Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 76696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I probably didn’t look too enthusiastic about his idea, because Zach made a mock hurt face. It turned out that my worries weren't unfounded. The macaroni and cheese Zach prepared for us was hardly edible. I ate them anyway, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
“Tell me this isn’t the most disgusting thing you’ve ever eaten,” Zach said, sticking his fork back into his pile of macaroni.
“It’s not that bad.” He raised one dark eyebrow. Something fluttered in my belly. “Okay, it’s pretty horrible. But it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. Just promise me to never cook again.” A strand of hair fell out of my ponytail and I twirled it around my finger. Zach followed the movement with his eyes. “You have beautiful hair,” he said.
My hand froze as heat slowly crawled up my neck. “Thanks.” I lowered my hand, suddenly self-conscious. I didn’t look away, caught in his intense gaze. The silence stretched between us. For a moment, I wondered how it would be to lean across the table and touch my lips to his.
Zachary
Amber’s gaze sent a shiver down my back. I wanted to pull her to me and kiss her pink lips. Brian stalked into the room. The wakeup call I needed. Fuck, what was I thinking? I couldn’t kiss Amber. She wouldn’t want me to. It would scare her. Brian looked irritated and tired. Not a good sign. I knew he'd spent the day with Lauren and they'd probably had another fight.
His gaze darted between Amber and me, and a flicker of anger crossed his eyes. I almost groaned. He was in one of his moods. I hoped he would get over it before he said something stupid.
“What are you doing?” He focused on me for a second before his gaze moved on to Amber. She rose from her chair and shrugged. “We had dinner and then we decided to play some Playstation.”
“Play some Playstation,” Brian said doubtfully. “Why is it that you don't seem to mind spending time alone with Zach? You hardly know him at all.”
What the hell was he doing? “Brian...” I began in a warning tone.
“Stay out of it. That's between Amber and me,” he interrupted as he walked to where she stood. When he'd almost reached her, she stiffened and took a step back, probably scared of the anger radiating off of him. Apparently, her reaction to him was the last straw for Brian.
“God, Amber I'm your brother! Do you think I would hurt you?” he demanded, his expression hurt.
She stared at him with wide eyes. “No,” she said quickly. Again Brian moved toward her, closer and closer until she took a step back. Why did he have to push her like this?
His face contorted with pain and despair and it was nearly too much to watch. “Why do you move back then? I would never hurt you,” Brian said in a broken tone.
Amber looked thoroughly shaken. “I'm sorry! I...didn’t mean to...I.” Her voice died away and she stumbled toward the front door, tore it open and disappeared.
“Damn, Brian, what was that for?” I asked furiously.
His eyes grew wide and he shook his head slowly. “I...just got carried away. Lauren...and I, we had a fight and then I saw Amber with you, smiling. I lost it.”
I snorted as I pulled a jacket on.
“What are you doing?”
I glowered at him, grabbing the keys to the apartment. “Your sister just ran out and it's dark outside and raining.”
Guilt flashed across his face. “If something happens to her.”
“It won't. I'm sure she's close by,” I told him and jogged out of the apartment and down the stairs. I didn’t have the patience to wait for the elevator to arrive. I wasn't sure if Brian was following but I didn’t want look over my shoulder. I stepped out of the building and instantly the rain lashed against my face. It was icy cold.
A sigh of relief left my lips when I caught sight of Amber. She stood on the sidewalk, her hair and clothes soaked and clinging to her body, making me aware of everything she was usually hiding. She wasn't moving but as I got closer I noticed that her shoulders were shaking. She stiffened when she heard my steps.
“Amber?” I said cautiously, stopping a few feet away from where she stood. “Brian didn’t mean what he said.”
“He's right though. I shouldn't treat Brian and Dad like this.” She turned around to me, her face full of self-hatred.
I couldn't bear seeing her like that. “It's not your fault.”
“Whose fault is it then?” she asked sharply, her eyes hollow and desperate.
I stared at her, the rain pouring down on us. “Of those men,” I replied calmly.
She blanched and lowered her gaze to the ground, wrapping her arms tightly around her chest. “Sometimes I think that I deserved what happened, that it happened for a reason, that it was my fault.”
I was so shocked by her words that at first I didn’t know what to do. “No. That's nonsense. Fucking nonsense and you know it,” I said firmly. “Don't blame yourself for what happened. You could just as well blame me or Brian or your dad.”
“But it wasn’t your fault!” she objected, her wide eyes filled with tears.
“It wasn’t your fault either,” I told her, and we looked at each other for a moment, the pattering of rain the only sound around us. She closed her eyes and tears trickled down her pale cheeks, mingling with the raindrops on her skin. I took the risk and walked over to her, so close that I could have touched her if I’d tried. Like in slow motion her eyelids slid open and she stared at me. She didn’t react how I'd expected her to, though – scared and intimidated. She simply looked at me with unfathomable sadness in her brown eyes. Before I had time to think about my actions, I raised my hand and brought it closer to her face. Her eyes followed the movement but she didn’t flinch or make any attempt to stop me. Maybe I was making a big mistake that I'd regret later but I couldn't stop myself. I felt the need to touch her. My fingertips brushed against her cold cheek and the touch felt like electricity. Her eyes were soft and inquiring, and she didn’t look away for a second. Slowly, carefully I wiped the tears off her cheeks. It was futile since the tears were replaced by raindrops almost momentarily but it didn’t matter. All that mattered in this moment was that Amber allowed me to touch her. She raised a trembling hand, her eyes uncertain and resolved at once, and covered mine with it. It looked so small and delicate in comparison to my hand. With soft pressure she pushed my palm against her cheek and she tilted her head, leaning into my touch. The feel of her cheek cupped in my palm, her eyes shining with trust, I felt something I'd never felt before. It scared me a bit, but at the same time I wanted to embrace it and relish in it.