Cravings

Nicole

The moment Zach’s hand brushed past mine, as he helped me up from the ground, my entire body felt like it was on fire. His touch was firm yet gentle, the kind of balance that made me feel both safe and anxious at the same time.

I tried to focus on steadying my breath, but it proved to be incredibly impossible. My skin buzzed where his fingers brushed mine, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pull away or lean into him.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice, deep, and filled with concern as he kept a steady hand on my arm. The feeling of his skin touching wax second to heaven.

I nodded quickly, avoiding his eyes, and said in a calm manner. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

But in truth I wasn't fine. Not in the slightest. My heart was racing like I’d just run marathon, and it had nothing to do with my stumble a few moments ago. It was him. There was a way his presence seemed to take up all the air in the room, making it harder to breathe. It was hard to explain, but he being there with me felt like a drug I never wanted to detox from.

He murmured something under his breath, but his words blurred into the background noise. My attention was fixed on his lips—full, soft, and utterly distracting. They moved as he spoke, the bottom lip catching the light just enough to make me wonder how it would feel pressed against mine right now.

My gaze wandered upward, catching on a bead of sweat sliding down his neck. It moved with tantalizing slowness, tracing the line of his collarbone before disappearing into the unbuttoned part of his shirt. I couldn’t look away, my mind betraying me as I imagined following its path with my fingers—or my mouth.

“Nicole?” Zach’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharper this time. Had he been staring all this while?

I blinked, realizing I had been staring, and snapped my head up to meet his gaze. There was a sharp feeling of embarrassment, but it resided pretty quickly. His dark eyes were filled with curiosity, but there was a flicker of amusement in them too.

“What?” I asked defensively, feeling my cheeks heat up.

He smirked, tilting his head. “You were kind of zoned out there. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing,” I said too quickly. Then, in a desperate attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere, I blurted, “The sky is really blue today.”

Zach raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening into a full grin. “The sky? Seriously?” He looked upwards, revealing his pretty Adam's apple.

“Yes!” I said, folding my arms as if that would somehow make me look less ridiculous. “It’s… very blue.”

He looked back down at me, and laughed. It was a slow, rich sound that made my stomach twist in the best way. “You’re something else Nicole, you know that?” he said.

I didn’t respond. What could I say? That I was staring at his lips and imagining things I shouldn’t be? Instead, I focused on brushing imaginary dirt off my jeans, praying my face wasn’t as red as it felt.

Before the moment could get any more awkward, the twins came running into the room, their identical grins lighting up the space.

“We’ll get the first aid kit!” one of them shouted.

“Yeah, don’t die before we come back!” the other added with a cheeky laughter that trailed with them before they both disappeared around the corner.

Zach shook his head, chuckling. “They’re a handful.”

I smiled faintly, though my mind was still spinning. I glanced down at the scrape on my elbow, realizing it was starting to sting.

“Let me see that,” Zach said, stepping closer. His body pressing more into mine.

“It’s fine,” I protested weakly, but he was already taking my arm in his hands.

His touch was careful, his fingers warm against my skin. He examined the scrape with a seriousness that made my heart flutter.

“It’s not that bad,” I said softly, trying to downplay it.

“Hold still,” he muttered, ignoring my words and leaning in.

Before I could ask what he was doing, I felt his tongue on my skin.

“Zach!” I gasped, jerking back in response.

“What?” he said nonchalantly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “It’s clean now.”

“That’s… weird,” I muttered, though the truth was, it didn’t feel weird at all. It felt… intimate. I just could not bring myself to tell him that I liked his tongue on my skin.

He grinned, clearly amused by my reaction. “Weird, but effective.”

Before I could respond, he leaned in again and blew gently on the scrape. The warmth of his breath sent a shiver down my spine, and I had to bite my lip to keep from reacting.

“You okay now?” he asked, his voice softer this time.

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I could trust my voice.

He sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxing. “Good. For a second there, I thought you were going to pass out or something.”

I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. “No, I’m fine. Really.”

Zach stepped back slightly, but his gaze didn’t leave mine. There was something different about his expression now—something intense and unreadable.

“You know,” he began, his voice quieter, “I haven’t seen you since… that night.”

My breath caught up in my chest, blocking the way for any words I needed to say, to spill out. My brain scrambled for something to say, but all I could manage was a weak, “I’m right here.”

He gave me a look that said he wasn’t buying it. “You know what I mean, Nicole.”

Heat flooded my cheeks as the memory of that night resurfaced. His hands, his lips, the way he had looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered…

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Zach’s eyes dropped to my lips, lingering there for a moment before returning to meet my gaze. “I think you do,” he said, his voice low and filled with something that made my heart race.

I swallowed hard, my palms suddenly clammy. “Zach…”

He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. “This,” he whispered, his gaze flicking to my lips again.

My breath hitched as he leaned in, his face inches from mine. The world seemed to pause, everything narrowing down to just him.

But before his lips could touch mine, the twins came barreling back into the room, their voices loud and excited.

“Uncle Zach!” they shouted in unison, holding up the first aid kit like it was a trophy.