Meeting L.J.
1279 Words
It wasn’t until morning before Zara woke up, and she knew because of the sun that streamed through the curtains, bathing her face in soft golden light. She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut against the brightness and the pounding in her head.
Her mouth was dry, her body heavy with the familiar feel of a hangover, and her temples throbbed with a massage headache.
Turning her head slightly, she spotted a small bottle of water and two Tylenol tablets sitting on her nightstand.
A faint smile curved her lips. Lucy, she thought, reaching for the pills. Her best friend always knew what she needed, even when Zara barely knew herself. She must have left this there for her when she saw how drunk she was.
Popping the pills into her mouth and chasing them down with a long gulp of water, Zara sighed in relief.
This is why Lucy’s the best, she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
Standing up was an effort, but Zara managed it, shuffling her way out of her room to the bathroom. Once inside, she opened the cabinet and grabbed a towel before tugging the oversized dress over her head.
The fabric reeked of alcohol, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. She balled it up and tossed it into the laundry hamper before stepping into the shower.
Hot water cascaded over her, soothing her aching muscles and washing away the remnants of the night before. But the events at the restaurant came crashing back, unbidden.
“I can’t stand how you dress, how you act. You’re embarrassing to be around sometimes. I can’t show you off to my colleagues because they would laugh at me.”
Allen’s voice rang in her ears, sharp and condescending, each word a dagger aimed straight at her pride.
All those thing he had said had been so cruel, it had made her feel small, it had made her feel like she was not even human.
“That bastard,” she muttered under her breath, scrubbing at her skin as if she could erase him entirely.
“Then maybe you need to change the way you dress.” Zara muttered to herself, but she wasn’t sure what was that bad in wearing comfortable clothes, ones that didn’t have to clung to her skin or show her curvy shape, as long as they were comfortable.
She would choose comfort over fashion, really. But then, she reminded herself that Lucy had told her that some clothes were both comfortable and fashionable. Maybe she was going to have to talk to her about helping her shop for those clothes.
By the time she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel, she felt lighter. Not great, but better. She grabbed another towel for her hair, twisting it up as she made a mental note to tackle the laundry before her shift later.
She felt like just staying home and just watching some sad rom-com and probably cry herself to sleep, but money wasn’t going to make itself.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Zara froze in her tracks.
The door to Lucy’s room was open, but it wasn’t Lucy that stepped out of the room.
It was a man.
A shirtless man.
A very handsome, shirtless man.
Zara’s eyes widened as she took him in, her gaze briefly; and she prayed not obviously… traveling over his tight abs and six perfectly sculpted muscles. His skin was golden, his shoulders broad, and his arms flexed as he folded them across his chest. He had a grin on his face, a cocky one, and something about him seemed familiar.
“Huh… sorry. Who are you?” she asked, her voice a little shaky. Her brain scrambled to figure out why a guy this hot was in Lucy’s room.
Her first thought: Lucy brought him home after her shift. But then she remembered Lucy had been on a double shift at the hospital last night.
The man’s grin deepened as he unfolded his arms, giving her a better view of a distinctive birthmark on his upper shoulder. Zara squinted, her mind racing until it clicked.
“Holy s**t. L.J.?” she asked, the uncertainty reflecting in her voice.
He smiled, and the familiarity of it slammed into her.
Without thinking, because thinking wasn’t her strong suit when she was surprised, Zara closed the distance between them, flunging herself toward him and pulling him into a hug. “Oh my god!” she said, reaching up on tiptoe to ruffle his hair like she had done so many times when he was younger.
Lennox stiffened, clearly startled, but after a moment, his hands came to rest loosely on her waist. That was when he realized two things at once: one, her waist was small, so she didn’t have a big belly like he thought she was hiding under that big dress of hers, and two, her towel was slipping.
And Zara realized something, too; Lennox wasn’t fifteen anymore. He was now a grown ass man who was hard all over, his body all muscles up.
Pulling back abruptly, she tightened the towel around her and took a step back, her cheeks flaming. “Sorry! I… uh… I just…” she stammered, feeling awkward suddenly.
He laughed, the sound low and warm, and for a moment, she forgot how to speak.
“Nice to see you too, Zara,” he said, the grin still playing on his lips.
She cleared her throat, trying to recover. “When did you get back?” she asked.
“Last night. I brought you home with Lucy.” He said.
Zara pushed her brows up. “Oh, you did.” She said, feeling embarrassed. “I hope I didn’t do anything I need to apologize for?” she asked and he shook his head, waving her concern off.
After a moment of saying nothing, she said. “Well… you’ve grown up.”
“So have you,” he said, his gaze flickering over her briefly before he looked away, and a faint hint of red touching her cheeks.
“I can’t believe you’re back. Lucy didn’t mention anything about you coming home.” She said.
Lennox shrug. “So you both talk about me, huh?” he asked and when she smiled and shook her head, he said. “Anyway, I didn’t tell anyone I was coming back.”
“Oh, I see. How long are you staying for?” She asked.
“I’m back to stay permanently, Zara. You’re in for a long term disappointment, if you hope I leave again.” He said with a teasing smile.
Zara smiled, shaking her head, and waving her hand, the awkwardness she felt before, all melted away.
Although, Zara was acutely aware of the fact that she was still in a towel, and Lennox was, well, very shirtless.
“Did you use the Tylenol I left you?” Lennox asked and Zara dropped her mouth open.
“You left that for me? I could have sworn it was Lucy.” She said and he smiled, lifting his very broad shoulder.
“I thought you would need it, so I…” a phone ringing somewhere stopped him mid sentence, and he locked his lips, looking over his shoulder to the room behind him, then he said. “I have to get that. I should be out of your hair soon.”
With that, he left Zara standing there, and walked back into Lucy’s room. Zara stood there, looking at him, then she told herself to snap out of it, and then she also walked to her room.
- Writer
