Zenon's Game Chapter 130

I watched him swing it across his strong shoulder and felt the smile he cast me.

"I'm sorry about your laptop," I apologized.

"It's not your fault," he answered, holding the cracked computer in his right arm, "Bryce was desperate for my password."

We were alone on our street. It was entirely bare and a crescent moon shone above us. I couldn't help but wonder how such a terrible day had carved the way for a beautiful night.

Zenon slipped his keys into the lock. I thought about how an intruder had broken into my home with Art's bloody jersey...

We should lock our front door more often.

"Welcome back, Candy," he said and pushed the door open. His outstretched arm kept the door open while he waited for me to walk in.

I awkwardly stood still, hesitating for some strange reason. After he gave me a funny look, I put one foot across the threshold.

"Should I take off my shoes?" I asked.

"If you want to," he answered, following me inside.

I felt out of place. I glanced into the golden framed mirror and at the new flowers in a glass vase beside it. His house was warm and inviting, but I felt uncomfortable sneaking in at night.

I took my shoes off and felt the plush cream carpet beneath my feet.

Zenon was already in the kitchen, opening the fridge. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights so a blue-ish light washed over him and highlighted the perfect contours on his face.

He picked up two bottles of water and offered me one. I accepted and he led me upstairs, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen counter.

We kept our voices down as we passed by the other bedrooms on the second floor. Quiet except for when he bit into the apple.

He was relaxed as usual, despite all the chaos of today.

He pointed to his parents' room at the end of the corridor, where I could see the lights were on.

A pale blue 'C' was engraved on one of the other bedroom doors. That must be Charlotte's room.

Then we passed by a room that I guessed was Jake's. It's not like there was a giant Jake sign on it or a guitar outside, but it seemed like the likely option.

Zenon's room was the furthest away from his parents. I don't know if that was strategic on his part, but I was definitely grateful.

He pushed open the door and I tried to look inside, but he put an arm over it and gave me a playful wink. I playfully shoved him back and we stepped into his bedroom simultaneously.

"First time?" he said huskily.

"In your bedroom?"

"Or in general..."

I gave him another playful shove.

He laughed and shrugged my backpack off his shoulder. It slipped to the floor by the foot of his bed.

He had a double bed, navy blue sheets and a black headboard.

"You picturing me in bed?" his voice broke through my thoughts.

I blushed, realizing how silly I looked, staring at the bed. I hadn't thought about him in it yet, but now that he mentioned it...

"I don't need to imagine," I answered, "I saw you in bed all summer, remember?"

We shared a cabin last summer and, most of the time, Zenon had been working out, sleeping or sunbathing. Model camp counselor.

He set the bottles of water on his desk. His desk faced a window that overlooked his backyard. I stared out at the well-kept garden and basketball hoops. It was a nice view.

"Is this what you expected?" he asked me as his arm snaked round my waist.

I had been staring out the window as I felt him get closer to me. I turned around, while he loosely held me, and raised my hands into his dark hair. His blue eyes stared intently into mine.

"I expected..." I looked around as I thought about it. As much as I thought about Zenon, I hadn't pictured his room in my head, "More trophies or basketball posters."

There wasn't a single trophy in his room. Only one poster of the NBA playoffs schedule hung on the wall near his closet.

"My father keeps the trophies in his study and a couple in the living room downstairs," he answered, "I don't like them in here anyway."

I nodded and sat on the edge of his bed. I had been holding my shoes, and I put them down beside the bed and stared at the wall.

In a single motion, Zenon pulled his shirt off and threw it into the laundry basket.

He was a very toned and muscular guy. He had a six or eight pack, which I could probably count now, given how close he was...

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me, seeing that I was half-distracted.

He was standing in front of his bed, shirtless and handsome – and I couldn't focus.

I sighed, "The cat... and the blood on my bedroom door... I can't get it out of my head."

It's not easy to forget those things. A dead animal in my backyard. I can't switch off from that and pretend like nothing ever happened. I'm not that heartless.

Zenon stepped towards me and lifted me from the bed. His strong, na*k*ed arms wrapped themselves around me and I rested my head on his bare chest.

"I saved a raccoon, but I couldn't save a cat," I whispered.

His fingers rested on my cheek and he kissed my closed eyelids gently. His hands rubbed my back comfortingly. He didn't say anything but his presence was enough. He was there – he had been there for me since the beginning.