Fly Away With Me

I wake up disorientated in an unfamiliar room. Quickly, I sit up then groan. I fall back to the pillows as my whole body feels as if it is one giant bruise. Slowly I shake off the drowsiness and remember I’m in Zach’s room. I take in the pale walls covered in posters and the acoustic guitar sitting in the corner. Curious, I slip from the bed on surer feet than those I entered on and inspect the photos lining his chest of draws.

The photos are of Zach and an older woman with the same shade of blue swirling through her eyes, I suppose his mother. There’s larger family photos scattered in the mix with a couple in their late 30’s and two children joining Zach and his mother. One thing I notice through all the photos, there’s none of Zach’s father.

Before I can examine any more the door opens to show Zach stuffing his phone into his pocket.
We both freeze obviously not expecting the other.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” Zach says breaking the tension as he steps into the room closing the door.
“Thank you for bringing me here to rest,” I say, “but I should probably be going.”
“There’s no rush,” his voice is so quiet I almost miss what he says.
We stand in awkward silence then he nods towards the photos he had caught me shuffling through. Zach approaches picking up one in a black frame of him at about ten years old with two children of similar age, one boy and one girl, cuddled up on the couch with his assumed mother and another woman sitting either side of the kids.
“This is my family; that’s my mum,” Zach explains with a smile pointing to the woman with the same eyes as his, “those two are Kara and Ryan, my cousins, and that’s my aunt Maud. Her husband Ray took the photo.”

I smile taking in their grins.
“You were so cute,” I say nodding to the photo before looking up at him, “what happened?”
He bursts out in laughter that chases away the last of the awkwardness between us.
“Looking like shit but you’re still well enough to take jabs,” Zach laughs shakes his head.
“Excuse you?” I ask pretending to be offended; I’m well aware how bad I must look.
“You’re excused,” he smiles as he places the photo frame back in its place.
“Now come I made pancakes, because that’s all I know how to cook and you’re in need of food,” Zach ushers me out of his bedroom.

The hallway from his bedroom is on the upstairs landing that looked down into the large foyer decorated with earthy tones.
Zach patiently helps me hobble down the stairs. He leads me to a couch set up in front of the biggest TV I've ever seen.
“This place is massive,” I commented looking at the high ceilings above us.
“It’s okay,” he shrugs before rushing away into the kitchen.
The smell of the pancakes makes my stomach grumble even if some were burned to a crisp. Zach clicks on the TV and the room is filled with the low hum of voices.

“How long did it take you to bake these?” I ask as I pinch a misshapen and half burnt pancake.
“An hour or two,” he replies sheepishly as he inspects one before nibbling on it.
I almost choke on the food as I look at him wide eyed.
“I’ve been out for that long?”
Zach just shrugs as he shoves the pancake into his mouth. I shake my head deciding for the moment the lost time doesn’t really matter.
I wince as I adjust my position on the couch trying to find a way to sit without pressing on a bruise. Zach busies himself flicking the channel over to the beginning of a movie.
“What are we watching?” I ask before taking another bite of my first pancake whilst he devours his third.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” he tells me through the wreckage of food stuffed into his mouth.

I smile and shake my head at the ridiculous sight. It’s easy to forget about everything else with Zach around, must be that ability of his kicking in. I move in closer until the lengths of our arms are touching. He smiles and I feel the pain start to ebb away.
I lean across to grab another pancake but gasp as the movement sends a jolt of pain through me. Zach hurriedly wraps his arm gently around me forcing the pain to retreat quickly. I relax as we watch the movie hiding under his arm from the pain.

The next thing I know Zach is gently coaxing me awake. I blink groggily.
“I think it’s time I get you home, sleepy head,” Zach tells me softly.
I nod slowly stretching before I realise in my sleep I’d nuzzled against Zach’s chest. Before I can pull away and apologise, he wraps his arms around me with a laugh.
The trip home is much shorter than I liked and all too soon Zach sets me down gently in the backyard.
“Thank you for today,” I tell him genuinely.
“Any time, sorry I had to subject you to my cooking.”
“It was fine, better to be burnt than undercooked,” I tease.
He just shrugs.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, thanks again.”
“You really don’t have to thank me. Now get some rest, although you did sleep nearly all day.”
I scrunch up my face a little at his remark having nothing to respond with.
“Do you want to meet at the end of the street tomorrow morning so we can walk to school together? I’m thinking eight o’clock.”
“Sounds great, I’ll see you then,” I beam.

An awkward pause settles over us now that we’ve said all that could be said and yet neither of us moved.
“I should probably…” I trailed off looking towards the house.
“Yeah, it’s about time I got home too,” Zach said.
Without anything to say I went to hug him before stopping to settle with a nod.
“Bye.”

I quickly make it to my window, only turning to look at him once I've popped my screen out of the window. Zach just laughs and nods back at me before taking to the skies.
Everything aches as I climb in the window. Once it was shut I look to the door but knew I was too sore to face Sophia. It was time for bed, even if it was only four thirty. I cringed at my awkwardness with Zach but a small smile crept onto my face as I nodded again to my empty room. It wasn’t the worst way I could have acted, the hug just didn’t seem right. Besides it is an action too easily rejected. I liked our nod, it spoke volumes without needing to be too dramatic. Alex seemed happy to climb into bed with me, even if it was early. I suppose it’s never too early for a cat to sleep.

The morning was just as any other; same routine only a little slower as my body was sore and stiff.
“I’m actually kind of excited to have a friend to walk to school with, Alex,” I told him as I slowly brushed my hair.
Ready to go, I set the usual preparations so Alex could get out and have access to food and water.
“I’ll tell you how this morning goes when I get home,” I promise before escaping out of the house before Sophia can catch me.

I smile at my small success as I begin to hobble down the street. It’s now been a day since she’s seen me; maybe I could make it two days. I get to the end of the street but there’s no sign of Zach. Maybe he’s late, it’s only just on eight now. I lean against the sign pole to the street as I wait. Minutes tick by and my insides sting as I realise I’ve been stood up. Stood up seems an extreme term to apply but he said he’d meet me here but it’s ten minutes past eight.

I wait another five until I give up trudging to school. It’s just past the bell time for the first class when I arrive, my stiff muscles having slowed down my walk. I didn’t realise just meeting Zach this morning meant so much to me, it really hurts that he wasn’t there. I sit alone in class because Lucien seems to have skipped school today. My first classes blur together as I wait for the break time to find out why he hadn’t met me there.

I’m leaving my classroom for break when Zoe pulls me aside glaring.
“Where’s Zach?” she studies my face carefully.
“You haven’t seen him?” I ask confused.
“No one can get in touch with him, his mum phoned Christian’s parents last night asking if they’d seen him. He never came home and the last person we saw him with was you. Who have you killed now?”