| |
Zoe
––––––––
When we arrived at the neighbors’ red front door, the windows were open, so it was hard to miss all the clanking and shuffling sounds going on inside. Mom smiled at my sister and me, then I knocked. My hand was slick with sweat. Calm thoughts, Zoe.
The door opened and a younger woman—maybe in her early thirties—stood in front of us. She had short blond hair, light green eyes, and wore jeans with a short-sleeve shirt. Her appearance said “California,” and she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Sidelle was pretty, but the lady in front of me screamed elegance—with a hint of danger.
“Hello,” Mom said, giving her the full, welcoming smile. “My name is Jackie. These are my daughters, Zoe and Stella. My husband, Kevin, is still at work.” She signaled to the left. “We live in the yellow house next door. Welcome to the neighborhood!”
“Hi.” The gorgeous woman smiled and shook our hands. “Sarah Mors. Come on in. Please excuse the mess. Just arrived today from California.” She motioned for us to follow her into their living room, and we sat on their black leather couch. “Sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
“We brought this for you and your family.” Mom handed her the platter. “Just return the plate whenever you get a chance.”
“Thanks, Jackie. That’s kind of you. And they look delicious. I’ll make sure to save some for later.”
“Do you have kids?”
“No. It’s just my brother and me.” Sarah turned to me. “You must be the young lady Aiden mentioned.”
Aiden told her about me? I snapped my mouth shut.
“He’s in his room unpacking. I told him he needed to get some of it done before school on Monday. Head on up if you want.” She glanced at Mom. “Oh. If you would prefer she stay down here, I can go get him.”
“Oh, no,” Mom said sweetly, sounding nothing like herself. “If he’s busy unpacking, Zoe can go upstairs.”
I stared at her, speechless. Who was this lady sitting next to me? If I’d thought my mouth had hung open before, it was now on the floor. My mother had given me permission to go into a guy’s room—alone. She smiled and nodded.
Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice. I have enough questions swirling around in my head that my mom doesn’t need to overhear.
I headed for the staircase, leaving Stella to sit next to Mom.
“Last door on the left,” Sarah called cheerfully.
“Thanks,” I replied.
I could barely contain my excitement. I had to force myself to take one step at a time when all I wanted to do was to run and pepper him with questions. At the top of the stairs, I drew in a deep breath, letting it out before walking the short distance to the end of the hall. His door was open, and I lingered in the hallway so I could watch him. He sat on the floor, unpacking boxes of movies and books.
Eventually, I knocked on the doorframe, but he didn’t look up from the stacks of boxes. I knocked a little harder, and this time his head snapped up. His eyes locked with mine, and we stared at each other for a few moments.
He broke the silence. “Hello.”
“Hi, Aiden. Your ... your sister said I could come up here,” I stammered.
“Sure.” He motioned me in, his eyes intent on me. In that instant I experienced a strange, uncomfortable feeling. Like I was prey being stalked by a lion. Could this be the same Aiden that Kieran knows?
The previous owner had used this room for her quilting, sewing, and other projects. It looked very different now that it was Aiden’s. He hadn’t gotten far with unpacking. His bed was made, but most of his clothes still lay in opened boxes.
“Sit ... or whatever.” He waved his hand at the bed, and never took his eyes from me.
I chose the floor, and his eyes widened slightly with surprise at my choice. Neither of us spoke. I mean, what I was going to say? “Hey, did you know that my boyfriend looks like you?” How crazy would that sound? I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t talking, though. Maybe he was shy, or maybe he was nervous about having a girl in his room. Somebody had to soften the atmosphere, so I spoke up.
“Do you have a lot to unpack?” I asked.
“What you see is what I have.” He pointed to the pile of movies and books in front of him. “It’s mostly clothes once I get these sorted. It’s Zoe, right?”
Had I told him my name? “Would you like help?”
He shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.” He pushed a stack of movies toward me then pointed at the tall bookcase next to his bed. “Alphabetize these and then put them on the lower shelf.”
“Um, would you like them sorted into genres then alphabetized?” Lowering his head, he hid his mouth.
It was a bit weird that he wanted them alphabetized, but whatever. I lifted a few plastic containers to show him what I meant, taking advantage of the opportunity to look him over more closely. Now that the initial shock was over, I could study him. There was a definite similarity to Shay. He looked about the same age, maybe a year or two older, but with the same aqua eyes, hair color, and build.
He chuckled. “Sure. I wasn’t going to ask you to do that. I thought you’d think I was weird.”
“That’s how I would do it,” I said. “What’s the point if I alphabetize them now, then you have to redo it all into genres?”
He howled, and his whole body shook with it. Oh, he was beautiful. Knock it off. You have a boyfriend.
“What?” I sort of snapped at him.
“Nothing.”
“No, it’s not nothing. You keep doing that, laughing at me. What’s funny?”
“You. You’re what’s funny.”
Was he being mean? I started to stand, uncomfortable. He didn’t need to laugh at me.
Seeing me move, he jumped to his feet and nearly tripped over a stack of movie cases. “Wait! Why are you leaving?”
I glared at him. Was he that dense? “You just told me you thought I was funny. I offered to help you, and you laughed at me. I don’t need to take that. Especially from a stranger.”
“Oh, hey. I’m not laughing at you. The situation is just funny. I thought it was cute. Most people wouldn’t ask if they should sort into genres first and then alphabetize them.” He stood and reached for my hand but then lowered it. “And then for you to go on a little tirade about it, well, that’s what I meant was funny. Okay, so maybe funny wasn’t the correct word. I’m sorry. I thought it was cute ... your behavior, I mean.”
Okay. Totally not the jerk I’d thought he was being. For one, he’d just told me I was cute—twice. So that might be a little stretch; he thought my behavior was cute. And two, he apologized. What guy apologizes without being prompted?
I sat back down and returned to sorting and alphabetizing the movies. He did the same with his stack of vintage vinyl records. We worked in silence, and when I was done, I scooted over to the bookshelf and placed my pile on the lower shelf as he had asked earlier.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” Aiden said, tilting his head. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Can we start over? So, you live here all your life?”
I smiled back, only too happy to break the uncomfortable silence. “Okay, apology accepted. Yes. Your sister said you just moved from California. Where in Cali?”
“Santa Clara.”
“Cool. And it’s just you and your sister? No parents?”
“I see Dad every now and then when I make a point to see him.”
I could take the hint he didn’t like talking about his father, so I changed the subject. “Are you going to Trinity High School? You seem older than a high schooler.”
“Yeah, I will be. It’s a long story why I’m not in college,” he mumbled. “You like it here, in Minnesota, I mean?”
“It’s all I know. I haven’t traveled outside the state yet.” I shrugged. “If you want, you can ride with me and my friend, Kieran, on Monday morning.”
He visibly flinched when I said Kieran’s name. What’s that about? They definitely know each other. But what could Aiden have done to make my loveable Kieran not like him?
“Thanks, but no thanks. I have a car. I’ll drive.”
“You know it’s only six blocks to school from here, right? No pressure or anything. And we always stop at a coffee shop on the way, in case you’re into that sort of thing.”
One eyebrow lifted. “Ah, no. Men don’t drink coffee. Not unless they’re old or something.”
“What? Men do too drink coffee! And not just when they’re old. There are always guys in there.”
“Yeah, but they’re with ladies. They’re only there because of them. They are either married, with their girlfriend and they want to keep them happy, or they’re trying to pick up a girl.”
“Wow. That’s so stereotypical,” I exclaimed. “Real men do drink coffee. Maybe it’s just you who can’t man up.”
I fisted my hands. Why was I letting him get flirt with me? After my tirade—as he called my outbursts—I noticed him smiling at me. Was he teasing me? I narrowed my eyes, and his smile grew larger.
“Are you baiting me on purpose?”
“Maybe. I’m not trying to, but you seem to rise easily to the occasion. Sorry. You have something to say to everything, don’t you?”
“Whatever. I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. So you said you have a car? What kind is it? My dad’s into old classics, but I like the new models.”
“An Audi.”
Something tickled in the back of my mind, but at that moment, Mom called from the bottom of the stairs to let me know she was going home.
“I should go and let you finish.” I stood. “So, um, I’ll see you later.”
“It was nice to meet you, Zoe,” he said quietly.
I glanced back at him and then looked out the window. I spotted my room directly across from his. Instead of leaving his room, I walked over to the sill and stared. Yep, I could see directly into my own bedroom. I need to keep the blinds closed. When I turned, Aiden was standing behind me, and having him so close made me nervous. My body prickled.
“Is that your room?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Looks nice, from what I can tell. Is that a walk-in closet?”
I adored my room. I was always happy to talk about it. “Yes, I have my own bathroom, too. I love it. When my parents would ground me, they sent me to my room, but I have everything in there I need. And Stella doesn’t come in. It’s my own space in the house, away from my family.”
“I can’t imagine your parents would ground you often. Then again, maybe that mouth of yours gets you into trouble.”
I turned to face him, and he was smirking. I punched at his arm, but he stepped back, making me look a bit silly as my fist sailed through the air.
“I should go and leave you to your unpacking,” I muttered again. He hadn’t moved, so I looked up into his eyes. I didn’t move either.
“You already said that.”
For a few more seconds, we just stared at each other. Eventually, I walked around him toward the door. “See ya later,” I called over my shoulder.
“Until next time, Zoe. It was definitely nice to meet you.”
Then I distinctly heard him whisper, “Finally.”
As I walked back to my house, my mind was busy with questions. Had I heard him correctly? Had he really said “finally,” or had I just imagined it? Chills ran down my spine.