by Ella Maise
“And I don’t think you’re crazy. My mom is not a fan of earthquakes either.”
“Yeah? Would she jump into a stranger’s arms, too?”
His chest moved with silent laughter. “I thought we were friends. When did I turn from the best buddy to the stranger in this scenario? And to answer your question, she wouldn’t get to jump into a stranger’s arms because my dad would be right next to her, ready to catch her if she decided to faint or anything. She always clings to his hand for dear life.”
His gravelly voice helped me relax further.
“She faints?”
“Thankfully it hasn’t happened yet, but I wouldn’t put it past her. She always threatens us with it though.”
I waited a moment before I spoke again. “Scientists are expecting a mega-earthquake to hit California, right? The power is still out, and I feel like something bad is going to happen. What if this is it?”
He hummed for a few seconds, and I could feel the vibrations through his body. “Do you have any regrets? Maybe someone you’d want to ask for a kiss before an untimely demise?”
He surprised me enough that I tilted my head back to look up at him. Thanks to the new angle we were standing at, it was easier to make out his features in the dark, and I could definitely see the playful grin on his face.
“Yeah, nice try, but I don’t think so. I told you I’m made of tougher stuff when it comes to bets. I won’t back out that easily—though, if the building actually starts crumbling down, all bets are off and I’ll probably try to crawl right into you.”
This time his laughter was audible. “Okay, I’ll make sure to be ready for it.”
Thinking he must’ve been starting to feel weird or uncomfortable holding me, I dropped my hand from his chest and took that half step back again. As soon as his arms released me, my body temperature started to come down.
“How come you’re so calm anyway? Have you never watched 2012 or San Andreas? I just rewatched them last week so I’m thinking that’s not really helping at the moment.”
It sucked that I could feel exactly where his hands had held on to my body; it made me too aware of the fact that they were no longer around me.
“Is that why you’re so afraid of earthquakes? Because of the movies?”
“Who in the world wouldn’t be afraid of earthquakes? How can I not freak out about getting smooshed under a building?”
All of a sudden, my hand was in Dylan’s and he was staring down at them as if he wasn’t sure how it had happened when he was the one who had reached for it. His hand squeezed mine once, twice, and my heart rate picked up.
Shit. Slowly, as if my hand had a mind of its own, I stretched my fingers and linked them around his. It seemed like exactly what he was waiting for because before I could even process the butterflies in my stomach, he was pulling me toward the couch.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m dead on my feet, Zoe. I had a long day, and then the study session went longer than I expected, and I had to hit the weight room before I came here. I’m wiped out, so we need to sit.”
Oh.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled as he sank into the couch with a heavy sigh and pulled me down next to him.
“I should get up and look for a candle or something,” I mumbled and tugged my hand.
Instead of letting me go as I expected him to, he turned my hand in his then threaded his fingers through mine, palm to palm. Sitting at a weird angle, I stared at our hands, not sure what was happening. He lifted them and placed the back of my hand on his thigh. I tensed. Dropping his head to the back of the couch, he scooted a little lower.
“Stay. Let’s relax for a minute. Keep me company. The power will come back any minute now.”
Keep him company with his hand wrapped around mine? Sure, what the hell? What were friends for if not this? I already mentioned that I was an idiot, right? I was actually happy he hadn’t decided to go back to his room to crash, so I shifted in my seat, leaned back, and got comfortable next to him.
“Oh, and Zoe, no more of those movies for a while, yeah? Maybe stick to something that won’t scare you. You said you liked animated movies—those should be good.”
“Those usually make me cry,” I mumbled under my breath as I turned my eyes on him.
“I think…”
When I didn’t go on, he rolled his head toward me. Our eyes met in the moonlight and I flicked my gaze back up at the ceiling again.
“I think…it has something to do with you. I don’t act nearly this wacky around anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, I might come close, but not back to back, not like this.”
“So what you’re saying is that I’m a special friend, huh?”
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and saw he was still looking at me. I gazed at his temple. I remained silent, and he finally turned his head away.
“I like that,” he murmured in a low voice, and I thought it was safe to look again. His eyes were closed, so mine could roam every inch of his face to my heart’s content.
He groaned and arched his back, getting more comfortable. I couldn’t say the same for myself, but I didn’t move from my spot either. The alternative wasn’t appealing at all.
I felt something touch my leg and when I looked down, I saw Dylan’s thigh—which had been nowhere near mine just seconds before—lightly resting against mine.
“Did you have a good day?” I asked when he stayed silent.
“Yeah. Long one, but it was good. You?”
“Same. I was working before you came in, so maybe I should go back to that until the power comes back on and let you sleep—though I’ll have to wake you up if there’s another earthquake.”
A low chuckle. “Oh yeah?”
The rumble in his voice rendered me speechless. I closed my eyes and held back a moan.
“Just giving you a fair warning, that’s all.”
“Feel free to wake me up whenever you want. I won’t mind.”
I wasn’t going to comment on that one.
“Hey, Zoe?” he asked, his voice somewhere between husky and sleepy, heavier on the husky side.
“Yeah?” I croaked, not sounding nearly as sexy as he did. I was still trying to recover from what his voice was doing to me.
“Where is your boyfriend right now?”
Oh.
I stiffened and tried to pull my hand away from his, but I couldn’t break his hold.
“Why are you asking?”
“He’d know you’re scared of earthquakes, right? If he is your boyfriend, he knows. I just thought he’d call to see how you are by now. If my girlfriend was afraid of earthquakes, I’d be there for her.”
“I told you it was complicated.”
You’re such a little shit, Zoe.
“Okay. If you say so. I was just asking.”
Chapter Nine
Dylan
“Zoe? Can I ask you a big favor?”
She was sitting on the small rug in front of the coffee table, her favorite spot to sit when she was working on her laptop, it seemed. If she was watching a movie, her preference was different: snuggling up on the big leather couch.
“How big is it?” she asked, her gaze still focused on the screen and the photo she was working on.
At her words, my lips stretched into a full grin.
When I didn’t answer quickly enough, she lifted her eyes to find mine. She must’ve understood the reason for my grin because her cheeks turned a rosy color and she huffed out a breath.
“How old are you again?” she mumbled.
I chuckled and opened the fridge to get some orange juice.
“It’s big, but not so big that you can’t handle it.”
She faced her laptop. “I already saw it, remember? It’s not that big. Sure, it looks impressive since you’re a shower, and if I remember correctly, I already congratulated you on that. I don’t think it’d get any bigger though, which takes me back to…not that big.”
I wa
s watching her in shocked silence with the box of OJ still in my hand. She usually had that effect on me, so it wasn’t new, but it still got me every time.
“Not that I remember it vividly,” she muttered as an afterthought. “What?” she snapped when she saw the look on my face.
“Uh, Zoe, I was talking about the favor I wanted to ask—as in, it’s a big favor, but nothing you can’t handle.”
Her lips parted. “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “You’re going to ignore the word vomit. You didn’t hear any of that.”
“Of course. What are friends for?” I smiled and poured myself some juice. “Do you want some?”
“No, thanks. So what is this favor?”
In the days following her little earthquake freak-out, we’d gotten a little closer, a little more like actual friends—not buddies, exactly, but friends. She was still having trouble meeting my eyes, but the amount of time she spent looking at my chin or ear while talking to me had decreased. Plus, even though we only saw each other in passing, and some days not even for more than ten minutes, the more time passed, the more I learned about her.
It was great. I liked that she was opening up little by little every day—apart from the fact that I still wasn’t sure about her boyfriend situation, that is. I was having trouble getting a read on her. She had secret phone calls, whispering to make sure I couldn’t hear anything even when I wasn’t in the same room with her, but it could’ve easily been one of her friends. Still, I had my suspicions, but that was all they were—suspicions—and I hoped some of them really were just that.
Until I knew for sure, I wouldn’t get to steal the kiss she owed me, and from seeing how seriously she was taking our bet, I didn’t think she’d cave any time soon either.
“I’m swamped today. I need to meet with one of my trainers to discuss if he can help me get ready for the combine. If it’s a go, we need to make a schedule. After that, we have a team meeting, and then I have a class and another study group right after. I need to get a few things for the week, like pasta, chicken, and a few others, so if you have time, can you help me out with that? I’ll owe you one.”
“You want me to get you groceries?”
“If you have the time. I’m pretty much out of everything, and this week’s already going to be crazy as it is with the game, so I don’t think I’ll get a chance to do it myself. I’ll give you my debit card if you say you can do it.”
She twisted at her waist to look at me. “I have photography lab at two-thirty, but I’m free between four and eight. I was planning on texting Jared and Kayla to see if they were free to hang out, but I can get what you want after my class.”
“Are you sure? If you already made plans, I can ask one of the—”
“It’s fine. I love grocery shopping. I can do my weekly shopping a little early—two birds with one stone. I also happen to love grocery lists. Do you have a list for me?”
“I do.” I smiled at her and reached into my pocket so I could take out my debit card and the short list I’d made earlier. I placed them on the marble island right in front of me. “The pin is seven five three two.”
Her face lit up with a playful smile. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal all your money and run away?”
“I’m pretty much broke, and even if you did steal the hundred or so dollars, I’m afraid you wouldn’t get that far.” That reminded me that I needed to somehow handle my schedule better and get in a few hours of work at Jimmy’s bar. Not only was my money dwindling, I also needed to send some back home, too, just to help out a little.
Her eyes softened. “I won’t steal your money.”
I smiled at her and didn’t think before speaking. “I know you won’t, baby.”
I managed to hold her gaze a few seconds longer than our usual before she cleared her throat and turned back to her work.
Maybe baby hadn’t been the best word choice, but I couldn’t take it back now.
“You said you’re free between four and eight, right? Do you have a study group at eight?” Maybe I could thank her with a small surprise.
I watched her shoulders stiffen. “Not exactly. Why?”
“I’ll think I’ll make it back around nine, thought maybe we could watch a movie together or something. I haven’t seen you much this week.”
I put my palms down on the counter and waited for her answer. It took a while.
“I’m not sure when I’ll get back. I…uh…I have a date tonight.”
Well then.
“You have a date.”
Our eyes met for just a second when she looked at me over her shoulder, but she was quick to glance away.
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll be too late, but you go to bed pretty early on weekdays, so I’m not sure if you’ll still be up when I get back.” Her eyes flicked up and then down again. “We can do it another time? This weekend, maybe?”
“I won’t be around this weekend. We have an away game.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Okay? “I guess I’ll see you later then. Have fun on your date.” Or not, I thought, but didn’t repeat it to her. “Thank you for helping me out today. I owe you one.”
Her lips pressed together and she nodded.
“I have ten minutes before I’m supposed to meet up with my trainer so I’m gonna have to run.” Gulping down my orange juice, I started to look around in the drawers for my last protein bar.
I sighed. “Zoe, have you seen my protein bar? I left it on the counter this morning.”
“Yeah, I put it in the cupboard next to the bowls, the one next to the fridge.”
It’d been weeks since I’d moved in, yet I still didn’t know where everything was in the kitchen. I knew where the pots and pans lived, the mugs and glasses, and the spoons and forks, but that was where my knowledge ended, even though I’d already cooked dinner in there once or twice. I usually ate with the team, since we had our own chefs, but if I was home early, I didn’t go back out just so I could have dinner with everyone else.
One other thing I’d learned about Zoe was that she hated having things lying around. I wouldn’t call her organized, exactly, because I’d seen the state of some of the drawers, but it seemed like as long as the counters were empty and clean, she was fine, which meant if I left something out, she stashed it away as soon as she could get her hands on it.
I opened the cupboard in question and just stared.
“Uh…Zoe?”
“Yeah? It’s right there on the first shelf—did you find it?”
I reached up and grabbed my protein bar. Like she’d said, it was right there…among other things.
“I distinctly remember you saying you didn’t buy peanut butter M&Ms because you had trouble not eating them all at once.” I heard her get up from the floor with a sigh. In a few seconds she was standing next to me, staring at what I was staring at.
“You found them, huh.”
“Uh, yeah. They’re right there. If you were trying to hide them, you did a pretty shitty job.”
“I wasn’t exactly trying to hide them, but I can’t even see them if I’m not standing on my toes—it’s not my fault you’re freakishly tall.”
“I’m not freakishly tall, Flash,” I mumbled and looked down at her then back at the countless reddish-orange bags of candy on the shelf. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Surprise?” she blurted out like it was a question, drawing my gaze back to her. “I got them for you…as a present…a few presents.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Zoe, give it up. There have to be at least twenty-five, thirty bags of peanut butter M&Ms here.”
She groaned. “Fine, I lied. I bought them all for me, and if you want to be exact, there are only twenty-three, but I can’t eat them.”
“Right, twenty-three. And why exactly can you not eat them?”
“I told you: I can’t stop.”
“Then why the hell did you buy them?”
She sighed again and closed the cupboard as if she could
n’t bear to look at them any longer. “Because I can’t stop myself from buying them either. I just like to have them around, you know. If I know they’re there, it makes it easier to stay away, like if I had a craving I could reach up and get one and everything would be okay, but if I don’t have them in the house and it’s too late to go out and buy some, then what am I supposed to do? Or what if they’re out of peanut butter M&Ms, then what? Does that make sense?”
I just shook my head. “Not really.”
“It’s like this: it’s better to know I have them than not have them, and if I have them, I won’t eat them because then they’ll all be gone. I like that they’re there. Oh, let’s look at it like this.”
“Let’s.”
“I bet you eat your favorite food on the plate last, right? Let’s say you have meatballs, broccoli, and…rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes. Which one would you leave for last?”
I just blankly stared at her.
“I would leave the roasted potatoes. I’d want to savor them, so I’d leave them to eat last. Get it now?”
“Please tell me you don’t have a bag of roasted potatoes tucked away somewhere—and also, for the love of God, don’t tell me you occasionally like to take these M&Ms down, line them up on the counter, and just stare at them.”
“Of course not! I’m not a weirdo, I just have…some quirks. It’s cute to have quirks.”
“Well, excuse me for asking. If you did that, I was gonna start worrying about you.”
“Don’t you have that one—or, okay, a few food items you’re afraid to eat too quickly because then that will be the end of it and you won’t have more? I like fries, too. I can never share fries, and I always get extra even if I don’t eat all of them. I just want the option of eating more. Do you get it? If you still don’t get it, I’m pretty sure you’re the problem here, buddy, not me.”
As she looked up at me with hope-filled eyes, I could do nothing but just stare at her.
She bit her lip then started laughing, and two seconds in, a small snort escaped her. She slapped her hand over her face, but it was too late.