When you look at me I just can't lie

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Zander was feeling better that following morning. His body no longer felt weak and useless, his nose stopped running some point last night and he could finally breathe normally. After a quick sandwich for breakfast he was working on a new sketch when he heard the front door open and a guest make their way to his room.

Much to his surprise it was Mel. “I thought you didn’t want to risk getting sick again.” He said to her, turning his head back to his sketch pad.

“I’m fine. What did you do, Kale?”

He cringed at the mention of his last name and her clipped tone. Mel only whipped it out when she was ticked off about something and thankfully that wasn’t often. “I don’t know.” He shut his pad and gave her his full attention. “What did I do?”

“You kissed my sister and then acted like it was nothing.”

“Oh, that.” Awkwardly Zander scratched at his head. Talking about Lena with Mel was something he never planned on doing or planned on having become a problem. For someone with always something to say he was utterly stuck right now. “She told you?”

“Yeah but that’s not the point. The point is why you’re being a big jerk.”

“I’m not! And I didn’t act like it was nothing. Lena did that all on her own. We stupidly kissed and she said she should go before she did anything else stupid. Ergo our kiss was a stupid mistake and she wanted to forget it so I helped her out and shrugged it off.” He tried like hell yesterday to act like it was no big deal when it was really pissing him off. Lena had a knack for wanting him one second and the next acting like he was gum on the bottom of her shoe.

Mel’s expression softened as she absorbed the other side of the story. “Lena didn’t see it that way.”

“What do you mean? Is she upset?” Zander didn’t like the guilt warming his chest. He didn’t do anything wrong. Ok, that wasn’t true. He shouldn’t have kissed her but what came after it was her doing.

“She’s…none of your business. I’m not breaking her confidence even for you but what the hell is going on? Do you have feeling for Lena?”

Thinking back on it last night Zander came with the answer a few times but right now looking into Mel’s green eyes he forgot every single thought. “What do you care?”

“You’re my best friend and she’s my sister. I don’t want to see either of you hurt and while this is all weird I’m trying to be supportive. You better not be trying to hurt her.”

“You know I’m not that guy. If I wanted to piss Lena off I wouldn’t do it by kissing her.”

Mel moved over to the corner of the bed and sat. “Why did you kiss her anyway?” she asked with a sigh as her anger on Lena’s behalf faded away.

“I guess it was a long time coming. She’s been helping me with a few of my projects and we’ve gotten to know each other better. She came to check on me yesterday and throughout the day one thing just led to another. I don’t have it all figured out.”

“I saw the art you drew on her arm. What is she helping you with?” that was Mel’s special way of taking the conversation back to easier subjects.

“I hired her for a series of photos I’m thinking about holding on to for a gallery showing after I find one to take me on.”

“They’re that good?”

“I hope so.” He grinned at her horrendous sense of tact. “Do you want to see them?” he remembered promising Lena they were going to keep the sessions private but she broke the pact first by confiding in Mel. It was his turn now. It wasn’t like she was going to go around blabbing about it anyway.

Zander headed over to the black room and grabbed the stack of developed photos he had left there. He hadn’t gotten around to getting the film on the canvass and adding a few more details with paint, that’s when the first series would be complete and they could get working on the second one.

Mel’s eyes went wide at the tearful image of her sister. It was a hell of a shot with the bloody make up and the gloomy backdrop. It was a photo Zander wanted to show to everyone he passed daily. It was something he was greatly proud of.

“Wow.” Mel blew a puff of air past her lips. “I didn’t even know Lena could cry on cue or that you were more into photography these days.” She was used to seeing his work sketched out across paper. There was a hint of sadness lining her voice at the mention of all the years they were apart. They didn’t talk about it much but three years was a long time and they both changed.

“It depends on the ideas. That’s still in the beginning stages, when its all done it’ll be ceiling to floor length.”

“Holy shit. You should show this to Anthony, he’ll be jealous he didn’t think of it first.”

Zander laughed and took the photos back. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mel glanced around the room and avoided looking at him. “You know working on art together helped me and Anthony connect and get to know each other better. I wasn’t even naked in his shots until we were dating.”

He chuckled again at her blatant meaning. “The half naked thing had nothing to do with yesterday’s kiss. She was dressed and I was sick, it was all the wrong situations for a kiss but…” his mood sobered at the memory of Lena’s heated stare and the tension building between them. The fact of the matter was he couldn’t wait another second to kiss her. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next.”

“You need to tell her what you told me and be honest with each other. She thinks you were using her for some kick and you think she was blowing you off. You gotta get on the same page before I go nuts. I love you both but I really don’t want to be in the middle of your romantic drama.” She visibly shuddered.

“There is no romantic drama. There is some weird attraction but it’s nothing serious, it can’t be.” That was the exact reason he didn’t push Lena yesterday into admitting something he couldn’t either. It was better that way.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s who she is and I’m who I am. It’ll never work and it’ll just be a waste of time trying to make it so. I think its better we just leave it how it is. You can’t tell her anything we’ve discussed.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, scout. You have to do this for me because deep down you know I’m right. I’m just trying to save us all a world of trouble.”

Mel glanced at the photos again clutched in his hand. “You’re going to keep working together and whatever is between you will grow. I think you’re wrong. I know my sister can be a handful and she can be selfish and self absorbed but you also know that’s not all there is. That’s why you’ve been her friend when she’s needed one.”

Zander’s brows pinched together. “How much has she told you?” every time he thought he had it figured out and there was a solid plan to follow something came along to break all his carefully laid building blocks.

 Mel sighed, running both her hands through her long hair. “Man this is hard. I can’t tell you what she told me anymore than I can tell her what you’re telling me. I’m trying to be a good friend to the both of you.”

Zander reached out and clasped her hand. “I get it and thanks but I think whatever does or doesn’t happen Lena and I just have to figure it out for ourselves.” Just a month ago he never would’ve imagined having such a conversation with Mel about Lena of all people but that was life. You couldn’t plan for it. He firmly believed staying friends with Lena was the best and safest bet. Anything more than that was begging for trouble. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s what scares me. You’re both the most stubborn people I’ve ever met.”