“Rachel,
I think we should be getting back. It’s getting late.” Zack abruptly interrupts
the conversation, opening his wallet as he places a wad of cash down on the
table.
The
three of us glance over at him in surprise. His startling announcement came out
of nowhere and the fact that he’s willing to pay for everything so we can leave
already makes it even more apparent that something is amiss.
“You
want to leave? Is everything ok?” Rachel asks, her voice full of concern.
“I’m
good, just tired and I’m sure Sam and Jason are ready to call it a night.”
“I
don’t mind staying out a bit longer.” Jason adds, resting his arm against the
back of the booth where I’m sitting.
I
watch Zack’s eyes follow Jason’s action, narrowing in annoyance when he sees
the casual affection between us.
“But
we were having such a great time! I don’t want to go home yet.” Rachel pouts,
clearly a little tipsy from all the wine she’s been drinking.
“I’m
actually pretty tired. I’m ready to go.” I say, reaching for my bag.
“If
you two are ok to hang out a bit longer, I can always drop Samantha home.” Zack
gives me a pointed look, begging me with his eyes to go along with his
suggestion. “Is that ok with you?” He asks, directing his question at me.
“What’s
the point in that?” Jason fires back at him, narrowing his eyes at him in
scrutiny.
“Samantha
just said herself that she’s tired and I’m ready to go myself. I can always
come back for Rachel.”
“Are
you sure?” My sister asks doubtfully, glancing back and forth between us.
“Ok.
Let’s go, Sam.” Zack jumps to his feet, placing a kiss on Rachel’s forehead
before waiting for me to stand.
I
can’t help the stab of jealousy I feel when I see him kiss her. It was a purely
platonic kiss but it still hurt. It makes me wonder how on earth I’m going to
find the strength to watch them get married, watch them have their children and
build a life together.
“Sam,
are you sure you’re ok with this?” Jason grabs my wrist, clearly confused by
the sudden turn of events. “I don’t mind leaving if you want me to come with
you.”
I
realise how strange this must appear to him. I know he’ll ask me about it later
and I realise I’ll have to come up with something, I need a reason for Zack and
I to be alone together. I lean forward and pull my friend into a hug, deciding
that another fib is necessary. I have to make sure my leaving with Zack doesn’t
make Jason suspicious.
“Zack’s
arranging a surprise for Rachel and wants my help with it. We discussed this
earlier but he really needs to speak alone.”
Jason
visibly relaxes as soon as I pull away from him. I grab my bag and say goodbye
to Rachel. I know she would be questioning this more if she were completely
sober and tomorrow she will probably wonder why her fiancé and sister left
without her.
I
turn to Zack and give him a brief smile. The expression on his face is solemn,
refusing to acknowledge my gesture. He opens the door to the restaurant for me
and waits for me to walk in front of him when we get outside.
“I
brought my car. It’s parked just down the road.” He says gruffly, shoving both
of his hands in his pockets.
He
walks ahead of me once we make it outside and I struggle to keep up with his
powerful stride in my heels. I don’t know what I’m supposed to expect right now
and can’t help wondering if I should try and engage him in some sort of
conversation. Should I wait for him to say something or should I just blurt out
the first thing that comes into my head? I have to admit that Zack is
spectacularly clever for pulling this off. He told me how determined he was to
speak to me and he made damn well sure it would happen.
‘Am
I wrong’ by Nico & Vinz plays throughout our journey home and I find myself
getting completely lost in the music. The silence in the car is heavy and I’m
glad for a distraction of the radio. After a few minutes I realise that we’re
heading in the direction of my apartment.
“You’re
taking me home?” I ask, daring a quick glance at him out the corner of my eye.
“Yeah.
I can’t take you back to mine with my parents being there.” He replies simply,
keeping his eyes fixed on the road.
Of
course. I keep forgetting that Zack has been staying at his parent’s house
since he came up here. He’s still not spent a single night with Rachel and
she’s already suspicious about the reason why. I can’t help wondering if he
will actually choose to sleep with her tonight, now that he’s had sex with me…
what’s stopping him from going back to his far more beautiful fiancé?
I
shift uncomfortably in my seat, fighting the intrusive image of them together
in my head. It churns my stomach, it makes me feel physically sick when I
imagine them together and I could almost scream with frustration. I realise
that it’s inevitable, they’re engaged and it’s going to happen sooner rather
than later. However, that doesn’t mean I want to think about it, not even for a
moment.
I’m
surprised to find that Zack has pulled into the car park of my apartment
complex when I next look up. He switches off the engine and rests both of his
hands on the wheel, leaving the two of us in silence.
“Shall
we go inside?” I ask, feeling timid and somewhat shy all of a sudden.
He
nods slowly, shaking his head slightly as he tries to pull himself together. He
quickly removes himself from the car and I scramble to follow him, fumbling for
the apartment keys in my handbag. God, why does this have to be so awkward?
Will it be like this from now on? Will there always be an unbearable atmosphere
that exists between us? If so, someone is bound to get suspicious. My mother
hates my guts but she’s also extremely perceptive. She would see through my
uncomfortable demeanour in an instant.
I
make my way into the kitchen as soon as we walk into the apartment, switching
on the kettle before I even turn on the light. The last thing I want is coffee
but I need to find something to distract myself. Zack loiters by the doorway,
struggling with the idea of whether or not he should come and join me in the
kitchen. I turn my back on him, facing the wall as I try to gain some control
over my breathing.
A
few moments pass before I feel him make his way over towards me. He rests his
hands on the counter, pressing his solid chest against my back as he inhales
deeply, trailing his lips against the skin on my neck.
“I
forgot to mention how incredible you look in this dress.” He whispers, stroking
his finger down the side of my body, caressing the silky material of it.
I
reluctantly turn around so that we’re face to face, unable to resist him for a
second longer. Everything about him is so intoxicating, even his scent is
alluring and entirely hypnotic. He’s my own personal addiction, an addiction I
know there is no cure for.
“All
you told me was how you wanted to fuck me on the table.” I reply despondently,
trying to remain stony faced and unresponsive to him.
He
lowers his head, clearly mortified about the way he spoke to me earlier. It’s
almost enough to make me feel sorry for him.
Almost.
He
takes hold of my small wrist in his hand, glancing down at his fingers which
remain locked around it.
“I’m
sorry about that. I never should have said any of those things to you and I
don’t know what the hell I was thinking of sending you that text at the table.
My one and only excuse is insanity. I know that might sound crazy but that’s
exactly how what it feels like. Ever since I met you… I feel like I don’t even
know who I am anymore. I don’t know what I’m doing and no matter how hard I
try, I just don’t know how to get you out of my fucking head!” He exclaims
loudly, slamming his fist against the wooden surface of the counter behind me.
I
can’t help myself from flinching at the noise, so uncertain and full of doubt
when it comes to knowing how I should handle this. I’ve come to realise that I
really don’t know Zack all too well. I have no knowledge whatsoever about his
temperament or anything beyond what he’s already told me about himself. This
and the fact that my heart feels like it might tear in two is enough to
convince me that it would have been so much better for everyone involved if we
had never met. If only my sister had got married before she got round to
introducing us… none of this would have happened.
“What
do you want from me, Zack? What do you want me to say?” I challenge him,
folding my arms across my chest, desperate to put some space between us.
“I
need to know you feel this too. I need to know that I’m not the only one of us
who is suffering here. I need you to tell me that I’m not the only one who’s
been torn apart by all of this.”
“Of
course you’re not the only one.” I rest the my hand against his cheek, trying
to ignore the way he clings on to it with his own hand, placing a delicate kiss
on my palm. “This is killing me just as much as it is you. I don’t know what to
do, I don’t know where to go or who I can talk to about this. I don’t know how
I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life carrying around the weight of this
inside me. Ultimately I know that it comes down to a choice. A choice between
destroying my sister’s happiness and my own.” I sob, inhaling sharply as I try
to regain control over my emotional outburst.
“Shh…
it’s ok. We’ll be ok. We’re going to figure this out, I promise you. You’re not
alone in this, Samantha. I’m here for you and I’m not going anywhere.” He
soothes me, trailing his thumb down the side of my face, providing me an
insurmountable amount of comfort as well as desire for him.
My
attraction towards him infuriates me even more. I can’t believe the strength or
the power of the magnetic force I feel between us and the complexity of such
wayward emotions angers me beyond belief.
“You’re
marrying my sister!” I yell furiously, frantically struggling to free myself
from his grasp, pummelling my small fists against his chest.
“Maybe
I don’t want to.” He murmurs softly, attempting to calm me by pulling me close
and stroking several strands of my blonde hair between his fingers.
“What
are you saying?” I murmur softly, gazing up at him in astonishment.
“I
don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. All I do know is I’m absolutely crazy
about you, Samantha. I know that I haven’t been able to feel the same way about
Rachel since I met you. I can’t even bring myself to sleep with her because I’m
terrified I’ll say your name. I can’t even let myself spend the night with her
because I know thinking of you is inevitable. She knows that something is wrong
between us and I have no idea what to tell her. I don’t want to hurt her but I
can’t help the fact that…” He trails off, reluctant and hesitant to continue.
“What?”
I urge him, grasping a handful of his shirt in each hand.
“I’m
falling for you.” He whispers, lowering his head in defeat. It’s as though
he’s finally surrendered himself before me, he’s allowed me to knock down and
demolish all of his defences and all that is left is his enthralling
vulnerability and truth.
“Y-you
can’t be.” I stammer, shaking my head in absolution.
This
can’t be possible, it just can’t. What the hell have we done? What the hell are
we
going
to do?
“I
am. I’m falling for you, Sam and there’s nothing I can do about it. God knows
I’ve tried, I’ve tried to stay away from you, I’ve tried to ignore what I feel
for you and none of it is working. I’m all out of ideas and I’m absolutely
certain that I no longer have the strength to stay away from you.”
What
happens next is madness, complete and utter madness. We somehow manage to fall
back into that insatiable, indescribable and senseless passion which drew us
together in the first place. Zack’s mouth is on mine before I can even think
about pushing him away, my own lips respond to him without question and the
frantic desperation between us becomes too much for either one of us to bear.
I’m
effortlessly hoisted up onto the counter behind me, my body arches backwards,
shamelessly craving Zack’s touch. Nothing else seems to matter, there’s not a
single thought that exists inside my head besides the burning hunger that
exists within my soul. I yearn for him, I ache, pine and perish for the extraordinary,
inconceivable man before me.
“You
have no idea how much I want you.” He growls directly into my ear, breathing
heavily against me.
He
crushes our torsos together, stealing the oxygen out of my lungs as he plunges
his tongue deep inside the recesses of my mouth. His tongue strokes mine in a
gentle and sensual caress. I grab the front of his collar, struggling to
unfasten all of the fiddly little buttons on his shirt. He senses my impatience
and helps me out, hastily yanking his shirt apart before letting it slide off
his shoulders onto the floor.
“Where’s
your bedroom?” He whispers, trailing his lips along my neck, tasting my skin
with his tongue.
“Through
there.” I murmur, motioning my head towards the direction of my room.