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I instantly worry that he is going to say he doesn’t like it, which is a weird feeling because why do I care what he thinks? But he catches me off guard with the word he chooses to describe it.
“You look…I mean—damn, you’re beautiful.”
I can feel my cheeks warm at his compliment. He’s never called me beautiful before. I’ve also never known him to stumble with his words like that. Am I just imagining all of this? He hasn’t backed up yet, and my heart begins to race with his closeness. I take in his scent of cedarwood and pear. Our eyes meet for a moment before he backs up, letting go of my hair, as if something scared him. That was weird.
He clears his throat. “Ready to go?”
“Yep. You told me to be ready in an hour, so here I am, ready for you.” I dramatically pose for him before breaking into a fit of giggles.
He snickers before turning his face away from me, but not before I notice his eyes darken. Was it something I said?
I reach for the door and close it. “You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going, are you.”
“Nope. Not at all.” His smile is as wide as it can be, and it gives me the weirdest feeling in my stomach. Sure hope it wasn’t something I ate.
I loop my arm through his as we walk toward his Jeep. At first, it was hard to ride in the vehicle, knowing that my brother had the same one, but I honestly couldn’t see Zach driving anything else. It suits him.
We drive for almost an hour. I have no clue where he’s taking me, and after the third time he denies my asking, I give up. I focus out the window, listening to the music playing, and see signs for Wilmington, Delaware. Are we headed to the ocean? That seems kind of random. I know it’s a beautiful day, but a little too chilly for being at the beach, and we definitely didn’t bring any swimsuits. Here’s hoping he at least knows where he’s going since I have no idea.
Zach parks into a random parking lot and turns the Jeep off. He hops out while I’m still trying to gather my bearings. The passenger door opens, and I am completely shocked to see him offering to take my hand to help me out. Although his hands are rough and calloused from working out, his touch is soft and comforting. He closes the door upon my exit, and I once again link my arm through his.
“So, are you going to tell me now?”
“You’ll see.”
“Zachary Brian Jacobs, just tell…” But I finally see where we are. The words I wanted to shout at him have flown completely out of my mouth. He has rendered me speechless.
“Oh my God! Is this a carnival? You brought me to a carnival?” I launch myself into his arms, thankful that he is quick on his feet and doesn’t fall back as he catches my weight.
My arms wrap around his neck, and I feel his body stiffen at first. Oh great, he’s uncomfortable being this clo
se to me. I slowly start to back away and slide down off him, but his hands lightly touch my hips to keep me in place against him. Our bodies are so close I can smell the mint on his breath. I’m not sure how long we stare at each other, lost in each other’s eyes.
I’m overcome with emotion. I can’t believe he did this for me. I’m the first to break our staring contest. There are those feelings again in my stomach—if this were anyone else besides Zach, I would say they were butterflies, but that would be insane for me to get those around him. Right?
I look around us and take it all in. Turning back to face him, I can feel tears fighting to breach the surface. Every summer, the four of us would go with our parents to the local firehouse carnival. It was a tradition. There was one year where I was sick, so our parents had decided to skip it. However, Dani and I were so upset that the following week after I was better, our parents drove two towns over to go to the next one. That’s one thing I miss about small-town living—the family fun-filled carnivals and mostly the funnel cake. Oh my, I hope they have it here. Lost in my memories, I don’t even realize that the tears have spilled over.
“Hails, you’re crying. Shit, I fucked this up, didn’t I?” He cups my face, brushing his thumb along my cheek and wiping the fallen tears away in such a soothing manner. It is the same soothing touch that comforted me at the cemetery.
I shake my head. “No, this is amazing. Seriously, I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know why you went through all this trouble.”
He grips the back of his neck and chews on his bottom lip, and his eyes meet mine again. They are full of innocence and vulnerability, a look I am not used to seeing on him.
“It’s been hard lately on both of us, especially you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed, Hails.”
I feel as though my heart actually skips a beat.
“I notice everything about you.”
Why does that admission make me want more with him? This is Zach we’re talking about. I think I’ve been letting Cami get in my head too much—Zach and I are friends. All I have to do is keep telling myself that and I’ll eventually believe it.
He continues. “I just thought getting us out of the city and having a little fun would be good for both of us. I know how much carnivals mean to you.”
I reach up on my toes and kiss his cheek. He leans into my touch, and the feel of my lips against his skin, it’s almost electrifying. It’s not like I haven’t ever kissed his cheek before, but this time, it feels different. This is insane.
Shaking this feeling off in the hopes I can forget about it and have a great time after he went through all this trouble, I extend my arm toward the entrance. “Shall we?”
He smiles, and my knees go a little weak and the sensation of falling takes over.
