Don't Fall (16 page)

A short, curvy girl with cropped dark hair and big brown eyes stood in front of me. My heart stopped for a beat, and all my insecurities slapped me in the face. “Oh, I’m sorry. I must be at the wrong apartment.” I looked back down on at Zander’s note.
Apartment twenty-six.

“Are you looking for Zander?” she asked, her eyebrows cocked.

“Yes,” I said softly.

The girl grinned. “You must be Anya.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Blake. I’ve heard so much about you!”

I sighed and shook her hand. She opened the door and waved me in. “Zander,” she called out. “Your not-so-imaginary girlfriend is here.”

He came running around a corner. When he saw me, he dropped his toothbrush and crossed the living room in a few long strides. He scooped me up in his arms and swung me around. I laughed, then he pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine, my feet still off the floor.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Zander

“What are you doing here?” I pulled my lips from Anya’s long enough to ask, but not long enough for her to answer. She slid her hand up my chest and gave me a gentle push, laughing against my lips. Reluctantly, I set her down. I looked around for Blake, but she must have sneaked out while Anya and I were mouth to mouth. No doubt she’d give me a hard time about it later.

“I had to see you. I’m so sorry, for everything. Is it okay that I came?” Her words rushed out of her mouth.

I drew her closer. “Of course. But what happened? Does your mom know you’re here?”

“No.” She shook her head against my chest. “I mean, she knows I left, but she doesn’t know where I went. Although, she could probably guess I went to find you.”

I led her to our faded couch, and we sat down together, her hand still in mine. “I didn’t know what to do. She locked me in my room last night. Actually, physically locked the door. I didn’t sleep all night.”

I looked at her more closely then. I hadn’t noticed the dark circles under her eyes, or the sleepy glaze over them, when she first came in. I’d been too damn happy to see her.

“I just snapped,” she continued, talking to the air in front of her, her hands waving as she made each point. “No, that’s not right. I… I don’t know. I came together, maybe. All the anger and fear just built up inside of me until it made something stronger, and I realized something. I’m eighteen. I didn’t have to stay. I’m an adult. She can’t just lock me away forever. I need to be the one making decisions about my life, and I choose you. I’m so sorry, Zander. I don’t know what I was thinking before. Can you forgive me?” I stroked her cheek. “Of course. Of course.” She leaned against my hand, her face flushed and warm.

“Come on, you can lie down in my bed and get some sleep.”

She took a deep breath and lifted her cheek away from my palm. “I need to get a job and a place to stay. And I have to enroll at the high school. Oh God, Zander, how am I going to do this?” Her fire and anger had burned out, and she just looked lost.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and made her lean into me. “Right now you can stay here. Get some sleep; you can figure out all that other stuff when you wake up. I’ll help you. I promise. But only if you get some sleep.”

She turned up her head and smiled at me. “Okay.” I took her to my room and immediately wished I’d cleaned it. My suitcases were still on the floor, clothes spilling out of them. The bed was unmade, but hey, at least the sheets were clean. We walked up to it, but she stopped, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. Her cheeks turned pink, and she bit her bottom lip. “It’s just strange, crawling into your bed.” I laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Will you lay down with me?” she asked. “Just until I fall asleep?”

“Of course.” I crawled into bed first. She smiled, her cheeks still pink. Then she kicked off her yellow shoes and slipped in next to me. She snuggled her back against my chest, and I wrapped my arm around her. Her braided hair hung over her shoulder, across her neck.

The scent of lavender filled the air. I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss the soft skin of her neck. She scrunched up like it tickled, so of course I didn’t stop. She laughed and rolled over to face me. Our noses touched, her body warm and soft against mine.

“Just how tired are you?” I asked, selfishly. It had been too long since I’d seen her last, and having her this close, it was impossible not to want to be closer.

She giggled, nuzzling her face into my neck. “Not
that
tired,” she whispered. I slipped my finger under her chin and lifted her face until she was looking at me. Her blue eyes shone, and she parted her lips. Chills ran down my arms and I sighed. I kissed her and pulled her closer.

Anya

Zander fell asleep with me, his arms wrapped around me, our bodies entwined. But when I woke up he was gone. I got out of bed and slipped my clothes on as quietly as I could, then tiptoed out of his room.

“Hey you,” he said when he saw me. He stood up from the couch and walked over, kissing my cheek. “How’d you sleep? How are you feeling?”

How did I feel?
My feet wanted to float off the floor, I was so happy to be with here with him. Every time he looked at me, his eyes full of love, I thought I could fly away. But my twisted stomach weighed me down as thoughts of my mom kept invading my mind.

“What time is it?”

He slipped his phone out of his pocket. “A little after four.”

I’d been gone all day. I knew my mom would be scared. I didn’t even have my cell phone since she’d never given it back to me.

“Is everything okay?” Zander asked, putting his hand on my arm.

“Yeah. It’s just…my mom.”

He nodded, then held out his phone. “Do you want to call her?” I shook my head, the thought made my throat tighten. I didn’t know what she’d say, or how I’d handle it. My strength from the morning seemed to have melted away while I slept. “How about you text her?”

“Okay.” That I thought I could handle. I held his phone in my hand and tried to think of what to write. I decide to keep it simple.

Me: Just wanted to let you know I’m safe.

I clicked it shut and quickly handed the phone back to Zander. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said softly. I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything without it turning on the faucet, and I didn’t want to cry all over him. I wanted it to be a good day. “I’ll let you know if she responds,” he said, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. He straightened up, clapped his hands together, and rubbed them back and forth. “So, what should we do tonight?”

I knew I had a lot of things I had to do, things I had to figure out if I was going to actually make this whole living-on-my-own thing work. But first I needed coffee, and something sweet.

“Baby Cakes?”

He grinned. “You got it.”

We decided to walk there; I needed the fresh air. The afternoon sun was warm, shining down in our faces. “Hey, why didn’t you tell me Blake’s a girl?” I looked up at him, shielding the light from my eyes with my hand.

Zander shrugged. “I never thought about it. It never occurred to me you didn’t know, I guess. I talked to her when you were sleeping, by the way. She said it’s okay with her if you stay.”

I smiled and nodded. The thought of actually moving in with him still kind of scared me, but I was thankful for a place to go, for now anyway.

When we stepped into Baby Cakes and Denise saw me, she clapped her hands, ran around the counter, and hugged me. “Anya! It’s been awhile. How are you? I was beginning to think you’d found another cupcake shop.” She winked at me and I laughed.

“Never! I know there’s no place else out there as good as this.”

“That’s right,” she said, linking her arm through mine and pulling me toward the counter. “Let me show you the flavor of the day. You’re going to love it!” She showed me a tray of cupcakes with pale yellow frosting and bright yellow liners with big white polka dots. They were drizzled in honey and looked absolutely delicious. “Honey lemon. Got to enjoy these summer flavors before we slip into fall,” Denise said, beaming at me.

“They look amazing.”

“Thank you. They are.” She slipped back behind the counter and picked one out for me. “So, you have any fun plans for the rest of the summer? It really will be over before you know it.”

It was true, and it made the nerves start acting up in my stomach again. “I need to find a job.”

She stopped and stared at me, her mouth open. “Really? What a coincidence! I was going to hang a ‘help wanted’ sign today!”

I cocked my head to one side and narrowed my eyes. “Really?” She ran to the back and came back carrying a big window sign.

“Really. You want the job? I’d love to have you here.”

“I can’t bake.”

“I just need someone friendly to work up front so I have more time in the kitchen. I’ve been getting a lot of outside orders, and I don’t have time to do it all. I think your sweet disposition is perfect for selling cupcakes. What do you say?”

My lips slipped up into a smile I couldn’t control. “Yes! Thank you!” She ran around the counter and hugged me again.

“All right! Let’s talk hours and pay.” She brought me into the back of her bakery, and if I’d liked the front, I adored the back. It had the same wonderful smell, only times ten. It was warm and cozy, and I was just so thankful for all of it. We sorted out the details while Zander sat out front and drank his coffee. By the time I got back, I was ready to take on the world again, which was good, because when I walked up to Zander, he handed me his phone. “She texted back.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Zander

Anya took the phone, looked at the text, and handed it back. She sat down across from me at the round iron table, slid her finger across the yellow frosting on her cupcake, and slipped her finger in her mouth, licking it off.

“Are you going to answer her?” I asked, after I was able to pull my eyes from her mouth.

“No,” she said, her lips in a straight line.

“Anya.”

She sighed and set down her cupcake. “I will. Just not right now. She wants to know where I am, and I have a feeling if I tell her she will come storming down the door. I need to think about what to say to her.”

“Fair enough.” I reached across the table and took her hand. Half a smile curled back up on her face. “Congratulations on the new job,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. After a second, the rest of the smile broke free and she beamed at me.

“Thank you. It’s going to be perfect. She said in the fall I can work after school and on weekends. Now I just need to figure out how to get registered at the school and find a place to live.”

“I thought you were staying with me.”

She bit her bottom lip, and her shoulders curled in. “For now. But I don’t want to impose.”

I laughed. “It’s not imposing. I want you to stay.”

She stared at me. The table shook as she tapped her foot against the leg. “What if you get sick of me?”

“I won’t get sick of you.”

“You might! It’s a big jump. Seeing each other for a few hours twice a week to all the time, every day.”

“Are you worried you’ll get sick of me?”

“Of course not.” She smiled, tipping her head to one side.

“And I’m not worried I’ll get sick of you, either. I love you, Anya. Stay with me.”

“You’re sure Blake won’t mind?”

“I already talked to her about it. She thinks it’s a great idea. She said I’ll be more likely to clean up after myself if my girlfriend’s there.” I winked at her and she laughed.

“All right. I’ll stay with you.”

I leaned across the table and kissed her, the taste of lemon still on her lips. I knew everything wasn’t fixed. I knew we’d still have to deal with her mom and figure out a plan to make it all work. But we were a huge step closer.

“Hey. Want to meet my parents?”

Anya’s eyes went wide for a second, and her deer-in-headlights look made me laugh. “It’ll be fine,” I assured her. “They’ll love you. I promise.”

“Okay. When?” she asked, her nose all crinkled up.

“Hmm.” I grabbed my phone and texted my mom.

Me: What R U doing 2nite?

Mom: Miss me already?

Me: There’s someone I want you to meet.

Mom: Anya?!?!?!

I laughed out loud, and Anya raised an eyebrow at me. “What?”

“Nothing, she’s just very excited to meet you.”

My mom agreed to make a late dinner for us. Anya dragged me back to the apartment so she could shower and change. I was sitting on the edge of my bed when she stepped into my room in my navy blue bathrobe. Her long, blond hair hung dark and wet around her. Unbraided, it rippled down her back and reached to her knees.

“Wow.”

“What?” she asked, tucking her chin into her shoulder.

“Just…wow. You’re so beautiful.” I grabbed the ratty ties on the robe and pulled her against me, wrapping one arm around her waist. I ran my fingers through her smooth, somewhat cold hair. She touched her forehead to mine. Tilting my chin up, I looked into her bright, blue eyes. Her hair hung around us like a canopy. I cupped the back of her head and pressed my lips to hers.

We moved closer together with each kiss. I slipped my hand into her robe and felt her soft, warm skin. Goosebumps spread across her stomach and up my arms. She laughed and pushed away from me.

“Not now. I’m already worried about meeting your parents. I’m not going to show up late.” She gave me one last peck on the cheek then turned away from me. She took a brush out of her bag and ran it through her hair until it shone. Her fingers moved quickly, maneuvering it into one long braid, wrapping it around her head, and pinning it in place. I was mesmerized.

When she finished, she turned to me and smiled. “Okay, now get out.”

“What? It’s my room!”