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But I don’t leave.
“Everything okay? It’s late.”
Zoe straightens her shoulders, pulling the plastic bag further up her arm.
“Yeah, all good. I was craving ice cream, and Aaron apparently doesn’t keep it in the house. When we were kids, he would polish off a tub before I even had a chance to have a bite. Now, I’m not allowed to have any because temptation is forbidden.” Zoe rolls her eyes.
That’s Aaron. He loves to be in control and gets rid of anything that might steer him away from his perfectly structured routine. He wasn’t always this anal retentive, but he’s gotten worse over the years.
“Come on, I’ll take you up,” I offer, holding out my arm, but Zoe doesn’t take it. Her eyes simply fall down to my outstretched hand.
“I think I’ll be able to find my way,” she says without looking up at me. Instead, she turns on her heel to throw George the biggest smile ever.
“Good night, George!”
“Good night, Ms. Jackson. Sorry once again.”
“Stop it! And it’s Zoe.”
Winking at George, I offer him a half wave and take two full strides, closing the distance between Zoe and me.
Her body tenses slightly as she feels me walking alongside her. I look down at her from the corner of my eye, but her gaze is fixed on the metal elevator doors.
We pause a couple of feet away, the air thick with wordless tension as we wait for the elevator to arrive. She has her own penthouse elevator access, but I don’t point it out, wanting to steal a few more moments of silence standing next to her, trying to ignore her intoxicating scent. She’s buzzing to speak, to break the silence, but she’s too stubborn to say anything, and I’m enjoying her discomfort right now.
“You walked too far for that.”
She looks up at me, and I nod down at her bag.
“What do you mean?”
“There is a Whole Foods right by the Vessel.” The elevator doors slide open, and I step inside, biting my cheek to hold back my smile. I keep my eyes on her face while she avoids looking at me. Her scowl is growing by the second, and I want to reach out, cup her cheek, and kiss in between her brows. I fist my hands, looking away and trying to focus on the tower of buttons in front of me. Anything but the need to get close to Zoe.
“The Vessel?” she finally asks.
“Yeah. Has Aaron not taken you out yet?”
A long pause before her voice fills the small space. “No. He’s been busy with work, but he’s planning on taking some time off to show me around soon.”
It’s hard not to see her in the box of mirrors all around us—the way her eyes drop and the evident disappointment flashing on her face right before she schools her features, pretending like she doesn’t care that she still feels like a complete stranger in this city.
“The Vessel is the giant honeycomb staircase structure outside our building.”
“Right. That thing is amazing. Maybe I’ll take a walk around Hudson Yards on the weekend and get lost around here, explore.”
Aaron’s words from last week cloud my vision. She’s in a rough spot in life, and I want to make sure we’re all supporting her. She has no one else.
I should have been there for her. We all need to do better and show up for Zoe. Change is hard for anyone, but it’s especially difficult when you feel like you have no one, and Zoe has felt like that her entire life. I promised Aaron I’d do better, but instead of sticking to my word, I’ve been avoiding her. And for what? Because I can’t get a grip on my feelings?
Fuck that.
“What are you doing tomorrow? Actually, today.”
A stray curl drops in front of her eyes, and I practically have to restrain my hand from reaching out to tuck it away.
“Nothing. Why?”
“I’m taking you out.”
