Page 55 of The Little Things

The moment the sugary, caffeinated beverage hit my tongue, I knew I’d been wrong. There was nothing mediocre about the coffee at all. It was... sublime. There was no other word to describe it. If the coffee was this good, I couldn’t wait to try the almond croissant I’d ordered as well. But I liked the idea of making him sweat a little before giving him my reaction.

Doing my best to keep my eyes from rolling back in my head as I took another delectable sip, I made a show of holding it in my mouth like a sip of wine I was tasting for the first time before slowly swallowing it.

“Well?” he finally prodded when he had enough of my silence. “What do you think?”

Living in L.A. for so long had made me a good enough actress that he bought it when I lifted my shoulder in a shrug and mumbled, “Meh, it’s okay, I guess. I’ve had better.”

He looked downright crestfallen, and it took everything in me not to burst into laughter. “Are you kidding me?” he asked loud enough to draw the attention of people strolling along the sidewalk around us. “This is the best coffee in the entire state, and you think it’s just meh?” He raked a hand through his hair. “Oh my God. My girlfriend has terrible taste.”

Man, he was cute when he was flustered and distraught. I couldn’t keep up the charade any longer. My lips curled upward.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you messin’ with me?”

I nodded on a tiny laugh. “I am. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. It was just too tempting.”

“You little jerk,” he said, but there wasn’t an ounce of venom in his voice as he pulled me to his side and slammed his lips against mine in a quick, demanding kiss. “I thought you were serious. What do you really think?”

I took another sip, unable to stop myself. If it wasn’t so hot I probably would have chugged it down by now. “It’s so good,” I admitted on a groan. “Like, seriously, Zach. I think this is the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. I want to find the creator of this liquid gold and pledge my life to them. I’m talking bend the knee and promise to give my life for theirs.”

He chuckled, shaking his head at my ridiculousness. “Christ, you’re cute.” He went in for another kiss, but before his mouth fused with mine a shrill voice full of rage and hatred shot through the air. “Heathen! You’re gonna burn in hell, sinner!”

Zach’s entire body locked up. He was frozen solid like he’d been encased in a block of ice. Worry replaced the happiness that had been filling me when I noticed all the color had drained from his face.

“Zach?” His eyes got this strange, far off look as he focused on something over my shoulder. It was like he hadn’t heard me. “Zach,” I repeated, sharper this time, causing him to blink out of it. “Who is that?”

The muscle in his jaw ticked as he ordered, “Get in the truck, Rae.”

“God’s gonna strike you down! You’re wicked, you hear me? Wicked!”

I started to turn my head to look over my shoulder at who was suddenly causing a scene, but Zach’s arm fell from my waist and he grabbed hold of my arm tightly, almost to the point of pain. “Truck, Rae,” he barked, using a voice I’d never heard him use before. “Get in the goddamn truck now.”

I caught sight of a woman screaming the vile epithets as Zach hauled me to the truck he’d parked along the sidewalk outside the coffee shop. She was raging against the man trying to hold her back. Her stringy brown hair flew every which way, partially blocking her face, but I could see how red she’d gotten; I could see the hate filling her eyes as she fought against the man’s hold. Her arms and legs flailed, reminding me of a crazed, feral animal, and it looked like she was trying to break free to get to Zach.

He picked me up and stuffed me into the passenger seat unceremoniously before slamming the door so hard the truck wobbled on its frame. I could still hear the woman’s screams as Zach booked it around the hood of the car to the driver’s side. He was breathing like he just ran a marathon as he threw himself behind the wheel and cranked the engine.

“Zach, talk to me,” I pleaded, panic gripping my chest as he wrenched the wheel around and hit the gas pedal so hard the tires squealed and the whole cab lurched forward. I braced one hand on the dashboard to keep from slamming into it and used the other to yank my seatbelt around me and snap it into place. “Please, baby. You’re scaring me.”

I looked over at his profile and barely recognized the man sitting beside me. He was pale and sweaty, every muscle pulled so taught it looked like a small breeze might make him shatter into a million pieces. “What’s going on? Who was that woman?”

He remained silent, the muscle in his jaw fluttering so wildly I worried he might crack all of his molars. I wanted to keep pushing, but I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere. I sank down in my seat and the anxiety in my belly churned.

It wasn’t until he turned onto the lane leading to the ranch that he slowed the truck to a reasonable speed. He pulled up in front of my cabin a few minutes later, throwing the truck into park and staring out the windshield almost in a daze as he choked the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip.

I unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly reached for the handle. “Are—are you coming in?” We needed to talk. I’d only ever seen him like this once before. The day at the grocery store. And he’d shut down on me afterward. I couldn’t stand the thought of that happening again, of him closing himself off and shutting me out. I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

“Got somewhere to be.” He never once looked in my direction, his tone devoid of all emotion. He sounded like a robot. This was déjà vu all over again.

“I think you should come inside,” I said. “I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” To drive home the point that he wouldn’t be joining me, he threw the truck into gear and kept his foot pressed down on the brake as he waited for me to get out. My heart dropped to my feet as I pushed the door open and climbed out. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I turned to look back into the cab of the truck. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and was tearing my heart into tiny pieces. Zach was hurting, the agony and pain was rolling off him in waves. But he didn’t want my help.

The instant I shut the door, he took off, sending dust and gravel spitting up from his tires, leaving me despaired and worried sick.

I didn’t know where Zach had gone after he dropped me off at my cabin, but it hadn’t been back to his house. After a few hours of frantic pacing, helplessness weighing heavily on my shoulders, I walked over to the barn to see if he was there, but there was no sign of his truck. It wasn’t at the lodge either.

I called and texted, but each call went straight to voicemail and all my messages showed they were delivered but not read. I thought about heading to his special spot to see if that was where he was, but I wasn’t familiar enough with the route we’d taken earlier that day to get there on my own.

The sun had long since dipped behind the mountains surrounding the town when I finally had enough. I couldn’t stand it any longer. The secrets, the silence, the closed off zombie he’d become. Pulling my phone out, I scrolled through my contacts and tapped the screen when I got to the one I needed.