Emotionless

‘Keeley,’ someone hissed, shaking me as they tried to coax me from my deep slumber. Groaning, I flapped a hand behind me as hard as I could in an attempt to deter whoever it was from waking me up. There was a loud seething curse as I hit something hard and curled my hand back to cover my eyes. ‘Keeley, wake up. For fuck’s sake.’ At last, I teased my eyes open and turned around on whatever I was lying on to see River clutching his sore nose as I giggled innocently. His blue eyes were narrowed on me as he stumbled back to sit on his desk opposite me. Wait, there’s a desk?

I looked down below my hand and saw there was a leather sofa beneath me with my party clothes still hugging my body. Burying my head into a cushion I found under my head, I tried to go back to sleep again so I would wake up in my bed back in Pippa’s house. ‘You passed out over two hours ago, Heaven knows why, but now you’re awake, I’ll get someone to take you back to Pippa’s.’ Sighing, I turned onto my back and stared up at the velvety ceiling for a moment. ‘Or you can stay here, it’s up to you.’ Telling my brother I wanted to go home, I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

River nodded with his dark hair bouncing around slightly before he disappeared out of the room and left me to try and sit up on my own. The door opened quietly with a sober looking Zacky wandering inside, smiling smugly at me as I growled at him. ‘Y’know, you’re meant to wake up when I kiss you, not fall asleep.’ I raised an eyebrow, finally managing to sit up properly to glare at the over confident Zacky who was leaning on the desk. ‘River told me to take you back to Pippa’s, but Bri and her left half an hour ago and I don’t want to know what they’re up to. So, do you wanna come back to mine?’

Quietly, I debated this in my head. Either go back home and put up with having Brian and Pippa making enough noise to wake the dead. Or allow Zacky to take me back his house and hang out with him for a bit with the threat of being raped or having him crack through my hard exterior. For a long minute, I stared down at my feet to try and work out what to do. There was a long awkward silence between us, but Zacky was still smiling with a somewhat sympathetic expression on his face. His green eyes were like huge emeralds scanning over my barely clad body as I chewed on my snakebites.

‘I’ll go back with you on one condition.’ Zacky jumped at the sound of my voice and widened his eyes with interest. ‘You’re making the hot chocolate,’ I stated, wobbling on the crutches slightly as I pushed myself up from the sofa. Zacky chuckled quietly and wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. His hand was warm on the side of my hip, gripping the little bump on my side as he walked me outside of the office and I led the way towards the back exit where it was much quieter and easier to get to the car. ‘So, how’re your hot chocolate skills?’

Zacky chuckled as we slid into his car, throwing my crutches onto the back seat as I smoothed into the leather of the interior seats. Warm air blasted at me from the air con, warming my shivering figure as we drove away from the club and into the blackened streets of Huntington. Rain began to splatter against the windscreen, coating the glass in a thick glaze of salty water that dribbled in a slovenly manner down the screen and onto the sleek black bonnet. I watched from the window of the passenger seat as the rain plummeted from the grey clouds that covered the moons beautiful face, entranced by the sudden change in weather.

When we arrived, I was shaken awake once more by gentle hands. Zacky was laughing, telling me that I must have something wrong with me if I keep falling asleep like this. Forking him with a tired hand, I stepped from the car and slowly wandering/ hobbling after Zacky who’d scampered straight towards the huge archway below a three story building. He was waiting for me, watching as I allowed the rain to drench me from head to toe. A smile as insane as the Mad Hatter’s licked its way onto my lips as I stood in the porch, watching Zacky unlock the front door and swing it open.

My shoes lack with a sludgy echo, my clothes rustled as I walked inside. Zacky sighed at seeing how soaked I was. ‘Come on, we’ll get you some dry clothes,’ Zacky murmured, motioning for me to kick my shoes off on the floor before taking my waist again to help me to the stairs. I flopped tiredly down on a huge, king sized bed with ebony sheets that engulfed my sodden figure. ‘Put these on, you can use the bathroom over there. I’ll just be down the hall, okay?’ I nodded, picking up the baggy clothing that had been set down on the bed and hopping through the bathroom.

Limping as quietly as I could, I followed the sound of talking from the other down the hall and knocked on the door. Zacky called for me to come inside with a voice that sounded strained, and, when I entered the room, I saw that he was saying his goodbyes to someone on the phone. ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked quietly, closing the distance between me and the desk chair he’d sat on with his hands covering his face for a moment. He looked up with bright grin eyes, smiling at me with a tight expression. ‘Tell me or I’m gonna have to slap you with a big wet fish.’ The threat made Zacky laugh lightly and pull me to sit down on his lap.

Shuffling awkwardly, I twiddled my fingers for a moment. ‘Nothing’s wrong, Kiwi. Just… annoying little brothers, you know.’ I nodded with a laugh, finding myself resting my head on his shoulder subconsciously. I couldn’t help it. His aura suddenly made me feel comfortable and calm, safe even with his arms wrapped around my waist. ‘My clothes swamp you. Oh, when we go downstairs, Icky might attack you with kisses. He likes beautiful women.’ My cheeks flushed a bright crimson and stood up from Zacky’s lap reluctantly, leaning a hand on the desk in an attempt to take the weight from my sore leg.

‘You’re a terrible flirt. Now, turn around – I need a piggy-back!’ Zacky stood from the chair and steadied himself as I jumped onto his back with his hands gripping my thighs. ‘To the kitchen to make alcoholic hot chocolate!’ Zacky laughed at me, walking cautiously down the staircase and bouncing me across to a huge black and chrome kitchen. A little black dog began yapping and barking as Zacky set me down on the floor again. I jumped onto my good shin and began to claw at my bare leg, begging to be picked up. Cradling the little ball of fluff in my arms, I tickled his ears as he nuzzled into my hand and whacked his tail repeatedly into my arm.

‘Looks like I have competition,’ Zacky mumbled almost jokingly.