Page 49 of Wrecked
I pulled away from her slightly and wiped my eyes with the heels of my palms. "I'm sorry." My gaze traveled to the staircase, and I wondered if Andy was up there waiting for Zoe.
As if she heard my silent question, she answered, "He went home."
Scrunching up my nose, I looked at her, "I ruined your night, didn't I? I'm a horrible friend."
"Pfft," she nonchalantly sliced her arm through the air, and then her brown eyes turned serious, "You needed me, that's more important."
Like a hormonal mess, I wanted to bawl my eyes out again, but by some miracle, I managed to keep the tears at bay. I followed Zoe to her little kitchen where she made us hot chocolate—aka her cure for everything.
"Okay, Kenz, tell me what happened," she urged after we seated ourselves at her dinette.
With both my hands wrapped around the mug, I cradled it to my chest and told Zoe about how my dad had arranged for mine and Brett's letters to be intercepted. I also confessed that the methylphenidate was mine and not his. Of course, that news didn't surprise her nor did it bother her.
"—so after we figured out what really happened," I paused to take a sip of my warm chocolate drink. "He kissed me." Nibbling on my lip, I waited for her reaction.
Zoe's face remained void of emotion for a few seconds before her lips started to twitch and a wide smile broke free. "I told you to get closure, not jump his bones."
My own smile spread across my face while I shook my head. "There was no jumping on any bones."
My friend's cheerful laughter filled the space around us. She flicked her blonde locks over her shoulder and pushed her shoulders back, "Well that's bloody unfortunate." She laughed again, but this time my smile faltered as I remembered what happened right after that amazing kiss. Zoe stood and slipped onto the chair next to me. Touching my shoulder, she said, "It was just a joke, Sweetie."
I patted her hand, "It's not that." Staring into my mug, I relived my last few moments with Brett. "He is just so infuriating!" I voiced my thoughts. "A stubborn, thick-headed man who refuses to see reason."
"And yet, you love him," Zoe stated. I didn't have to see it to know she was smiling at me.
"So much," I conceded when I turned my gaze to her.
My friend pushed to her feet and planted her fists on her rounded hips, "Then go to him." She snatched the mug from me and placed it on the table before she grabbed both my hands. "Take a leap of faith, Kenzie!"
Chapter 27
Instead of heading inside my cabin when I arrived home, I went to my workshop. It was the only place that filled me with a sense of pride. In there I had the freedom to be creative and artistic. I had often wondered what my parents would have made of it. I imagined them smiling with delight at every piece I created.
Normally I'd fire up my machinery; I wasn't in the mood to craft something big. My little sanctuary was by no means one of those extravagant studios you'd find in the city, I didn't have fancy furnaces or industrial crucibles but what I had got the job done. Besides, blowing glass was more of a hobby than a business.
Sparking the blowtorch to life, I pulled a stool closer and grabbed two thick tubes of glass. I had no idea what I was going to make, I just needed to lose myself in the process. Except for running, few things gave me the sense of calmness I always got from molding molten glass into something beautiful and delicate.
The blue and orange started its hypnotizing dance as I pushed the ends of both tubes into the flame. Constantly rotating them my mind drifted to what Harper had told me. The less I wanted to believe it actually existed, the more fate proved me wrong.
I kept rotating the glass, only touching them to each other here and there. When I had a big enough ball on one tube, I set the other down and used my tweezers to start manipulating the warm glass.
Again, my mind drifted back to Logan and Harper. Their relationship wasn't received with open arms. She'd arrived in town with nothing but secrets, and his reputation left a lot to be desired. Still, they made it work.
As I continued to shape the glass, alternating between using my tweezers and scoring knife, I forced myself to think—really think—about the last time I saw Kenzie. Over the last couple of days, I must've replayed that kiss endless times, but I always forced my brain to another place instead of reliving that conversation.
I tilted my hand up and went to pull the glass in another direction.'I need to sort things out with Dean',her sweet voice rang in my ears. I pulled my brows together.'When I'm with you I don't want anything between us, especially not guilt.'
My hands stilled, and I removed the piece of glass from the fire. "Shit!" The curse rumbled from the very pit of my stomach. Harper was absolutely right; I was as stupid as they came. How the hell did I misread the situation so horribly?
Maybe it was because I was more concerned with my ego taking a bashing than I was with actual words spilling from her lips. My girl hadn't thrown me away. She needed breathing room to figure her own stuff out and being the pigheaded asshole that I was, I'd chased her away.
I glanced down at the tiny sculpture in progress and grinned. "Yeah, yeah, I know you exist. No need to show off." A glint of light bounced off the butterfly in the making, and I swore it was fate winking at me.
"Should I be afraid?" Logan asked when he opened the door the following morning. It was just after five, and although I knew it was in bad taste to hammer someone's door down that early, I couldn't help it.
I took in his still half-asleep appearance and grimaced, "Sorry. Did I wake Flynn too?"
"Nah, I peeked into his room on my way to the door. My little man is lost in dreamland." He looked me over and then asked, "What's up?"
