Let Love Win

Chapter 20 - Zeek

When she unwrapped the second bow that contained the bracelet, she ran upstairs to her room. I looked over at Monty and she was looing after her, seeming to contemplate whether or not she should go after her and see what's wrong. Mel looked just as confused as I felt. No one was helping to ease my fear that she was pissed at me for whatever reason.

I looked to where she left and started to feel really bad for whatever I did that may have set her off. I locked eyes with  Mel and I could tell from her expression that she was silently trying to get me to go after her. I took a deep breath and braced myself to be screamed at when I got there. I slowly stood from the couch and grabbed the other present that I'd bought for her yesterday. Maybe I could use it to diffuse tension. I made my way over to the stairs and started ascending to her room.

When I reached the door, I took another deep breath and knocked quietly. I stepped closer to the door to see if I could hear any specific reaction from her, but nothing came from the room. I knocked again and gripped the handle. "Hadley, are you in here?" I called in, cautiously turning the handle on the door. I peered my head in and didn't see her anywhere. I looked back and forth in the room and found the courage to step in the room, closing the door behind me. "Hadley?"

All of a sudden, I was pulled to the side by an arm and kissed forcefully. I immediately responded, knowing it was only Hadley that could be kissing me right now, and of course by the way my toes curled like every time I kissed her. Maybe I was wrong about what she thought of the bracelet. Maybe she really liked it and was no rewarding me with grateful birthday sex. I slipped my hands down her arms to the bottom of her back and her arms moved to wrap around my neck. She pulled me tighter to her for a second, but then she pulled away quickly.

She reached around with her hand and slapped the back of my head. "What the hell?" she whisper-yelled. I guess I was wrong for thinking I was wrong, if that makes any sense.

I stood there in utter confusion for a second before any coherent thought formed in my head. "What the hell do you mean what the hell?" I asked finally, trying my hardest not to sound too abrasive.

"You're just...oh my God."

"Can you tell me exactly what is going on?"

"Honestly, no. I really can't because I don't even know what's going on."

"So why don't we just go and sit on the bed and see if we can talk through it?"

She scrunched her eyebrows together as if she was thinking hard about the suggestion. She nodded and I took her hand in mine walking over to her bed on the other side of the room. I sat down beside her on the bed and looked at her, waiting for her o start talking, feeling like if I tried to start up the conversation she would shut me out.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't hate you if that's what you've been thinking the whole time down there," she said while shaking her head.

"It's ok, don't worry about that," I answered. "I'm more concerned about you. Are you ok?"

"Its been a weird day." I looked at her with one eyebrow raised in question and she just rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't know, I feel girly today, it's gross. I got all dressed up and I'm actually wearing makeup. I went from feeling like I was leaving and having to live on my own this morning to having a permanent family that I get to stay with for the rest of my life. And then I opened that and...I don't really know. I don't usually like stuff like that but its really pretty. And you probably spent a fortune on it and you got it just for me and it's just..." She sat up and looked straight into my eyes, the walls that were usually up, coming down before me. "I dig you so much."

I smiled warmly at her answer to my question, but internally I was jumping for joy. I was right the second time, she was happy with the gift. "You know it's ok to feel like that, right?"