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07. Remembering

Putting her phone back in her pocket, Allie ran a hand through her hair in a last minute attempt to smooth out the mess the wind had caused. As the moments ticked by and Zach still didn’t appear she felt herself growing increasingly nervous, tugging on her hoodie every other second and chewing on her nails.

Too absorbed in her own thoughts, Allie didn’t notice Zach walk around the side of his building or stop beside her, it wasn’t until he sat himself down on the step beside her that she jumped in surprise and realised that he was there.

“Someone’s jumpy,” Zach observed, smirking slightly at Allie’s gittery behaviour.

“Everyone’s creeping up on my today, I’ll probably die from heart failure before the day is over,” Allie shot him a glare.

It wasn’t Zach’s fault that Rob and Hannah had also scared the life out of her, and it wasn’t his fault that she was always day dreaming; though mostly the day dreaming was about him, so maybe it was a little bit Zach’s fault.

He looked at Allie quizzically as he got up and opened his door. Zach offered his hand to Allie and helped her to her feet. Zach dropped her hand once Allie’s own two feet were holding her upright. He tucked his hand into his pocket, trying to rid it of its empty feeling.

“Why do you do that?” Allie asked him curiously.

She was quiet, she was shy, but as Rob had easily figured out, Allie liked to have the upper hand and and that made her observant.

When Zach first asked to take her out, he had been so quick to give in and believe that she would prefer to get to know Lucas better. He'd had break-downs in his keeping-it-cool façade during their date where his eyes would grow scared and even when he had taken her to his mothers little place, he looked at her like he was always waiting on the green light, like he was afraid of crossing a line.

In a way, Allie liked that, she felt no pressure at his hands, but in another, she wouldn’t have minded that little bit of pressure that showed he really wanted to push her walls down. That he wanted there to be more to this that just a little bit of banter.

Zach wasn’t sure what her question meant, so he continued into his home

“You’ll be all confident one moment, and the next, you’re walking away from me for some unknown reason with your head hanging.” Allie elaborated, walking by Zach and plopping herself down on his couch.

Allie hoped her tone wasn’t accusing, especially as she was not the epitome of open, she was just curious.

Zach stood in the doorway, supporting his weight against the frame. He scuffed his foot a little on the carpet while avoiding Allie’s gaze. When he glanced up at her, he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but his lips were clamped shut. He felt so ridiculous standing there under her questioning gaze.  

Allie sighed, accepting she wasn’t going to get a response from him. He looked almost as awkward as he was feeling. Allie got to her feet and ran a hand through her hair to push it off her face. She walked back past him into his kitchen, helping herself to a glass of water.

“Youmakemenervous,” Zach rushed his words and they crashed into each other.

Allie paused and put the glass down.She looked up at him, her heart racing. Allie made him nervous? Maybe she had misheard.

“Slow it down a bit this time?” Allie requested.

“You... you make me nervous...” Zach said more carefully, “like... sweaty palms, heart racing, breathlessly nervous,” he stood there, speaking to his feet, his hands shoved in his pockets.