who am I to stop you?"
Zell laughed, retracting his right arm as he placed his right ankle on his left knee. "Well if you'd tell me what has you so stressed, we could work it out and there wouldn't be a problem."
I forced the smile to stay in place as I crossed my arms and legs. "Yeah, but then you'd be stressed and we wouldn't have any fun at all." That was the nearest thing to the truth I could say.
"I guess, but you're the one supposed to be celebrating here."
I looked over at him, and this time my smile was genuine. "I am celebrating, Zell. Really."
Zell's smile faded to a serious expression that I couldn't tell was fake or real. He pointed at me. "OK, but if you keep moping I'm going to take steps."
I leaned back from his finger with slightly parted lips. "Steps? What kind of steps?" I asked slowly.
He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I pushed slowly away from him. "I don't like that look in your eye." It looked exactly like the look my brother would give me before--Tickle Wars! I stood sharply. "No!"
Zell gave a maniacal chuckle as he watched me with slowly crossed arms. "Then stop stressing."
I gave several slight nods as I warily watched him, a reluctant smile tickling my lips and, eventually, the expression in my eyes. "No stressing."
"I'm not warning you again."
"OK."
"I'm serious. Next time, I take steps."
I put my hands and arms away from me with a wide-eyed gaze of innocence. "Look. This is me not stressing."
Zell laughed and stood. "Come on, let's take a look outside. Selph says it's pretty awesome."
He passed me out the door of the cabin. I followed, standing beside him as we watched the passing scenery. I rested my arms against the window sill and released a deep breath as I smiled out the window. A slightly twisted part of me was tempted to obviously stress just so that he would ‘take steps'. My smile widened. That wasn't me, but it was kind of fun to think it could be.
"There. Was that so hard?"
I looked over at him with a puzzled expression. "Huh?"
Zell rested his arms on the window sill too as he gave a shake of his head. "You're starting to relax."
I giggled and gave him a firm nudge. "With you threatening to ‘take steps'? Why wouldn't I?"
Zell nudged back with a grin. "With that ‘Booya' thing you did before?" he asked. "Who's to say you wouldn't test me to see if I was serious? Actually, I was kinda hoping you would."
My mouth dropped open as I stared at him.
He laughed this time, lowering his head and gaze as he adjusted his position. "Got you with that one, didn't I?"
But it'd been more than that. He'd totally floored me. "Y-You wanted me to--" I flushed red and looked away. "I c-can't believe you s-said that."
"Why?" Zell gave me a nudge. "Ah ah ah. Cut loose, Meg. Remember? Come on." He nudged me again. "Come on," he said again. "Give it a shot."
Give it a shot? Give what a shot? Flirt like I want to? Say nutty things that make you smile and make me feel like an idiot, even while they make me feel glorious because you're laughing? I clenched my hands into fists and adjusted my footing. "I-I'm not very good at teasing," I said quietly.
Zell released a quick breath, leaning harder into the window sill as he lowered his head again. He gave it a shake. "Don't sell yourself short, Meg. Just because you're shy doesn't mean you can't be a nut." He looked over at me. "Just go with it. OK?"
I took in a slow breath, releasing it just as slowly before hesitantly looking over at him. I met his eyes before giving a slight nod and a timid smile. "OK." Zell, I like you so much it hurts. I blinked and moved my eyes back to the scenery outside. "Nuts are dense, aren't they?"
"Huh?"
"Nuts." I looked back over at him, and I felt a little of the tension release when our eyes met. "They're dense. Right?"
Zell rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at his other hand resting on the window sill. "Well, I guess so. What with their shell.... Yeah. I guess so."
I smiled slightly before looking back out the window. "Cool. Then we're both nuts. And being nuts in pairs is better than being one by yourself, right?"
Zell laughed, giving me a slight push. I leaned against the window sill and sent him a sidelong glance accompanied with a giggle. "Yeah, I guess so," he admitted. "But don't think you can call me a nut without me getting even."
I gave a shrug. "Take your best shot." Please, oh, please! I forced my hands to unclench and let the circulation return to my fingers. Just don't think about what you're doing, Sally. But I believe I'd given up thinking way more than a few seconds ago.
Zell crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow. He leaned against the wall, gauging my expression. I still stared out the window. "A dare, huh?"
Is it? I guess it was. I was daring myself to be outgoing with this one person. A person that I trusted. A person that I really liked. A person that I wanted to be myself with. "Sure."
"Well," he said slowly. Zell adjusted his crossed arms. "Normally I wouldn't pass up a dare, but...."
"But what?" I asked with a glance toward him.
Zell's expression drifted between amusement and something I didn't know what to call. He chuckled. "I don't know. Something tells me I'd regret it."
"Oh. You don't like to lose." I nearly laughed aloud. I couldn't believe I'd risen to the challenge of teasing Zell Dincht.
"I didn't say that," he protested.
"Uh-huh." I knew my tone of voice clearly said ‘sure you didn't.'
"Fine. You're on."
I faced him then, still internally shocked to be going along with that twisted part of me and its plan—plot—ploy--whatever it was. "I bet you can't get me to laugh before I get you to laugh." Internally I shook my head at myself. This is sad, Sally. Really and truly sad.
Zell adjusted his crossed arms as he gauged my face. "Hm." He studied me a moment more before speaking. "What're the stakes?"
Oh now you're in for it. I shook my head. "Nothing. Just respect, or whatever." Oh brother.
Zell absently rubbed at his tattoo, something I'd noticed he did when he was debating with himself, and pushed those wonderful lips to the side. "Seems harmless enough, I guess."
I turned away. "You don't have to play. I understand if you don't think you can do it." Oh, now that was low.
Zell slightly smiled. "OK, OK. Anything goes?"
That made my throat tighten. Uh-oh. What did I just get myself into? I faced him. "Within reason."
"Reason? What kind of reason?"
I smiled this time. "No tying me to a chair and tickling my feet."
His face fell in feigned disappointment as he slumped his shoulders and snapped his fingers. "Nuts."
I laughed.
He straightened and grinned. "I won."
My mouth dropped open. Then I smacked him on the arm with a "Hey, no fair!"
"What?" he asked with raised arms and shoulders. "I got you to laugh, didn't I?"
I laughed again as I gave him a firm push. "Cheater. I wasn't even ready yet."
"Hey. That's not my fault," he said, steadying himself as he laughed.
I stuck my tongue out at him. Zell reached out for it, but I veered away with a squeal and ducked inside our cabin just as the conductor announced our arrival in Timber.
"Yeah, you better move fast," he said just as the door closed.
I giggled, amazed at what I was doing, and grabbed my jacket and his. When I opened the door that led out into the hall, I jammed his jacket into his chest. "Here."
Zell took the jacket with a grin. "Relax while you can. I'll get you later."
I sent him an innocent look. "But I didn't do anything. I've been here the entire time." It was so much easier to play around with him than I thought it would be. Telling him how much I cared would be the issue. I knew it. But I also knew that I would tell him.
Zell laughed. "Yeah. Sure." He made a motion to the exit with his head. "Come on. Get a move on."
I shrugged into my jacket, hearing Zell do the same thing behind me, and left the corridor to go into the last car on the train. We waited for it to stop, and then we exited the train to stand momentarily on the Timber Train Station platform. I looked around with a slight smile.
"How long since you been home?" Zell asked.
"A few months." I met his gaze. "It's nice to be back."
"I bet." He motioned ahead. "Come on. Let's go say ‘hi' to your folks."
I nodded and moved toward the exit. "They're going to be shocked. I always send an email before I come."
"Yeah? Well surprises are more fun."
"No arguments there."
We descended the steps from the station and turned immediately right. We entered the pet shop, the door making a melodious jingle of welcome when we did.
"Be right there."
‘My mom' I mouthed to Zell.
He nodded with a grin as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. We moved to the counter and waited. Zell leaned against it to look around at the magazines and pet paraphernalia categorized and organized around the shop.
"Sally!"
I smiled, stepping into my mom's open-armed embrace. "Hi, mom. Surprise."
She held me out at arm's length as her smiling blue eyes met my brown ones. "What in the world brought you all the way out here?"
I gestured over my shoulder with a hand. "Mom, this is Zell Dincht. He's one... He's...."
"I'm a friend," he finished as he stepped forward and stuck out a hand. Zell gripped my mom's and gave her his most charming smile.
"Nice to meet you, Zell." Then mom looked over at me with an unasked question, which I ignored, and the voiced one which I knew I'd have to answer. "Will you be able to stay long enough for dinner?"
"Sorry, mom. We've only got three hours before the next train