I scoffed up at him. What the hell did he know? He hadn’t been exposed on live TV for the world to see, “You don’t know anything about me either. You’ve only known me for three weeks.” I pointed out like a petulant child, knowing that my words were the thing that would hurt the most.
“Oh really?” Cobb’s nostrils flared as he exhaled a steadying breath, “We’ll see about that.”
“One, I know that your favorite color is orange. Specifically the color of the fruit.”
I snorted, that was easy enough to see. Most of the appliance pieces that Aria had let me pick up at the store were orange.
“Two, I know that you cannot stand zucchini, but you put it in your dinners because Matteo likes them so much.”
So I kept track of the likes and dislikes of the people around me, so what? “Three, your feet are cold as iceallof the time. I’d honestly be surprised if there was any blood flow to them at all, and your favorite pastime is sticking them in our ribs and under our legs.”
He continued on. “Four, you really try at a lot of hobbies, but, honestly? You kind of suck at crocheting and embroidery, and yet? You don’t give it up, even though the baby socks you made are butt ugly and you know it, but Eloise will love them either way.” He was right, my crocheted little pink socks for Eloise’s babywereugly. I knew, however, that because I had made them, Eloise would still burst into happy tears when I was finally able to give them to her.
“Five, you aren’t afraid to be kind to the people who have earned it from you. Lots of people who grew up like you refuse to let anyone in—choosing to live their lives alone because it’s the safer option.”
Cobb’s face was so serious that I felt my throat tighten with tears. “Do I need to go on? I have more.” Cobb asked and I shook my head, wiping furiously at my face as the last of my anger fizzled completely out of my body.
“Look, having someone tell your story without your permission is awful. Incredibly fucking awful. That loss of control you are feeling is valid, Tibby, but remember this:” Warm, flour-covered, hands slid along my jaw, and I tilted my face to look up at him fully. “These people don’t even know a quarter of who you are. They don’t know about all of the things that I just said—the things that make you who you are today. You are allowed to share that part of yourself however you please because, let’s be honest, Tabitha? That little girl? She died the night of the fire. Burned up with the rest of Hezekiah Jordan’s cult members. Tibby stepped out of the ashes like a fucking Phoenix and decided that she wasn’t going to let the past hold her back anymore.”
Cobb’s thumb moved in little circles on either side of my face as he leaned down to kiss me on the lips for the second time ever. It was chaste and sweet, but it was like he conveyed all of his thoughts and emotions to me through that simple contact. “Don’t let the dead drag you out of the land of the living. Leave Zombie Tabitha behind.” He murmured against my mouth.
“Zombie Tabitha?” I asked and couldn’t help the small smile that curved across my face.
“Yep. Whenever you are feeling like the past is trying to control your future, you tell Zombie Tabitha to fuck right off. This is your life—Tibby’s life—now.”
“Just like that?” It couldn’t be that simple, could it?
“Uh-huh. Go on, say it. Say: Fuck off, Zombie Tabitha!”
I wasn’t completely convinced that this would work, it seemed too silly.
But I’d give it a shot. “Fuck off, Zombie Tabitha!”
“Nope, louder,” Cobb instructed again.
“Fuck off, Zombie Tabitha!” I said, louder this time.
“Weak. You’re definitely getting eaten in the zombie apocalypse. Louder babygirl, let Zombie Tabitha know she is not welcome here.” Cobb ordered and I pursed my lips in frustration.
Sucking in the biggest breath of air that I could muster, I leaned away from Cobb and shouted, “FUCK RIGHT OFF, ZOMBIE TABITHA!”
“That’s the spirit!” Cobb whooped, a huge grin splitting his face in half as he laughed.
We hooped and hollered as we stood together in the flour-covered kitchen, the powder all over our faces and clothing as we grinned at each other like idiots.
Of course, Theo chose this moment to walk into the living area into what had to look like the craziest thing he’d ever seen.
“Uh... who is Zombie Tabitha, and why has a bag of flour exploded in our kitchen?”
