Under a Silent Moon

27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nothing Will Ever be the Same

LANA

Zack types in the passcode for authentication to the front door and yells, "Dad?" as we walk through the threshold. His voice echoes and isn't met with any response.

He turns to me, "What day is it?"

"Thursday."

"Ah, he's at Julia's ballet lessons."

A fluttering in my stomach disrupts my otherwise calm demeanor as the fact that we're alone becomes clear. I'm not sure why this idea makes me nervous. It's not like we haven't been alone before.

Zack and I lounge in the kitchen before we get started on homework. When I bring up the fact that he doesn't eat any of this food anymore, he just shrugs and says, "Old habits die hard."

We dive into a conversation about all the best foods that their family chef Mara would make for Zack and his family. From a pot roast with glazed carrots and boiled potatoes seasoned with spices that Mara concocted herself, to an elaborate spread of pancakes, belgium waffles, sunny-side-up eggs, sausage patties, and oatmeal topped with every kind of fruit imaginable. Just listening to him speak makes my stomach growl with hunger pangs.

Zack must sense this and he chucks an orange at me. Of course I miss it, being the professional baseball player that I am, and I bend over to pick it up and toss it right back. He throws it back to me and I laugh, bolting it right back at him.

"Oh, it's on," he says with raised eyebrows as he lunges for the fruit bowl. A barrage of bananas, oranges, pears, and apples pelts me and I try to duck behind a chair. Scooping up fallen fruit, I peg them right back at him, mostly missing him as he dodges the onslaught. One of the larger oranges that I throw hits the sink faucet dead-on and water begins to rain over our corner of the kitchen.

Zack looks at me in shock and belly-laughs.

I throw my hands up, proclaiming my innocence. "I guess I don't know my own strength!" I turn to try and find shelter from the unexpected shower, but Zack quickly grabs my wrist and pulls me close to him.

"I don't think so," he tells me, gently pushing me towards the sink. "This is your mess, you have to fix it!"

I laugh and laugh as the water soaks my hair and races down my face yelling, "I don't know how! I don't know how!"

His arms reach over me, pinning me against the sink as he fumbles with the spicket. Finally, the water stops and we're both left sopping, trying not to slip on the puddles forming below us.

I push my hair out of my face and wring it over the sink, watching the excess water slide down the drain.

"Shit," he says, gesturing to the rest of the kitchen. The papers on the table are nearly dissolved at this point. The plants on the window sill probably won't need watered for weeks. I laugh and look back up at him, his face only inches from mine. The humor in his eyes lingers, but something else has joined it there.

"You okay?" I ask.

A grin tugs at his lips. "I'm perfectly fine."

He leans forward and presses his lips to mine. Although unexpected, I certainly don't resist. Deep down, I think I've been waiting for this. To finally feel his body against mine, his hands hungrily searching my body. I gently take his face in my hands, pulling him closer to me, kissing him with more fervor as we go. My thumbs trace the line of his jaw down to the nape of his neck.

His fingers find the hem of my pants but pause there, reluctant. I peel my wet shirt from my body and fling it across the kitchen. He watches it fall behind the table and then meets my eyes with a knowing expression.

Following suit, Zack struggles humorously out of his sopping shirt and tosses it in similar fashion. My hands find his chest and slide down his torso and suddenly I'm at his belt which I promptly unfasten.

Before we can go any further, he grabs my waist and hoists me up so that I wrap my arms and legs around him. With our lips locked and my fingers intertwined in his dark hair, he carries me up the staircase and into his bedroom.

We stumble through the doorway. The throaty chuckle he gives and the adorable grin on his face makes my heart nose dive straight to my gut.

Despite the fluttering in my stomach, I'm not nervous at all. Zack is unlike anyone I've ever met. Over these past few weeks, Zack's gotten to know a part of me that even Blake has never met. I've never been so certain about wanting someone in my life before, and I'm so grateful for our chance meeting outside of the club that night. That fateful evening has changed the course of my life, and now, I'm certain nothing will ever be the same again.