ready?”
Unable to find my voice, I give him a slight nod and watch as he pushes the tailgate shut before facing me again.
“We can leave if you don't wanna go,” he offers quietly as he watches Tyler return his attention to the party, returning his gaze to find me slowly starting to shake my head.
“No,” I manage. “It's okay, we can stay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“If you change your mind...” he starts, pulling a nod from me. “Okay,” he whispers, pushing the stray hair away behind my ear, his eyes softening as I instinctively lean into his touch.
“Zeke...” I manage in a broken whisper, trying desperately to choke back the sob that's building as he pulls me to his chest. “What the hell is happening to us right now?”
“I'm not sure,” he admits quietly, wrapping his arms around me tightly. “But whatever it is, we'll get through it together, same as always.”
“Do you swear?”
“I swear,” he says, leaning to kiss my hair. “Don't be scared, Addie. I'm still not letting you go. No matter what.”
His words both warm my heart and make me internally kick myself for having opened such a massive can of worms. It's true, he kicked it over and let them out same as me, but if I'd just kept my mouth shut...
“'Kay,” I nod quickly.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” I continue to nod as I find his blue eyes.
“Alright,” he says, rubbing my arms reassuringly before releasing me. “Come on.”
When I start to follow after him, I feel more vulnerable than I ever have before.
I never had to say anything for him to know I'm terrified. I could see the fear hiding behind his eyes, too, but along with it, I saw determination.
If I'll ever put faith in anyone, it would be Zeke.
If he says we'll be okay, I know I can trust it. He's never steered me wrong before, but I still can't shake the anxiety that's coursing through me.
However, as he reaches for my hand, the fear vanishes completely.
Chapter Nine
Zeke
As Addie entwines her fingers with mine and I lead us toward the party just at the edge of the lake, something inside us shifts. I can't say what or even explain it, but something is irrevocably changed between us.
It's almost as though the universe knows it just as much as we do.
Addie and I never talk about what's happening, but I know she feels it, too. It's hard to say if its freedom or fear that we’re both clinging to, but she never lets go and neither do I.
Letting go could either mean reaching a destiny we never anticipated or the very destruction of everything we've ever known. Neither of us is sure which it will be, we just instinctively know we can't go back. Silently, we decide to face it the same way we've always faced everything.
Together.
Not long before we leave, we're sitting at the edge of the dock waiting for the fireworks to start when my phone begins to sound off. I'm not surprised to see Addie's dad calling. Since she doesn't have a cell phone, he occasionally calls mine when he can't get her on their house phone.
“Your dad,” I say, handing her my phone and watching her swipe the screen.
“Hello?” she says quietly, pulling her hand from mine to cup her ear.
I immediately feel a loss, but manage to contain the sigh as I look over the water, contemplating what's next. Things have felt so natural all day, I have no idea how we'd gone so long without ever having slipped out of the friend zone until now. I know she's scared to lose me. I'm scared to lose her, too, but this feels like it could be big, epic even.
The question isn't whether or not we care about each other, the question is if we're willing to risk it all.
“Zeke,” she says, her soft voice breaking my thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“My dad wants to talk to you,” she says, taking in my questioning look and meeting me with a shrug.
“Hello?” I
Unable to find my voice, I give him a slight nod and watch as he pushes the tailgate shut before facing me again.
“We can leave if you don't wanna go,” he offers quietly as he watches Tyler return his attention to the party, returning his gaze to find me slowly starting to shake my head.
“No,” I manage. “It's okay, we can stay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“If you change your mind...” he starts, pulling a nod from me. “Okay,” he whispers, pushing the stray hair away behind my ear, his eyes softening as I instinctively lean into his touch.
“Zeke...” I manage in a broken whisper, trying desperately to choke back the sob that's building as he pulls me to his chest. “What the hell is happening to us right now?”
“I'm not sure,” he admits quietly, wrapping his arms around me tightly. “But whatever it is, we'll get through it together, same as always.”
“Do you swear?”
“I swear,” he says, leaning to kiss my hair. “Don't be scared, Addie. I'm still not letting you go. No matter what.”
His words both warm my heart and make me internally kick myself for having opened such a massive can of worms. It's true, he kicked it over and let them out same as me, but if I'd just kept my mouth shut...
“'Kay,” I nod quickly.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” I continue to nod as I find his blue eyes.
“Alright,” he says, rubbing my arms reassuringly before releasing me. “Come on.”
When I start to follow after him, I feel more vulnerable than I ever have before.
I never had to say anything for him to know I'm terrified. I could see the fear hiding behind his eyes, too, but along with it, I saw determination.
If I'll ever put faith in anyone, it would be Zeke.
If he says we'll be okay, I know I can trust it. He's never steered me wrong before, but I still can't shake the anxiety that's coursing through me.
However, as he reaches for my hand, the fear vanishes completely.
Chapter Nine
Zeke
As Addie entwines her fingers with mine and I lead us toward the party just at the edge of the lake, something inside us shifts. I can't say what or even explain it, but something is irrevocably changed between us.
It's almost as though the universe knows it just as much as we do.
Addie and I never talk about what's happening, but I know she feels it, too. It's hard to say if its freedom or fear that we’re both clinging to, but she never lets go and neither do I.
Letting go could either mean reaching a destiny we never anticipated or the very destruction of everything we've ever known. Neither of us is sure which it will be, we just instinctively know we can't go back. Silently, we decide to face it the same way we've always faced everything.
Together.
Not long before we leave, we're sitting at the edge of the dock waiting for the fireworks to start when my phone begins to sound off. I'm not surprised to see Addie's dad calling. Since she doesn't have a cell phone, he occasionally calls mine when he can't get her on their house phone.
“Your dad,” I say, handing her my phone and watching her swipe the screen.
“Hello?” she says quietly, pulling her hand from mine to cup her ear.
I immediately feel a loss, but manage to contain the sigh as I look over the water, contemplating what's next. Things have felt so natural all day, I have no idea how we'd gone so long without ever having slipped out of the friend zone until now. I know she's scared to lose me. I'm scared to lose her, too, but this feels like it could be big, epic even.
The question isn't whether or not we care about each other, the question is if we're willing to risk it all.
“Zeke,” she says, her soft voice breaking my thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“My dad wants to talk to you,” she says, taking in my questioning look and meeting me with a shrug.
“Hello?” I
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