After several minutes had passed, Zeek pulled back, a whine escaping me. I gave him a watery smile, heat rising in my cheeks. I knew that if I spoke, I’d become a blubbering mess.
“Hi,” Zeek finally managed to choke out.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind us pulled us back to the present. When I turned around, I found Nick standing with a young man who was staring at me like I was crazy. Though, to be fair, I probably was. I immediately recognized him from the other times he’d been in the shop with a small group of friends. It was difficult to forget his dark green hair.
“Sorry,” I whispered in embarrassment. Taking a step back, I shoved my hands into my pockets before folding them across my chest in nervousness. I wanted nothing more than to run and hide, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. Instead, I forced myself to stand to my full height, offing a small shrug and slight smile.
“Uh…Zeek?” The boy appeared confused, his gaze shifting from Zeek to me and back again.
Zeek’s eyes never left mine as he spoke. “Dannie, this is my friend, Judah. We, uh…shared a space for a bit.”
“Oh,” Dannie muttered, appearing to understand the unspoken words. “Well, hi, Judah. It’s nice to meet you. My brother’s not exactly a huge talker, so this is a bit…unexpected.”
I’d never really been good at talking to strangers, even before my abduction, so I offered him a small smile, shuffling my feet nervously. “Neither am I.”
“Why don’t you two go and get lunch or something?” Nick suggested. For as long as I’d known him, he’d always been able to read the room better than I ever could. It probably didn’t hurt that he was more of a people person.
“Coffee, even,” the young boy added.
“Uh…sure,” I muttered, glancing at Zeek, unsure if he’d even want to do that. I didn’t want to push and make this more awkward than I’d already made it.
“Yeah. Big brother,” Dannie flipped his hand in a shooing motion. “Go. I’ll be here for a bit.”
“You don’t have a phone,” Zeek stated, looking at his brother.
“You’ll be just next door. It’s really not that big of a deal.” Dannie rolled his eyes. “I can’t get into trouble here.”
Nick chuckled. “If he does, there are plenty of walls that still need painting. Not to mention,” Nick paused a moment, his eyes shifting to me. “It’s Judah’s break time.”
“Just a…yeah. I’ll be right back.” Not giving anyone a chance to stop me, I hurried off toward the breakroom. Closing the door behind me, I leaned against the counter and took several deep breaths, fighting to keep them even. When I had calmed slightly, I grabbed my glasses and slipped them on.
My heart beat sluggishly in my chest, anxiety building with each passing second.Crap! I have to be dreaming. There is no way that Zeek is in this store. After all this time, it just isn’t possible.I tried to convince myself.
“Hey, Kid,” Zeek’s soft voice sounded, causing me to look up. I was still panting, fighting my emotions as he stepped closer. He bent down and forced me to meet his eyes. “We don’t have to go, if you don’t want to.”
“You’re real,” was my only response. He cracked a small smile and I knew he felt the same.
THUMP!My heart beat.
“So are you,” he muttered, reaching out to touch my arm, grounding me more than anything else in my life ever had before.
THUMP! THUMP!
“I like your glasses.”
“Uh, thanks.” I sniffed through a laugh, adjusting them on my nose. “I hate them, but I can’t read for crap without them.”
“So, coffee?”
“O–Okay,” my voice squeaked.
Dropping his hand, he tilted his head to the side and studied me a moment. He was looking at me as if I would break at any given moment. Then again, I couldn’t say for sure that I wouldn’t because I didn’t even know myself. “I can go get it, and bring it back here if you’d prefer.”
I sucked in a breath and quickly shook my head, eyes wide. “No. I’m fine. W–We can go get it as long as it’s okay with you. It’s just next door. Besides, the fresh air would probably do me some good.”
“Okay, let’s go then.” Zeek took a step back and held out a hand for me. I didn’t even have to think before my hand found his. Before I realized it, I was pulled into another tight hug, my head resting against his chest. “Better?”
I nodded against his chest, feeling a little bit more myself. After a couple minutes, I pulled back and let him lead the way to the shop’s exit. I vaguely recalled hearing Nick holler something as we passed, but I was too focused on Zeek to care.
