks the back of Ezra's head.
Soon the conversation shifts to which professor had the worst breath, which Vic and Ezra went back and forth on for nearly ten minutes. Those two met for all of ten minutes and were already going at it like brother and sister. The dining hall got nosier by the second as more college students piled in after the other. Bria twists and turns in Vic's lap but not once did her eyes flutter open like I thought it would.
"Let's go," Zach whispers near my ear. I notice my bag already sitting on his shoulder and anticipation seeping through his grin.
Izzy is too engrossed in her food while her earphones cover both ears to bother with us. She's nodding her head back and forth while writing down notes in a mini journal of hers that I noticed she took everywhere. Vic is occupied, playing with Bria's curls and Miles and Ezra are talking about who's a better sparr.
"Where are we going?" I ask as the rest of the group stays behind. I push off my chair and when I finally stand, Zach towers over me and I have to look up to get a response.
"You'll see." He grasps my hand gently and they perfectly align with his. I feel strings tug at my heart from how perfect this moment felt with just us two.
For a moment I forgot about the hell tomorrow would bring.
The sight of his motorcycle sitting in the middle of the parking lot stopped my racing thoughts as I practically ran forward to collect the second helmet sitting on the seat.
"Hurry," I whine as Zach chuckles but walks faster to me already sitting towards the back. I throw on the matching but much smaller helmet over my head and the snug fit excites me.
Zach finally reaches me standing excitedly next to his sleek black motorcycle and hovers over me. His eyes slowly raked over every crevice of my face before he took off the helmet completely.
"You put it on wrong, love." His voice trembles with amusement.
"Don't laugh," I annoyingly roll my eyes but he continues to crack one of his rare smiles. I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight. "It's not funny. I haven't rode in a while. Where was she?" I ask, referring to his bike.
"I don't like to take her out when it rains and it's been raining a lot." His words seem to hold a double meaning and I think back to that night where we stupidly argued before making out in the storm.
"Right," I clear my throat and he averts his eyes back to the helmet before lifting up my hair and adjusting the chin straps to connect with the metal bands.
"How fast?" He questions once we're fully settled in. I snake my hands around his torso while glueing my chest to his back.
"Fast," is my only reply as our grins stupidly mirror each other. I see a sparkle light up his eyes as he slides down his screen and the engine growls with the release of his foot.
The wind is almost as fast as us when we take off and my eyes immediately shut due to the gust of dry air smacking me in the face. I almost forgot the feeling of being this free.
I can't see Zachs expression through his tinted screen but he's silent the entire time, swerving forward and in between cars as the light turns green one after the other. His arm clenches the throttle with ease, making this whole adventure look effortless.
My squinted eyes finally blink open to observe as we speed into the openness of the bare roads. Quick images of open stores, fall trees and people walking by flashes by every two seconds around me.
The more we ride the more I feel myself sliding back to the very edge of the seat. My body crippled in fear as I looked down for half a second to see the ground fade beneath us.
I inch forward, rubbing my front against Zachs back which makes Zach tense in front of me.
"Don't be a tease, Winters." His voice comes out low and rasped.
I nod even though he can't see me but I'm hoping the movement of the helmet was enough for a response.
The bike accelerated in speed throughout the remainder of the ride as a smile creeped on my face. I feel a rush of adrenaline enter my body, heightening my senses and lifting my spirit all at once.
Zach swerves once more, dodging traffic and missing the green light by mere seconds. When he makes a swift right turn the only thing I see is the headlights of a car coming straight at us. If I couldn't see that meant Zach couldn't and my instant reaction was to panic.
The light came closer and closer as I mentally determined today was going to be my last.
"Fuck," I hear a slew of curses leave Zachs mouth as he swerved onto the nearby sidewalk and off the street. The car halts in our previous location seconds after we brake on the curb.
"I'm good." I repeat to myself, eyes still shut and in a state of shock.
"Sage, look at me." I can feel his body fully turned around as he examines my body from head to toe. "Please." His tone is gentle but wary almost as if he was speechless himself.
"I'm okay." I choke back the words that barely held meaning.
"You're okay." He confirms. His hands cuff mine that are wrapped around him. I unfold them and slip my fingers between his and I'm met with a firm squeeze.
***
"Can I look now?" I asked with little patience. Zachs hand still covered my eyes on top of the blindfold I was wearing.
Just before our near death accident we had already reached the secret location and were only parked a couple blocks down. Deciding to walk the rest of the way, Zach wrapped a cloth around my eyes and led me to god knows where.
"Almost. Just keep your eyes closed."
"They've been closed for ten minutes, Zachariah."
"Don't like blindfolds?" He asked.
"Hate them." I respond.
"That'll be a problem later on." He whispers, breath fanning against my ear. I shiver as his touch lingers on the small of my back.
"Leave it to you to make a dirty joke." I deadpan. "I think I'm seeing stars."
"Don't be dramatic. Okay you can open them." I can detect a slight nervousness in his voice.
I release the blindfold blocking my vision and my breath catches in my throat at the sight.
There's lights. Everywhere. Fairy lights hang from the towering trees on both sides and on the grass is a red and white picnic blanket sprawled out on the ground. A pillow assortment wraps around the arrangement and there are two woven baskets seated right beside each other with a vase of roses in the middle. I walked closer to see we're right above a cliff of rocks and the sun was just minutes away from setting. Soft orange and yellow colors fill the sky and next to the greenery the view is breathtaking. I see a small stand with a printed out menu and I recognize them as some of Victoria's family's traditional Vietnamese dishes we used to devour as kids.
How did he
"Vic taught me a few of the recipes when I skipped counseling." His hand raised to scratch the nape of his neck. He looked nervous and wouldn't meet my eyes. "I'm not sure if they'll taste exactly the same or be good enough to even compare to how her family made it."
"Zachariah," I begin
"I mean I know it won't be but I figured I'd try instead of taking you to some fancy restaurant which we could be spotted at." He added.
"Hey, listen to me." I silenced him and I looked straight into his eyes so he knows I mean it. "I love it, all of it."
My eyes drifted back to the set up and I cautiously took his hand as we sat on the covered ground. I unpacked the meats and rolls that unlocked a collection of memories I was forced to suppress because of its connection to my absent mother.
The familiar smell was more prominent as I got closer. My stomach grumbled not once but twice. Everything smelled just like it used to.
***
"Eat it, c'mon please." I stuck the summer salad roll near his mouth as he pressed his lips together with a sour face.
"You know I don't like avocados." He grunted, sliding over so I couldn't reach him.
"All you ate was the Bahn Mi sandwiches. These are my favorites." I tell him, taking a bite out of the clear green butter roll. I was probably on my fifth one and I didn't care. "Try them, for me." I pleaded.
He sighs deeply and lifts his head off the pillow on the ground. He used his elbow to prop himself up and his white tee slightly rose showing a bit of skin on his lower abdomen.
"Only for you."
My heart tightened
He guides my hand to his mouth where he takes a small bite and swallows slowly. His adam's apple rose and fell just seconds after.
Zach's face relaxes in content after realizing he was being dramatic.
"So?"
"So." He replies, dropping his elbows. His tongue quickly swipes the bottom of his lips before I can catch it.
"It's good right?" I pop the other half back into my mouth and Zachs eyes momentarily search for where the rest were.
"Where's the other six?" He simply glanced around.
"I ate them." I stated, truthfully.
He looked down again. Sat up fully and searched both baskets to find crumbs in the platter. His hand goes into his hair, once and then twice in frustration
I double down in a fit of laughter. "Please tell me you aren't searching for more." I clutch my stomach as he rolls his eyes.
"They're okay." He swears underneath his breath.
"Here, try these instead." I say lifting another bite size food to his mouth.
"Fuck, this is good." His mouth is stuffed, making his cheeks poke out. "Miles is definitely getting this recipe." He says, barely audible.
Zach levels his head closer to my face and feeds me one too. I swallow with my eyes closed and hum softly in delight. Our faces are now inches apart, the air is thick with tension and I'm certain he's just as nervous.
"Tell me to stop." Zach trailed.
"No."
"Good." He finishes whilst capturing my lips in the softest kiss I return. His hand trails to my chin, tilting it upwards to deepen the kiss. Our lips move in synchronized movements but I slowly pull away before we can go any further.
"Here wipe your face." I hand him a napkin.
"Why? I like-"
"Say cheese!" I interrupt. I grin a sheepish smile, facing my phone camera in our direction. The snaps come in flashes as I press my mouth to his cheek, jaw and then nose.
Zach pulled us down so our backs were lying flat on the grounds as we took a million silly looking selfies. My curls, wild and untamed, constantly swayed in the wind making me look like I just woke up without a bonnet.
"Put your hand down, you're ruining the picture." Zach says, referring to me hiding my arms and lower stomach. The shirt I wore wasn't exactly curvy girl friendly but today was warm and a hoodie didn't exactly fit today's agenda or weather forecast.
"And my body already doesn't." I joke, expecting him to laugh along.
"Absolutely fucking not." His jaw ticks for a moment and then he's calm again. In a split second. Just like that. "Sage you're beautiful and it kills me every time you suggest otherwise."
"I-
"You don't have to say anything but just know I'll remind you every waking second how you take my breath away with just one look."
"Why are you perfect?" I sigh into his shoulder.
"Far from it love." Is his only response.
It went on like that for about an hour or so. Us feeding each other and arguing about which dish was better. It was obvious my relationship with food was rocky and today I didn't feel that way at all. All of the portions were to my exact liking. I wasn't forced to try to eat large sums of food outside my calorie bracket and I wasn't ridiculed about my food choices. Zach had packed some card games, which we played for about four or five rounds. I beat him repeatedly and he just refused to acknowledge I was the queen of Uno whilst he argued that I didn't know the correct rules.
The stars danced in the sky looking down upon us as we watched them back. Each star, having a story to match a human below, shined brighter each coming night. I vaguely wondered if his and mine ever crossed paths.
My head laid on Zachs chest, listening to his calm breathing, wondering how none of this was affecting him.
"Remember the business card you gave me." I say breaking the silence.
"Tristen's?" he questions, still looking up at the sky. His fingers twirled with a piece of my hair. The feeling sent shivers down my spine.
"Yeah you said you trusted her and I was thinking about getting a tattoo."
His silence was defeating.
"Don't."
"Why not?" I trace the endless patterns on his arms. Goosebumps arise on his olive skin as he shivers.
Zach takes a deep breath and looks like he's contemplating his next words but says them anyway.
"I don't have them by choice, Sage." His voice cracks.
My hand grazes his wrist and pauses on risen skin.
I look down and just above it is a semicolon the size of a dime.
My eyes shot in his direction. "Is that-"
My mind thinks back to earlier today and how he wasn't afraid at all of his bike crashing. Not an inkling of fear masked his face. All I got was worry because I was there and whatever horrible thing that happened to him would affect me too.
"I don't want to talk about it." he interrupts sharply.
I nodded. "Yeah of course. I'm sorry I didn't mean to."
"I'm sorry I snapped." He sighs. " It's just a story for another time." He says softly. The sadness in his eyes holds my attention and I feel like a bitch for bringing any of this up.
The conversation is still up in the air until I hear a crack in the woods. We were surrounded by trees, nothingness, that I wouldn't expect anyone else to be remotely nearby.
Until that is a series of flashes behind us catches our attention.
Nonetheless the timing couldn't have been any worse.
Me on a date with my agent's younger brother just hours before I was set to release my resignation to the modeling world.
End of Chapter
A lot to take in. Hope you guys liked this. Vote and comment if you will ( :