Chapter Forty-Seven

Zach

To say he was confused was an understatement. He didn’t know what to feel. Irene had made it clear that she didn’t want to stay here, that she wanted to go home and be left in peace.

But now, he didn’t know if she was still leaving, or if she’d changed her mind and wanted to stay after all. Hell, did she herself know what she wanted? Did she finally feel the destined bond getting stronger?

So many questions, so few answers. He was confused.

Zach hissed. He tried to pull off his pants but couldn’t do it without straining himself. The wound itself didn’t hurt, but it hurt when he moved.

He lay down but couldn’t sleep. His mind kept thinking about Irene and what her gesture before had meant. A part of him had its hopes up and was now positive that she would stay.

But there was also another part that told him to not be so happy just yet, because he might be disappointed in the end.

A while later, he got up from his bed. It was the afternoon; it was too bright outside, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. That he hadn’t slept for a whole night didn’t matter.

He walked downstairs and came across Adrian. “Hey, Adrian.”

“Hey, Zach, how’s your shoulder?” Adrian waited for him at the front door. When Zach joined him, they both walked outside.

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s healing already. If I don’t strain it too hard, I’ll be good.”

They both sat themselves on one of the wooden benches that were placed on the porch in front of the compound. They could see a lot of activities going on outside.

They could see Jackson leading a training with a couple of females, they could see Ethan having a discussion with a couple of workers, and they could see boss Jackson working out.

The front door swung open and, without looking, Zach knew immediately who was coming out.

The person closed the door and stood on the steps to see everything that was going on outside. It was as if the person was looking for someone.

“Irene, are you looking for someone?” Adrian wondered out loud.

She was obviously startled; she hadn’t realized someone was sitting that close to her.

“Oh, er, Zach! I was looking for you!” She looked at him. “Do you have a minute?”

Zach got up from the bench. “Sure. Shall we take a walk?”

“If that isn’t too much for you right now?” Irene gave his shoulder a concerned look.

Zach smiled. “I’ll be fine.” He took her hand and walked down the steps. “Come with me, I want to show you something. When we’re there, we can talk.”

When they had walked for a while, they arrived at the open clearing where his house was being built.

The walls of the second floor were now done, and the roof was on too. Only the outside trimming needed to be done, and the windows built in, and then the inside would need to be done.

The weather was beautiful, and it made it truly clear why Zach had chosen this spot to build his house.

Irene looked around. “It is beautiful here.” She smiled.

“It is,” Zach smiled too. “What did you want to talk to me about?” He sat down on a fallen tree, and Irene joined him.

“I, er…” She looked down at the floor. “I need time.”

“Time for what?” He frowned.

“I got confused. I really felt the urge to take care of you, but I couldn’t place it. I wanted to go home. I wanted to live my life as it was. I don’t understand my feelings.”

She shook her head then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I need some time and some space to figure out what I feel for you and to decide whether I want to stay in the city or want to move here.

“I really am not saying that I don’t want to see you anymore. I just need some time to figure out what I really want. Is that okay with you?” Now she turned her head fully to look him in the eye.

“Er…” He frowned, confused. “I guess it’s better than your last decision where you didn’t want to see me at all.”

She smiled. “Yes, it is. This means that I really want to give you a chance, but I don’t want to make any hasty decisions, especially because I am still shaken up from everything that has happened.”

She lifted her hand to stroke his stubbly cheek, and he closed his eyes. The tingles erupted immediately as soon as they touched.

“I love it when you do that,” he whispered softly. He opened his eyes again and looked her in the eyes. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” he whispered again.

“I think one kiss wouldn’t hurt.” She smiled shyly.

He leaned in and brushed her lips softly with his own. He grabbed the back of her neck, his fingers in her hair, and pulled her closer, kissing her with closed eyes.

She kissed him back, and tingles erupted. It was like fireworks. He ran over her lower lip with his tongue, asking permission to enter, and she opened her mouth. It gave him the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

After a while, he leaned back a little, just enough so their foreheads were touching. His eyes were still closed. They were breathing heavily, wondering if they should go for another round, or if that should be enough.

“Wow, that was—that was something,” Irene breathed.

He smiled and leaned back, lowering his hands. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers.

She looked around some more. She looked at the view, and then she looked over her shoulder to the unfinished house. “Whose house is this?” she asked, curiosity evident in her eyes.

“It’s yours.” He smiled lovingly.

“What? Mine?” Irene looked confused.

“I started building this house a while ago, hoping to be able to share it with my destined to raise kids here. To share it with my family, with the love of my life.”

Irene looked at her feet. “It must be a disappointment then, that your destined is an outsider who doesn’t know what she wants. You could have built this thing all for nothing.”

Zach shrugged. “If you don’t want to share it with me, I’ll give it to Jackson when he’s found his destined or something. We’ll find a use for it.”

She still looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry if I’m hurting you, Zach. But I really need some time to figure things out.”

“It’s alright, Irene,” he lifted his hand and stroked her cheek, forcing her to look into his eyes. “At least you’re honest with me. I can’t ask for more.”

When they got back, he sat down on the porch again. Irene went inside. After a while, she came back out with a suitcase and her purse. “Zach, do you think I can leave today?”

He got up from his seat and stepped in front of her. “Er, I don’t know if the trains are still running.” He frowned and thought for a minute.

Then he put a hand in his pocket. “Here, take this. It’s my sedan. You can borrow it as long as you need.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What, no! I can’t borrow your car!”

“Please, Irene,” he looked deeply into her eyes, so she didn’t miss the true meaning of his words. “Take it and bring it back to me whenever you’re ready.”