I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops

Hours later and dusk had fallen around us as we lay in our embrace on the cold hard floor. Zoe had joined us during the course of the afternoon, not wishing to miss out on the tendner moment of Mother - daughter bonding that was taking place, she had slid carefully into my Mothers embrace on the opposite side to me, allowing us both an equal share of her arms of comfort and protection.
As the bright light of the Autumn sun began to fade and a golden shadow began to fall over the house we all remained positioned on the tiled floor, sobbing had ceased long ago, we all now sat in peaceful silence watching the last golden rays of the sun dissapear beyond the tall peaks of the distant mountains.

We were interrupted from our grief induced reviere by the cheerfull ding-dong of the door bell. Startled we all glanced in the direction of the offending noise in fear. Taking control of the situation I suilently signaled that I would take care of it and hurried toward the newly varnished pine door at the end of the seemingly endless hallway.

Cautiously I opened the door to a spot less than halfway open, I stared curiously out at the intruder my jaw quite litterally dropping as the identity of this mysterious being became apparent to my tired eyes.

"Zac?" I gasped unable to mask my surprise at his sudden appearance. I had not expected to cross paths with him again following our first encounter in which I unjustly blamed him for his brothers poor treatment of Hayley.

A sheepish grin spread across his features which I had not noticed before had a distinct boyish charm about them that I found to be endearingly attractive. I could not help but however weakly smile at him as he became increasingly flustered.

"I-I-I.... my Mom sent me, she-she-she wanted me to give you guys this." He finished breathing a sigh of relief and thrusting a large covered casserole dish out toward me in offering. The mouthwatering scent of tomatoes and garlic wafted across the front step in a brief gust of wind, the food was most definetly Italian I concluded.

"Wow Zac, she well - you didn't have to do that at all, thanks a lot!" I replied genuinely grateful for the generocity of this woman who was practically a stranger to us as a family. Reaching out he placed the warm dish into my arms wrapping it carefully in a cotton towel as he placed it securely in my grasp.

"It's no big deal, she well we just wanted to do something to help and appearently food is something we do well!" He finished that crooked youthful grin creeping across his features again, causing my mod to instantly lift further.

"Well tell her we really appreciate it, you want to come in for a sec?" The invitation had passed my lips before I had the change to consider it fully, instantly I regretted it. It's not that I didn't want Zac to come inside, at this point with his infectious grin I would be back to normal in no time! No I just had not considered the emotional state of the other occupants of the house when I extended the invitation and I mantallt scolded myself for it, praying he would decline I waited for a reply.
"
I would usually I would love too but I'm being picked up in few cause Mom is collecting Josh from next door." he finished with an apologetic glance. Smiling I replied "No problem Zac! Maybe next time?" My excitment at the prospect took me by surprise.

"Yeah! Sounds great!" He replied with eager enthusiasm that grin escaping again and this time upon catching sight of it my heart fluttered, the shock of my bodies reaction to this boy nearly becoming obvious in my features.

Suddenly, Zac turned spotting a familliar car; "I gotta go!" He called as he darted toward the beckoning light of the car. "See you soon!" he added as he hopped the gate at the end of the path turing to flash me a winning grin and then as quickly as he had appeared, dissapearing into the night..............