The next day at school, Zach didn't see Nally anywhere. He caught himself scanning the hallways and classrooms for her more than once, but she never appeared. After what had happened between them, he suspected she had skipped school to avoid seeing him.
The day passed much like any other, aside from the constant questions about his injuries. The burns he still carried seemed to attract attention wherever he went. By the end of the day, Zach had repeated the same fabricated explanation so many times that he was tired of hearing it himself.
As soon as the final bell rang, he was more than ready to leave. As students poured out of their classrooms and filled the corridors with noise, Zach grabbed his bag and headed straight for the school gates. He hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address of the Collymore cottage.
When he arrived, he waited for the taxi to pull away before entering through the gate. He crossed the grounds and stepped into the house, making his way directly to Clair's room.
Stopping at her door, he knocked lightly. "It's me," he called. "Can I come in?"
"Yes," Clair replied.
Zach pushed the door open and found her sitting at the edge of the bed, still wearing her nightgown. Her complexion had regained some color, but she still looked far from fully recovered.
"Going somewhere?" he asked as he placed his bag on the nearby table.
"I was about to take a bath," she said. "How was your day?"
Zach gave a small shrug. "Nothing special. Went to class, dealt with a few things, then came here."
Clair studied him for a moment. "Jacksen and Calliso must've been worried."
"They were." A faint chuckle escaped him. "I told them I was so desperate to see you that I snuck in here and somehow turned it into a full-blown accident."
"And they believed that?"
"Not completely." He smiled. "But it's close enough to the truth."
The corner of Clair's lips lifted.
Seeing her smile made the exhausting day feel a little lighter. "I'll get the bath ready," he said.
He headed into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with warm water, adding soap as steam slowly rose into the air.
"Do you want the water extra warm?" Zach asked.
"Yes, please," Clair replied.
Zach adjusted the temperature, then laid out fresh towels and the toiletries she might need. Once the bath was ready, he stepped out of the bathroom.
He froze.
Clair was trying to take off her nightgown, but her weakened state was making the simple task far more difficult than it should have been. The fabric was caught around her arms and shoulders as she struggled to pull it free.
Zach immediately spun around. "Woah," he murmured, raising a hand awkwardly.
A brief silence followed. Unfortunately, he turned around a moment too late and caught sight of her bare breasts. Heat crept up his neck as he stared firmly at the opposite wall, suddenly finding it very interesting.
"I need help," she said softly.
Zach squeezed his eyes shut and released a slow breath. Then another.
After a moment, he turned back around. The situation was no less awkward than before.
Steeling himself, he walked over and carefully helped her out of the nightgown. Every movement was slow and cautious.
YOU ARE READING
Divine & Wicked: The Strayed Memories (Book2)
Fantasy(Fantasy•Romance) COMPLETED Zach awoke a few days after his surgery, his mind foggy and his heart empty, as though his life had been reset. He moved through what he believed was his normal routine, unaware that fragments of a forgotten past were slo...
