Confined Four Years

Kids

~~~~~Julia~~~~~

            A month and a half into Zachariah’s stay with Marcus and Julia, the twins sat stationed in front of the television, watching their favorite show while coloring. Dinner was cooking in a crockpot in the kitchen. Marcus was in his study doing some work, and Zachariah was reading a book to Sophia. A peaceful air settled over the house and Julia inhaled happily as she gazed at the four people in the living room before she walked over to the twins to see what they drew. Apparently, they both wanted to draw pictures and on the papers were a man, woman, two kids, and a baby. When they finally turned their little brown eyes up to Julia, they smiled brightly and pointed at the image.

“It’s me and Maddy, Sophia, and you and Zach!” Mason said as he pointed at each person. “I wanted to draw a doggy too, but we don’t have one, so I couldn’t.”

“If you want to draw a dog, honey, then don’t let that stop you.” She replied, bending over to kiss his forehead. “Maddy, what did you draw?”

“I drew Sophia. She looks like an actual angel sometimes, Mommy.” Madison smiled brightly as she talked. “Zach is home more than Daddy is. Is that normal?”

            Julia choked a little at her question. Marcus spent most of his time, from eight in the morning to seven or eight at night, at the office. This often meant he did not come home before the children fell asleep. He works hard, she thought, smiling at their daughter, but that does not excuse the lack of his existence in their lives. Instead of focusing on that, Julia stroked Madison’s hair behind her ear and did her best not to allow her displeasure with their father show. One thing the pair promised, from the beginning, was they would never show the twins just how messed up they were because of the choices of their parents.

“I see. That’s beautiful.” Julia said, looking down at the picture of Zachariah and Julia Mason drew. “Why did you put Zachariah and I together? See, right there we’re holding hands.”

“Oh… well… that’s because Zach’s in love with you, Mommy.” Mason smiled as he shrugged his shoulders before coloring in another picture. “Daddy is always busy, and you didn’t love him to start with…”

            Julia froze, because she knew they only ever tried to show Madison and Mason what a happy home looked like. Her mind did not even focus on what emotions the children actually saw between her and Marcus. They both loved their children, so she assumed the kids could not tell that she did not love their father. When Mason and Madison looked up at her, curious why she stopped talking, she gave them a bright smile before sitting on the floor near them. Confusion and shock made her head a mess, and she rose a hand to her head as she tried to think of a way to explain it to them. Julia honestly thought they did not know.

“Babies…” she started, but Madison shook her head.

“It’s okay, Mommy. We know you and Daddy love us.” Madison replied, her tiny voice wiping away the unease Julia felt. “But Uncle Zach must really like you. He’s been watching us for a while.”

            Regardless of if Zachariah liked her or not, she felt the twins were far too observant for their age. Julia wondered just what the school was teaching her babies for them to know so much about love. For a second, she considered calling the teacher, but thought against it, knowing she cannot stop them from growing up. Instead, she turned to find Zachariah was indeed staring at her once again. Of course, she did not mind it, but as she turned back to her precious twins, she gave a wry smile. Zachariah was sweet, but was he not too young for her? She also has two kids with his brother, so was that not weird?

            The two brown-haired heads in front of her began to argue over the crayons while she zoned out, startling her slightly. She almost forgot she needed to ask them to clean up their toys before Marcus finished up in his study so she could sweep. While she talked to them, she could still feel him watching her as she stood and told the kids what she needed them to do. Sometimes, she would catch him staring at her with a certain heat in his eyes, one she was unfamiliar with coming from the younger man. Julia chewed on her lip as she watched over the children cleaning up; her mind on the gaze behind her.

~~~~~Zachariah~~~~~

            He could watch her all day, he thought as she leaned down to talk with her children. The days turned into weeks since he first came here to live, and he often watched Julia. Zachariah discovered he had more in common with her than he initially thought, especially with music and entertainment. He was happy to learn more about her, and the two were planning to go to the community center soon to play for the kids there. The more he learned about her, the more intrigued he became, but he knew it had something to do with his growing affection for her.

“Oh… well… that’s because Zach is in love with you.” Mason’s words snapped him out of my stupor and he felt his face heat.

            Kids these days, always saying things they do not fully understand, he thought, looking away from the trio. That did not change the fact what Mason said made Zachariah’s heart pound hard in his chest. He knew he found her attractive, but he was sure it was only because she was beautiful. He kept telling himself it had nothing to do with any feelings he harbored towards her, but as he continued to deny it in his head, his eyes drifted back to her. Even when she looked exhausted, he still thought she was beautiful. Just being near her made his heart race and stall at the same time. Honestly, Zachariah did not know if what he felt for her was love or not, but he thought about her often.

            Her beautiful, sparkling green eyes turned to lock with his and he froze under her gaze. She always caught his attention, but those green orbs were so bright and beautiful, he thought they matched her personality perfectly. Zachariah swallowed thickly as their eyes locked before she turned back to tell her children to clean up their toys. Of course, he could not help but watch as she rose to a stand, her long legs bare under the purple sundress she wore. The skirt of the dress fell down to her knees but only accented her shapely calves. He loved to see her wearing those dresses; he thought with a gentle smile.

            Of course, now that he thought of it, he remembered overhearing Marcus complaining to Trevor about how Julia would not spend his money. If that was the case, how did she have brand new dresses to wear? And he knew they were new since he joined her on a shopping trip with Julia the other day while the kids were at preschool. He tilted his head, his gaze still fixed on her beautiful form as she lifted the broom to sweep. Even now, her doing something so mundane; he felt the powerful pull of attraction build in his chest. Was it just physical? He wondered, before shaking his head.

“Does Marcus buy your clothes for you?” He asked, causing her to startle before she turned to face him. “Your dresses are always a name brand, and now that I think about it, so are your other clothes.”

“Oh… um…” She hesitated before walking over to sit next to him on the sofa. “I actually have a job… but don’t tell anyone.”

            Zachariah nodded in response, instantly curious about what this ‘job’ could be. Instead of talking about it like he expected, however, she remained sitting there awkwardly. He waited, hoping she would open up about it, and he could tell she wanted to say something. While waiting, he got absorbed in trying to identify the flower she always smelled like, doing his best to get closer to get another whiff without getting her attention. Right when he got close enough to smell it, though, she turned to look right at him in that moment and, embarrassed, he looked away. Julia could always catch him off guard like that, he thought.

“You see… I have my business I make money with. I don’t want to just live off the money Marcus makes, so the year I got pregnant with the twins, I came up with a business plan…” Julia said, clearly not realizing Zachariah tried to smell her, so he sighed in relief. “It’s a business you may have heard of. ‘Close to Perfection Parenting’ which gives new and veteran parents resources and information all in one place. Marcus is technically an investor and associate I work with for business only. Everything I’ve done for my company came from my money.”

“Wow… wait… I have heard of that. That company is all the rage with the pregnant ladies that work at the college. Wait, doesn’t that make you the CEO?” He said, unable to help but stare at her in amazement. “You BUILT that company when you were pregnant?!”

“Yes, well… I just noticed how spread out the resources were for parents with almost anything, and a lot of amazing products got swept under the rug because people did not know how to find them.” She continued, leaning forward a bit, bringing those sparkling green eyes closer to him. “My company partners with the designers of those products and gives them the publicity they need to sell their own product. I also help designers and inventors meet with companies that can develop their goods. My goal is to help people become better parents by offering them information and products to ease their own lives.”

“You really are amazing. Marcus is such a lucky man.” Zachariah replied, watching as her mouth snapped shut. “Maybe one day I’ll find out what my goal is and can meet a woman like you.”

            His eyes focused on her as she shifted nervously, and he forced himself to swallow past the lump in his throat. Zachariah was sure he would never find a woman as perfect for him as she seemed to be, but she still treated him like a little brother. He was also well aware she did not love her husband, but like his parents, he was sure it would happen at some point. The two were perfect together, after all. He refused to allow himself to step in between them because of something that could be temporary. Teenage hormones were fickle, after all.

            Her floral scent floated around him, causing his heart to pound hard when she leaned closer to look into his face. Does she not realize what doing that to a guy does? Is she really that innocent? These questions filled his mind in shouts before he reminded himself of the truth. She has two kids, twins, so surely, she knows what she is doing. Either that, or it has been a long time since Marcus touched her. That thought made him clench his fists as he stared into her eyes; doing his best not to ask the question. He cannot let these feelings develop any deeper than they are.

“You’ll find your own path soon, Zachariah. It took me a while to find mine but…” Julia replied with a soft smile. “I believe in you.”