Love's Not A Competition

Everyone was watching the next day, noticing that we were acting like a couple. We rested our entwined hands on the breakfast table, sneaking glances at each other after every bite. Zeke held my hand and dropped me off at each of my classes. He even kissed me on the lips every time he left me and saw me. I thought it was really cute. Brittney finally cornered me in Japanese when I couldn’t avoid her questions.

“So, what’s going on with you two?” she asked.
“He asked me out and I said no. Then we were making out on his bed last night and I said yes,” I said simply.
“Why did you say yes? Was it his excellent kissing skills?”
“Oh yeah, totally,” I grinned sarcastically. “They definitely played a part but I decided that instead of not going out with him because I was mourning, I should date him because I’m in mourning. If I date him then he will help me get over my dad’s death and I won’t be sad. He’ll make me happy. I don’t want to be sad about my dad’s death forever, you know?”

“Yeah, I understand.”
“How are you doing?” I asked her.
“Good. You’re still coming to my birthday party this weekend, right?”
“Of course, Brittney,” I smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“It’s a masquerade party. My parents are coming with my brother and we hired out a hotel ballroom for it. I got custom dresses and masks for me, you and Katie. They should arrive tomorrow.”
“Sounds like fun.”

She beamed at me and we listened to the rest of the lesson. Zeke met me outside the classroom and we walked to lunch together. He was telling me about how his teacher had yelled at some kids for talking over him when we walked into the cafeteria. We sat down at our usual table and our friends all looked at us again. Nobody asked any questions but I wouldn’t have minded if they had. They obviously assumed we were dating now. They all seemed happy for us and Eric smiled when I met his eyes across the table.

I got back to our dorm room from training, exhausted. I took a shower before Zeke got back and flopped onto the bottom bunk. He smiled at me briefly when he entered the room. He quickly took a shower and was lying next to me in less than twenty minutes. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me to his chest. I sighed in contentment.

“Why did you decide to say yes?” Zeke asked after a few minutes.
“You can make me happy and that’s what I need right now,” I whispered.

He smiled and I snuggled closer, feeling comfortable. We lay there in silence for what seemed like ages. Zeke always made me feel calm, safe. I don’t know what it was about him. Even when he was acting like a jerk, he could still make me feel safe. I was amazed that I still liked him after everything he had done but it was my choice to forgive him and I didn’t regret it. I wanted to be with him and that’s all that I thought about. I was focused on the future.

The door banged open but we didn’t move. We knew it must have been one of our friends because anyone else would’ve knocked. We both looked up at Katie who stared back. She sat down on the sofa and I slowly untangled myself from Zeke’s grasp. I sat on the edge of the bed while Zeke drew shapes on my back lazily.

“Did you want something?” I asked her.
“What are you getting Brittney for her birthday?” she asked.
“Oh, I brought her present ages ago. I got her a best friend necklace. I engraved the pair. She actually picked out the pendant but she doesn’t know I brought them. What are you getting her?”
“I have no idea.”
“She likes jewelry,” I suggested.
“You’re right. Okay, thanks. What are you wearing?”
“She had custom dresses and masks made for us. They arrive tomorrow.”

Katie nodded and left after saying goodbye. I stretched out beside Zeke, hating how my spot had gotten cold in that short amount of time. Zeke moved down and rested his head on my chest. I played with his hair, wrapping the strands around my fingers. It had gotten longer and he was always flicking it out of his eyes. I growled when I looked at my watch. Dinner was starting but I didn’t want to move. Zeke moved back up and rested his head on the pillow beside mine.

“We don’t have to go down,” he whispered.
“And what do you suppose we do instead?” I asked seductively.
“I’m sure we can think of something.”

I didn’t get a chance to reply as his lips found mine. It was a sweet kiss, like the ones he had been giving me all day. But I didn’t want to be sweet and gentle now that we were alone. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair as I crushed my lips against his. I rolled over so I was lying on top of him. He deepened the kiss as he ran his hands down my back. I bit my bottom lip when he started kissing my neck, leaving a trail of kisses along my jaw line down to my collar bone.

Brittney pulled me into her room after school the next day. I could tell by her large smile that the dresses had arrived. Brittney showed us the dresses first. Mine was a black cocktail dress with a cinched waist, puffy skirt and spaghetti straps. Katie’s dress was a strapless floor length gown that clung to her body perfectly. Brittney’s dress was a strapless peach dress with a puffy mesh skirt and pearls sewed into the bodice. Katie and Brittney gushed over the dresses while I watched them. It’s not that I wasn’t excited, I was. I just wasn’t as enthused as they were.

Brittney showed us the masks next. Mine was a simple mask that covered my eyes. It was purple with black beading around the edges. I loved it. Katie’s mask covered her eyes with a white mask while gold metal patterns fanned out the sides, almost looking like two gold wings. Brittney’s mask covered her eyes with a peach colored mask. White stitching outlined it while feathers were stuck to one side. Three more feathers stood up on wire. It reminded me of antique clothing.

“They’re beautiful,” Katie grinned.
“I know. I’m so excited to wear them,” Brittney said.
“What are the boys wearing?” I asked.
“Suits with masks that match the color of their ties,” Brittney explained. “Aidan told me to do it simple. It’s a good thing Jesse gets back this weekend.”
“Yeah,” Katie said. “I already invited him and he said yes.”

I watched them talk, staying quiet. I didn’t know how to join their conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Jesse. I still felt bad for I did to him. Maybe I would get a chance to apologize at the party. I made a promise to myself that I would. I smiled, feeling better about this party as time went by. It was something else I got to share with Zeke and that’s what I liked most about it.