Forbidden Kiss

Chapter 7 – Will He Call?

Zeke’s POV

‘Ah, well…. As much as I love you Hannah Ashcroft, if he doesn’t call me, it would be entirely on you!’

‘What! Why?..... oooohhhhh s**t’

Before I had a chance to explain, it would appear she was slowly regaining her memories of the evening.

‘one minute I was at the bar ordering a drink and the next thing I was somehow drinking shots off some very cute, but very unavailable, guy’s stomach’

‘How in the hell did that even happen?’

She shook her head ‘I don’t even know, but no one seemed to think it was weird, so I just went with it!’ she laughed ‘Anyway, after 3 shots, another bottle and some dancing, I realised the time and realised I needed to come nd meet you. I felt ok, until I waked outside and as the air hit me, so did the drink. I don’t really remember anything after that!’

So I proceeded to fill in on what she did from where she left off.

‘s**t! Zeke, I am SO sorry! What happened with him… Did you Kiss him?’

I blushed at the memory ‘Oh my god, you did! And…. Was he every bit as the hot stuff he professed to be?’

‘Maybe… that, and a little more’

I gave her cliff notes version of what happened.

‘He’ll call, he said he would, he obviously likes you’

‘We’ll see’ I showed her my phone ‘nothing yet’

‘It’s early yet, maybe HE doesn’t want to seem too keen?’

‘Or maybe he was horrified he was my first kiss!’

‘Zeke, I can’t believe I said that! And called him Hot stuff to his face’ she faced palmed herself ‘You are never going to let me out with you again, are you?’

‘If this falls flat, I may need you too…!’ I couldn’t hide the despair at that thought seeping through my pores.

‘You really like him, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, sad isn’t it, I only spent half an hour with him, and I already don’t want anyone else. Is that crazy?’

‘No, I don’t think so. When you know, you know’

She was making me feel better and I loved her for it.

‘Han, you need to get ready, we have to get to the open day and pick up some leaflets and have a quick look around, so we can at least be authentic when they grill us about the day – you know they will!’

She groaned loudly as she steadied herself and got up ‘Yeah, ok, but we are getting breakfast on the way, I need food’

‘Deal, but have a shower, you wreak of alcohol’

When she was ready, we made a move, we realised we had not thought about what we were going to do with our new clothes.

‘s**t. There is one person I can ask; he owes me a favour. But I am not sure how much I can trust him’

‘Who?’

‘Gabe’

‘Gabe?’

‘Yeah, don’t ask, the less you know the better. Let me make a quick call’

‘Well?’ Hannah asked as I ended the call.

‘Sorted. But I know I am not going to hear the end of it’

‘You’ll figure it out’

‘I’m going to have too; we don’t have another choice’

We got all the information we needed from the university and by the end of our time there, Hannah actually seemed excited about the place. I quite liked it there myself. When we arrived at the platform and exited the train Gabe was waiting for us.

‘Zeke, Hannah’ he smirked.

‘Shut up Gabe, Here’ I handed him the bags.

‘Ohhhh I like’

‘Touch it and I will kill you’

‘Calm down, I don’t need your stuff, not my style and wouldn’t fit me anyway, I got my own stuff’

‘Yeah, I figured’

‘So….. where did you go?’

‘You know where we went’

‘No, where did you really go?’

I showed him the leaflets ‘Where we said we were going’

‘Cagey much’

‘f**k off now Gabe, we are not even close to even, so don’t go getting any ideas’

He shrugged, turning to leave, and chuckling under his breath, bags in hand. Man, that kid was something else.

‘Can you trust him?’ Hannah asked a little nervously.

‘Yeah, he’s a t**t, but he knows what side his bread is buttered. We’re good’

We made our way home to our prospective homes, and I checked my phone one last time, it was after 3 and I had still heard nothing.

‘Ezekiel, how did it go?’

‘Yeah, really good, it was a nice university, and everyone was really friendly. I think Hannah liked it too’ I smiled, knowing happily that I wasn’t lying, I hated being dishonest.  

‘That’s great, let’s see’ she asked as she noticed the leaflets in my hand.

‘Oh, it’s just some information on the place, the accommodation available and the courses they offer’ I offered her the leaflets.

‘Well, you don’t need the accommodation do you, you would commute from here!’

‘Oh, right, yeah, of course’ Yep, definitely not applying there… no way and I staying in this house for any longer than I absolutely have too.

‘Did any of the course’s appeal?’

‘I took a prospectus, I’m gonna go and have a proper look now’ I lied, no longer in the mood for this conversation I took myself upstairs and to my room.

I lay on my bed and put in my headphones pressing play on my favourite playlist, contemplating on sending a message to Ezra.

Last night I just saved his number in my phone as ‘Emma’ in case anyone saw the name flash up on my phone, it was the only person I could think of whose number I didn’t have but might.

She was Hannah’s sister, and in the same year at school as Gabe, but they weren’t friends. I figured I would get away with it for now, anyway. As long as I kept the messages deleted, as I would not get away with being anything other than brotherly to the 15 year old!

I wrote out a message, and then deleted it. Then I did the same again. And again.

Why was it so hard!

He said he would contact me, and now I was second guessing myself. Do I just leave it?

Fuck.

Mum called us for dinner, and I put my phone under my pillow and went downstairs. I was a little distracted but made it through the meal and by the time I went back to my room, I had decided I would just send the damn text.

I grabbed my phone, and I couldn’t help the smile that seeped across my lips as I read, I had one new message. I nearly dropped the phone as the door flung open and Gabe waltzed in.

‘Why the big smile, you looked almost suicidal at dinner!’

He tried to grab my phone but there was no f*****g way he was getting it from me.

‘f**k off Gabe’

‘Now that’s not very nice Zeke, is it?’

Man, he was irritating. I grabbed my headphones and jacket and pushed past him. I ran downstairs and told mum was going for a walk. She didn’t put up too much of a protest.

I needed breathing space, and I was dying to open the message, but I couldn’t yet. I had to wit until it was safe.

When the coast was clear, I sat on the wall by the local park and opened the message.

*Hi, hope Hannah is ok! Wondered if you still wanted to meet up? Ezra*

Hmmmm ok, thoughtful, and still interested but breezy. Ok. I can reply to this.

*She woke up with memory loss… but she’s back to her normal, less inappropriate self! Sorry about last night. I had a good time, when can we meet? *

Was that too forward? I didn’t know, I was no good at this!

My stomach flipped as I saw the three dots appear to show that he was replying.

I thought my retinas would burn holes into the phone screen if I caried on staring at it as I wait for him to answer.

*Had a good time too. Glad she’s feeling better, no need to apologise, she made me laugh. You said you had to check your schedule… when are you free? *

Damn, yes, I did say that. I need a reason for my parents to allow me out!

*Weekdays or weekends better for you? *

Stalling is my best option right now.

*Weekends are better, but I could do a weekday evening after work. Wouldn’t be late though, I have to get up quite early for work *

Hmmmmm I wondered what he did for work? I’ll ask him next time we meet. I could see him doing something hands on, with people, but he had soft hands, so nothing manual.

*Weekend works, Saturday? Although I am not sure I want to wait that long! *

Was that too needy? Too late, sent it. I want him to know I like him.

*Ditto, I wasn’t sure if you may have changed your mind, I’m glad you didn’t. Sat works for me *

*Do you live in the city? Where is best to meet? *

*No, I live in a small village about half hour from the city by car. I can meet you in the city though? *

*What village? *

*Can I call you? *

Shit. Did I just go too far?

*Sure *

The phone rang and my heart skipped a beat.

‘Hi’ his silky-smooth voice was even more appealing without the background thumping of the music from last night.

‘Hi’ my mouth suddenly went dry, and I wished I had a drink with me.

‘So, about where I live’

‘Yeah, sorry, was I being to forward?’

‘No, no, it’s just I need to tell you something and doing it via message seemed, wrong’

‘Oh’ s**t, was he a wanted man or something? He seemed keen so I was pretty sure he wanted to meet me… mild panic set in as to what he wanted to tell me.

‘Zeke, it’s nothing bad, it’s just, well I live in Hannerly, have you heard of it? it’s a bit out in the sticks!’

When he said my name I felt a chill through my spine, f**k, just his voice turned me on! But bringing myself back into the room, it suddenly dawned on me!

Shit, that’s where I go to school.

‘Uh, yeah, I know it’

I am really going to have to be careful. But this could work in my favour, seeing him may be easier to manage if I can go straight from school, he’d never know. I can use after school sports practice, and schoolwork as excuses to Mum and Dad.

‘Ok, so you know, they aren’t the most liberal of people here, I um… maybe we could meet at yours?’

I didn’t want to tell him where I live, Hannerly maybe out in the sticks, but it was no where near as small and suffocating as where I lived. It was also a little more liberal, not much, but some.

‘Ahhh, well…’

‘s**t, Zeke, it’s not that I care what people think, it’s just, well I am new here, I start a new job on Monday, and honestly, I’d rather keep my personal life, well, personal’

‘Ezra, I am so more on the same page as you than you can imagine right now’ I could hear him sigh ‘I live in Canton, heard of it?’

‘Oh!’

‘Yeah, so you have then’

‘Yeah, now I know why you went to the city’

‘And why last night was…. Um’

I couldn’t bring myself to repeat what Hannah had blurted out the night before.

‘Your first…’

‘Ezra, please don’t, that was humiliating’ I was mortified.

‘Zeke, everyone has been there, it’s not humiliating to me, it’s humbling. I would never have known. Why do you live there? It must be so draining’

‘That is a very good word for it, Hannah is the only person who knows. I will move, as soon as I can, but to move you need money, and I haven’t got enough yet’

I was giving too much away, he couldn’t know all my secrets, I wasn’t ready for that. I liked him too much.

‘Fair enough, so my place it is then’

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding in.

‘Yeah, that would be good’

‘Ok, it’s a date. When do you want to come? I would say evening, but I don’t want to wait that long’ he laughed, and the sound was infectious ‘Now I just sound pathetic’

‘Nah, I would come tomorrow if I could, but I have stuff on unfortunately’

‘It’ll be worth the wait’

‘Oh, I know it will’

We rounded up the conversation on a flirtatious note and walked home on a high. I knew at some point I was going to have to be more honest with him about my situation. But for now, it could wait.