I’m having the worst day.
First of all, I overslept.
Sometime during the night after the mind-blowing sex, Zach and I fell asleep. I slept through the entire night only to be woken up by the sound of his bike.
Turns out it was in my dreams, but still.
It spooked me something real bad. I don’t remember all of it, but I have a blurry picture of Zach leaving this town for good. And I don’t even find out about it until I wake up the next morning and hear all the gossip. Exactly like it happened three years ago.
With a churning stomach, I arrived at work, which I was late for. Meaning, Mrs. S wasn’t pleased at my tardiness and on top of that, I missed breakfast with Zach.
And then, I heard that no one had seen him all morning. He never came down for breakfast and his suite was locked when one of the girls went up to clean.
I couldn’t ask more without the danger of raising suspicion, so I kept quiet and freaked out in private.
Which I hated, by the way.
I hated how he wasn’t there with me when I woke up. I hated that he probably had to sneak out in the middle of the night to avoid running into someone on his way back.
He was doing it to protect me and my job; I know that, but I don’t like it.
I’m starting to hate it more and more every day.
Anyway, it’s lunch now and my appetite is nowhere to be found.
I’m anxious and jumpy and all I want is to see Zach. For him to come back.
God, please make him come back.
I’m in the kitchen with Grace, Leslie and Tina. They’re all chatting Maggie up about the new guests who arrived this morning. Apparently, they have been here before and last time when they stayed over, there was this big scandal about some stolen china.
I’m not even paying attention. In fact, I decide to leave in the middle of it because I can’t sit still. Thankfully, all of them are too absorbed to notice my exit.
Where are you, Zach?
Maybe I’m going crazy. Maybe losing my virginity has made me all emotional and girly. That’s the reason I want to take the day off and cry in my pillow.
I’ve been thinking so hard about all the things that I don’t watch where I’m going and I bump into someone.
Not again.
This time though, it’s Zach.
“You,” I say with wide eyes.
His dark gaze watches me intensely. “Me.”
“I was…”
I should be relieved that he’s back. That he didn’t leave for good. But suddenly, I’m feeling restless. Breathless, even. My thighs clench and there’s an ache in between my legs. Where he was last night.
“You were what?”
His rough, heavy tone makes my toes curl in my boots. “I was, uh, looking for you all morning.”
“I went out for a ride.”
I notice his wind-swept hair, then. The slight flush on his cheeks and the scent of outdoors mixed in with his own sweet, delicious smell. He must’ve just gotten back.