Zora

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Buttoning up her long-sleeved, polka dot blouse, Zora smiled as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her seventy-two-hour watch was over, and she was allowed to head back home. It hurt to not see any of her friends or family for three days, but they were waiting for her on the other side of the door.

Tying her shoes, she popped her head up as the hospital door opened. Terrance walked in with a smile. "It's so good to see you again."

Jumping up from the bed, Zora ran to his side and hugged him tight, lifting him off the ground. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you again," she laughed. Placing him back on the floor, he stared at her with wide eyes. "What? We both know I'm stronger than you. Unlike you, I actually work out in the school's gym and don't just flex in a mirror for twenty minutes straight."

Placing a hand over his heart, he was taken aback. "Well, aren't you salty today," he teased.

"After being locked up here with no one but doctors and nurses, I need to let my sass out."

Laughing, he led her out of the hospital and to his car in the parking lot. "You excited to head home?"

"Yes," she dragged out. "That bed was not easy to sleep in, and my legs are tired from sitting all day long."

"You may have to do some more sitting at home."

Glaring at Terrance, she asked, "Why?"

Terrance smirked the whole way home, not saying anything. When he finally did pull up in front of the house, he patted her shoulder and said, "I have a few more errands to run, but I'll be back later tonight. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Quirking an eyebrow, she expected him to elaborate. But when he didn't say anything, she exited the car and walked up to the front door. Confusion consumed her as she entered the dark house. All the blinds were shut and the curtains were drawn. Candles illuminated the coffee table, and music played in the background. Taking close steps up to the coffee table, she crouched down to stare at the display of wine glasses and virgin bubbly along with pizza boxes and paper plates.

"Wow," a voice mumbled from behind her. Jumping in surprise, she jerked her head back. Spencer stood in the doorway, another electric candle in his hands. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to surprise you. I thought it would be fun to have a date night once you came home."

Folding her hands behind her back, she smiled as she stepped closer to him. "You sure know how to make a girl flustered," she teased before kissing his lips sensually. "What did you have planned for tonight?"

He hummed. "Movie night. Your pick."

All night long, the two watched movies, ate pizza, and talked and cuddled. The love Spencer had for her spilled out into everything he did. Not once did he press the boundaries, as all he wanted was to make sure she felt loved and safe in their environment.

Once it was time for him to head home, Zora turned on the light, flinching at the brightness. "Can you toss me my bag?" Spencer asked as he folded a blanket back onto the couch. When she picked the bag up, a small blue box fell out of the open zipper. Picking the box up, she stared at the box, hurt.

Spencer turned around to face her. "What...um?"

"Why do you have condoms in your bag?"

"What?" he exclaimed and ran to the box. He stared at his bag and groaned. "My aunt must have packed them. I swear, I didn't put those in there."

"Why would she have put these in there?"

Spencer was silent, scratching the back of his neck.

"Did you tell her you wanted to have sex with me?"

"No," he quickly stated. "I haven't mentioned anything about that with you. She just wants to make sure I'm careful. She doesn't want to risk me getting anyone pregnant."

Sucking in her lips, she wrapped her arms around herself and sat down on the couch. "You've had sex before?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. You can head out. I'll finish cleaning up."

"No, Zora," he sighed as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. "Please tell me what's wrong. I know something is bothering you."

She wanted to hold it in, and act like it was no big deal. But knowing Spencer had sex before her scared her. And as terrified as she was to admit it, she knew she needed to learn to rely on him and others. She needed to learn how to talk her problems out.

"It...bothers me," she slowly said, "that you've already had sex."

Taking her hand in his, he said, "Zora, you do know that I did a lot of things before I met you, right?"

She nodded.

"My ex-girlfriend and I did decide to have sex, but that was our choice. You can't be mad at me for that."

"I'm not mad," she clarified. "I'm scared. You had the choice to do whatever sexual thing you wanted, and I have dealt with perverts and molesters my whole life. You must think of sex as making love, but it's not the same for me," she explained as she began to cry. "I want to be able to show you my love for you, but I'm not ready. And I don't know if I ever will be."

Pulling her close into his arms, she snuggled up into his chest. "I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do. I care about you more than you could ever comprehend. I want to be with you and only you, and sex will never be the driving force of our relationship."

Smiling, she lifted her head up and kissed his lips softly. "Thank you, Spencer."

"I love you so much."

"I love you, too."