Forbidden Kiss

Chapter 3 – Confessions and Plotting

Zeke’s POV

I rolled out of bed quietly, Gabe snoring lightly in his bed, as I put on my skinny grey jeans, white tee and boots, grabbing a jacket as I left the room. I ran my fingers through my mop of curls and headed downstairs for some breakfast before Hannah arrived.

‘Morning’ my mother was already busy in the kitchen.

‘Morning Mum’

‘What do you have planned for today?’

‘Hannah will be here soon; we are just going to go for a walk’

‘Lovely, Lovely girl. Take something to eat, I’ll rustle you something up, wouldn’t want you to go hungry’ she smiled.

‘Sure, ok, thanks’

‘Ezekiel’

I turned to look at her ‘Yes Mum’

‘I really wish you would tone down that ‘style’ of your’ she said the word as if it burned her tounge.

‘Mum!’

‘Okay, okay, but a few of the ladies from the church were hoping you would resume your gardening and odd jobs for them over the summer, and well, that ‘look’ is a little, off putting. I am assuming you want the money….’ She trailed off. I was not going to win this conversation.

Admitting defeat I relented, I did want the money.

‘Ok, but only while I am working for them. I don’t have anything suitable though….’

‘I’ll pick up some cash from town later and maybe Hannah could take you shopping tomorrow?’

I desperately tried to hide the grin from my face as I realised, she had just given me the go ahead to spend the day with Hannah in the city.

‘Thanks Mum’

There was a knock on the door, and I picked up my stuff as I went straight to the door, with no intention of hanging around any longer.

‘Hi Hannah’ Mum called out.

‘Hi Mrs. Mathews’

‘Bye Mum’

I closed the door and started to walk down the driveway.

Hannah just laughed ‘Not hanging around to chat with Mum this morning then?’

‘Nope. I don’t think I could cope with anymore comments on my ‘Style’ or ‘look’’

‘Man, that bad! She should see what some of the people in the city wear – your are T.A.M.E’

‘I know!’ I almost cried out in frustration ‘Anyway…. Wanna come into the city with me tomorrow?’

‘Hell yes! How did you swing that?’

‘I need work clothes, apparently I scare little old ladies in my skinny jeans’

We made our way down the lane ‘what’s in the bag?’

‘Oh, mum threw together some sandwiches and drinks, so we didn’t starve. Wanna go to the river?’

‘Sure, sounds good to me’

We always went to the river when the weather allowed. It was more a babbling stream than a raging river, but we liked the tranquillity of it. It was a quiet calming spot that not many people frequented. It was relatively secluded, with many low hanging trees and wildflowers and grasses that grew tall.

We usually sat on the riverbank or under the huge oak tree we found, a relative distance from a small wooden bridge that led most walkers straight through to a woodland walk, on the other side of the path into town.

We got comfortable as I sat against the trunk of the tree out of sight and Hannah lay her head in my lap.

‘Zeke… Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure, anything?’

‘Um…’ her pause was too long.

‘You’re making me nervous Han, what is it?’

‘Well... It’s just… I’ve been thinking’

‘Sounds dangerous!’ I chuckled; I had never seen her nervous before.

‘Maybe…’

‘Oh… Spit it out then’

‘Ok… Are you gay?’

‘WHAT?’ I spluttered, as I jolted forward, completely shocked as to why she would even ask.

‘Ow’ she rubbed her head where I had accidently kneed her.

‘Sorry. Wasn’t expecting that question’

‘Well, are you?’

‘NO! Why would you ask me that?’

‘It’s okay if you are, you know. I don’t care. I don’t believe it is wrong’

‘Hannah. Stop’

‘Why? You shouldn’t be uncomfortable about talking about it’

‘Why not?’

‘Because our parents are wrong. Even if you aren’t gay, it isn’t something you should believe is wrong. I’m just saying’

‘Hannah, seriously, why are we having this conversation?’

‘Because I can’t talk to anyone else about it, and honestly, I thought you were and just, well, you know, feeling like you couldn’t tell me. So, I wanted you to know, if you wanted to, you could, tell me’

‘Great, well thanks for the insight, but I am not gay’

‘Okay, okay, sorry’

‘Do you really not agree with your parents?’

‘Absolutely, although I would never tell them, or anyone else I thought that’

‘No, probably best not too’

‘Do you think it’s wrong?’

‘No’

‘Then why are you blushing?’

‘I’m not’

‘Yes, you are’

‘Hannah, leave it’

‘Fine’

We sat in silence for a while, and I contemplated what she had just divulged. Would it really be so bad to tell her? Maybe it would help me figure out if I was or not.

‘What are you thinking about?’

‘You’

‘Me?’

‘Yeah, you are quite the most perfect human I currently know’

‘I’m not sure if I should be flattered by that or not’ she giggled ‘You aren’t going to hit on me to prove a point, are you?’

‘f**k no!’

‘Phew, that’s a relief’

‘Hannah’

‘Yeah’

‘What if, I was gay?’

‘I knew it!’

‘Woah, I didn’t say I was! I said, what IF I was’

‘Okay! Calm down. It wouldn’t matter to me either way, but if you were, well then you would definitely need a friend to help you’

I could see the small smile creep into the corners of her mouth as the natural auburn streaks in her otherwise brunette hair shimmered in the sunlight.

‘Help me how?’

‘Well, you aren’t going to meet anyone or experience anything here, are you! and with your parents so, well, shut off from reality, you need a partner in crime’ the freckles across her cheeks twitched as she grinned a little wider and her hazel eyes sparked with intent.

‘Hmmmm. I guess’

‘So, you’ll let me help you?’

‘Wait, what? No, it was hypothetical’

‘Cut the crap Zeke. Cards on the table. You like guys’

I shifted uncomfortably.

‘Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. I think so. Oh f**k’

‘It’s nothing to be ashamed of Zeke, how could you really know if you have been told all your life the way you feel is wrong’

‘I guess. It’s just, I don’t know, I’ve never said it aloud. It seems weird’

‘Only one way to find out!’ she had a glint in her eye that only I knew meant mischief.

‘What are you plotting young lady’

She giggled ‘We are planning a night out! In the city!’ her excitement was tangible ‘But first… operation information. We need to find out the best places to go, and how to get in. We will probably only have one chance to do this, and I am not wasting it to end up in some shitty straight club, or worse, no club at all because we weren’t prepared!’

‘s**t Hannah, I don’t know about this….’

‘Bollocks, yes you do’ she laughed at her own euphemism ‘Excuse the pun – unintentional! Honestly’

I rolled my eyes as she continued to laugh at my predicament, her glee at being right was both irritating and sweet.

Relief washed over me as I realised, I had confided in someone I could trust and then the excitement of maybe her plan working became contagious.  

‘So, what’s the plan then?’ I was unable to hide the excitement from my tone.

‘Yes! I knew you would get on board. Ok, well… I was thinking, maybe tomorrow when we go into the city, we buy your clothes as quickly as possible and then go to the library and do a bit of research – what do you say?’

‘Sounds like a good plan to me!’

By the end of the afternoon, we had solidified our plans and decided to make our way home. I felt lighter in my step.

‘How did you know?’

‘Sounds silly now, but well, you are the only guy I know who is super-hot, smart and single that has not ever seemed remotely interested in any girl who has thrown themselves at you’

I scrunched up my face ‘No-one throws themselves at me!’

‘They all do Zeke; you just are so uninterested you don’t notice’

‘Oh. Do you think everyone knows?’

‘Nah, you just seem aloof and mysterious, it makes them want you more. And everyone knows your parents are making you wait until marriage, I guess they figured you were avoiding temptation’

I laughed at her analysis; she was probably right. It was a relief. I wasn’t ashamed of how I felt, but I defiantly wasn’t ready for the onslaught of the revelation becoming public knowledge.

The following day we made our way into the city, cash in hand. We took the train and when we arrived, went straight into the main shopping area. We had been here a few times before but weren’t overly familiar with where everything was.

Once we had picked up what I needed, we asked the young shop assistant where the library was from where we were, she looked at us as if we had sworn at her and had to ask an older lady if she knew where it was, clearly having never set foot inside it herself.

When we got the directions we needed, we went straight there. I had been before, twice, so I had a card that let us in, and knew where to go.

‘Come on, this way’ I said a little too eagerly ‘Um, Han…’

‘Yeah’ she looked at me sceptically ‘You can’t go from excited to bailing on me that quick!’

‘No, no, it’s just, I wondered, would you do the research on that while I, did some different research?’ I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.

She grinned wide and winked at me as the heat in my cheeks rose ‘Sure thing, can’t have you going into this with your eyes closed and clueless now, could we’

‘Ugh, Han, really, do you have too’

‘Sorry – this is the most amount of excitement I’ve had in a long time!’

‘That’s really sad’

‘Not as sad as having no excitement at all’ she teased as she flounced to the computer nearest to her.

I sat next to her, grateful for the screen that separated us from seeing what each other was doing as I began to search content that I wanted to read, but that would not flag up a librarian to question my reading material.

This, however, was not as easy as it sounded, and by the time we had to leave to get the trian home, I was only a little more knowledgeable than I was before we started.

‘How did you get on?’

I shrugged, not entirely comfortable with the conversation ‘Ok, I guess. There isn’t much PG content that gives a lot away’

‘That sucks’ she snickered again 'you'll just have to find a good teacher to learn on the job'

‘Hannah!’

‘Sorry, I can’t help it! It just comes out. Anyway, wanna know what I got?’ that glint in her eye was back.

‘Yes! Please be good’

‘Mostly, but it is going to take some planning’

‘Ok, hit me with what you got’

We walked to the train station as she told me about the club, she thought would be the best one for us. Yes, that’s right, she was not allowing me to do this alone, and apparently, I had no choice in this matter.

‘Sounds amazing! So, what do we need to plan out?’

We got on the train and sat in a secluded seat at the back ‘First, we need money’

‘I figured. I have work over the summer’

‘Well, I also have a summer job, so we can pool our money together, but we have to be careful, if we spend it all, they will want to know where it’s all gone. We can’t be suspicious’

‘That’s easy, I get cash in hand, I’ll just take some away each job I do and keep it separate’

‘Ohhhhh sneaky, I like it. Ok, I can do the same’

‘How much do we need?’

‘That’s the tricky part… We both need fake ID’s, money to get into the club and for drinks, we’ll need a new outfit and the train in and back’

‘Ok, so, say we get the money for all of that… How are we going to get away with spending the night in the city without the parents freaking out?’

The grin on her face could not have been any wider ‘Ahhhh, well… that my friend I have already started to plot….’

‘How?’ I was intrigued.

‘My cousin Samantha lives in the city, she’s my Mum’s sister kid, not related to Father Michael and way more liberal. Anyway, I spoke to her this morning before I came to see you and…’

‘Hannah! Please tell me you didn’t tell her!’

‘No, don’t be stupid. I told her we were secretly dating and wanted to go out for dinner and dancing without the prying eyes of our parents. She agreed to let us stay at hers and go out, if I could come up with a suitable reason to be there and not get caught. No one wants to be in my parents’ bad books!’

‘Dating! Hannah this could seriously backfire’

‘Less dangerous than the truth. If they find out, we are ‘dating’ that is a far easier tale to spin and for them to get over than the alternative’

‘Good point. Ok. So, what reason do the two of us have to stay the night in the city?’

‘Hmmm, well, feel free to produce some of the ideas here Zeke, I can’t be all the brains in this relationship!’

‘I thought you had it all planned out’

‘Most, not all. We have time, we need to save before we can execute this plan anyway, so as long as we have the reason by the time we have the cash, we’ll be fine. Oh, and Sam is going to get us the fake ID’s, she knows someone, it’s not cheap, but they are good!’

‘Ok, well let’s focus on saving for that first, without it, we are wasting our time’