Chapter Twenty-Three

“That was more fun than I thought it would be. Kyle and his folks really know how to throw a party,” Zahra says as she settles into the passenger seat. I keep my hand on top of hers the entire way home. She indulged all night with Kendyl and some of the other girls, and although it wasn’t heavy liquor, we had a blast. Since I knew I’d be driving home tonight, I stuck with the sodas.

The only problem was keeping my emotions in check, especially with all the flirting she insisted on doing. I can’t be sure of what’s going on in her head, and being in the car with her will test my ability to resist if she decides she wants to apply some pressure. The way she keeps eyeing me, I’m gonna be in big trouble if she makes a move.

The rest of the night went as smooth as silk, with Kendyl and Kyle assuming the spotlight again, despite the other distraction of his cousin mixing and mingling, too. Quentin did his best to deflect all attention in his younger cousin’s direction, but the crowd gravitated toward him until he left. Kyle didn’t seem to care too much, having his favorite brother-cousin in the mix with him and bragging about the different records he’d break.

“Yeah, it was fun, but I need a severe recharge from the energy drain tonight,” I admit with a sigh. “I’m looking forward to resting as much as possible tomorrow before school on Monday.”

“Speaking of draining…what was that about with Ian?”

I guess she wants to get whatever it is that’s on her mind out and on the table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yasir, don’t play dumb. I know he was a bit lit tonight, but—”

I already feel my temper flaring over the mere mention of his name. “But what, Z?”

There are a few moments of silence between us, but she’s staring me down like she’s not gonna let it go. My grip tightens around her hand, a clear sign that there are tensions that still exist between me and Ian. I slow Storm as the traffic light changes from yellow to red, then loosen my grip once we come to a stop. “I honestly thought after everything at the mall and that madness after the Baytown game that he would just roll with things for a bit. What I’m trying to figure out is why he wants me at one of his parties.”

“Wait…what?” She sits up in the seat, surprised by my question. “Where did that come from and why does he want you there?”

I shrug as I accelerate through the intersection. “It doesn’t make sense, for real. He came at me with Eric earlier in the week, wanting to relieve the pressure between us, and then he came out the blue with a party invitation. He even thanked me for bailing him out.”

“So are you planning on going to whatever party he’s talking about doing?” she continues. “What type of party is he throwing?”

The answer to her question comes in the form of a notification chiming from both our phones at the same time. Usually when that happens, it’s a group message, especially if some of the same people are close by. She checks her IG, and just like that, a whole group message from Ian’s IG handle pops up on her screen. “Well, that’s interesting.”

“What’s going on?”

Zahra’s scanning the list of people, and she wrinkles her nose as she continues to examine the message. “The number of people being invited isn’t really large, maybe around thirty or so, but a lot of Ian’s clique are on the list. I also see Kenni and Kyle on the list, along with some of our circles. We’ve all been invited.”

“Doesn’t sound like the odds are in our favor.” I drum my thumbs against the steering wheel, and I’m playing chess in my head. Something’s up. “Is this a good idea to go? I still don’t know if I trust him yet.”

“It would be a different story if it was a smaller party or something, but it looks like he now wants to go big for his birthday,” she explains to me. “Considering what he just saw being done for Kyle, he wanted to try to do something bigger and different. Being out in the Atlantic for a few hours would pretty much do it.”

“Outside of you, Kenni, and Kyle, I won’t know anyone else at that party.” Yeah, this is gonna be a thing. I don’t wanna be around strangers where I have to step outside of my comfort zone more than usual. “Sure, I just got to know a few of the other boys, but I’m not sure how… I don’t want to feel like I’m being clingy because I’ll want to be with you.”

Zahra blinks a few times, and she squeezes my hand, mumbling something under her breath that I can’t make out. She sighs before she finally utters, “I want you, too. I won’t be far from you during the party, I promise. I can barely let you out of my sight as it is.”

“Um, Z…I can’t…I can’t trust what you’re saying to me right now, especially when we’ve been a bit lit tonight.” I’m almost grateful that we make it to her house. I’m conflicted over what I really wanna say to her. “I can’t afford to, not when things are so confusing between us.”

I want to smirk over the way she pushes her bottom lip out, and she’s staring me down like that’s gonna make me change my mind. She’s so damn cute when she does that, but I’m not going for it. Nope. “But we said it was better to wait for now, right? We agreed it was best.”

I offer up a half smile, putting Storm in park. “We can talk about it more once we’ve gotten some sleep. Now, get in the house so you can get settled in. I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”

“Fine. Can I at least have a kiss good night?” She’s insistent, that’s for sure. She starts batting her eyes, and I’m still gonna get my way, one way or another. “I’m not trying to confuse things, but I really just want a kiss, please?”

I want to stick to my guns, but I can’t resist when she asks like that. I close my eyes as I give in to her request, giving her a few quick kisses across her lips before I get out to make sure she gets to the door in one piece.

“Thank you,” she says out of nowhere. “I know I haven’t been easy to deal with, but I’m not doing this on purpose, I promise.”

I know she’s still a little buzzed, so instead of saying anything more, I give her a hug and point her to the door. “I understand, but I don’t understand. It’s okay, though, I’m getting used to you, and as much as it drives me crazy, I like it a lot. I like you a lot.”

Zahra gazes up into my eyes, and she nods as she places her hand against my cheek. “I like you a lot, too. So what do we do about this?”

I take her hand and place my lips against her wrist, staring into those beautiful hazel-green eyes, and I say something completely different from what’s really in my heart. “Like you said, we like each other, and we want to see where this goes, so let’s enjoy what happens, whatever that might be, okay?”

I hate it when this happens. Someone has to take the lead, and neither one of us wants to be the one to do it. This push and pull is wearing us both down, and eventually the dam will break and who knows what will happen after that? Maybe it will be okay, maybe it won’t, but I’m too scared to find out.