At each corner we turned to, we were struck with utter silence.
The roads remained empty, completely deserted, and I should be concerned, but that figure walking next to mine, brought every calm to my heart.
His presence around me, tossed the worries to a side.
"I'm sorry, Anna"
His words were low, eyes fixed my way.
"What for?"
I had taken a stop in front of him, wanting to grasp every word that poured out his lips.
"For leaving you without an explanation" He followed.
"And I'm sorry for making you feel like I don't want to be around you" He added, soon reaching for my hands.
"I do want to be around you, Anna"
"Always"
Those words warmed my heart, filled me with much vigour, but part of me chose to see them as what they were, just words.
"Zac"
He turned to me gaze, intent on my profile.
"You once said your family put you in Bowers' to get rid of you"
He followed with a nod, prompting me to go on.
"What did you mean by that?" I called.
"I have a sour relationship with my step-father" He let out.
"I still haven't accepted his marriage with my mom, and that sure has brought a lot of issues between the both of us"
"He called me a spaz, the day he came home and found out I thrashed his car" He let out.
"Why did you thrash his car?"
"He threatened mom. Threatened to leave her stranded if I wasn't taken to a correction center"
"He believes I'm deranged" That chuckle which poured out his lips was laced with every hurt which I caught onto. With his hold on my hands tightening, I could tell the suffering which filled him.
"You're not deranged, Zac" I followed at once, caressing his arms.
"You believe that?" His eyes had found rest in mine, gaze held strong.
"I know so, Zac"
That's all what your stepfather might think, doesn't make you one" I followed.
"My own father can't stand sight of me" My utterance had snapped his gaze my way, eyes onlooking me.
"Father used to have a daughter before me. Way before I was born. Even before he met mother"
"He lost her to HIV"
I watched the lips of Zac pull open, and then fall back shut at once.
"I'm so sorry, Anna"
"It's fine" I chuckled lowly "I didn't even get to know her"
"The thing is, I'm not her. I can never be her. He can't let one thing that happened in the past put my own life to a halt" I followed at once.
"I believe he only cares about you" He called.
"Well, he's doing it the wrong way!" I retorted. My breaths were getting heavy, eyes shot out.
I couldn't tell where the anger spun from, all I knew was that I was angry. Angry at everything. Angry at father for choosing to dictate how my life should go.
My heart already was thumping, breaths getting heavy, and at the hold of Zac's hands in mine, I felt the calm I sought.
We had taken stop in front of a store, figures so close to each other, our eyes remained locked, gazes matching.
And just when his face inched closer, lips right in front of mine, did the crash follow, the sound which had called for the attention of the people in the store.
"Who's there?" Followed the voice of a man, figure soon proceeding out the store.
It was an old man.
Gaze broadened at the forms of Zac and I, I watched his brows brown into a frown, with those eyes of his soon darkening at the shattered vase laid by our feet.
And at a snap, he had pulled a rod from behind him, hurrying over to us, with the curse words flying out his lips.
"Run!"
The voice of Zac rang into my ears, hands tugging at mine, and off we went, running through the empty streets, while the yells of the old man fell faint.
We rounded a corner, dogs barking at our passing figures, and for a moment, all that could be heard were our laughters trailing with us, disturbing the peace of the neighborhood.
Zac had paused in his tracks, glances thrown at me, with him soon realizing that I had stopped and was now holding on for breaths.
"Are you okay?"
"I think we escaped him" I followed at once, turning back, onlooking the murk.
Meanwhile, the figure away only remained staring at me, the silence of the night accompanied with his scrutiny.
The little light produced by the moon bore much contrast to his face, and believe me, I still managed to catch the beam in that hazel gaze.
"What?" I called at once, eyes faltering, with the warmth rushing to my chest.
A grin only tugged at his lips, eyes still held on my profile.
"Nothing" He followed in a low voice, pulling onto me.
He had come standing right in front of my figure, soon having his back turned to me.
"Get on my back" He paused.
"What?"
"You're exhausted. Let me carry you" He followed.
My eyes only watched his, watching how soft they were on me.
If only words did much justice to the admiration of such sight, but my scrutiny could do so.
My scrutiny could hold on commending what was before me. He was everything summed up into beauty.
He made my heart thump, and I so loved all about it.
Uttering not a word, I had taken to his back, arms wrapped around his neck, while he held me close.
"Can you remember the last time I had you like this?"
Those words of his caused my cheeks flushing, my grip around him tightening.
How could I forget my naked body parched onto your skin, while you conveyed me out the lake.
Even if I tried forgetting such, it would come running back to me. It was lodged in my head.
"I do remember" My words were whispers into his ears, my grip on him tightening.
And then the silence came.
While he waddled down the road, with my figure held on his back, he took the path that led back to Bowers'.
"Why did you pull back that night, Zac?"
Perhaps my utterance had such pull on him that he had halted in his tracks, hands wrapped around my legs.
And at once, I got off of him, finally gazing into those eyes.
"Everything was going fine. Why did you choose to put a halt to that moment?" I followed.
"I don't think you wanted it" He called at once.
We both had turned silent, gazes watching each other.
"Anna—
"I know you said not to rush into it, but I wanted it"
"Just to tick it off your bucket list, or because you really wanted it?" Followed his utterance.
"You believe it has something to do with me wanting to complete my bucket list?" The scoff left my lips.
"I don't think you're aware of what it really means" He called in a low voice.
Yet again, the silence fell between our figures, with his form soon drawing closer to mine.
"You're beautiful, Anna" That grin had returned to his face, gaze rushed with glee.
"And there's so much time for you to live, do not rush into anything" His words poured as whispers into my ears, breath fanning onto my skin.
"But I want to…..With you" My voice was low, eyes shifting through his, while his hands reached for mine, the proximity of our forms, soon bringing the heat to my being.
"I do too, trust me" His words danced on my lips, those hazel eyes still rested in mine, and right when he was an inch away, he stopped.
"Good night, Tinkerbell" His lips brushed lightly onto my cheeks, while his figure pulled back, turning the other way.
And while that figure began proceeding to the boys' dorm laid ahead, I remained watching his form, the feel of that longing for him soon englobing me.