“Whatever,” I mumble so he can’t hear me, and continue stomping to my room.
I really don’t want to tell him Zaria’s figured out my secret, and if I had stuck around for his bullshit, I would have probablycaved. It’s a secret I hold close and away from prying eyes. Every damn night, I drown in it, letting it consume me. It’s easier for me if people see me as the outcast, the loser—a perfect ruse to hide how stupid I really am.
The deep chocolate walls of my room do nothing to lift my somber mood as I flop down onto my massive king-size bed. Sinking into the mattress, my thoughts drift to Zaria and just how stunning she is. But it’s more than her looks—there’s something about her that pulls me in, something intriguing beneath the surface. I realize I actually want to get to know her, to understand who she really is.
With her offer to teach me to read, maybe I’ll get that chance. Maybe, through this, I’ll get to see therealZaria.
***
After a restless sleep last night, I’m supposed to be going into the office with the guys today, but honestly, I can’t be bothered. Anything to do with the band, whether it’s talking music or playing
it right now, doesn’t interest me. For some reason, I have Zaria on my brain, and all I want is to talk to her.
As I roll over in my bed, my cell stares at me. I swallow hard, debating whether or not I should follow through with the idea circulating through my mind.
After some arguing with myself, I decide,fuck it.
Picking up my cell, I scroll through my contacts to find her number. After she saved it, I added a little dove symbol next to her name to make it stand out. It’s something I’ve always done with everyone’s contact—adding an icon beside their name to help me tell one from the next. It’s a small trick that makes everything clearer and easier, a way to keep everything in check at a glance. And somehow, that little dove feels right for her.
For instance, Matt is a rhino, Danger is a skull-and-crossbones, Ryan is a monkey, Tillie is a pair of glasses, and Lunar is a pink motorbike. I work best in pictures. But then again, I guess it’s the only way it can work, seeing as I can’t read the fricking names.
So why a dove? I’m not entirely sure, but I feel a sense of peace when I’m around her. Even though Zaria finding out about my inability to read had me internally panicking at first, there’s something about her that’s calming.
I’m not completely illiterate. I can work out some things, like some small words, but only a few simple ones. In no way could I string a sentence together. For a twenty-six-year-old, I know that’s pretty fucking lame.It’s no wonder I have such a complex.
Looking at the dove on the screen, I hope talking with Zaria will make me feel better. She wanted to catch up anyway to tutor me, so why not get the ball rolling right now?
The phone rings only a couple of times when she answers, “Hello?”
“Ah, hey, Zaria…”
“Nate?” she replies as if she’s unsure.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
She lets out what sounds like a bemused laugh. “Ha, guys never call. It’s always a text message.”
“Well, I can’t text…” I let out a nervous laugh. “Words and all, you know the drill.” There’s a slight pause before I continue, “So, ah, would you like to do something today?”
“What, like a date?” she quickly clarifies.
Wow! That got serious real quick.
I laugh nervously, running my hand through my hair and sitting up on the edge of my bed. “Ah… it can be. Or it can be two people catching up. Whatever you’re more comfortable with?”
“Um…” There’s a small pause. “Can we go with option two first? Just… let’s keep this as friendship, nothing more.”
Her words sting, but I force myself to take it on the chin, swallowing hard before managing to respond. “Okay. What do you wanna do?”
“Why don’t you come to my place? We can have a dip in the pool, have some food, watch some TV, and hang out?”
A small smile reaches my lips, and I take a deep breath. “That sounds awesome.”
She gives me her address, which I memorize before hanging up. Then I pull on my swim trunks and walk down the stairs.
Matt’s in the kitchen and looks up at me as I enter the room. “You heading into the office?”
“Nah, not going in today. We’re not recording or doing anything important. You’ll manage without me.”
