a little death (zach abels)

chapter nine - interlude

zach and i had just finished packing all our clothes. the room was a mess, and we didn't even bother cleaning up after ourselves. we walked right out of the motel room and headed towards the main lobby.

i waited outside as zach turned in our room key. once he came out, the "vacancy" light came on. "let's go," he said quietly. he took our bags and shoved them in the trunk of his car. i let myself in and sat on the passanger's seat. zach sat beside me and turned on the engine, driving off right away.

the first few minutes were quiet. all we heard was the faint music coming from zach's car radio, which wasn't even loud enough for you to make out the words to the songs.

"did you have a good time?" i asked. he had wanted to take this weekend off as a vacation, and i was wondering if he got what he wanted or expected. zach nodded. he didn't take his eyes off the road.

i could tell he had his teeth pressed firmly together - his jaw was clenched. he tapped his wheel to the beat of the music. i wasn't even sure how he could tell what song it was.

zach's head rolled over as he looked at me for the first time the entire car ride. his eyes were dark, resembling curiosity, or a peak of interest in something. me.

i glanced away quickly, realizing how strongly i was blushing. "oh come on, don't be shy," zach whispered sexily. "you weren't last night," he said.

fuck. my heart skipped a beat as i sucked in some air. zach laughed, gripping my thigh with his right hand. he kept his left on the wheel. i felt really weak.

"i was your first, right?" zach asked, nonchalantly. i'm not sure why, because he knew the answer to this. i nodded, to answer his question. i heard him giggle. "your innocence made it even hotter, you know. a little more enjoyable, too. you helped prove that slow can be sexy."

why the hell was he doing this to me? my face was burning. "hope i didn't make it too uninteresting for you," i managed to cough up. he stared at the road. i opened my water bottle and tried to wash down my embarrassment.

"please... i enjoyed it more than anything. in fact, my pleasure was nothing. it was nice watching you. the way your mouth was slightly open when your face cringed up, each and every time i -"

i spit my water all over the place. zach was laughing hysterically. 

"zach!" i yelled, now quite angry. "alright, alright.. fine. i'll stop," he laughed.

"i'm just happy, that's all."

--

 "what the hell," i yelled, stepping out of zach's car. i didn't hesitate to slam the door. i dreaded being back home.

"nikki, calm down. i'm sure jason has it covered," zach said, stepping out and onto the wet pavement. it had started sprinkling once we got back into town.

"covered?! this," i started, waving my arms frantically, "is not what 'covered' looks like! i'm totally fucked."

zach helped me pull my duffle bag out from his car's trunk. i threw the one strap over my shoulder. "i'm sure everything will be fine, and they'll be understanding," he said, rubbing my arm. i sighed and sat on the curb, burying my face inside my palms.

"i'm sorry, zach," i said, looking up at him. a few water droplets fell into my eyes, making me look back down. "it's their fault, anyways. they said they'd be back on monday," zach tried joking. "the sooner you get in there, the better it would be. i didn't park directly in front of your house, anyways. they wouldn't know i was the one to drop you off. just say you were at sammy's place or something."

i stood up and wrapped my arms tightly around zach. "thank you," i whispered, into his ear. both of our bodies became tense. "thank you, for such an amazing weekend," zach replied. he lowered his hands on my waist. 

"i'd better get going," i said, pulling away. zach kissed my forehead. "i'll wait a few minutes before driving off," he called from behind me. i turned back and gave a little wave.

i made my way up my driveway, passing my parents' car.

"well, here goes nothing. or, everything."

i let my fingers wrap around the door handle and reluctantly let myself into my house.

--

"hello?" i called out. "jason? mom? dad?"

there was no response. i threw my bag at the side of the door and made my way into the kitchen.

shit. "mom! dad! hey there," i exclaimed, putting on the fakest smile ever. i walked over to the dining table and wrapped my arms around both of them, giving my mom a kiss on the forehead.

i turned around and saw jason, his arms crossed as he leaned against the counter. "jason," i laughed a bit too uncomfortably. i went up to him to give him a small hug. upon pulling away, i raised my eyebrows at him.

"what the hell is this?!" i whisper-yelled at him. he just shrugged. "don't worry, man. i've got you," he whispered back.

i almost let out a scream when jason slapped my back. "so, sis... how was sam's sleepover party?"

thank you so much, i thought. i know i'd have to pay him back later, but right now, he was saving my ass. both of my parents were staring at me. "it was actually really fun! i didn't expect it, but we had a great time," i managed to cough up. my mom smiled.

"we didn't know where you were," my dad said. "we thought you had run off with some boy or something." i almost choked on the strawberry i was nibbling on. "what? hah, that's ridiculous. don't worry dad, no boys in my life," i lied. meanwhile, zach was my life.

"well, gotta run," i laughed, grabbing the last few strawberries. "procrastinated all weekend. so much homework to do."

--

letting out a sigh of relief after i got away from my parents was the best thing i had done the entire day. it had been less than fifteen minutes and i missed zach terribly.

jason came up behind me just as i got to my bedroom door.

"hey," he said, staring at me awkwardly. i nodded to greet him. "thanks a lot for saving me," i said. "did you have a good time?" he asked. "it was amazing," i smiled. "then don't worry about it."

jason smiled and turned to walk away. he looked back when he got to his bedroom door, giving me a little wink before disappearing into his man cave.

best brother ever.

smiling at myself, i finally twisted the doorknob and walked into my room.

"hey nikki!"

--

"what the fuck are you doing here?! are you insane?" i yelled at zach quietly.

the doors to my patio were wide open. i assumed zach had snuck in from the side of my house. he stood up and walked towards me.

"hello to you too, beautiful," zach whispered. he put his arms around my waist. before i could even comprehend how weak he made me, his lips were crashing into mine. at that moment, i wasn't mad at him anymore. i let him kiss me until i was left to my last breath.

"zach," i whispered, after (unfortunately) pulling away. i let my arms fall loosely on his shoulders as he gripped onto me from my waist.

"you know i just cant get enough of you," he smirked, kissing me again. as always, i found myself drowning in the taste of his lips. unfortunately, our show had been interrupted.

"who the hell is this?"