Zenon's Game Chapter 149

His voice sounded husky but honeyed at the same time and I didn't understand how he could accomplish that.

I tried to remember what I had said that night. "I called you a selfish j*e*r*k?"

"You do that often," he smirked.

"True," I whispered. He and I knew well the rocky start to our friendship.

"I'm your selfish j*e*r*k now," he slid his hand across me, holding onto my waist and pulling me closer to him.

"Yes, you are," I breathed onto his lips as he kissed me.

I got lost in our kiss. His touch had the ability to freeze time for me. I lose all awareness for everything else around me except him. Zenon. Maybe I'm still a little drunk... but I know I'll feel this way when sober.

"So what did I tell you?" I asked him, curious to know what he remembered from that night.

"You said you fell in love with a boy who didn't love you back."

Did I really say that?

"I thought it was love," I admitted, "He was my first boyfriend and I was captivated by all that came with it. Those emotions were new and, at the time, I had no idea that what I felt was not love. It takes time to realize it."

I also realized that Zenon Albert really listened to me. He remembered my comment from all that time ago. A comment I had long forgotten ever saying.

I stared out at the lake in front of us. "I never thought I'd recover from that heartbreak. But looking back, I needed that break up."

It paved the way for all this.

"If I could go back, I would tell myself not to get caught up in my emotions and avoid reacting too strongly," I said, thinking of what no one ever told me. Maybe if I had a different sister, she would have. "I'd tell myself that, when going through a relationship for the first time, delay making any decisions I can't take back."

Movies encourage us to dive headfirst into relationships because it's what we want. We want to believe that this relationship is with The One.

"Feelings take time to mature," Zenon said, "Like that wine you downed at dinner."

I laughed, finding it rare how he could make me smile while I relived a sad moment.

"I fell so fast that my feelings confused me," I finished up, "You can call infatuation love if you've never loved before."

"Can you tell the difference now?" he asked softly, and before I had time to react - to really process what he had just said, he changed his mind. "You shouldn't wait to sleep. I can see your eyelids drooping. Come and I'll show you to your room."

I hadn't realized it was already almost 3AM. The night had flown by and I wished we could repeat it

I was leaning on Zenon as he showed me to my room. A quilted cover over a double bed and a vanity table with some perfume on it. It was one of the guest bedrooms. I saw my duffel bag already placed next to the wardrobe. Zenon had left it there earlier.

"Good night, Candy," he whispered, kissing me gently before leaving.

He knew I was a bit tipsy still.

He left and I raised my fingers to my lips, missing his touch already. All this time together made me crave more.

I crouched beside my duffel bag and pulled out a pair of PJs. I changed into them and washed my face in the bathroom. That's when I realized I'd forgotten toothpaste.

I opened the door, listening to the quiet sounds of a sleeping house, and crept down the hallway to his room.

I knocked before opening his bedroom door.

Zenon's bedroom was cast in a pale light from the moon outside his window. It was like an Instagram filter, something between Nashville and Moon.

He'd left the window open, revealing a clear view of the blue lake below. His lake house was giving me so many memories of our summer together, sharing Apple Cabin. He used to come out of his bedroom shirtless every morning and now...

We were in the same bedroom.

I stepped timidly inside, wearing my old PJs, and conscious of how I must look. We'd already said goodnight and maybe he didn't want me here. Some people like their alone time.

He was lying on his bed, shirtless and in sweatpants. His hands were folded behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. I've seen that look before.

"Zenon?" I asked, hesitant to disturb him.

"Candace?" he reacted with equal surprise, sitting up.

Maybe I should've knocked louder.

I tried not to stare at how the muscles on his stomach contracted from the movement. He was propping himself up on his elbows.

His black hair was disheveled from lying on the bed, but his eyes shone bright.

"Do you have toothpaste?" I asked.

I wouldn't say that toothpaste was my excuse to see him again that night. It was a legitimate request.

I'd forgotten to pack my toothpaste and I obviously wasn't going to go to Jake's room at 3AM to get some.

I brushed my teeth without saying anything to Zenon. I was nervous. I kept an eye on him in the reflection of the mirror as I dealt with my feelings.

He's my friend and my boyfriend. Someone I trust with my secrets and my fears.

I don't use the word trust lightly. I haven't had a lot of trusting relationships to-date. From my family to my ex-boyfriend and ex-friends, there hasn't been a lot of trust there.

I held my toothbrush as I stepped back into his room.

"You all brushed?" he asked, smiling at me as if he could see through my antics.

I didn't come for the toothpaste.

"Minty fresh," I grinned like I was in a Colgate ad.