Page 58 of Yours Temporarily
“Hey, Zee.” I set down my skis and shove my gloved hands into my pockets, hunching against the uneasy weight hanging between us.
She finally faces me when I stand beside her. Her half-hearted attempt at a smile lacks the usual sparkle in her vibrant eyes. “Ready to head back?”
I nod. How’d I get into this mess of an ex and a fake engagement turning far more real than I anticipated?
Zuri’s skis were rentals, which leaves me carrying my set as we navigate through the early skiers bustling into the shop. We make our way to Gavin’s Forester in the lot.
Opening the door for her, I sense her quiet resignation as she slides into the passenger seat. After loading the skis and settling behind the wheel, I kick up the heat, and the blasting air drowns our silence. Then I back out of the nearly empty lot, easily navigating around the dozen or so other vehicles.
“Why did you bring me here if you still want to be with your ex?”
Whoa. Thrown off by the accusation, I draw in a slow breath. “Where’s that coming from?”
“Where do you think? I thought I was supposed to be your buffer. Instead, you used me to attract her attention. Now, you two are laughing like you reconciled. She can’t seem to keep her hands off you, and you’re right there to catch her as soon as she falls.”
My grip tightens on the steering wheel as if I can steer the conversation away from this impending collision. Mom and Sonya’s manipulations are exhausting enough without Zuri losing it on me. “Look, Zee, I’m already stressed with everything. I don’t even see why you’re mad.”
“I’m your fake fiancée. I get it.” She twists the ring on her finger, and it stirs an unexpected reaction.
“I like it when you act jealous.” The words escape me before I can gauge their impact. “No more fake-fiancée act.” At least I’m not the only one falling.
She sits silent, her hands folded and her gaze on the winding road. Then I come to the stop sign before turning on the loop to our cabin, and she huffs. “You may forgive me if the months of hanging around you and kissing you made me get carried away. Some of us have feelings.”
“I do too,” I say. I want to elaborate, but our drive ends too soon when I pull the car in front of the ski cabin. Once I park, she swings open her door and exits with a haste that leaves me trailing, and my attempts to call her back are lost with her retreating footsteps.
I almost catch up at the entrance as the front door closes behind us. But Hope and Gavin, seated at the island with steaming cups, greet us. The warm interior is a stark contrast to the chill settling in my heart.
The kitchen teems with life, pans clanging and food sizzling. The sausage, eggs, and bacon aromas mix with the coffee scent in the air. Despite the feast, my appetite for reconciliation is what needs to be fulfilled. Zuri’s cold shoulder as she asks Hope and Gavin to be excused forecasts a stormy day ahead. How are we to navigate the next three days as a “couple”?
As the day unravels, Zuri ensconces herself in her newfound companionship with Hope, Dad, and Aunt Patty, ignoring me. When she sits far from me during lunch and dinner, my heart clenches. Perhaps she needs a break—it aligns all too well with our departure from the cabin that evening.
Yet, this perceived need for distance doesn’t deter me from gravitating toward her in the back seat. There’s ample space, yet I scoot to the middle seat to close the gap between us, to bask in her presence and the subtle fragrance that is uniquely hers.
This proximity, while soothing, is equally agonizing when she drifts off to sleep, her head finding rest on my shoulder. Her warmth seeping in through my flannel is a bittersweet torment I willingly endure.
The spell breaks as we pull up to Hope’s house. Zuri awakens, her movements quick and disoriented. She pats down her rumpled hair, a soft murmur of apology escaping over her unintentional closeness.
“I wasn’t complaining,” I say as she tears out of the car and rushes for the sidewalk. No, I can’t let her leave like this. I need to bridge whatever gap has formed between us, to reassure her no apology is necessary for such a tender, fleeting connection. But she’s gone. I slide into the front passenger seat before we back out of the driveway.
“Whatever you did to Zuri must be really bad.” Gavin guides the car on the narrow road to his house.
“Playing pool with Sonya last night wasn’t my best idea.” I grip the back of my neck.
“You got your answer.” Gavin must be revisiting our conversation from last night. “That’s your cue she’s into you. A fake fiancée wouldn’t be bothered when you hang out with your ex.”
I don’t have to say anything because that makes sense.
For the first time, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s dinner at Mom’s house. Zuri will talk to me the moment Mom’s cold welcome sets her uneasy. It’s a lousy thought, but what choice do I have?
But the next day, we don’t have to pick up Hope and Zuri to drive with them to Mom’s house. Hope’s friends and bridesmaids drive them and join us that evening. I only get a fleeting hello from Zuri. With Mom disregarding her manipulative seating chart tonight, Zuri sits with Hope and her new friends at the long table by the fireplace. Her avoidance stings more than I care to admit, a silent rebuke for yesterday’s missteps.
At least, I’m seated next to Gavin, and Aunt Patty’s on the other side of Gavin with Dad and Mom across from us. With nine of us at a table for twelve, a few empty chairs remain between us and where Lucky and Sonya have seated themselves at the end of the table. After returning from the cabin, some people needed a break and went back to their homes, intending to return to the wedding at the event center rather than stay the night.
Now, servers carry loaded trays of food and place platefuls before us. My mother stands and summons everyone’s attention. The murmurs turn to silence.
“Gavin is going to, um, pray for us.” Despite the day’s adventures, her hair is perfectly in place. “You’re the reason we’re gathered here tonight.”
A silence descends upon both tables as he prays. A few collective amens resound afterward, so I’m glad to add mine now that I know why people pray before eating.