I wake up on Saturday morning in an extremely comfortable position. In fact, my pillow is so soft that I wrap my arms around it and tightly hug it, bringing it close. After a few seconds, I slowly open my eyes to see blue and silver irises staring down at me.
"Good morning." Zeke grins.
I immediately loosen my grip on his stomach which I seem to have latched myself onto.
"Were you watching me?" I ask as I angle my face upwards to look at him.
I expect him to blush and look away but instead he moves his head a tiny bit closer to mine. "Maybe..."
I laugh. "Perv."
He rolls his eyes. "Not in that way."
"Oh yeah? In what way then?" I question.
"It doesn't matter." He shrugs, blushing slightly. "What matters right now is that your mum doesn't see us lying in bed together and get the wrong idea. Otherwise that would be an extremely awkward conversation."
I laugh and sit up with a yawn. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
Zeke reaches up and grabs my arm. "Not just yet." He tugs me back and I lay my head on his chest again with a gentle sigh.
It feels so great to lie next to him. He smells so good and I never want to leave.
Only something's bugging me at the back of my mind...
Friends don't do this.
I look up at his gorgeous face again and as he lays there, peacefully snoozing, I think about how much I like him. He's handsome, funny, badass yet sweet at just at the right times. And that's when I realise it.
I, Hayley O'Sullivan, have a crush on the famous Zeke Westley.
Seriously?
What am I thinking?
I'm so stupid I swear you could trade me for Karen from Mean Girls and you wouldn't tell the difference.
After a while, I remember something that I really wish I'd forgotten. "Zeke...?"
"Yeah?"
"I have to go to work at the ice rink." I sigh.
I expect him to sadly walk home but instead he shrugs. "Can I come too?"
My eyes widen and I sit up and smile at him excitedly. "Really? You'll come?"
"I don't have anything better to do." He shrugs. "Just... Five more minutes though..." He says and slowly closes his eyes so that he looks like a dead sloth.
A very good looking sloth, though...
I laugh and clamber out of bed. "That's fine, I'll use the bathroom first." I say and turn back to look at him. He lays there, almost fast asleep again, looking as cute and as handsome as ever.
You just analysed him, you freak.
You know what? I don't care.
I'll never have a shot with him anyway.
*^*^*
"You didn't think that I would actually help you clean, did you?"
I turn to face Zeke and raise an eyebrow. "You can go if you want." I state and cross my arms.
He sighs. "Fine, I'll help you..."
I hand him a mop and leave to fetch the water. When I come back, Zeke is playing music out of the speakers on his phone at full blast. I try not to let him see me and duck behind the caretakers trolley.
I watch as he starts to sway his hips in time with the music and murmur the words. He then starts to mop the floor, even though he has no water, and brushes the tiles in time with the rhythm of the song. It comes to the instrumental part and Zeke starts doing vigorous air guitar standing on the chairs.
I come out from my hiding place, grinning from ear to ear that I caught him in the act, but as soon as he senses me he jumps down from the chair and starts vacantly mopping the floor like nothing ever happened.
I laugh to myself and pour the water into the mop bucket. The song is still playing and when the chorus comes on I can't help but sing the words.
"You know this song?" Zeke calls with an impressed look.
I shrug nonchalantly. "Yeah, everyone does."
"Then may I have this dance?" He asks me and outstretches his hand in my direction.
If it was raining right now then it would be like the cute scene from High School Musical where they dance on the roof. I love that scene...
Laughing, we both start dancing to the beat of the song. Zeke grabs my hand and I twirl around, feeling like a Disney princess once more. The final note of the song comes on which is extremely long, and I jump onto the seats. Zeke follows me and we both shout as loud as we can into the depths of the huge ice rink as the singer shows off their lung capacity.
The song finally ends and we burst out laughing and jump off the seats. "Come on... We better start cleaning..." I chuckle.
*^*^*
"You hungry?" Zeke asks.
I narrow my eyes at his innocent face. "I guess... What are you going to do?"
He gets up and walks over to the cafe at the edge of the rink, which is currently closed. I watch as the bad boy unlocks the door with the spare keys I brought and helps himself to half the stock.
"Zeke! You can't just steal it!" I hiss, like there are security cameras watching our every move, recording our every sound.
I imagine having to tell my neighbours that someone "miraculously broke in and stole all your stock... especially the cookies." and internally groan.
Zeke reads my mind and goes to chuck me a cookie. "They won't mind. Come on, live a little, be rebellious every once in a while."
Unfortunately my bad reactions didn't quite catch on and I watch as the cookie flies onto the ice behind me.
"Oh no..." I hear Zeke mutter as he looks at the shelves and then slowly turns to face me with wide eyes.
What's happened? Is there a camera? Has he set an alarm off? Am I going to die?
"That was the last cookie."
That's worse than death.
A smirk slowly stretches across Zeke's face and all of a sudden he bolts out of the café.
He's going for the cookie.
I sprint after him, not realising the ice is already under my feet. I keep running but loose my balance on the slippery surface beneath me and immediately panic. I lift my foot, place it down, slip, wave my arms about in desperation, feel gravity giving a little heave then I'm lying on the ice, my cheek squished against the harsh cold surface of the solid ice.
Don't worry, I don't go down alone.
I grab Zeke's arm as I fall and he slips over too, ending up sideways across me.
Well I don't know how that happened.
I don't even think. In a rush for sugar, I kick him off me and try to get up off the ice. After a few failed attempts, I finally climb up and sprint towards the packet of heaven. I hear crunching footsteps behind me and increase my pace, not that I would be able to win.
Zeke speeds past me and reaches for the cookie. As he grabs it and holds it up with a stupid grin on his face, I accidentally crash into him and fall to the floor, this time on top of him.
I slowly open my eyes to see blood red lips.
Well this is awkward.
I manage to roll over so that I am no longer staring at his mouth and am now laying on the floor next to him. All of a sudden, Zeke breaks the silence with a high pitch voice.
"Cookie?"
I roll my eyes and slap him lightly on the shoulder. He just chuckles.
Zeke turns on one elbow to look at me. "So you don't want any? That's okay, I mean, I'll eat them all by myself if you want me to..."
My eyes widen. Cookies... "No! I do! I do! I do!" I almost scream as I look around, only to see an empty cookie packet.
"Seriously, if you wanted to marry me all you had to do was say yes. You didn't have to beg at me feet." He smirks cockily for the billionth time since I've known him.
I slap him again. "Zeke! Gimme cookies!"
Haha, that should be my life motto.
He laughs and I hear rustling from somewhere before he holds up a cookie. I try to take it but some tutting stops me. "Nuh-uh-uh, I'll do it."
He reaches forward with a small chunk of cookie in his hand and I open my mouth to let him feed me. Aren't I a good girl?
Not.
All of a sudden, I grab the bit of cookie he was offering me and snatch the bag with the rest of them in that is also nearby, before running off.
"Beat that, sucker!" I shout and stick my tongue out at him.
I'm so mature.
Zeke sits up and rolls his eyes at me. "Karma hurts like a bitch, you know." He reminds me, shaking his head with a smile as he stands up.
"Well I'm already a bitch so it can't harm me!" I yell back.
He laughs and jogs to catch up with me. I give him a smile and reluctantly let him take a cookie from the bag.
See? I can be a good girl if I want to be.
*^*^*
I lock up the ice-rink before starting to walk home, the darkness of the night absorbing me. Zeke left a while ago but said that he would ring to check up on me as 'there are people around'. I don't know what that means.
I start walking down the street, my footsteps echoing as the street lamps falter. I notice a few cars driving past but don't think anything of it, until one slows down to the pace I'm walking at.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see it quietly slithering forward, always keeping a good distance of about five metres.
I'm officially creeped out.
I subtly reach into my pocket and retrieve my phone. I dial Zeke's number with shaking hands and nervously wait for him to pick up.
Zeke's voice sounds happily from the other end.
"Soz, I must be unavailable right now– although I'm always open for night time slots– so please leave a message and I'll get back to you if I can be bothered."
I huff under my breath and quicken my pace, hoping that my new stalkers will get bored and leave me alone. After another ten seconds of the car's nearly silent engine spurring behind me i can't take it anymore. I break into a run, and notice the car speed up too, keeping my pace.
"Miss?"
I stop dead and gulp.
Maybe they haven't seen me?
"Hayley, isn't it?"
I turn around just in time to see a face I don't recognise. "I'm sorry?"
"At precisely 10:47 this morning you entered that ice rink with a guy named Zeke Westley." The man claims from where he is leaning out the window of his car, the driver sitting smugly next to him. "Are you close with him?"
"None of your business." I speak and regret it the second after. I should have just said that I barely know him and we just work together every other Saturday or something.
"Well I'm afraid it is." The guy speaks and climbs out of his van. I notice that he is wearing all black and looks posh yet slightly rough. A scar is scratched into his forehead like someone attacked him.
The Blacksuits.
Oh shit.
"Leave me alone." My voice trembles as I gulp back my fear.
"You see," The guy starts as he advances and I notice the driver of the van snigger. "Mr Westley and I have some unfinished business to attend to." He kind of laughs before going dead serious as he grabs my arm, forcing me to stay. "Either tell me where he is, or I'll take you with me. It'll give him the incentive to speak up."
I freeze.
I don't know what to do.
Like hell am I gonna tell him where Zeke is, but I'll also never let this stranger take me just because his royal jerkiness has messed up.
"Tick tock tick tock." The Blacksuit hums. "Time's ticking."
I squirm in his hold, trying to break free.
"Oi!" A yell breaks the silence which I recognise.
I watch as Mace stalks towards us, a glare aimed at the Blacksuits.
"Well hello Mr Nicholo, how good it is to see you." My kidnapper smirks evilly and tightens his grip on my arm. "I was just having a chat with Miss Hayley, here."
"I can see that." Mace cocks his head toward The Blacksuits rigid stance. "Let her go, I'll tell you where Zeke is."
My mouth drops as the Blacksuit laughs. "As if you would do that. Sorry Pinocchio, but I can see through your lies."
I watch as Mace uses his eyes to gesture towards where the man is holding me. I frown, unsure of what he wants me to do.
"You need to settle this with me, not Zeke or Hayley." Mace continues, holding his hands up in surrender, like he's trading himself in. "Just take me."
"We don't want you." The Blacksuit laughs, flashing one of his shiny metal teeth. "We want Westley. Your Uncle won't be very happy otherwise Mace."
"I don't give a shit about what my Uncle thinks." Mace comes closer and holds his wrists out, as though offering himself to the enemy.
"Oh but you do.." The Blacksuit agent snarls and reaches for him.
Just as the agent focuses on Mace's wrists and I notice his eyes flicked away from me greedily, Mace nods.
All at once I twist his wrist back, putting him in agony as I try to run. Mace punches him across the face before sprinting after me and we race to the end of the street. I'm just about to continue when Mace stops me, grabbing my hand and flinging me into a narrow passageway.
"Where are we going?" I scream, hearing his footsteps thud after mine.
"Just trust me." Mace yells back and all of a sudden pushes me to the side.
I expect to slam into the wall, but instead I fall into yet another passageway. At the end I see an odd green door. Mace then swings me into his chest before gripping my waist and lifting me up, helping me to climb upwards. When I peer towards the sky I see a ladder crawling up to the rooftop.
"What the hell, Mace? How do you know where to go?" I ask as I reach for the first bar and cling to it– literally– for dear life.
"I'm awesome, just go with it." I hear Mace speak and can tell that he is smirking. He then uses his strong biceps to pull himself up and I can't help but stare. "Keep moving, spider monkey."
I blush and hurriedly look away as I start to ascend the rusty ladder. Every now and again there is nothing for me to hold onto and I have to reach or pull myself up. Eventually though, I see light at the end of the shaft and let myself get drawn to it, hoping that there won't be any more running involved as my sides are killing me.
At the top of the ladder I look around to see that I am on the slippery rooftop of an old house. It is semi-detached so the slate tiles of the other nearby rooftops lead like a pathway into the night.
Mace stands up beside me and puts an arm round me for warmth. "My awesomeness did good, right?"
"Mace," I breath. "As much as this is extremely cool... how do we get home? I'm not Spider-Man, I can't just jump off the roof."
"Don't even worry about it, I'll help you." Mace grins and grabs my wrist to pull me further along the roof. We walk for another five minutes or more, jumping between the houses as the full moon outlines our silhouettes.
Eventually I see a single roof coming into view and presume that's where we're heading towards. I can't presume that it's my roof— because who memorises what their roof looks like?
"What were you doing on your own, anyway?" Mace makes conversation as he lifts me up over one part of the roof which juts outwards.
"Zeke had to go so I was walking home on my own." I shrug.
"Well he should have stayed." Mace claims. "There are people around."
I frown at the weird feeling churning inside of me as Mace uses exactly the same words as Zeke did just an hour ago. Something weird's going on... "Mace, why do the Blacksuits want Zeke?" I quiver in his hold as he avoids my gaze.
"It's complicated."
"So I hear." I narrow my eyes at him. "Spill."
"I think there are better people who could tell this story." Mace mumbles before stepping towards a chimney. "Alright Santa Clause, time to go down and deliver some presents."