You Stole My Heart

CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN

My dreams have been getting more and more messed up over the weeks. From simple romantic scenes with Zac, my spastic subconsciousness has taken to visualizing the most random settings. I keep having a recurring dream where I'm a mermaid, and Zac- dressed as Captain America- rescues me from some crazed evil scientist.

"Get a grip." I mutter on Saturday morning, waking up from that exact dream, only this one time including a break-dancing Axel. I climb out of my comfy bed and make my way downstairs in a fuzzy sky blue bathrobe tied over my flannel Powerpuff Girls pajamas. On my way down stairs I stop to admire my reflection in the mirror that hangs against the crisp white wall on the right side of the mahogany steps. I look terrible. A result of a late night Marvel Movie Marathon with Carley, who's still snoring away in my room. My brown hair is puffy and a total mess, standing on end like I just stuck my finger in an electric socket. I forgot to take off my make up last night, so it's all ended up underneath my eyes, forming dark rings of mascara, eyeshadow and eyeliner, making me look like I haven't slept in a week. I silently laugh at my reflection and stick my tongue out at it. I then pinch my cheeks and pull them in opposite directions, and cross my eyes.

"Wow, Skittles, when you got it, you got it!" Someone says from behind me and I jump.

Crap. I forgot that Zac was coming over today to study.

I forgot about something to do with Zac? Damn you, Chris Evans and your perfectly sculpted pectoral muscles!

"Ohmigosh! I completely forgot you were coming over!" I gush, and I can see he's trying very hard not to laugh.

"It's okay, Daniella let me in. I can come back later if you want?" He smirks, his eyes wandering from my face over my fuzzy robe and fluffy slippers shaped like pink kittens.

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?" His brow creases.

"That!" I say, gesturing towards his face. "Your laughing at me on the inside, I can see!" At this Zac truly does laugh, but it's not that sexy laugh he uses when Ryder tells a joke around the popular table at lunch that makes all the girls swoon. He outright guffaws, it's loud and...real. And totally infectious. I laugh with him, and for a while that's all we do. Him standing looking up at me from the ground floor and me halfway down the stairs, we laugh until our sides hurt.

"Whoa, whoa, time out!" Zac gasps, wiping a tear from his eye. We catch our breath, and I gesture for Zac to come join me on the stairs. We sit down, and just start talking about nothing in particular. It's crazy, I know. Here I am, sitting in my pajamas, talking to Zac about whatever random things come to mind. We have a long debate about the pros and cons about cyborgs, and whether or not they're capable of human emotion. I say they are, Zac says they're just machines that look human, but don't feel anything, and then he accuses me of being one, which leads me to accuse him of being some form of Male siren, and that kinda turns the conversation awkward. It goes something along the lines of this:

Zac: A siren? You find me attractive?

Me: (blushing) Well, everyone at school does. Even some of the guys.

Zac: But do you?

Me: Who cares? You have a girlfriend.

Zac: She's not you. Do you find me attractive?

Me: (getting kinda weirded out) Why is this so important to you?

Zac: (suddenly embarrassed) I don't know. It's just a question.

We lapse into awkward silence after that, and I suddenly remember we're supposed to be studying. And that I'm in my PJs and that my best friend is sleeping like a log in my bedroom. I quickly get up and turn to Zac. "Want some breakfast? Carley's upstairs and I was going to make pancakes..." I trail off, suddenly realizing that Zac's probably already eaten. Instead he just shrugs,

"Sure."

"Great, let me just get changed first." My mom would keel over if she found out about this-a boy, seeing me in my pajamas. Even though it's Saturday, she and Dad are probably at the offices already.

I rush back upstairs, shower and dress in record time. I slip into a pair of black leggings, a long, light pink baby-doll top and run downstairs again barefoot.

My hair's wet so I've pulled it up into a tight bun, so as to avoid getting everything around me wet.

"That was fast," Zac observes as I step into the kitchen. He's already flipping pancakes. "I hope you don't mind, I found the batter and..." He trails off uncertainly, but I just laugh.

"It's chilled, relax. What's mine is yours." I tell him what I always tell Carley and Blake, then quickly correct myself, remembering that this isn't one of my best friends. "At least when it comes to food."

"Thanks Sarah. That's really sweet." Zac's blue eyes bore into mine, and we sort of just stand there, staring into each others eyes, like we're having some weird staring contest.

"Sarah. I told you to wake me up when you got up this morning! Now you-" Carley stops dead in the doorway. "Explanation. Now." She demands.

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Sarah scrambles to explain the situation to Carley, and she keeps glaring daggers at me for some reason. Damn, that chick's scary. Even in her nightgown covered in printed strawberries.

I glance at Sarah as I take another pancake out of the pan. What is it about that girl? The things she does to me, the way my stomach twists when she gives me that you're-about-to-die look. And don't get me started on how adorable she looked in her gown and slippers, her eyes all bleary with sleep. Briefly I wonder what it would be like to wake up next to her, her hair sticking up everywhere. I would lean over and kiss her drowsy smile and...

Off-fucking-limits

I bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop my thoughts from wondering too far down that road.

Aw hell. I'm a goner.