Chapter Two

THE glass she had been holding slipped out of her hand's grip and fell to the floor.

She didn't register the sound of the glass breaking or Leah asking her if everything was fine because the only thing on her mind was him.

And so, she ran towards him- zig-zagging her way between the tables and bumping into people.

She reached the far end of the restaurant- panting- and, thankfully, he was still standing there, looking down at his phone.

She was a few steps away from him.

"Zachariah?" She said in a voice that sounded distant to her own ears.

His head snapped up in her direction.

He looked startled.

Their gazes locked and for about a whole minute.

They stood there- just staring- not moving.

It felt that the restaurant and everyones' chatter was a hundred miles away.

It all felt unreal.

Everyone's voices seemed muffled.

But seeing him infront of her after six whole months, was more real than anything else had ever been.

Zac took a few steps forward until their bodies were barely a half a foot away from each other.

He put his hand on her cheek, as if to check if she were really here or if he was just imagining it, but when he withdrew his hand, it was wet.

Wet, with her tears.

She hadn't realized that she was crying.

For the past six months, she lived trying to figure out why he left LA without saying goodbye to her.

She lived with the thought that she was never going to see Zac ever again.

She spent most of her time trying to figure out what she had done wrong that her best friend left.

But she thought to herself he's here now. Right infront of me. Looking at me again.

He was looking down at his hand, wet with tears.

My tears, she thought.

She didn't know what to do.

Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I should not have come running see him. Maybe I had done something wrong maybe I had disappointed him, She thought to herself.

He looked at her.

He looked the same- just as he did before he left.

The face of an unearthly being, like an angel.

His face- Perfectly shaped, as if chiseled out of marble.

His dark, long hair falling on his forehead, his dark irises matched his hair.

He was perfect looking and elegant in every way.

"I'm sorry..I have to go..I shouldn't have-" She said and turned away-ready to walk away from him.

But just as she was about to take her first step away from him, his fingers were around her wrist- his grip strong and steady.

He pulled her back, and turned her towards him, so that they stood face to face again.

He put his hands on her shoulders.

She was close enough to feel his chest expand and contract with every ragged breath he took.

Even in her heels, he was still taller than her.

She had to tip her head slightly back to see him.

"Tina.." he said , his voice barely a whisper.

"Don't leave.." he pleaded.

She shivered.

Having him this close to her felt hard to believe.

Unreal.

This couldn't really be happening.

***

He felt her shiver against him.

At the back of his mind he knew he couldn't let go of her, no- not again.

But he thought to himself how could I possibly make her believe that I truly loved her and still love her?

Or that if I ever was interested in a girl it was only her?

How would I explain the way I left her without a goodbye?

He vividly remembered the night he left for London.

He didn't plan it.

That day was just another normal day.

He had returned home and found his parents arguing but they were silent later on.

He checked his emails that day, like how he did everyday.

But today there was an email from a reputable university from London.

It said that he had been selected and received a scholarship to join.

He told his parents about it and they were all too happy to shift permanently to London.

That night he was going to give Tina the news about the scholarship, but his parents told him not to do so.

He was honestly puzzled by their behavior.

He decided to send a text to her instead but only to realise that his phone was nowhere to be seen weirdly.

Ever since then he found it difficult to trust his parents, whose behavior was getting stranger by the day  he decided to do something he thought he would never do- pretend he didn't care about Tina anymore.

But he knew that life without Tina would be hard.

He knew that he had to get in touch with her somehow.

So after he left for London that very night, and started attending the university, he pretended he didn't care about Tina anymore for about six months or so.

Even though it was hard ,he knew he had to.

So when his parents felt that Zac didn't care about Tina anymore, they started to trust him.

And then when he just couldn't stay without her in his life, he started texting her when his parents were not around.

He didn't tell her the reason why he left for London.

But he promised himself that he would meet her in secret sometime soon.

And here he was , with her in his arms.

He loosened his grip on her shoulders and slid them round her tiny waist.

"Tina..I'm sorry." He said.

And at this Tina looked up at him, her eyes full of hope.

"Please give me a chance to prove myself.

I know you have a billion reasons to hate me.

I know I don't deserve you.

I know that I may be asking a bit too much from you.

I know you have every right to turn me down but please give me another chance and this time I won't let you go." He said.

He knew that he must have sounded desperate but maybe- just maybe- she would understand.