Chapter 37
ϕVeraϕ
‘So warm.I don’t ever remember my blankets keeping me like this. But wait, these aren’t blankets? What in the world?’ I slowly woke up and as my eyes tried to adjust, I felt something move on my back. I jumped a bit and then was caught in a snug embrace. I blinked and then understood. I fell asleep by Zaks bed, and must have slid into his bed sometime in the night. And there he was, right beside me, shirt off and holding me close. My face quickly grew hot, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. What if he woke up? WHAT IF MY FATHER FOUND US? As my heart raced, I could feel Zak's chest rhythmically rise and fall with steady breath. His hair was a mess and his peaceful face looked vibrant and youthful. His color looked even better today than before, which made me feel more at ease. Maybe his recovery really would be speedy. I gently touched his cheek, and the chill from my fingers made him shiver slightly, and hold me even tighter. My chest pressed against his, making me blush again. Just from the way his body felt, he was toned, and athletic, and chiseled, and, and… ‘Gah! No! Just, close your eyes and don’t think about it. Just don’t.’ I told myself. Shutting my eyes tight, I wrapped my free hand around his back, but immediately regretted it, because the cold of my hand woke him up.
“Hmmm…” He stirred and stretched his arms away from my back for a moment before returning them to their place. I felt his chin tap my head lightly as he looked down, and his muscles got tense as he froze. ‘What do I do? What do I do?!’ “Vera?” He whispered. I waited a few moments before I whispered back, but didn’t move.
“Y-Yeah?” I squeaked out.
“Um…you, you fell asleep.” He said clumsily. A smile crept up on my face.
“I guess I did.” I whispered. I felt him start to fidget a little, unsure of what to do. I pulled my arm back and leaned up on my other elbow. “Did you sleep well?” I asked. He nodded and rubbed his eyes. They were bright, although still a bit sleepy.
“Your Dad is going to kill me.” He moaned.
“No he won’t, we just won’t tell him. And besides, it’s not like we did anything, r-right?” I stuttered. Zak shook his head wildly.
“No no of course not!” He said. I chuckled and laid my head on his chest.
“Then lets stay like this, for a little longer.” I said. His arms carefully found themselves around me again.
“Alright.” He said quietly.
“Maybe today, if you’re feeling up to it, we can go into town for a bit.” I suggested.
“Your hand is really cold…” He muttered as he took my hand in his. I blinked.
“What?” I said.
“Sorry, what did you say?” He asked.
“Oh, I just said, we should go into town today. If you feel alright.” I said. I couldn’t lie, my hand was getting warmer, and it felt so small in his. Something swelled up in my chest, some kind of scary urge swept through my whole body. I wanted to…
“Sure, lets get ready, and then see how I feel. Can’t have me stumbling around town, can we?” He chuckled. I quickly sat up and hopped out of bed.
“Ok, s-s-sounds like a plan see you in a few minutes bye.” I said quickly and left the room, trying to push the sight of his angelic, half naked body out of my head. Once I was in my room and silently shut the door, I slid down and sat on my floor. “This can’t happen, get it out of your head Vera, I can’t, not with him. Time, it’ll go away with time. I’m just really happy he’s alive, that’s all.” I gave myself a little pep talk and then got ready for a shower. I didn’t hear Zak moving much, so I just snagged that bathroom first and took a nice, hot shower.I practically ran back to my room and got dressed in semi decent clothes. By that time, the bathroom door was shut and I figured Zak was taking his turn, so I went downstairs to make some breakfast, but mom and dad had already made us some pancakes and some bacon.
“Good morning.” Mom said to me as she dusted off the fan in the living room.
“Morning mom, where’s dad?” I asked.
“In the back yard, doing some mowing. We made breakfast for you kids.” She smiled. I smiled back.
“Thank you bunches.” I said, and grabbed a plate and some food. I sprinkled sugar on my pancake and Zak came down just as I started eating. He saw me and blinked.
“Breakfast?” He asked.
“Yes dear! Eat as much as you want!” Mom said.
“Thank you very much.” He said and made himself a small plate, but more than what he had yesterday.
“You seem to be moving around more, and a heck of a lot easier today.” I said. He nodded.
“I feel a lot better today, just kind of aches a little. Wait, is that sugar on those?” He asked.
“Uh, yes?” I answered slowly.
“Sugar at this time in the morning? Is that a good idea for you?” He asked. My mouth dropped and he snickered. “You’re weird.” He smirked.
“Takes a wierdo to know a wierdo.” I took a big bite and he laughed.
“Touche.” He said. We both ate well, and I told mom we were going to go into town and pick up a couple things.
“Ok, just be careful, don’t push yourself too hard Zak.” She said.
“I won’t, I promise.” He nodded.
“Then you two have fun.” Mom smiled. I grabbed the keys and waved to dad when we got outside. He waved back, and didn’t seem too concerned that Zak was coming with me. Or maybe he was just distracted by the amount of crab grass in the yard. Either way, we got into the car, buckled up, and I drove into town. Zak quietly watched out the window, probably taking everything in.
“So, has a lot changed?” I asked.
“Kind of, I didn’t really pay attention when I came with you to school. It’s strange seeing it like this.” He said.
“Well, lets grab a few things from the store, and then let me know if there is anywhere you would like to visit, or see if it’s still around.” I offered. He nodded as we pulled into the store parking lot.
“Kinsfolk?” He asked.
“Yeah, it’s the local store that sells home grown stuff. We just need some milk and eggs.” I smiled.
“This used to be the old post office.” He stated. I was so fascinated with what the town looked like back when Zak was in school. It was amazing how things can change so much, but buildings remain the same.
“That is on the other side of the block now. It just opened up like last year I think.” We walked in and grabbed what we needed, and Zak looked around, seeming to be reliving memories. It was nice, but sad at the same time. Once we checked out and got into the car, he said something I didn’t expect.
“You know what? There is some place I would like to visit actually.”
