15. Zack
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
zack
My eyes are focused on the long country road, but the temptation to look at Evvy is overwhelming.
Lucky for me, she’s always had a tell when she’s in awe of something, and I use it as my cue to steal a glance at her.
Every so often, she lets out the softest gasp, and I find her gazing out the window with her lips slightly parted and hand placed over her heart.
Evvy’s always valued experiences more than anything I could buy her, so this is my shot to show her how much I care before leaving tomorrow.
Evvy’s cheeks flush when she catches me sneaking a peek at her. “Enjoying the ride so far?” I ask as she bashfully looks down at her lap.
“Yes, this was a good idea. I haven't had the chance to explore since moving up here. I’ve only been here for a few months, and summer was the busy season, so I almost never left the park. And then my car…well, you know. So this is nice.” Her eyes flick to the old wooden sign staked into the ground, warning there’s no gas for the next thirty-two miles.
“Zack…” I feel her gaze on me, and when I look over she’s wearing the softest smile.
“Is this…the same drive? We’re in New Hampshire? ”
“I thought it might be fun. I haven’t been on this road since the time we came here together.” One of the best days of my life. The day Evvy and I officially became a couple. My cock strains against my boxers at the memory.
Evvy chose to go to college in New England hoping to explore the area.
While Salem is nice, it’s a city and doesn’t have much in the way of nature or foliage.
She admitted that she had pretty much never left campus, so I planned an impromptu trip to New Hampshire to give her a real fall experience—an experience I’m hoping to re-create today—at least a few parts of it.
Our original date ended with a visit to a haunted house, but we won’t have time for that since I promised to bring her to dinner at my mom’s house.
“It’s just like I remember,” she says softly, gazing out the window as the road winds alongside a swift-moving river.
The truck bounces as we drive over the old wooden boards of a covered bridge, making a clacking sound.
“I love these bridges. The sound of the tires hitting the wood always makes me happy. Does that make me boring?” She laughs. “I just find them so mesmerizing.”
I pull the truck off to the side of the road so Evvy can get a better view of the old bridge.
“You’re anything but boring.” Her eyes lock on mine before she drops her chin to her chest. “Last time we were here you made me get in the freezing water.” Evvy wanted to try skipping rocks.
She decided to hike up her pant legs and wade into the icy mountain water.
Of course, I followed her like a lovesick puppy.
“Well, maybe I’m a little boring now that I’m older. I think we can skip the ice water wading experience. I don’t feel like getting wet today.” She peers out the window, looking down at the river.
Don’t say it.
Evvy turns back to face me, grinning when her eyes meet mine. “What’s with that face?”
“What face?” My cheeks feel so tight from holding in the laughter that’s trying to escape through my lips.
Evvy shakes her head with a little laugh before pointing at me. “That one. I know you, Zack. What were you going to say?”
I don’t bother holding it in any longer. “Are you sure you don’t want to get wet today?” I blurt out. Laughter erupts from me, and Evvy joins in, tears streaming down her face. “I should get an award for holding that in.”
“You didn’t hold it in! You literally just said it!” she says through more laughter.
“You told me to!”
“You went and made it weird!” Laughter continues to bubble out of her.
“You asked me to! I think you wanted me to make it weird!” I wave my hand in her direction. “And clearly you found it funny.”
“The joke wasn’t funny, Zack.” She wipes the tears from her cheeks while sucking in a breath.
“Your tears of joy say otherwise.”
“These are tears from being subjected to someone who thinks he’s funny. The actual funny thing was your face when you were trying to bite your tongue. That was comedy gold.”
“Do you remember the first time I saw you wet?”
Evvy throws her head back, laughing with her whole body. My heart squeezes seeing the look of pure joy on her face. “Way to make it weird again.” She clutches her chest as the laughing fit continues.
“Making it weird is my specialty. But seriously, do you remember? You hated me!” I turn, bringing my knee further up onto the seat so I can get an even better view of her.
“I could never hate you, Zack.” She looks into my eyes, and for the first time I believe it might be true.
“Strongly disliked, maybe?” I tease.
“You dumped an entire bucket of water on me, Zack!” Evvy throws her hands up, accidentally bumping the roof of the truck. “Oops.” She giggles.
“Who, me?” I really drag out the sound of the words, pointing at myself like I’m innocent. “I didn’t dump the water, my teammates did. Big difference!"
“You ducked out of the way and I got drenched, so it was your fault!” She wipes another string of tears from her cheeks, still red from laughter.
“In my defense, I didn’t know you were standing there.
” I shrug, giving her an apologetic smile.
Poor Evvy was waiting for her friend Bailey next to the football field.
Our team was using it for dryland training, and I had just finished my first informal practice as captain.
The team decided to pour a cooler of water over my head but accidentally got Evvy instead.
“And then the next day when you found out I was your lab partner…if looks could kill we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. ”
“You ruined my book, Shayle!” I can always tell Evvy’s really worked up when she breaks out my last name, but when she looks up at me she’s still smiling. We’re talking about the past, and she’s still smiling, which fills me with so much fucking hope I think I could burst.
“Yeah, we never did replace that book. But who walks around with a physical book anyways?” Now I’ve really done it. I love pushing her buttons.
“Zack Shayle! You know how I feel about books. Sometimes I like to hold them in my hand and feel the paper…smell that special book smell. It’s nostalgic.”
“Here we go again.” Evvy gives me a playful poke in the ribs when I roll my eyes. “Hey! I surrender! I’m sorry!” I laugh.
“I like seeing you squirm.” She pokes me again, smiling at my reaction.
“I’ll take it. Anything that makes you smile is okay with me. Laugh at me anytime you want.” A blush sweeps across Evvy’s face before she looks down at her lap again. She knows I truly see her. She can try to hide her feelings for me, but I know they’re still there.
I spent the past week over-analyzing everything she said to me the night she got tipsy with my friends. I’ve tried to force myself to bring it up because we need to have that conversation—it’s not optional. But every time I tried to say the words something stopped me.
Today there's no hint of the tension that existed when we first saw each other last month. It’s like the old Evvy is back.
I want to give her a glimpse of how great our life could be together.
If she could see that first, then we could have a conversation about how to move forward. I need Evvy in my life.
I was never a believer in fate, but after the water cooler incident and being assigned as lab partners back in college, I started to think there was some truth to it.
Evvy kept getting dropped into my life. I spent the last thirteen years questioning what went wrong, only to have her come crashing back into my life in the most unexpected of places.
Life seems to always have a way of bringing Evvy and me together, so maybe I am becoming a fate guy.
We sit quietly, the truck filled only with the sounds of the rushing river. Every so often, she steals a glance at me, catching me doing the same, and then she quickly darts her eyes back to the river. It’s adorable that she thinks I don’t notice.
* * *
I need to rethink my choice of friends. Apparently none of them have anything better to do than to blow up our group chat.
Evvy and I just arrived at an apple orchard, which is part two of our big adventure.
I’ve been ignoring the guys all day, but Evvy’s exploring the farm stand, so I glance at the chat.
Nate: How’s OGETFFM going?
Marsh: WTF are you talking about, Casco? Enough with the stupid code names.
Nate: It’s not a code name. It’s an abbreviation. Initialism, actually.
Marsh: And that makes it better…
Nate: Operation Get Evvy To Fall For Me
Nate: I mean him…as in Zack…not me
Brent: We get it. That’s what he’s calling it now?
Nate: IDK I made it up. Seems accurate…
Marsh: Seems pathetic…
Brent: Earth to Zack! How is your grand romantic gesture working out?
Marsh: Score yet?
Rookie: No one wants to see your eggplant, Marsh
Marsh: Mine? Yeah they do. Yours? No fucking way.
Rookie: That’s not what your mom said last night.
Marsh has removed Rookie from the chat
Brent has added Rookie to the chat
Rookie: I didn’t want to tell you through text like this…
Nate: Oh, this should be good.
Rookie: I’m going to be your new daddy, Everett.
Marsh: You’re dead. D-E-A-D.
Rookie: Have I ever told you how proud I am of you, son?
Nate: Hahaha
Brent: You’re playing with fire, kid.
Rookie: No, I’m a man. A 24-year-old man to be exact. Old enough to be little Everett’s stepfather.
Nate: Playing with fire? Nah, he’s burning for Marsh’s mom. Never knew you were into older women, Bax.
Rookie: Only Marsh’s mom. My one true love. My dream girl. Just thinking about her…oh, man…this one time…
Nate: Bax, you’re legendary.
Rookie: And there’s more news…
Brent: Don’t. I can’t save you today.
Rookie: You’re going to be a big brother. If you’re good, your mom and I might let you help pick out his name.
Nate: It’s a boy?!?!