Page 82 of Look After You

“She already knows,” he whispers to me as I approach and I see him nod behind me.

I turn to the front door of my house and that's where I see my mom, standing in the doorway, watching us.So that’s what she meant.

I smile at her before turning back to Zach who is still looking at me.

“But wait,” he starts as he drops the helmets. “I got you something.”

I watch him as pulls out a little purple jewelry box and opens it. He turns it toward me so that I can see what’s inside, and I don’t know what I really expected but when I see what’s inside, my breath hitches.

“Zachariah…” It’s a silver chain with a silver, diamond studded Z hanging from it. He unravels it from the box and asks me to turn around.

I do, and I grab my hair from around my shoulders and wait with bated breath as he hooks it around my neck. His fingers work the hook and my spine shivers with the way it feels. When he lets go, the chain falls perfectly, and I touch the letter feeling so grateful at how thoughtful his gesture is.

“Zach, you did not have to get me anything. Besides, I should be the one to have gotten you something," I tell him, starting to feel bad for not thinking about getting him a gift.

“No, Cadie. Having you here right now is a birthday gift enough,” he whispers before he pulls me in for a kiss.

Today, Zach turns nineteen and I felt so special when he said he wanted to spend his birthday with me.

When he pulls away from the kiss, one that I want to hang onto longer, he reaches for the helmets then he’d placed by his bike and asks me if he can place it over me. I nod and he puts it into place, tightening the strap before putting his own on.

He gets on his motorcycle and then helps me behind him and once we’re both situated, he revs the bike and it roars to life.

I feel a jolt of electricity travel throughout me and I shiver when he uses a hand to tighten my arms around his torso. I lean into him, making sure to keep tightly against him. I feel safe here and it feels especially nice to be close to him again.

“Zachariah Loft!” I hear my mom shout from the house and Zach looks over to her. “Please drive safe,” she says and then another voice chimes in from beside her.

“And make sure you look after her,” Brayden shouts as he walks up next to Mom.

He smiles out at us and my heart feels like it’s balancing on the edge of elation and pure love; about to explode from how surreal this moment feels.

I smile against Zach’s back as he hollers back at my mom and my brother, “I promise.” And then he lowers his voice so that only I can hear him as his hand squeezes mine. “I will always look after you.”

THE END