Zed regarded the gawking girl for a moment, whether Alyza was rooted in place due to shock or curiosity was a matter for debate, but Zed covered himself with his hands nonetheless. “Give me a moment, would you?”
The question seemed to snap Alyza from her reverie and the force of the slamming door vibrated down the walls.
Zed quickly pulled on some pants and opened the door. “Come on in.”
Alyza looked tentatively at her half-dressed friend.
“What’s the point of being cautious now? Isn’t that like grabbing my ass and then be
shy to hold my hand?” teased Zed.
Alyza quickly pushed past her friend in an attempt to hide her burning cheeks. “You could have locked the door.”
Zed followed and closed the door behind him. “Yes of course, because not a single priest would ever dream of knocking before entering, I mean, they are such a notoriously rude bunch.”
“Yeah, yeah, sit down, smartass,” said Alyza as she patted the spot on the bed next to her.”
Zed covered his chest with his arms in mock concern. “Is it no longer enough to look, now you want to touch?”
Alyza felt her face burn as her blood rushed to betray her. “W-w-what? S-s-stop it.”
“Sorry,” said Zed as he lost his smile. He wouldn’t dare laugh at Alyza in her current
state; she had struggled with serious speech impediments as a child, which had
only worsted under the merciless teasing of her school peers. As a result her parents eventually withdrew
her from school and took her to a speech therapist. In a single year she overcame her disorders,
something he still admired about her, but she would occasionally stutter when
under intense pressure.
Alyza nodded, took a few deep breaths and then said, “It’s fine.”
“I guess you don’t need me anymore,” said Zed, nostalgically recalling the times when she would cry in his arms after being teased at school.
“We will always need each other,” responded the girl warmly.
Zed sat down next to the only friend he had ever
made. “I suppose we do, I mean we have
been together for so long; it’s almost like I don’t know what life would be
like without you.”
Alyza smiled, discreetly edging herself a little
closer to him.
“How long have we known each other?”
“Thirteen years,” replied Alyza instantly.
“You’re practically my sister,” chuckled Zed.
Alyza felt a cold stab through her chest. “Sister? Is that the only way you’ll ever see me?”
“Is something wrong?” asked Zed, alarmed by her tone.
“You can be such an idiot sometimes,” whispered Alyza to herself.
“What? I don’t understand?”
“That’s the problem, you don’t. Thirteen years and you still don’t understand how I feel. Seems like if I don’t make it painfully obvious, you’ll never understand!” said Alyza before pulling herself towards him.
Their kiss lasted a few seconds, but it took Alyza only an instant to realise the passion was one-sided, more than that, it was as if she were kissing something cold and dead, it was as if she was kissing a doll.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pushed Zed away, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think, all she knew was that she had to get away, somewhere far away.
Zed sat stunned as his childhood friend fled the
room still unsure of what had just happened, when he suddenly felt It. It had been years since he last felt It
this clearly and before he could fully comprehend the significance, he was
already chasing after Alyza. His mind
raced, reliving every sensation, the grace of her ocean-blue eyes, the
fragrance of her silky raven hair, the touch of her milk-white skin. He yearned for her to the point that the
thought of life without her seemed unbearable.
Alyza was almost outside when she heard Zed call for her, there was something in his voice that made her stop, a sense of terror one would expect from someone pleading for his life. Although she had pause for only a few seconds, Zed appeared around the nearest corner as if by magic, folding her in a tight embrace.
“Do not leave, there is nothing, nothing without you,” pleaded Zed.
Confusion had to be redefined to properly express what Alyza felt; she had experienced her fair share of the peculiar from Zed since meeting him, but this was definitely a hallmark moment. “I won’t leave, but I don’t think we’ll be able to just go back to the way things were.”
Zed reluctantly released her; as if afraid that she’ll vanish if he broke physical contact. “What would make you happy?”
Alyza felt her heart tear at the question, ever since meeting Zed, he had done nothing but dedicate himself to her happiness. Her love for him was in no small part due to this seemingly selfless devotion. “I’m sorry, Zed. There is no one but myself I can blame for my unhappiness. I love you, but I can’t expect you to love me just because I love you.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, 'why not'?”
“Why can’t you expect me to love you because you love me? Is that what you want? Is that what you require to be happy?” asked Zed impassively.
Alyza smiled sadly. “You can do many things, Zed. But you can’t control your own heart.”
“The hell I can’t,” said Zed before kissing her.
This time it was passionate on both sides, but it was more than that, it was as if they were fuelling a singular fire, allowing it to burn more intensely with each passing second.
Alyza breathed heavily as she finally pushed Zed away. “Wow, wait, just give me a moment to think.”
“You sure? We were kinda on a role there,” said Zed with a sly smile.
“Oh screw it,” said Alyza, falling into his embrace.
Alyza watched the clouds absently through the classroom widow nearest her desk.
“So who’s the lucky guy?”
Turning to her right, Alyza saw her best friend eagerly awaiting an answer. “Good morning to you too, Christine. What do you mean?”
“Are you kidding me? You’re virtually glowing, there is only one thing that can make a girl that happy, a strapping young lad. So who’s the lucky guy?” repeated Christine, the commotion drawing the attention of the rest of the class.
Alyza suddenly found herself confronted by a class of eager listeners and looked away, but her glowing cheeks betrayed her and the reaction was almost biblical. She had earned the nickname ‘The Forbidden Fruit’ soon after her enrolment, since her incredible beauty was only paired by her almost wall-of-fame-like rejection rate. It did not matter if they were innovative, romantic or just unbelievably good-looking. Everyone got the axe, no exceptions.
Luckily before her inquisition could start, Mr. Martinez entered the class and everyone quickly dispersed to their seats.
The veteran teacher cleared his throat. “Good morning, before I take attendance, I would like to introduce the newest addition to our class.”
Zed entered and the class broke into a sea of whispers.
Christine felt a stab of fear. “Is his eyes . . . silver?”
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