Chapter 15
REINA
My dad has been taking pictures after pictures of me since he got home. Apparently, my mom told him to document everything about her baby's first date.
Now he is recording me like I'm walking the red carpet.
"Dad, how much longer are you going to do this? Zenith is going to be here any minute now!"
"And I'll be getting pictures and videos of him too."
"Dad." I groan as the doorbell rings.
"I got it." Xavier says.
Xavier opens the front door, ushering Zenith inside.
I swallow hard when I see him. He wears white vans, black jeans, and a short sleeve button-down navy blue shirt. The top two buttons he left undone, which makes him look all the more attractive.
We both stare at each other as he walks up to me, taking my hands in his.
"I'm so nervous." I giggle.
"Me too." He laughs.
"Okay, look over here and say first date!"
I roll my eyes, and Zenith smirks at me. We turn towards my dad. Zenith places his hand on my waist. We smile for the camera and mumble.
"First date!"
My dad smiles.
"Okay, that was good now. Let's get-"
"Old man, would you let these two kids get going already damn." Xavier says.
"Boy, talk to me like that again. I'll still whoop yo ass."
"Oh, aight then, cmon, let's go, old man."
Xavier starts shadow boxing. Our dad just casually walks up to him and slaps him on the back of the head.
"I'ma call ma an tell her you beating up on her baby son." Xavier rubs the back of his head.
Our dad scoffs.
"You damn near a grown man, you still crying to your momma."
Zenith laughs, and I shake my head.
"Bye, see you at midnight!"
I grab Zenith's hand and start to head out before my dad can stop us.
"Be safe now! And no later than midnight, Reina!"
My dad yells after us as I close the door.
We make our way to Zenith's jeep. The roof is on it today. He opens my door for me and then walks over to his side, getting in the driver's seat.
He reaches over and buckles me in.
"Well, thank you." I smile at him
"You're very welcome." He gives me a half smile back then fastens his own seat belt.
"Soo," I look at him, "now can I know where we are going?"
"Yes," he says, "but first."
He reaches into the back and grabs a blindfold.
"Put this on."
"But you said I can know now!"
He laughs.
"And you will know as soon as we get there."
He smirks, and I roll my eyes, then put the blindfold on.
. . .
"Okay, careful now, don't let go of my hands."
Zenith leads me to I don't even know where, but I'm guessing it is a park because I can hear the crunching of grass beneath my shoes. I stumble a little, and he catches me.
"Reina, if you don't be more careful-"
"What do you mean?! You're the one leading me!"
He laughs.
"You're right. Hold on."
"What are you doing."
I feel him put an arm around my back, his other arm slips behind my knees, and he scoops me up carrying me. I squeal a little and wrap my arms around his neck.
"How far are you going to carry me?"
"Not far, we're almost there."
After a few minutes pass, Zenith gently sets me down, making sure I'm steady on my feet before letting me go.
I hear him step away.
"Okay now, take off your blind fold."
I untie the blind fold and when it is gone, what I see before me makes me gasp.
A floral blanket lays on the ground between two huge trees, giving it the perfect amount of shade. On the blanket, there are two picnic baskets, one small and one large. A record player and some of my favorite vinyls sit at a corner of the blanket along with a stack of some of my favorite poetry books. I slowly look over everything. I am speechless. I look up at Zenith, feeling happily overwhelmed.
"You did all of this for me?"
"I had help getting everything ready, but yes, I did it all for you."
"Zenith." I sniffle a little smiling through happy tears.
He walks up to me and cups my face in his hands, and places a kiss on my forehead.
"Surprise!" He whispers with a little laugh.
"Thank you for this." I whisper back.
"You're welcome." He smiles and gives me a quick kiss on my lips.
"C'mon." He takes my hand and leads us to the blanket. We sit down, and he picks up the big picnic basket, setting it in front of him. He opens it up and starts to pull out its contents. It is a small smorgasbord of my top 3 favorite foods that I had told him about the night we had spent playing 20 questions. Lastly, he pulls out a dozen chocolate covered strawberries.
"This is so beautiful, Zen, just everything, I can't believe you did all of this."
"I would do anything for you, beautiful."
I smile at him.
"What is in the small basket?"
"Ah," he looks over at it, "that is your last Surprise."
"You're really spoiling me."
"Good." He smiles.
We make our plates and eat a little bit of everything. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when I bit into the chocolate covered strawberries. They tasted so good!
We spent the next couple of hours listening to the vinyls and eating everything that our stomachs could possibly hold. Zenith kept stealing kisses between bites, and I had to make him stop and finish his food.
Now my head lays on his lap while he reads poems by John Keats. I stare up at him, watching the way his lips move as he reads. His voice sends a calm over me. I smile up at him, oblivious to me, looking him over. I love how his wavy hair parts down the middle and falls over his beautiful green eyes that I can't ever stop gazing into. I have the urge to reach up and caress his face, but I suppress it.
"I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three summer days. Three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain..."
Zenith's voice trails off, and he goes into his thoughts. I take his hand in mine, interlacing our fingers together.
"You okay?"
He looks down at me, a small smile on his face.
"You said he died young right, and these poems are the letters he had written to the woman he loved?"
"That's right."
"Hmm." He hums and goes back into his thoughts.
I sit up, placing myself alongside him but still facing him.
"Reina." He says softly as he brings his eyes up to look into mine.
He goes to say something but stops.
"What is it?" I ask, feeling concerned.
"It's just," he sighs, "these poems, the way these people talk about each other. It is exactly how I feel about you."
I feel my heartbeat quickening as he continues.
"I have never felt for anyone what I feel for you, Reina." He stares at me, "I am falling in love with you."
His eyes stare intensely into mine. My mind is going crazy. He just told me he is falling in love with me. I'm so shocked I don't even know how to respond, but I have to say something.
He takes my hand in his.
"It's okay if you don't feel the same yet, I'm not going to pressure you into anything. I just wanted you to know how I feel."
"Zenith," I whisper. He looks at me with eyes like a little puppy.
"I am falling for you too."
He smiles, leaning towards me slowly. His hand cups the side of my face as he pulls me towards him. His lips crash into mine. I run my hands through his hair as we both begin to breathe deeply. His hands go to my waist, squeezing softly as our lips part for each other. I feel my body tremble as he starts to kiss softly along my jawline. I tilt my head back, and he leaves soft kisses along my neck, then works his way back to my lips. I feel my head starting to feel foggy, and that's when we both slowly pull apart. We laugh a little as we catch our breath. Zenith kisses my cheek and then pulls me into his lap, sitting me between his legs and wrapping his arms around me.
The sun is beginning to set, and there's a light breeze outside now.
"Reina." Zenith whispers next to my ear.
"Hmm?" I hum.
"I am ready to tell you," he pauses briefly, "About my past."
I lay my head back on his shoulder.
"I'm here." I whisper.
He begins.
"Before I came to live with John and Cathy, I lived with my parents. I was abused by my father for as long as I can remember. He would beat me, and not even because he was a drunk or high on drugs. He just beat me because he was cruel, and it brought him satisfaction. He would beat my mom sometimes, too. I can't remember a night where I didn't go to sleep with the sound of her crying."
My heart is breaking for him.
"When I was twelve, my dad got fired from his job. He came home that day early. My mom had her bags packed. She was planning on running while he was away, and I was at school."
Zenith takes a shaking breath.
"I had gotten off early that day, and when I came inside-"
Zenith's voice breaks. I take his hand and squeeze it tightly, letting him know I'm still here and he's okay.
"When I came inside, my dad was just beating my mom with all the strength he had. Her cries still haunt my dreams. I didn't know what to do, so I ran at my dad and pushed him as hard as I could. I was just trying to get him to stop. But he stumbled forwards not expecting what happened, and fell hitting his head on our fireplace. I killed him. That's why my mother gave me away."
I feel Zenith's silent tears fall on my shoulder. I turn towards him, wrapping him in a hug. We sit in silence, letting our tears fall together. I pull away and cup his face in my hands, making him look at me through watery eyes.
"You did not kill your father. It was an accident. And if you hadn't stopped him, he would have killed your mom and then you."
I kiss his forehead as he squeezes me tightly.
"I love you, Zenith." I whisper.
He smiles a little.
"I love you too."
"Is there anything else?" I ask.
He sighs.
"In high school, I was bullied a lot. Everyone knew who my father was, and no one liked him. During my junior year, a guy named Dylan and some of his friends tried jumping me."
I listen intently, gently caressing my hand along the back of his neck.
"Dylan triggered something inside of me, and when I looked at him, all I saw was my dad. I blacked out, and the next thing I knew, his friends were pulling me off of his beat-up body."
"Damn Zenith, that's a lot."
"I ended up getting expelled. It was either that or the parents would press charges."
I lay my head against his and close my eyes.
"You're amazing, Zen."
He laughs lightly. "How?"
"You've been through so much, and you're still here. You're still kind and thoughtful. You're beautiful and good."
He kisses my cheek a few times.
"I was scared you wouldn't want to be with me if you knew."
"Well, no need to be scared," I kiss his lips softly, "I'm not going anywhere."
He smiles.
"Okay, it's time for your last Surprise."
"My last Surprise?"
"Yes, we are not ending this perfect first official date with sad tears."
"Okay." I laugh lightly.
He picks up the small picnic basket and hands it to me. I open it and find a blank record. I look at Zenith, confused.
"You have to put it in the player to know your Surprise song."
I bite my bottom lip, then jump up to put the record into the record player. I put the stylus on the record, and it begins to play after a few seconds. My eyes widen, and I look to Zenith, who stands with his hand outstretched to me.
"May I have this dance."
I tilt my head and smile at him, feeling so many butterflies fluttering through my stomach.
"Of course." I take his hand, and he holds me in his arms, slowly swaying me to the music. I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes. Today was the perfect day.
A/N
This is the longest chapter I have written. It had me tearing up ngl. I hope you enjoyed it! Remember to vote!