The Cookie Lady [Complete]

15

| After Taylor Dinner, Car Ride |

The awkward silence of the car ride became unbearable, causing Zac to grab her hand interlocking them together, Fatima glanced at him with a smile.

Finally breaking the silence. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, it was a heat of the moment thing, and I felt like you weren't listening to me. I just wanted you to understand that being at a motel when you don't have to doesn't seem smart. You said he has connections, so who is to say, he won't find you at some vacant motel, and snatch you like a thief in the night?"

"I just don't wanna depend on you, that's it."

"Okay but me telling you, that you are not, is not depending on me. You are just being stubborn."

She scoffed. "Whatever."

Zac looked in the rearview mirror as he saw Junior fast asleep with his iPad on. "I just feel like you so quick to shoot the idea down that you not even thinking logically. I literally just told you safety as a concern reason, but if you wanna go to a motel, then so be it. I don't wanna argue about your safety when it's evident I care about it more than you do."

"But it's not about what you want Zac, it's about what I am comfortable with."

Zac looked at her before his eyes went back to the road. "Comfortable? You would rather sleep in a roach infested, nasty carpet, outdated TV room over a guest bedroom in my home?" He asked. "Okay, if that is what you want, I am not gonna push it no more."

"Again...if you were listening to me Zachary, you would realize it's more than that. I don't wanna move too fast that I start getting comfortable. I just wanna make my own decisions and whatever happens or doesn't happen will be on me, not anybody else."

"Okay." Zac said letting the conversation go. "Pack ya stuff up I guess and I will take you to a hotel, I am not putting you in no damn motel."

"Zac..."

"No Fatima!" He voiced with some bass. "If you want me to be okay with this dumb idea then you need to compromise. I just want three things from you."

"3 things?"

"Let me take you to a hotel and pay for it, you gotta take one of my cars just in case, and you gotta text me every hour on the hour." He stated more so joking at the last request.

"Every hour on the hour? How am I supposed to do that?" She asked smiling at him.

"No idea. Text from your dreams I guess." He shrugged as they pulled into his home. Zac opened the door for Fatima before he made his way back to the car, waiting for her to return. 20 minutes later, Fatima was returning back outside with a suitcase. Zac helped her with the suitcase before opening her door.

Pulling up to the 5 star, Candler Hotel, they had the luggage boy fetch the suitcase while Zac, Fatima, and Junior headed to the front desk.

"Can I get a suite for 7 days please?" Zac asked the lady as he pulled out his wallet. Junior still asleep as he lays flush with Fatima's shoulder. After paying for the room and walking off the elevator, all three were now in a spacious suite.

"You didn't have to pay for it." Fatima said breaking the silence, neither of them ushered a word since they left the house, almost an hour ago. Both caught staring at each other but neither muttering to say anything as they engulfed themseleves in their own emotions.

"Okay." He said plainly, over the entire night. He just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

"Hey." She said walking up to him. "Please don't be mad at me." She rubbed her hands through his soft beard, every mans weakness.