“Don’t you look like a ray of sunshine,” a chirpy voice interrupted my pity party.
“Please don’t. Not today,” I begged pathetically, unable to look at her.
Zoe stepped in front of me, blocking the sun, and I was able to look up for the first time. She looked fresh as a daisy. Her eyes bright, her hair swept back off her face and her cheeks touched with pink. “Here.” She smiled down at me as she placed a steaming mug in my hand.
Breathing in the aroma of the elixir of life, I took a huge gulp. It was scalding hot and burnt my tongue, but it was strong and bitter, just the way I liked it.
“Gonna tell me about it?”
“Where you headed?”
I didn’t miss the rolling of Zoe’s eyes as I deliberately dodged her question. I had no desire to have that conversation with her. Especially not this morning.
“Gym.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. That okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m going to do a Pilates class, then there’s an intermediate self-defence class I want to try.”
Zoe shrugged like it was nothing. It wasn’t nothing. It was something. Something huge. “Zoe, that’s fucking awesome. Are you ready for an intermediate class?” A flash of irritation crossed her face, but as soon as it appeared, it vanished. “Calm down, Pippi! I didn’t mean it like that. I knew you were loving it, I just didn’t know you were ready for intermediate already. That’s all.”
Her shoulders sagged and her whole demeanour relaxed. “Oh. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I didn’t think so, but Mia…she, she’s teaching it, and she suggested I give it a go.”
Somehow this girl had the ability to make me feel like shit without any effort at all. It felt like all it took was a few simple misplaced words or even a look, and she dropped me to my knees. Frigging women. Mia and Zoe had my balls in their hands. And if they teamed up, I didn’t stand a chance.
Putting my mug on the table beside me, I found my feet and grabbed Zoe by the shoulders, forcing her to face me. I needed her to listen to what I was about to say. And not just listen. I needed her to hear me. Really hear me.
“Zoe, you can do anything you want to do. If you want to go to an intermediate self-defence class, I’m sure as shit glad I’m not the poor bastard you’re practicing on. You know why? ’Cause you’re going to be great.”
“You really think so?” Her voice wasn’t strong. If anything, it trembled slightly and the uncertainty was readable. At least to anyone who knew her. And I knew her well…better than she would have liked.
Without saying a word, I crushed her against my chest and held her tight. Breathing in her scent, I felt her heartbeat. Some days I forgot how good she felt in my arms. She was home. I kissed the top her head without thinking twice. “No, Zoe, I don’t think.”
She recoiled away from me like I was toxic.
“I know so.”
I winked at her before grabbing my coffee and heading inside.
