Confined Four Years

Cohabitation

~~~~~Zachariah~~~~~

            Were their parents really that delusional? Zachariah wondered with narrowed eyes. Were they so blind to everything but their own greed? He looked over at Julia, whose eyes still focused on her tablet, but he could tell she was deep in thought. What Marcus said was true. He could move in here and pretend to play the uncle to Sophia when their parents were around, but how did she feel about that? Would she play along with Marcus’s plans? Without her, he could not learn a thing about raising children. Since he heard from Trevor, she was the one that did most of the child rearing.

“How would we get that by our parents?” Julia seemed shocked as she turned to face him finally, her voice carrying a tone of incredulous. “There is no way that it would be because that is a cheaper option. Our families are rich, after all.”

            That was a point Zachariah had not thought of. Just what could they tell them to make it seem like a legitimate reason without involving Sophia? As he considered this, Marcus and Julia sank into thought as well, and Sophia fussed. Julia walked over without a word and lifted her higher in my arms, calming the tiny child instantly. That same floral scent reached his nose, causing his heart to pound hard in his chest, but she did not notice the change with her focus on the baby in his arms. It was clear to Zachariah she loved children a lot, which made him wonder how she could raise her own in the environment she does.

“Your coursework is along the General Studies route, right?” Marcus questioned suddenly, causing Zachariah to startle a little. “If so, I may have a solution.”

“Yeah, I haven’t selected my future career yet, since I really don’t know what I want to do.” Zachariah nodded, taking a seat on the sofa and turning to face him. “What of it?”

“Since you’re undecided, odds are it annoys mom and dad that you have picked nothing yet. If Julia ‘just had’ a baby, it would be the perfect time to see if you want to learn more about them to decide on your career. I’m in business, a CEO to be exact, who has an interest in the stock market.” He continued, making Zachariah confused. “If we tell our parents you are moving in here to learn from us to find your path, it just might work. After all, you could learn a lot of things from both of us.”

            If Zachariah considered it like that, then yes, it would be a good course of action. Julia and Marcus have enough on their plate. If she can teach him how to raise a kid and help him until he finishes college, then it would be a lot easier for him to make it on his own. He will not back down from the challenge, just because it would be difficult. The child in his arms stirred slightly, her tiny mouth moving in her sleep. With some determination and thick skin, he could work through these problems, just like Julia and Marcus. He looked back up at them with a nod, deciding on the spot. Zachariah knew he could not remain the baby of the family forever.

“I’ll call mom and dad. Stay quiet.” He mumbled, passing the baby to Julia while pulling out his phone and pressing the call button on his mother’s phone number. “Hey mom, it’s me.”

“Oh, Zachy! How are you, Sweetie?” After what he learned last night, the sound of his mother’s kindness made him feel sick. “Do you have some good news for us?”

“I wanted to talk to you and dad about something. I’m still trying to decide what I want to do with my life, so I hoped to move in with Marcus and Julia.” He replied as he clicked the phone over to the speaker. “Dad says Marcus is awesome at running the company and you often tell me what a great mom Julia is. If I stay with them, I will figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

“…” For a moment, he expected the worst, and nervously locked eyes with Julia, then Marcus, before he could hear his father’s voice. “That’s a wonderful plan, son! I’m so proud of you for seriously considering your future like this. Marcus also knows a lot about the stock market, so try to learn as much as you can while you’re there. Do you want to ask them, or should your mother and I take care of it?”

“No!” Zachariah shouted before flinching and calming himself down. “No, Trevor told me part of being a man was stepping up myself. I’ll talk to them.”

~~~~~Julia~~~~~

“Some babies are easier to take care of than others.” Julia said, showing Zachariah the proper way to hold Sophia. “You got lucky with her. She seems to be a quiet baby that just wants to be held.”

“Yeah…” He hesitated as he looked down at her cherubic face while she slept. “She’s the first baby I’ve ever held. I didn’t get to see the twins when they were born.”

“Madison and Mason both were just like her. Really tiny but totally adorable.” She replied before breaching the topic she wanted to a few days ago. “So, do you know what happened to Sophia’s mother?”

“Claire? I broke up with her at the end of my senior year. I didn’t know she was pregnant…” His shoulders sagged as though he felt the weight of her death. “When she dropped the baby off, she said, ‘Sophia is your kid, so take care of her. I can’t do it.’ A short while later, her parents called me saying she took her life.”

“I’m so sorry…” Julia whispered while she stood to prepare a bottle. “If there’s anything I can do…”

“I’m okay, Julia. I didn’t love Claire, which is why we broke up.” Zachariah countered as they walked into the kitchen. “I just wish I would have stopped her. Maybe if I knew she couldn’t handle the stress, we could have talked or I could have…”

            Julia sighed, knowing just what he meant. It was hard to learn someone you knew took their own life. Especially with Claire being so young. Julia patted his shoulder as she handed him the bottle and walked over to the fridge to make some lunch. There was only so much one could do to save someone. Usually, the best thing was to recommend they call the hotline, but if they do not let on, they are planning to kill themselves; how are you supposed to help them? Maybe Claire had more on her plate than she let on, which was why she could not handle the stress? Either way, Julia felt for both her and the family she left behind.

“Her death is not your fault, Zachariah.” She continued as she threw together some sandwiches for them. “It’s hard to know the signs of someone you haven’t seen in a while.”

            He did not reply, only moved to lay Sophia gently in her bassinet. Zachariah seemed different from Marcus in that he often revealed his emotions. Julia could easily tell what he thought and could read him like a book for a lot of things. He was definitely sad over the loss of Claire, but it was not the sadness someone experienced because of losing a lover. Thanks to several business associates, Julia could tell the difference, even with most of her meetings being online. There would be this air of sadness, one strong enough to affect those on video. She sighed softly before sitting down to eat her sandwich and glancing over at Zachariah.

            His face was younger than Marcus’s but still held the same diamond shape. When he smiled, she could not help but smile back, and she could tell he legitimately wanted to raise his daughter. Since his parents approved of his moving in with them, the change only took a couple of days, but he mostly slept on the sofa near the bassinet. He shocked her when he said he would get up with the baby at night and insisted she sleep in her room so she could monitor the twins during the day. Another benefit, more to him than Marcus and Julia, since his parents are rich, they got the school to approve completely virtual classes because Zachariah is ‘learning’ from them.

“Is… there something on my face?” His deep voice startled her from her thoughts. “You were staring pretty hard, there, Jewels.”

“Um… Jewels?” She questioned, confused, as he glanced at her. “No, there’s nothing. I simply thought you favor Marcus.”

“Well, I like your name, but you are kind of like a gem. Jewels sounds similar, so I just shortened your name.” Zachariah jerked his head away in embarrassment. “Well, clearly we don’t have the same tastes like I thought we did.”

            The last part of his statement confused her even more, but she can tell it is something he did not want to talk about. Instead of focusing on it, or prying even more, Julia turned her attention back to her food. He may look similar to Marcus, but she knew she needed to keep in mind how young he was. He might want to get out and hang with his friends occasionally, or meet girls. If that was the case, she cannot expect him to help with the baby as much as he was now. Teenagers are finicky, so she needed to keep it in mind. When the two finished their lunch, they went back to the living room with Sophia and sat down. For some reason, the air around them was slightly awkward.

“I hope Marcus isn’t too late tonight.” She mumbled, trying to change the subject. “The kids have been asking if he will be able to come to their school event.”

***

            Just being alone with Julia made Zachariah nervous to where he could not think of what to talk about. His brain supplied topics to discuss, but his mouth would not move to form the words, and his entire body tensed up with anxiety. She is six years older than him, has already graduated college, and, as far as he knew, he had even less in common than her and Marcus. The gap between them just felt too large, regardless of the fact that they were sitting here together. That floral scent of hers seemed to drift up to his nose, making him even less capable of forming a coherent sentence.

“Zachariah, you don’t have to be so tense.” Julia’s smooth voice interrupted his thoughts, making him swallow thickly. “Sophia will pick up on your tension. Just relax.”

“Sorry…” Zachariah mumbled automatically, before trying to relax. “…”

            She sighed before turning on the television to a popular R&B station that he often listened to when he felt stressed. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she tapped her foot in time with the music and hummed the lyrics of the song. Clearly, she knew the tune and loved it, which made him curious. Very few of my friends like this kind of music, but does she? His eyes followed the soft sweep of her eyelashes against her porcelain skin down to her neck, where the golden chain of a necklace rested before following the fine curves of her body. Even for a mom, she still looked amazing, he thought, looking at where her hands rested against her lap. Zachariah’s mind focused on her left hand where the wedding band rested.

            Zachariah still did not understand how his tastes were so different from Marcus’s. Julia is beyond beautiful, to the point she seems almost otherworldly. As if she sensed his gaze, she turned to look at him, causing him to look away nervously. Of course, he had plenty of girlfriends in the past, but none of them quite compared to the woman that became his brother’s wife. She has delicate features that have grown sharper with her age and though part of himself wishes he could be Marcus for a day, another part of himself hates the very thought. He wants her to be happy, and she is not with him, so why does he want to be him?

“Now, it’s my turn.” She giggled before poking his shoulder. “Is there something on my face?”

…No…” He grumbled, crossing his arms. “Just…I’ve always thought you were a really beautiful woman. Even now, you look really pretty.”

            Julia's eyes widened before she started giggling, seeming more like a high school girl than a grown woman. Zachariah’s gut twisted when he realized she did not really see him as a guy, more like a little brother, and this made him a little irritated. He grumbled something about going to the restroom and stepped away, realizing that he ended up more upset than he needed to be. Of course, she would not see him as a man. In her mind, he is still a kid, much like her kid sisters. But he could not help but feel upset by this realization, because he liked her. Maybe it is just a physical attraction, since she was exactly his type, but he can no longer tell the difference.