Page 51 of Just for Fun
Kyle grabs me by the arm, and we start walking toward what I hope is the exit.
“How many years?”
My heart is racing and my head is a mess. “How many years what?” I ask.
Kyle walks us with confidence to one of the cashiers. He places the two items on the counter and waits for her to scan them.
“How many years have you worked there?”
My eyes are fixed on the cashier. She is young and very pretty, and I am pretty sure she is in the process of starting a conversation with Kyle.
“Anything else I can get for you?” she asks in a breathy tone. I swear she just pushed her chest out, too.
Kyle, to his credit, only gives her a polite smile. He nods and taps his card on the reader, not even waiting for the receipt to pop out. He grabs the plastic bag containing the two items he just purchased, then he takes me by the hand, and we walk out.
The traffic is a lot busier than it was when we walked in. Cars are flying by, and I realize that I have to walk back to the parking lot of the restaurant where me and Kyle were supposed to have breakfast this morning. Everything is such a fiasco now.
In the corner of my eye, I notice a couple of the fire trucks leaving the station with the lights on, the siren echoing all around us. I am ashamed to admit that I feel a bit relieved by that because it means that my brother won’t be waiting for me to ask about Kyle.
“My car is over there.” I point to it, a small sniffle of despair escaping the back of my throat. My emotions are all over the place. I am not ready for Kyle to drop me off at the car and leave, and I am also not prepared to face my boss and explain to him why I’m late.
I am so into my own thoughts that I don’t realize Kyle is not taking me to my car. By the time it registers, we are walking across the lot that is on the other side of the restaurant.
“Uh, Kyle?” I tug at the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “My car was the one back there.”
I try to point toward the area in question, but he doesn’t stop walking, causing me to be yanked forward. He doesn’t stop walking until we are stopped in front of a truck. Kyle’s truck.
“I am taking you to work,” he declares, and my eyes widen to what I’m sure would be the size of saucers.
“Why would you do that?”
He shrugs in the way that is now familiar to me. Funny how I can already tell.
“You are nervous, and it’s my fault you’re running late. So I’m taking you. That way I’ll know you go there safely.”
He opens the passenger door with a flourish and a bow of his head, like I am royalty.
“But… But…” I look around, not sure for what. “How am I going to get home from work?”
“I will pick you up.”
He is so casual about the whole thing, it leaves me speechless.
“Come on, baby. You don’t want to be even later than originally thought.”
With my heart beating in my throat, I let him help me hop up in his truck. I jump when he slams the door shut, then watch him as he walks around the hood until he gets to the driver’s side.
He turns the engine on, music instantly filling the cab. It sounds like it’s a rock station, and nothing that I would listen to on my own. He grabs a pair of aviators out of the compartment above his visor before putting the truck into gear.
I remain quiet while he turns it around and slowly inches his way to the exit from the parking lot. Just as I think he will turn onto the street, he presses on the breaks, causing me to grab his arm in a panic.
“What’s the matter?” I can hear the distress in my own voice.
Kyle slides the sunglasses down his nose, his bright blue eyes staring me down with intent.
“Zara, we have a problem.”
My fingernails automatically dig into his forearm. “Oh no, what is it?”
