Pursuit of Happiness | Taz Skylar [1]

024. genuine motives

Jay was already waiting inside Zoe's apartment when the door swung open and Bree stepped through, Taz only a step behind her. Taz looked tired, but he managed a half-hearted smile for Jay when he spotted his friend sprawled across the couch.

"Did you come straight from the airport or something?" Jay asked, spotted the faint circles underneath Taz's eyes as he watched Taz drop his bag on the floor under one of the stools set up at the breakfast bar.

"'Was worried about her," Taz mumbled, crossing the room until he reached the couch, dropping his hand onto Jay's shoulder to give it an affectionate squeeze. "How is she?"

"Difficult. She keeps complaining that she can't look at screens and that she's bored. She doesn't want to eat anything that's actually good for her. She's like a kid," Jay answered.

Despite his obvious exhaustion and jetlag, amusement danced in Taz's eyes and this time when he smiled, it reached his eyes. "That sounds like her. Why don't you guys go home and relax? I can take over for a bit."

Jay's eyes flickered over to Bree, gauging her reaction to the suggestion. When Bree simply shrugged her shoulders, seeing no issue with it, Jay turned back to Taz, reaching up to tap his shoulder with his hand. "Let me know if you need me to come and take over again."

Taz nodded and as Jay and Bree set about gathering their things, the door to Zoe's bedroom was nudged open and trotting out came a dog, covered from head to toe in curly brown fur. At first, the dog ran into Bree's legs, but before she could lean down to pat the animal, Palkia was moving again, her nails clicking against the hardwood floors as she approached Taz, sniffing at his shoes.

"It'd be from the plane. Who knows what she can smell," Jay remarked, watching with a smile as Taz bent down. He allowed Palkia to sniff at his hands first, but then when she didn't pull away, he ran a hand over Palkia's head and back, feeling her soft fur.

"Her name's Palkia," Bree supplied, watching Taz pat the dog.

Taz hummed quietly in response, his hand still moving across Palkia's back as he lifted his head, looking back up at Bree and Jay. "Go home. I'll be okay for a couple of hours, at least."

Jay still looked worried, but Bree seemed unconcerned as she took Jay's hand and led him out of the apartment. Taz listened to the door click shut behind them before he rose to his feet, walking towards the door that Palkia had nudged open. Nervousness settled deep in Taz's chest as he approached the door, remembering that the last time that Zoe was out of commission like this, it had resulted in their breakup. Taz pushed on regardless, nudging the door open wider with his foot and sticking his head into the room to see if Zoe was awake or asleep.

Zoe was awake, curled up into a ball in the middle of the massive bed that occupied most of the bedroom. Her arms were curled around her pillows and her hair had been left to fan out behind her, likely to keep from adding unnecessary pressure to her injured head. Hearing the door open, Zoe lifted her head and started to smile at him, only to stop halfway through when her brain caught up with what was happening in front of her.