The Lonely Hearts

Chapter 13

**Archie pov**

After we finished eating I leaned back in my chair feeling content. The dinner was not very fancy but having it with her made it feel special. As I glanced at Zoyee I noticed a small amount of sauce at the corner of her lips. I couldn’t help but smile. "Hold still," I said leaning forward.  Her wide eyes locked on mine and I noticed the little flicker of surprise or an anticipation maybe? Gently I wiped the sauce with a tissue. "There you go. All clean," I said smiling at her. She murmured a soft Thanks but her cheeks flushed a shade of pink that made me pause. That's when it hit me. She might have thought I was about to do something else. I fought back a laugh not wanting to embarrass her. But the way she shyly avoided my gaze, it was really adorable. Now I couldn't stop glancing at her lips & thinking the same maybe.

Later when we reached her house, I parked the car and waited as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride and dinner," she said reaching for the door. But before she could leave an impulse took over me, "Wait," I said with a hint of hesitation in my voice but I tried to sound as soft as possible. Zoyee turned toward me. Her brows furrowed slightly and her lips parted as if she was about to say something. But I didn’t have an answer not in words anyway as I was still lost in her plumpy lips. So instead I leaned forward closing the distance between us. My heart raced unsure if this was the right move but I couldn’t stop myself at that moment. When my lips brushed hers it felt like a spark of electricity running through my entire body. But later I felt her freeze. My stomach twisted. Had I misread everything? So, pulling back I stammered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ha-"  before I could finish she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me closer. The sudden movement of her kiss left me stunned for a moment but then I smiled against her lips. Slowly the tension melted away. I kissed her back slowly and softly enjoying every second. Her lips were warm, tasting faintly of strawberry lip gloss and the cheesecake we had earlier. It was sweet, electrifying and unlike anything I had ever felt. When we finally broke apart her face was a bright shade of red and her breathing was uneven. She didn't look at me. Maybe she couldn't get the courage to make eye contact. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly, "You’re really cute when you're blushing," I teased a little . 

Her reaction was priceless. She tried to unbuckle her seatbelt as fast as possible, practically running out of the car. "Goodnight,"  her voice pitched higher than usual before rushing toward her house.  I leaned back in my seat, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. Watching her disappear inside I whispered softly, "Goodnight, Zoyee" and went to my apartment.

** End of Archie's Pov **

The next day Archie woke up feeling lighter than usual. Last night’s kiss kept replaying in his head and he couldn’t wait to see Zoyee again. As usual, he sent her a text

: Good morning. I'm on my way to pick you up for college. Be ready 😉

When he reached her house she wasn’t outside like usual. Archie then took out hos phone and noticed that she didn't reply nor seen the text that he had sent earlier. He waited for ten minutes more, checking his phone every few seconds but there was no reply. He became concerned and called her. The phone rang but went unanswered. 

Frowning Archie stepped out of the car and walked to her door. He hesitated for a moment before ringing the bell. A moment later, a middle-aged woman opened the door. "Good morning," he greeted politely assuming she was Zoyee's mom. "I'm Archie. Zoyee's friend. We usually go to college together but she hasn't come out yet and we are getting late also. Is she okay?”  The woman smiled kindly. "Oh, hi, dear. I’m Siri, her mom. Zoyee already left for college about thirty minutes ago. Didn't she inform you about it?"

Archie blinked surprised. "Oh, I see. No, we didn't have any talk since this morning. Maybe she forgot to tell me. Anyway thank you, ma'am. Have a nice day. " Siri smiled. "No problem. It's nice to finally meet you. Have a wonderful day as well, dear. By the way, Zoyee didn't tell me that you guys would go to college together." Archie chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, it's kind of our routine. Anyway, thanks again." Siri smiled understandingly. He left puzzled. Why had Zoyee gone early without telling him? She didn't even text him or seen his text yet.