The Hardest Fall

My hands formed into fists all on their own. It could’ve been anything. He was a family friend, after all. He wasn’t there; Ms. Hilda had been wrong. She was wrong. Zoe was living in his apartment. It was nothing.

Turning the phone face down, I reached out for Zoe again. “Zoe, you need to wake up.” Her eyes fluttered but didn’t open fully. She released a small moan and wiggled her hips to settle deeper into the cushions. I brushed the short strands of hair away from her forehead, my fingertips lingering. That did the trick, and her eyes slowly opened.

A small frown filled her face, and she seemed confused to find me next to her.

“Baby, you should go to bed,” I whispered.

“Dylan?” Her voice was still groggy with sleep. She rubbed at her eyes and looked around the dark apartment. “What time is it?”

She covered a big yawn with the back of her hand.

“Close to three.”

“Oh.”

“You want me to help you to your room?”

A quick look, there and gone.

“Oh, no. I’m fine, but thank you.”

I rose and she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She still seemed confused.

Pushing my hands into my pockets, I asked, “Are you okay?”

Covering another yawn, she looked up at me. “Yeah, I must’ve fallen asleep after I got back from the bar.”

I nodded. “Well, I’m gonna head to my room.” I was only at the mouth of the hallway when she called my name.

“Dylan?”

When I turned around, she was up on her feet, her laptop now closed and clutched against her chest.

“Are you going to bed?”

“Yeah, I’m wiped.”

“Oh. Okay. Good night then.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Zoe, what’s wrong?”

I watched her fingers curl around her computer, her grip tight. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Everything’s fine. I just… If you weren’t sleepy, I thought maybe we could watch something together? But you’re wiped, so it’s okay. You did say you were gonna get in late, so I shouldn’t have waited, but just in case you’re hungry or anything, I got you a cheeseburger from In-N-Out. Jared and I went there after the bar so I thought I should bring you back something since you said cheeseburgers were your favorite. You got me pizza last time, so I thought you could—”

“Zoe, stop.” I walked back to her and stopped when the couch was the only thing standing between us. “You fell asleep waiting for me?”

“I…” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t be able to sleep when you got back and we could spend some time together maybe—if you wanted to, that is…you know, because we didn’t see each other all that much these last few days with midterms and your games, and Jared thought I should maybe get—”

“So, it wasn’t you who wanted to buy me a cheeseburger, it was Jared. Remind me to thank him the next time I see him.” It wasn’t a question, but she took it as one and shook her head.

“Fine, I lied. I thought maybe you’d be hungry when you got back. I was trying to be a good friend.”

I tilted my head. “Were you watching a movie before you fell asleep?”

She looked away, a little too quickly. “No.”

That was a big fat yes if I ever heard one.

I took her in. Even if it was only because she was scared, if she wanted to spend time with me, how could I say no? It wasn’t like we spent much time together, and she’d brought me a cheeseburger—it would be a waste to not eat it.

“What are watching?”

The corners of her mouth slowly tilted up, and her smile got so big that she had to bite down on her lip to keep it contained. “You’re not sleepy? Tired?”

“I’m tired, but I’m good for another hour or so.”

“What do you wanna watch?” She bent down and put her laptop back on the coffee table.

I forced my eyes away from her ass as she tinkered with the thing. “I’ll let you choose.”

“How about…Speed? Or Eagle Eye?”

“Speed? What was that again?”

“Oh, it’s an old-ish movie with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Eagle Eye has Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan.”

“You have a thing for old movies, huh?”

“Old-ish movies. They’re not that old. So, which one do you want to watch?”

“I might not be able to make it to the end, but let’s go with Speed tonight. We’ll do Eagle Eye next time?”

That smile again. “Sounds good. Okay, you sit down.” She came to my side and pushed me around and down on the couch. “I’ll go get your cheeseburger and fries.”

“What did I do to deserve the fries on top of the cheeseburger?”

She headed toward the kitchen but looked over her shoulder when she spoke. “Who would buy a cheeseburger and not get fries? One isn’t complete without the other. I also hope you don’t mind sharing because I’m not gonna be able to stay away from the fries. I’m bound to steal a few, but the burger and soda are all yours.”

Coming back with a tray, she handed it to me then leaned over her laptop to start the movie.

Giving me a look, she sighed. “You don’t have to do this, you know that, right? I don’t want to keep you up. I can see you’re tired, Dylan.”

“I’m fine, Flash. Relax. If I fall asleep, I fall asleep. It’s okay. As long as you don’t draw a penis on my face, we should be safe.”

She laughed. “Promise. Did your teammates do that?”

I patted the seat next to me and she took it without hesitation. “Not to me specifically, but I’ve seen it done.” Pressing play, she started the movie and settled back. I grabbed the cheeseburger, took a big bite, and groaned. “I didn’t even realize I was starving, thank you.” When she didn’t reach for a fry, I offered one to her myself.

She took it from me with the tips of her fingers. “Thank you.”

“You can have the Coke, too. I don’t do soft drinks.”

She took a bite and scrunched up her nose. “I don’t do soft drinks, either. That’s the only healthy choice I make in my life, I think. I don’t care for the taste anyway.”

A few minutes into the movie, my food was polished off and Zoe had only stolen a few of my fries. Each time she did, she gave me a shy smile and quickly focused back on the movie playing in front of us.

Fifteen minutes in, I was already fading. When I chanced a look at Zoe, I realized we’d ended up with an empty seat between us. Might as well have been an entire football field. She was curled up into herself, both her feet planted on the couch, chin resting on her knees, arms hugging her legs.

My lips twitched. “Which movie were you watching before?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her considering whether or not to give me an answer, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip.

“Come on, tell me.”

In the end, she decided against it. “I rather not say.”

This time, I laughed and she joined me. It felt good, just…being with her.

Before the movie was over, we were both fast asleep on opposite sides of the couch. When I woke up early in the morning, she was sprawled half on top of me and I had my arms wrapped around her, holding her as close as possible. We had both moved in our sleep and met in the middle, apparently.