Zac
“Care to tell me what happened to you last night?” T'arq was waiting in the mess for Zac with coffee in hand. He had finally pulled himself away from Laila only minutes before. They had barely scrambled out of bed in time to begin their daily routines, both reluctant to leave.
“No,” Zac leveled a look at his friend as he took the coffee, taking a long sip and closing his eyes to enjoy the flavor. Unfortunately, his companion could not, or would not, take a hint.
T'arq grinned, turning in his seat to watch as Laila walked into the mess and paused, sending a small smile to Zac, before joining CJ on the other side of the room. He fought the desire to watch her.
T'arq lifted his eyebrows and smirked, whistling long and slow as he rocked back in his chair. “So that's how it is, hey?”
Ignoring the jibe, Zac stood up from the table and picked up his coffee, turning to leave. T'arq stood as well, laughing as he loped after his friend.
Zac forced himself not to look at Laila as he stalked out of the mess and made his way to the gym. A creature of habit, he ran every morning on the track that looped around the mezzanine above the training rooms. Reaching the track, he pulled off his top and did some stretches.
He paused, aware that T'arq was watching him, “What?”
T'arq looked away, clearing his throat, “You haven't run in just shorts since before...”
Zac stopped his stretches and looked down at himself, realizing that T'arq was right and, surprisingly, he didn't care who saw him like this. He shrugged.
“If anyone has a problem with my scars, then they’d better get over it.” Zac looked his friend in the face. “Because this is who I am, T'arq. I'm no longer the Taurean I was. I'm changed.”
T'arq nodded, “Are you sure that’s what it is?”
Zac grunted, then turned to start his run. “What do you mean?”
T'arq hurried to join him, catching up quickly. “You’re not as up-tight as you were. I can’t say it’s a bad thing.”
Zac shot a hard glance at T’arq, his friend lifting his shoulders in a shrug. Had he really been so rigid? Zac knew he had a reputation amongst the warriors he led as being unyielding, but he hadn’t thought that opinion had extended to his closest friend.
Lost in thought, the two settled into a steady pace, jogging in silence for long minutes until a shout from the main training floor below caught their attention.
The two warriors stopped and leaned on the railing to see a group on the grappling mats below. Zac quickly identified Laila and Domik, squaring up to each other. The size difference between them almost comical.
What was she doing now?
He paused, watching with a small smile as she quickly tackled the man to the mats. The surrounding group cheered and lifted her to her feet, slapping her on her back. She laughed and, with unerring accuracy, raised her eyes to find Zac's.
Zac's breath caught at her gaze. She lifted two fingers in an ironic salute, and he nodded in return.
“Whatever happened between you two...”
Zac broke eye contact with Laila to glare at T'arq, “Not going to talk about it.” He turned and jogged on the track again, T'arq dogging his heels.
“She's very attractive, isn't she?”
Zac grunted.
“I'm thinking of asking her out.”
Zac stopped in the middle of the running track, T'arq jogging a few steps further and then turning to face him. Zac clenched his fists, arms stiff at his sides as he took a step towards his friend.
T'arq raised his own hands, palms facing outwards, “Easy, easy...! I'm joking! It's obvious that you like her, Zac. Tell her how you feel.”
Zac turned away from T'arq, refusing to be drawn any further on the matter. He shook his head and began running again, this time pounding around the track as fast as he could.
He liked her? But it wasn't as simple as that. She made him feel like he did before the injuries. But that wasn't right either. She made him feelmorethan who he had been before the injuries. She stirred something inside of him he had never felt, not with anyone.
If he was less uptight, as T’arq had called it, then it had a lot to do with Laila. ‘Like’ didn't even begin to cover what he felt—it was way more than that.
