Belonging to Lust

Departing the school with her school supplies crammed into her back, Zaiyia strolled with her friends towards the parking lot. Scouring the vehicles in the lot, she pinpointed Heath leaning against his truck waiting for her. Zaiyia raised a hand to him and waved to let him know she saw him and that she’d be there in a minute. She received a nod of acceptance before turning to Monique and her sisters just as Chasity and Alice came up to join them. Chasity couldn’t wipe the crazed grin of excitement off her face as she squealed. “Oh my god, you guuuuys! I can’t believe we did it! It still hasn’t fully sunk in yet.”

“I hope that damn plan works out and the bullying ends for good.” Assata sighed, her brown eyes overlooking the students meandering around them. She wondered if any of their feelings towards Zaiyia have changed since the assembly wrapped up, and if they would leave the girl alone now.

“My thoughts exactly.” Zaiyia coincided softly, appearing a bit jittery at the thought. Remembering that Heath was waiting, she began to step back from them. “Well, I’ll see you guys later then. Thank you all for standing by me through this. I’ll text you all sometime in a group chat this weekend.”

“Sweet! Have a good night, girl and try to relax yourself.” Monique ordered her with a stern look along with an affectionate smile.

“I’ll try!” Zaiyia vowed, waving goodbye to them.

Everyone had gone their separate ways all except for Alice who decided to give chase after Zaiyia instead of hopping onto her bus. Reaching a hand out, she grabbed a hold of her friend's arm to get her attention and faintly asked her. “Hey wait, can I call you later on tonight?”

“I don't see why not.” Zaiyia shrugged, curious as to what Alice would want to talk about and why she was whispering so secretly to her. “You good?”

Alice hurriedly nodded, idled nervously then said. “Thank you for being there by my side through all of that, Zaiyia. I wish I could repay you for it.”

“Hey, I should be thanking you for showing up in the first place and not taking the easy way out.” Zaiyia replied with an absolute smile. “So thank you tremendously for that, Alice. I won’t ever forget it.”

“Neither will I. Call you later.” Alice reminded her before walking away to her bus and the small crowd of her friends pining for her arrival, a mass of questions waiting to burst forth from their mouths about her and Zaiyia’s new friendship.

Continuing her way to Heath’s truck, something caught Zaiyia’s attention from the corner of her eye. Glancing to her left, she spotted Alan’s friends piling into a Cadillac. Alan was among them only he was staring out across the parking lot at Alice getting on the bus with her friend all the while holding up his overly patient friends from getting into his side of the car. Frowning at Alan’s peculiar and sudden fascination with his ex-girlfriend, Zaiyia shrugged it off to greet Heath instead. “Afternoon, my good sir.”

“Afternoon, little lady. Need a ride?” Heath played along, straightening up to open her door for her, then shut it closed and round the truck to hop into the driver’s seat. Neither spoke as he navigated his way out of the parking lot, but when they were on the road home he mentioned something that he took notice of while awaiting her arrival. “That Alan boy was ogling your friend Alice from the moment she stepped outside with Chasity to join you. His eyes never left her.”

Zaiyia’s brown eyes magnified in size as she snapped her head in his direction. “I know, right! I saw it too!” Quickly she corrected herself. “Well, actually I only noticed after Alice was getting on her bus that he was staring at her. I didn’t know he’d been staring at her for that long though.”

Heath nodded, his hand reaching out to rest over her thigh, his green eyes locked on the road as he inquired further into that oddity. “So, what’s going on there? Does he like her again or something?”

“I have no fucking clue.” Zaiyia sighed wearily, leaning back in her seat and placing her hand over his so she could stroke the back of his strong fingers.

The couple went silent, privately deliberating that cliffhanger to themselves. It didn’t make sense that Alan was suddenly digging Alice again, not after the way he so harshly broke her heart. And yet the look on his face was familiar. Zaiyia and Heath both recognized it because they’d seen it on the other’s face every day.

Not wanting to think anymore about Alan and Alice’s mess of a relationship, Zaiyia slightly changed the subject to the events of the day. Looking at Heath with her love shining in her brown eyes, she smiled. “I don’t know if I thanked you for showing up today.”

“I told you I would.” Heath reminded her, removing his hand from her thigh to link their fingers together.

“I know you did. It’s just…” Zaiyia paused, then shrugged. “I guess I never really expected you to do it. I never expected for today’s assembly to come to a point where you felt you needed to be there.”

“Thanks for underestimating me.” Heath chuckled, then gave her hand a protective squeeze. “I haven’t told you yet that I’m proud of you either. My girl stood up against the whole school on her own for a minute there. You even stood up for Alice when she wasn’t ready to do it herself.”

“Yeah, thanks and all for your praises, but man…you’re missing the bigger picture here!” Zaiyia laughed, recalling a moment during the assembly where Heath’s self-restraint had surely been tested to the maximum. “The spotlight needs to be on you right now, Sullivan, for not breaking those kid’s faces apart for calling me names. Now THAT deserves some recognition!”

At that reminder, Heath’s left hand tightened on the steering wheel of his truck as he let out a curse.

Zaiyia’s smile immediately curtailed from sight the second he took his hand away to run a hand through his short hair. Clearly that situation was still a tender spot for the muscled hunk and shouldn’t have been mentioned at all because now she tainted his mood. Unsure of what to say now, Zaiyia craved for his hand back. Going with that, she extended her dainty hand out to him. “Can I have your hand?”

Heath didn’t say anything, merely returned his hand to her. He felt her link their fingers back together again before lowering them back down onto her warm lap.

Feeling stronger now, Zaiyia wanted to alleviate his tension away, brought on by the mention of those students that had pissed him off. Perhaps it would work. “Don’t let those assholes get to you, Heath. It’s just the same old shit talk they be dishing because that’s the only weapon they got on me.”

“It’s NOT typical for me, Zai.” Heath protested softly, rubbing her hand with his thumb. “I’ve NEVER heard anyone talk to you that way, remember? I WOULDN’T let people talk to you that way.”

Zaiyia would imagine so. Envisioning Heath as a high schooler her age hanging around her and protecting her honor…my god. The bullying would have never started in the first place if he was there looking out for her as much as he did now. Smiling tenderly to herself, she lowered her eyes to their linked hand and murmured to herself. “There wouldn’t be anyone around that would talk to me like that if you were there.”

“Do you mind if we pick something up for dinner tonight?” Heath inquired, his green eyes already surveying his surroundings for a fast food joint with a drive thru that wasn’t full.

Feigning a pout, Zaiyia lamented with a playful smile. “Again? I’m starting to believe you don’t care for my cooking no more, Sullivan.”

Hearing the jest in her tone, Heath grinned. “That’s the farthest from the truth, darling. You know I worship your cooking.”

“Then how come you don’t want me to whip you up some dinner, huh?” Zaiyia asked him.

“We have to go camping with my sister this weekend.” Heath reminded her.

“And?” Zaiyia drawled, expecting there was more to it than that.

“And we won’t be alone together during that trip.” Heath briefly glanced at her, his eyes smoldering. “So I want as many seconds as I can have with you tonight before I run out of time.”

Seeing the logic in that, Zaiyia nodded in agreement. “Fuck yeah, let’s pick up dinner then!”

“That’s my girl.” Heath said before making a left turn into a half-empty drive thru.