We start walking again, a little closer now.I can smell his cologne – it smells fantastic, like cedarwood and something fresh, mixed with a hint of the salty air clinging to his skin, as if he has just come from the beach.
‘You know,’ he says, after a few moments, ‘this might be the most honest chat I’ve had in months.’
‘Same.It’s nice to feel listened to.’
He bumps my shoulder gently.‘Maybe we both need to find better company.’
‘Couldn’t agree more.’
We turn the corner onto the street that leads to the university campus.As usual, it’s packed with cars, and there’s music thumping from the same bar where my nightmare date began.There are always people loitering there, no matter what time of night it is.
Zayden walks a little slower, like he’s not in a rush to get to my apartment.I’m not either, and can’t help but feel disappointed that we got here so quickly.
‘Do you always walk girls home after saving them from disasters?’I ask.
He grins.‘Only the ones I think are cute.’
I go quiet at that.It’s the way he says it – flirty, with that damn smirk – that makes me wonder if any of this is genuine, or if he’s just putting on his player charm.Zayden has never given me areason to think he isn’t a decent guy, but I don’t believe that he’s interested in me in the way he’s suggesting right now.Maybe he just naturally flirts with everyone and I’m reading way too much into it.
He stops walking when we reach my front door, and despite my thoughts, I’m bummed.I enjoyed hanging out with him and wish we could do it again, but I don’t see why we would, other than if I happened to be at his house when he’s home.
Zayden scratches the back of his neck.‘Are you sure you’re all right?After what happened earlier tonight?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to you.’He smiles at that.‘But seriously, I’m all good.’
‘Okay.I just …’ he hesitates, his cheeks darkening, and I frown a little in surprise.Is he blushing?
My breath catches a little, the air between us buzzing, as I wait for him to continue.Is he trying to prompt me into inviting him inside?My heart hammers at the thought and suddenly, my legs turn to jelly.I’m unprepared for this scenario.Lots of thoughts spiral through my head and Zayden notices the panicked look on my face.
He clears his throat, taking a step back.
‘Night, Nora.’
‘Goodnight, Zayden.’
He turns, jogging down the steps, then glances back, hands still in his pockets, as if still waiting for me to call out to him.My head feels light as I fumble with the door, unable to get any words out.I manage to get it open and almost fall as I rush to get inside, heart still racing.
I stare at his retreating form from the doorway and he disappears into the night, leaving me wondering if I’ve just missed an opportunity that I will never get again.
6
ZAYDEN
THE SUN’S WAY TOObright for how little sleep I’ve had.
I squint up at the blue sky as we walk back to our towels, near where we dug our empty iced-coffee cups into the sand.I toss Mason a bottle of water from the esky.He catches it one-handed, cracking open the lid and chugging it almost entirely.
‘Bit thirsty?’I ask, squinting against the glare from the sun hitting the waves.
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and nods.‘Just rehydrating.Thought I might have to call in the SES when you got dumped by that last wave.’
‘Funny.I didn’t see you up for long today,’ I shoot back.
He smirks but doesn’t take the bait.Both of us have spent more time in the gym and on the field than in the surf lately.We used to go to the beach together all the time, but not as much since classes started.Between studying, socialising and practice, it’s difficult to find the time.
The sand is hot enough to fry an egg, so we drop back onto the towels and I sag back in relief.We were out there for over an hour and I’m feeling drained now.Nothing truly wipes me out physically like a good day out surfing does.I used to do this before going to school and then go to footy training after.
‘So,’ Mason says eventually, rolling onto his side.‘You going to tell me why you ghosted after that party last night?’
