AFTER THERE'S YOU // ZESSA

Chapter 33: Emergency Taco Night

"HO – LY – SHIT!" Hanya screams from her office. She dragged me in here first thing this morning, dying to know what went down after our night out at Kam's.

"Hanya," I whisper furiously, "Todd is next door and can probably hear you!"

"Oh, who cares. And anyways, he blasts classical music, or some shit like that, all morning so he can 'find his Zen'" she says, using finger quotes in the air. "He can't hear anything until 10am when he starts his meetings. So, that means we still have a solid 20 minutes more to gossip," she smiles, spinning in her chair. Stopping abruptly, she says, "I just can't believe I was too drunk to notice the whole Rachel and Zed thing, which I told you would happen, by the way. And that you almost got hit by a freaking car you goof!" she says raising her eyebrows and throwing her hands up.

"I know, I know," I say, sitting on the edge of her desk, "I was dumb. And as for Rachel, I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt in those kinds of situations."

"Well you should probably retire that mentality. There are too many jerks in this world for that kind of lovey-dovey nonsense you nice girls always seem to fall for – and I mean that in the nicest way possible," she says, placing a hand on my shoulder, her eyes a mix of sympathy and understanding.

"Anyways," she says straightening up, "so what happened after Prince Charming saved your life and we dropped you back off at home?"

"Well, after that, we went to my place and..." I trail off, looking away quickly in an attempt to hide how beet red my face is turning.

"You what?" she asks, curiously, craning her neck to try and see my face.

"You know... we... finally – did it," I say quickly, looking back slowly to see her reaction. No noise comes from her mouth. Hanya just stares, mouth open and eyes wide, before letting out an excited yell.

"Ahh! How was it? Oh my gosh, was it all angry and passionate? I bet it was. How was he? Is he a gentle lover or does he kind of choke you – but you like it, like what's his technique –" she rambles on before I cut her off.

"Jeez one question at a time," I say, shooting her a look while glancing back to make sure the door is still closed. Thankfully, it is.

"It was... it was actually really great. I said sorry for blowing the whole Rachel thing out of proportion and almost dying... and he just took over. It felt like the right time after everything we've been through for the past few months," I explain, shrugging my shoulder's nonchalantly.

"Well yeah. I don't know how you guys went this long without boning," she says bluntly.

"Yeah, yeah. I just needed more time. And now I am happy where we're at – officially dating by the way," I smile, biting my lip to conceal my excitement. I am elated to finally be with Zed, have Hardin out of my life, and a steady career path on the horizon.

Suddenly, I hear Hanya cough and snap back to reality. It looks like she is practically choking to death. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I ask, moving closer to her while she hunches over in her office chair.

Putting a hand up, she says between coughs, "I'm fine. Just choking on my coffee."

When she finally clears her throat and sits up, her eyes are wild with excitement. "So, he asked you out finally? Like, to be his girlfriend? When? How?" she demands, a crazed smile plastered all over her face.

I again feel the blood flow back to my face in a heated rush. How do you tell someone the man you have been yearning for the past few months, finally asked you out over sex?

"Well, in the... moment he asked, and I said yes," I say, being as honest as I can. Hanya will take the news better than anyone else I know, and I need to share these parts of my life with someone. It's nice to have a real friend help you through all the dramas of life.

Before she can react, I blurt out, "And then he said he loves me."

Hanya blinks, once again flabbergasted at my news.

"Okay, emergency taco night," she says, grabbing my hand and looking me very seriously in the eye.

"Emergency what?" I ask, confused and intrigued.

"Emergency. Taco. Night. Tonight. Me and you," she demands, glancing over at the clock on her desk. "We only have 3 minutes left before Todd starts our morning meeting. That is just not enough time to discuss your amazing sex filled love bomb night," she says, smiling from ear to ear. "I'll meet you at Taco Burrito Shack on campus at 7:30pm," she says before we hear Todd's office door open.

"Alright," I agree, somewhat excited to hang out with Hanya and have a real girls night – even if it is just an emergency taco night, or whatever she calls it.

"See you then – you little sex kitten," she sings, before I open the door and head to my office, shaking my head at her.

I have not had much time to sort through my emotions with Zed. We spent most of Sunday hungover and watching movies, just enjoying each other's company. And both had an unspoken understanding not to discuss his "love bomb" as Hanya calls it, just yet. I didn't say it back in the moment, which might be a bit awkward, but I'm not sure I'm on that level yet. Though I would like to be at some point.

Sitting down at my computer, I hear a buzzing from my purse. Grabbing my phone from my bag under the desk, I see a message notification pop up on the screen.

From Steph: Hey, can we talk? It's important.