Then, her arms wrap around my waist, and we stand still, hugging each other.
After a minute passes, Tanya shoves me away, straightening her spine.“Stop being so clingy.People are going to think I need babying.”She glares, but there’s a glistening at the edge of her lashes.
I give her my goofiest smile in return.“You kidding?Everyone knows I’m the baby in the family.”
She rolls her eyes, even as her lips fight to smile.“Get out of here.I’ll text you when I need a ride home.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Begone, lowly jester!”She waves again before skipping toward the lit-up entrance of the bowling alley.
I watch her until she’s out of sight, then climb back on my bike.
When I get back to my apartment, I take the stairs two at a time, anxious to see Zoey again.I wonder if she’s fallen asleep in my bed.I won’t wake her if she has, no matter how much I want to talk to her.To hear her say she loves me again.
But there’s time for that.If she’s asleep, I’ll curl my body around hers and keep her warm.
When I enter my bedroom, I find Zoey propped up on my pillows, a crochet project in her lap.She has the blankets pulled up over her chest.Or at least, it looks like they started that way.At this moment, one edge sags enough that I catch a hint of her rosy nipple.
I get the urge to crawl on my knees to her, then bury my face in the valley of her breasts to breathe in her sweet, earthy scent and hear the delicate pounding of a heart she claims beats for me.
“Do you think your family will forgive me for what I’ve done to you all?”
Her question shocks me enough to leave off staring at the hint of her nakedness and search her eyes.“Whatyou’vedone?”
“I tore open old wounds, and now, you’re all suffering.”
Apparently, my sister isn’t the only one feeling vulnerable after this evening’s confrontation.I cross the room, sit on the edge of the bed, just beside Zoey, and reach out to stroke her exposed shoulders.
“That’s not on you.You didn’t know about that drama.And it’s notourdrama.”
Zoey goes to open her mouth, and I can tell she still plans on shouldering the blame.The thought pisses me off, and I give a definitive shake of my head.
“No.Don’t play the martyr.You talk about opening wounds?It’s beendecades.A normal person would’ve let the old hurts heal.My mom is the one who’s been tearing things open.She’s at fault, and she’s too stubborn to admit it.No one in my family will blame you.We know who hurt who.And we know who is innocent in all of this.”
“If I had never come?—”
“Please, Zoey.”Now, my hands curl, clasping her, holding her in place.“Please don’t ever think life would be better if you hadn’t come here.You don’t know what it was like before.”
One of her eyebrows curves up.“You make it sound like you were living in hell.”
“Not hell.”I run my nose through her hair, filling my lungs with the scent that tells me she is meant to be mine.“More like purgatory.I was existing.Sitting in a waiting room.Lingering in a line.Restless, without a direction.”
“I’m not that much, Warner.You can’t think I mean that much.”Her voice cracks.
“You do though.This might sound selfish, but I’ve always wanted someone.Someone who needed me and who I needed.I can live on my own, exist on my own, but I don’t like it.You’re my someone, Zoey.I need you.”
She stares into my eyes, not shying away from the intensity in my gaze.“I came to Pine Falls because I felt smothered by my brothers’ love.”
I try not to wince, imagining my desperate declaration reminds her of their rabid displays of affection.
“Then, I came here and learned about my grandmother.After that, I worried that without their love, I’d curl into myself.That I’d fade into some kind of ghost person.”
My mouth is open to deny it, but she shakes her head.I keep quiet, letting her finish.
“You don’t smother me.Your love isn’t a weight I have to fight off to keep from crushing me.Your love is like …” She trails off, brow wrinkled in thought.“Your love is a strong hand on a ladder!”Zoey smiles, huge and bright, happy with the comparison.
“What’s that mean exactly?”I ask, not without a trace of humor.
