Meant for Me | ✔️

21) without doubt

Friday. 1st September.

A D D I E

Zac came back to the shed after Milo and Willa left. I was sitting on the back seat of the Mercedes again, head spinning, heart pounding, throat closing over. Zac knelt in front of me and encased my hand in his. Such large strong hands. Ones that weren't too soft or smooth, but rugged and rough. Hands that worked hard.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Milo and Raine are going to tell Willa tomorrow and then bring her to brunch on Sunday if it all goes well."

Zac's brows raised. "That's good. That's great. You're not worried, right?"

"I mean, a little. She might not want anything to do with me. She might hate me."

He clacked his tongue with disapproval and stood up, pulling me with him. "She knows you. She doesn't hate you. You're friends."

"That could change when she knows the truth."

Zac stood tall, towering over me, as usual, but he held the nape of my neck and stared down, his expression was one full of patience and understanding. Part of me wanted to believe that he'd really come to know me so well in such a short amount of time. But that was impossible. This wasn't me. This was a version of me. The one that runs away and starts building an entire new life in another state while she hides from her grief.

The words that I'd told him rang in my ear. That could change when she knows the truth.

Would it change if he knew the truth?

He gave me a soft kiss on the forehead. "She isn't going to hate you."

Suddenly, we heard the pop and crunch of gravel and headlights illuminating the entrance to the shed. Zac peered over with his brows furrowed and as the car got closer, noisier, he relaxed with recognition and mumbled, "what is it this time?"

A silver car stopped just outside and a familiar, tall kid hopped out of the drivers seat. Zac walked over to him with his arms spread in question.

"Hear that?" The kid asked. It was the kid from the superstore this afternoon. The one that brought his girlfriend dinner.

"Yeah I hear it," Zac answered, shouting over the loud engine. "Sounds like you've blown the inter cooler pipe again?"

"I know it's Friday night but please can you help me fi—"

"Yeah, of course," Zac twisted so that he could look at the shed, possibly searching for a clear space, which there wasn't a lot of. As his gaze swept past me, he smiled and winked and I felt my heart rate increase.

"Let me move some shit around," Zac said. "Then we'll bring it in, alright?"

It didn't take too long to clear a parking space for the kid, who I found out was Tyler. Zac moved his truck out and then we all worked together to move car parts and rubbish off the ground. May included, who was the one that worked at the superstore. Georgetown wasn't small but it seemed that this little corner, on the outskirts, were all familiar with one another. It was endearing.

Tyler assisted Zac with the car while May and I sat on a set of bench seats that had been pulled out of. . . something. It was impossible to keep up with it all. She was still wearing her pin striped apron and name badge.

"Made it through the shift then," I said.

She looked confused for a moment. "Oh, right. You were in there this afternoon. I thought you looked familiar. We get a lot of customers."