Forbidden Territories

Chapter 4: Just Friends

I groaned into my pillow as the loud ringtone of my phone filled the room. Who the fuck was up before I was? I was usually the one to wake everyone up and it felt odd being on the other side for a change. What time was it? I could hardly even open my eyes, much less locate that noisy stupid thing. It felt like the sound was coming from every direction of the room. 

Finally, my fingers recognized the correct object and I rolled on my back, still under the duvet. I didn't bother checking the caller ID, I wasn't even in the mood to talk to anyone. I just wanted to sleep a little longer. 

"Do you know what fucking time is it? Someone better be dying," I said into the phone, trying to sound intimidating but probably sounding anything but that. I heard a soft chuckle from the other side of the line and then Zach's voice. 

"I'm sorry, green eyes. I could've sworn you were awake by now." There was no apology in his voice, though. He found it entertaining. 

"It's still dark out, what do you mean?" I complained as I rolled on my side, keeping my phone caught between my ear and the pillow. My eyes remained closed and my mouth was stretched into a yawn. "What do you want, Zach?" 

"Lunch?" 

"Now?" 

He laughed. "No, stupid. Around one. I'll pick you up." 

I grumbled against the pillow. "Okay, fine but only if you stop talking now." 

The line went silent for a moment then I heard fumbling, followed by Zach's gasp. "Fuck me," he hissed through his gritted teeth. "Hot, hot, hot..." I blinked my eyes open and raised my head. 

"Zach?" I questioned. 

"Uh, yeah?" he said but sounded preoccupied with something else. 

"What did you do?" I asked. 

"I uh... Nothing." 

"Zach..." 

"I may or may not spilled coffee on me while it was still hot. The truth will remain unknown," he answered finally and I threw my head back down on the pillow. 

"Idiot," I mumbled and hung up. 

***

It felt easier and easier being around Zach. He was the type of guy who was completely willing to make an absolute idiot out of himself just to make me smile. My days weren't as bad anymore, I wasn't trying to figure out things any longer and instead focused on what was right with my life. I learned that he worked as a mechanic in the shop downtown. If I had to guess, I would've said something similar. Although, I was curious how he managed to fix things when he didn't seem to be able to even walk straight most of the time without breaking what was in close proximity. 

We were sitting behind a table in a diner, two glasses of coke in front of us. 

"Come on, work," Zach grumbled at his phone, and in sheer annoyance, he slammed the small object down. I flinched at the sudden loud noise and stared at him as if he was insane. A couple of seconds passed until he realized his mistake. 

"Did you just..." 

"Fuuuuuuck," he whined and picked up his phone, turning it over to check the screen. 

Of course, the glass was completely shattered from one end to the other. I pressed my lips together to hold back the laugh, both of my hands covering my mouth. His gaze flickered between me and his phone, his fingers gliding over the screen as if the pieces would magically glue back together. 

"You, my friend, are a fucking moron," I said and finally let myself chuckle. 

He groaned and folded his arms atop the table to make a pillow for his forehead. That day really wasn't his day. His grey T-shirt was still covered with the coffee stain from that morning, his knuckles were scraped from where they got stuck trying to fix the engine and now, he broke his phone and it was only 1 p.m. I could tell by the look on his face that the only thing he wanted to do was to lock himself in a room full of fluffy pillows and stay there until past midnight. I shook my head and reached my hand out, patting his head.