Chapter 12
SPENCER
I felt like an intruder in my own house. I was trying to stay quiet. Zoe needed sleep and I didn’t want to wake her. Instead of slumping on the couch playing games on my TV, I decided I might as well make the most of an unexpected day off. After tossing a load of washing in the machine, I made my way into the kitchen and packed the dishwasher. The funny thing is I wasn’t usually a slob and my house generally never looked this bad. For some reason though, this had been a nightmare of a week. I’d worked late and started early, and then somehow made my way home, forced some food and a couple of beers down my throat before crawling into bed only to repeat the next day.
While the dishwasher did its thing, I picked up magazines scattered about the lounge room, took out the rubbish, and tidied the bathroom. Zoe had been in my house all of twenty minutes, most of it spent in the bathroom, and already my house smelt better than it had in a long time. I tossed wet towels out to be washed, wiped over the counters, and threw out the empty deodorant cans and used cotton buds. Honestly I was embarrassed that I’d let Zoe in here when it looked like this. It was too late now.
About an hour later, after I’d hung one load of washing and thrown another one in the machine, I settled on the lounge with a can of Coke and flicked on the TV. There was nothing on. There was a reason people went to work. Daytime TV sucked. Instead of persisting, I grabbed the game controller and loaded up whatever was in the machine. Football. It’d do. I immersed myself in the game, my mind shutting off to the world around me.
That was until the piercing, side splitting squeal echoed through the house and bounced off the walls.
“Fuck!” slipped out of my mouth as I dropped the game controller and ran towards the noise.
Throwing open the bedroom door, I spotted Zoe. She was sitting up panting violently. I flicked on the hall light and walked to her side. “Zoe?” I asked, trying to grab her attention.
Sweat had gathered on her brow, her chest was heaving, and her eyes were darting around the room. Scanning. Searching. It wasn’t just her that was in complete disarray. Somehow she’d managed to tear the sheets from the bed and tangle herself in them. No wonder she’d freaked out.
“Zoe,” I tried again.
I watched for a moment as her eyes slowed and settled on me. She stole my heart. Hell, the truth was she’d always had a part of my heart, but that desperate, needy look etched on her face in that moment took the last remaining pieces.
“Spencer?” she squeaked, unsure.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I confirmed, taking another tentative step towards her.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice wobbling.
“Nothing, Pippi. Just a bad dream. You’re okay.”
“Pippi? I haven’t heard that in a long time.”
“You haven’t been home…” As soon as I said it I regretted it. I didn’t want to make her feel bad about not coming home more often. The truth was there wasn’t a lot for her to come home to these days. After what had happened I sincerely doubted she’d ever come back again. “Zoe…I’m sorry. I didn’t…”
“Spence…don’t! Please don’t apologise to me. Not now.” Any trace of vulnerability had vanished and the strong, stubborn, fiercely independent Zoe was back. The feeling of relief that flooded me felt too good to ignore. “What time is it?”
Taking a quick glimpse at my watch, I answered her, “Just after four.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Yep. Plenty of time for me to have another nap before the party tonight,” Zoe explained.
I would have sworn my neighbours heard my jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t believe it. She was still planning on going. After everything that she’d been through, not even twenty-four hours ago, she was still planning on attending that dumb birthday party at the pub.
“You’re going?” I spluttered, unable to conceal my shock.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
“I just thought…you know what? Never mind.” If Zoe was up for going to the party, if she wanted to face it, then she was tougher than even I gave her credit for. There was no way in hell I was going to be the one to stand in her way.
“Will you…” her voice faltered.
“Anything, Zoe. You know that. Just ask.” I wouldn’t deny her. Not now. I never had before, why would I start now?
“Well, in that case, I have two requests.” She smiled, and it was beautiful. A genuine, wicked smile that reached her eyes and reminded me just how beautiful she really was.
“Demanding much?”
