Chapter Twenty Two – Zane

As I finish waxing off the latest job I’ve completed in what has actually been a pretty steady line of work for someone who’s new to the business, I feel an intense sense of satisfaction. The first thing I did was do my own bike up so I can leave it out the front as a point of advertising, then I created a strong online presence, and because of that I’ve definitely made enough cash to pay my bills for the next couple of months which is awesome.

And most of all, I’m happy. That’s all I’ve really cared about from the start. The money is to keep me going, the pride and happiness that I feel when it all comes together cannot be beaten. I absolutely love it.

I wipe my hand across my forehead, trying to get rid of the sweat but probably replacing it with a smear of something else instead, but I don’t care. Luckily for me, this isn’t a position where image is everything and I have to make sure that I look good all the time. It’s absolutely fine for me to be a bit of a grease monkey.

Now that I’m done, it’s time to make some calls, to let the owner of this beautiful machine know that I’m done with it, and to sort out some more business too. I’ll also have to do some paper work which is the part of this that I’m not so keen on. But that’s okay. Once I’m really established I’ll be able to hire someone to work in the office side of the business with me, taking care of all the admin. Hell, I might even have a couple of people working in the front with me to keep up with demand. They’ll need a lot of training to get to my standards, but I’ll make it work. I’m confident now, even more so than before, that this is what my life has been missing. It feels good. I’ve found a way to fill the hole and nothing else matters. It really doesn’t matter what my parents think anymore.

“Hello?” As soon as I step inside and I take a deep sigh while I try and work out where to begin, a beautiful soft voice grabs my attention. My body immediately suspects who it might be, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. “I hope it’s okay that I came to see you. I had a job interview just around the corner and I wanted to say hi.”

I turn slowly, trying to brace myself. I haven’t seen Leah since I heard that she broke up with Patrick, and to be honest I’ve been too busy to think too much about it. Of course, she’s always been there in the back of my mind, she isn’t going anywhere in that respect, but I haven’t made any effort. Yet now, she’s here to see me.

Leah looks breath-taking as well. Her cropped hair is straightened smartly down the sides of her face, she has a natural looking make up on that really makes her eyes pop, and she’s wearing a white blouse and a smart black pencil skirt. She looks like a damn wet dream come to life right in front of me.

“Oh, hi, Leah.” I try to keep my tone neutral, but it wavers a bit. “You had a job interview, huh?”

“Yeah, I did, at the printing factory around the corner. They’re looking for someone to man the phones.”

“Oh, I see.” I don’t see at all. “But don’t you already have a job? I thought you were in an office…”

“I was, but I quit because it was a toxic environment. I started to realize that it didn’t excite me anymore and that I want more from my life. I can’t stick around those gossipy bitches forever, it drives me mad.”

I wonder if she’s partly talking about Patrick as well as she says this. He didn’t excite her, I told her that the first time I saw her again. She didn’t have any spark in her eyes, there wasn’t a fire in her belly, she had been dulled. I don’t think it’s fully back yet, but I can see it creeping up through her and it’s nice.

“So, printing? That’s your new passion is it? I don’t know if I see it myself…”

“No, no.” She giggles and shakes her head. “No, that’s just another part time job. I’m actually taking an online college course since I didn’t get to go the first time around.” I wonder if this is because of Brandon and the family’s lack of money. Leah certainly had the smarts to go to college so there must have been something major to stop her. She won’t say that though. “I’m trying to make things better by playing the long game.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to study?”

“I have actually.” She smiles to herself, her eyes filling with a happy sparkle. “Creative Writing.”

“Wow, that’s really something.” I’m a little blown away by this. “That sounds awesome.”

“I haven’t told Brandon or my mom yet, so please don’t say anything. I don’t know if they’ll understand that I want to do something creative, but I really feel like this might be right for me. I didn’t just make a snap decision, I thought about it for ages, agonizing over my choice, and this is the one I landed on.”

“I’m sure Brandon will understand…” I start, but will he? He doesn’t really get what I’m doing and I’m not even related to him. He feels responsible for Leah. It’ll be different for her. “In the end, anyway.”

“Yeah, I hope so. I just want to keep it all to myself for a while until I’m settled, you know?”

I nod, silently agreeing with her that actually that’s probably the best plan. Once she’s in the middle of her decision, there isn’t anything that anyone can say to take it away from her. Plus, hopefully when they all see how happy she is, they won’t want to. Creative writing might really be the thing to bring her to life.

“So, the printing job thing is just to keep you going? I hope you get it then.”

“Actually…” An adorable looking blush fills her cheeks. “They liked me so much that they offered me the job on the spot, and I know they can be pretty adaptable with hours too, so it works for me.” She bites down on her bottom lip making me wish it was my skin beneath her teeth. “So, I guess we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

My heart stops dead, of course, we will! If I’m here all the time, living and working here, and Leah is working just around the corner, then we’re bound to spend time with one another. In a totally innocent, friendship way that no one can get mad at. It’ll give us a chance to really get to know one another again…

“You’ll have to come and have your lunch break with me when you are working,” I say with a chuckle. “It gets pretty lonely here working all by myself, no one in the world to talk to…”

Leah rolls her eyes, knowing that I’m joking about the last part. “I think I will, you know. But I can’t imagine you have time to get lonely here. You’ve got everything that you ever wanted. This is your dream.”

“Shall I show you around?” I grow excited by the idea of actually showing the place to someone who seems to have nothing but enthusiasm for me. I know most people understand why I’m doing this, but Leah does.

“Oh, yeah that would be awesome. I’m free for the afternoon now so I have all the time in the world…”

Her words cause a funny stirring within me. Why has she told me that? She must want me to know that she’s got nowhere to be. Could that possibly be because she wants to spend time with me? I don’t want to push her into anything before she’s ready, but if she wants me… well, who the hell am I to resist? A giant smile spreads across my lips and I feel a stirring in my underwear. Me and Leah can feel like we’re alone here, even if we aren’t. no one can really see us unless they’re trying to. It’s like having our own little world.

“Come on, then. Let me show you. This, obviously, is the office area, but I do wish that it could be tidier. I guess eventually one day I’ll need to hire a receptionist to sort it out for me…”

For a brief second, I put Leah in the role in my mind. My brain immediately drags up all sorts of fantasies of us turning this into our private little sex dungeon, but I immediately toss the idea out. Talk about pushing things too quickly! Also, I can’t really afford to pay her at the moment, and it would quickly get very intense.

“Erm, let me take you out into the yard. I’ll show you what I’ve just been working on.”

Leah is the right level of impressed as I show her my creation. I can tell that she doesn’t fully get it, not being a biker chick herself, but that doesn’t matter. Her words of praise are like music to my ears. I like her thinking that I’m something worthwhile, especially because she’s seeing the real me, the person who I want to be. She doesn’t care that I’m not out there changing the world, I’m just making my world comfortable and happy.

It doesn’t take long before I take things up a notch and I invite her up to the apartment to see it. Now it really has become home, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world. I am happy to give up all the space in the world for here. My parent’s mansion is nothing compared to this.

“Oh, my goodness. I love it!” Leah declares enthusiastically as she steps inside. “It’s really awesome here. It’s how I want my home to be once I get a place of my own.”

She hasn’t mentioned Patrick yet, and although I know that I shouldn’t, I can’t help myself. I guess I just want to address it to see if I can get anything from her. Maybe I can get an inkling of what she’s thinking about me. As she takes a look about, I find a seat on the couch, and soon she sits next to me.

“By yourself?” I ask, innocently enough. “Not with that boyfriend of yours?”

I watch her expression fall, immediately feeling bad. “Patrick already has a home of his own, but it won’t be one that I’m ever sharing with him.” She breathes out a deep huff. “Since we aren’t together anymore.”

It’s really hard, but I do what I can to keep my expression neutral. “Oh, that is a shame. Sorry to hear it.”

“No, you aren’t.” Her temper flares a little, very unexpectedly. “You were the one who told me that I didn’t want to be with him because he bored me. You were the one who made me realize that I want more.”

Oh… I don’t know if she meant to say that, but it came out regardless. The words flew out of her mouth like accusatory bullets and I’ve caught and relished every single one. If I’ve made her do anything, it means my opinion is important to her or she wouldn’t take any notice of me. She really does give a shit.

“I am sorry that your relationship ended,” I reply coolly. “Even if I didn’t think that it was right for you. The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy. You don’t deserve that. And I’m also sorry if you blame me. Even if it came off that way, I wasn’t ever trying to be a dick. I just saw that you were flat and that you needed more from life.” I give her a one shouldered shrug. “I suppose I’ve never been great at keeping my opinion inside, that’s all.”

Leah looks at me suspiciously. She’s breathing heavily, almost as if she has no control over herself anymore. I brace myself, half expecting the worst. Then all of a sudden, she leaps on me…