FINE LINE - Zion Kuwonu

xxvi

//ZION\\

The guys and I stumble out from the Uber in high spirits, having perfected the song I've metaphorically spewed my guts with. Brandon nudges me harshly out of nowhere as Ed clears his throat. I give them both a confused look and once I get the hint, look over next door to see a couple of tall figures stumble through the door. The sight is ironically reminiscent of just a few seconds ago, but this time my heart is dropping in my chest, feelings of elevation long forgotten when I spot a certain head of black hair and tattooed arms at the front of the group. T is saying her goodbyes to the Australians, hugging her best friend before she notices us, or presumably me over Ashton's shoulders. Fuck, even when I'm confused and mildly angry all I can focus on in the moment is how cute she looks and how much I've missed her. My head snaps back into focus, the others nod at us in greeting before they're gone. We're left standing on opposing sides of the fence, the brunette shuffles awkwardly before taking calculated steps closer, her hands wrapped around herself. I'm half tempted to leap over the wooden barrier before my actions holt and I reevaluate that instinct. Teddy nods at the others in greeting before her eyes meet mine, "We should talk, you wanna go for a drive?".

//TEDDY\\

My hands grip the steering wheel to somewhat ground myself, the car silent as we make our way to the familiar destination. My mind inevitably wonders, my stomach's full, head somewhat eased by the past couple of hours of familiarity of old friends and laughter. My heart though, ever so non complainant, is drumming to what I come to realise is the jittery tapping of Zion's hand on his thigh. I grab his hand to halt his actions without thought, when his head snaps in my direction I immediately retract back to my side of the car.
We sit in an electrified silence once I've parked.

"I've kissed someone else" my confession hangs in the air for a moment. My best friend sighs, leaning back against the balcony where we've escaped to with the excuse of a quick one on one catch up away from the others. Ashton nods, "Zion, right" the words aren't formed as a question but I nod anyway. "And? How does that make you feel" his facial expression is a mixture of mock serious curiosity but the words are sincere. So, I find myself looking off into the distance as I ponder "initially, it was fine...not like the kiss..or kisses were just fine. But, there was a certain calmness after, until I was alone with my thoughts obviously. And I started thinking about how he's not only my friend but my neighbour and we were so good before, that feelings might just fuck it up." Ash cuts off my rambles "but that hasn't stopped you from feeling what you feel though, am I right?" He's awfully proud of himself. "I just, I didn't want this for myself. I wasn't looking for it. It just happened" my words lack in sense but he nods, encouraging me to continue and so they spill on.

"Teddy!" The large hands shaking my shoulder snap my mind out of its reverie. "I'm sorry...just, got lost in my head there for a minute" is the poorly worded explanation I give the dread head. My mind is mentally scalding the obvious staring which follows, but I continue to analyse his body for any kind of changes since the last time we were parked on this hill a week ago. "I guess we should talk" I awkwardly clear my throat. He goes to interrupt before I lift my hand. "Let me start. Mostly by saying this: I'm sorry for leaving. The timing couldn't of sucked more but...I was just overwhelmed and began spiralling from then. Not that any of that was your fault or anything you said or did" I emphasise and continue to ramble on. "It's just, I'm sorry, for being an inconsiderate jerk" the rant ends ever so poetically. The words are met by a prolonged spout of silence in which I seriously consider leaping out the window. "I wrote you a song." The words are not the expected response, my head snaps up to meet a pair of unsure brown eyes. I nod, "I want you to listen to it before you say what I think you might. It took a few days but I had the time...y'know, with you in a different time zone' he adds. I deserved that. "Okay" I nod and then Zion is scrambling, reaching into his back pocket and emerging with a memory stick in his palm. I hesitate but take the leap and eject it into the sound system, heart pounding. Oh god what if I'm about to listen to a diss track?! My mind panics. My own voice greets me unexpectedly in recording.

Hey, Um..sorry about last night. I think I just need some time to really figure out what I want. Uhh, thank you for always being there for me. I...bye.

The song follows and travels through speakers.
My heart somersaults sporadically before I feel it heavily constrict in my chest as Zion's gentle voices reaches a varied tempo.

yeah, I'm really tired of being soft-spoken
You got me broken, writing songs about you daily and it's messing with my focus
You fuck with him, but we both realize that he was bogus
I'm the one for you, so why do I feel like I go unnoticed
I'm talking more than clothes hittin' floors
We're falling off track, but not the rack like a chore
oh, look, another butterfly, I feel it in my core
Even though you ain't mine, it's the fact that I'm yours
It's the fact that my life ain't complete without yours
It's the fact that at night I be tryna ignore
Catching overseas flights just to knock on your door
'Cause you put my planet in orbit
Star girl, your body's so solar
Promise you, baby, I'm sober
Just wait 'til you give in and finally come over
I can't wait to tell you, "I told ya, I told ya, I told ya"

I stare into his eyes across the console. I'm unsure who takes the first step and intertwines our hands. "I've been waiting."' His voice is charged. "I think...I've been waiting since the moment I met you"' that statement is all it takes for my smaller body to leap across. Hands around his neck, mouth moulding against his with intent, body's fitting as if they belong in the dents and crevices of the other. "I...fuck you drive me crazy" I breathe the confession against his lips, leaning against his forehead. "I don't know how or when it happened. I was content to settle in this new neighbourhood and to avoid a house that's too big and empty for one person, avoiding it with work trips and travelling to my hearts content. But at some point seeing you, exchanging texts and phone calls or leaping head first into any kind of adventure as long as you were beside me...it started to feel more like coming home than that house ever has" my words are accentuated my nervous hands playing with his hair before I finally settle them on his shoulders. Zion's smile is blinding, it causes my heart to stutter as he leans over and places multiple kisses all over my face until we're both laughing in delighted delusion. "You're my home too" his words as whispered like a secret, breath warm against my collarbone as his hands travel under the soft fabric of my shirt. We exhale simultaneously.

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I think I teased yall enough for thissss
Also ya gal got a job so I'm positing as much as I can before work gets inevitably in the way