Done Being Friends (25 page)

He might have seen wrongly, but he thought he saw a smirk on her face. Regardless, he turned and walked away, taking as large a stride as he possibly could so that he could put more distance between himself and Nicole.

He muttered a curse beneath his breath and took out his phone. He had wanted to leave Dylan a message.
 
He touched the screen, but no light came on. Then, he remembered that the batteries had been out since dinner.
Whatever.
He would just have to explain to Dylan another time. He slipped into his car and sped all the way back to his house.

On his way to meet Faith, an ominous feeling bugged him as he surmised the events of the day. Something just didn’t add up.
 

“This is the villa Miss Preston is staying at.” The manager gestured to the villa at the end of a short wooden bridge and handed Dylan the security card.
 

“Thanks for arranging everything at such late, I mean, early hours.” Zac smiled apologetically.
 

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Hayden. Have a good night.”
 

Zac jogged up to the door and scanned the card. He cringed a little as a beep sound rang from the security system. It was nearly four in the morning. He had rushed home to take a quick shower before grabbing the bag that he had Margaret packed and headed for the resort immediately.
 

He really didn’t want to wake Faith up. He held his breath as he walked in, creeping as softly as he could.
 

“Zac?” He sighed and shook his head. Whatever made him think that he wouldn’t wake Faith.

“Yes. It’s just me, love. Go back to sleep,” Zac coaxed as he got to the side of her bed.
 

Faith stretched out her hand in the dark, and her palm immediately met Zac’s chest. Zac wrapped his hand around hers and held it in place.

“What time is it?” Faith’s words came out in a slur, obviously still half asleep.

“It’s nearly four in the morning angel,” he whispered. Lifting her hands, he brought it up to his lips and kissed her hand. “Go back to sleep, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

“Don’t be silly, the bed is big enough for the two of us.” Faith pulled her hand from his and scooted over to the other side of the bed, freeing up the side to him.
 

“You sure?”
 

“Yes, silly.”
 

“One minute. Let me charge my phone.” He jogged over to the table, seeing that Faith’s phone was fully charged, he unplugged the adaptor and slot it into his phone. Then as softly as he could, Zac got into bed and pulled her into his chest. He breathed in her hair and whispered, “I have been thinking about you all day. I missed you, angel.”

Faith smiled in his chest. “Go to sleep Zac, you must be tired.”

Zac tightened his arms around Faith. Yes, he had been looking forward to seeing Faith all day, and there he was with her in his arms. He kissed her hair. “Goodnight Faith, I love you.”

Faith vaguely remember Zac coming in, she had heard something about it being nearly four and remembered moving over for him to get into bed. She could feel his arms around her, encasing her. She ran her fingers gently down the length of his muscular arms. Turning around, she laid her head on his chest and listened to the steady drum of his heart.
 

She drifted in and out of sleep as she leaned on him. The room was getting brighter and glancing over to the clock, she realized that it was already after ten. Slowly, she shifted Zac’s hand away from her. She sat up on the bed and brushed the back of her fingers across his cheeks.
 

Zac gave a soft moan and smiled as Faith slipped out of bed, leaving Zac to sleep alone on the bed.
 

She had just gotten out of the shower when two loud beeps accompanied by a buzz on the table made her jump. She cast a quick glance over to the bed. Zac shifted slightly on the bed; disturbed by the noise, but his eyes were still closed.
 

Faith walked over and picked up the phone. Nicole Smith. Faith cocked her head to the side and frowned. She didn’t remember knowing any Nicole Smith, but she slid the button by the side of the phone, switching it to silent mode and unplugged the adaptor attached to it before reading the message.

 
Two messages loaded simultaneously.

We made the news. I miss you. Call me.
 

Below it, a picture loaded. Faith’s mouth fell open. She drew in a ragged breath and stared at the phone in her hand.
 

Then she realized it. The phone she was holding wasn’t hers, it was Zac’s. They had the same phone with the same password and even the same wallpaper.
 

Who is this Nicole Smith and why was Zac’s lip locked to hers in the picture?
 

She closed her eyes, but the image had already imprinted itself in her mind. She laid the phone down quietly on the table and sat down onto the chair.
No, it must be a mistake.

Desperately needing some fresh air, she turned and headed for the door. Closing the door behind her, she walked back over the bridge to the shore with the clear white sand. She stood right at the edge of the sand, allowing the water to wash over her feet, dragging sand over to bury them. She looked out to the horizon, trying to focus on anything that would take her mind off the picture she had seen.
 

The surface of the clear blue sea caught a ray of the light, reflecting it into her eyes. She squinted and shut her eyes tight, taking in a couple of deep breaths. Again, the image of Zac and the Smith girl flashed in her mind. She let out a sigh and forced her eyes open.
 

Zac will have an explanation.
She kept repeating that over and over in her head. She knew for a fact that Zac would never hurt her intentionally, but then again; the picture stated an altogether different reality.

Faith sighed again.
 

“Morning love.”

A strong pair of hands reached over her shoulders, pulling her back. Zac leaned in to kiss her, but Faith stiffened in his arms and tilted her face away from him.

“What’s wrong?” Zac stood stunned and confused by her reactions.

Faith kept her eyes on the blue sea before their eyes, refusing to look at Zac directly. “Worked late last night?”

Zac narrowed his eyes and looked at Faith. Her tone was cold and distant; something was severely wrong. He didn’t intend to lie about being at the nightclub, but he felt as if he was being tested so he threaded precariously.

“No. Dylan called, and I had dinner with him. Then he dragged me to the nightclub.”
 

Faith looked away from Zac’s face and sighed. At least he was telling the truth, he wasn’t lying. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Zac smiled. “Didn’t Dylan tell you? He said he would drop you a text to let you know we were going out. Is that what you were angry about? My battery died during dinner, and I didn’t get a chance to charge it till I got here. I thought he had already informed you. I’m sorry if you got worried.”

“That should be the least of your worry.” Faith shrugged off his hands around her shoulders and stalked back to the villa without turning to look at Zac. She didn’t know how to explain to him about what she saw, showing him the picture would be better than having her explain it.

Zac trotted behind her; the uncertainty was making him anxious. Something he did had angered her but having no idea what, he decided it was best to keep silent before he knew what he was dealing with.

Faith picked up the phone and turned to him. “
This
is what you should be worried about.”

When Zac saw the screen, he face paled. He shook his head vehemently. “This is not what it seems. I...she...”

“You have ten seconds to set me straight.”

“She came on to me. I pushed her away and walked out. She followed and kissed me. I pushed her away
immediately
. I swear,” the words came pouring out of him.

Faith narrowed her eyes and looked at him. “If you were with Dylan, why wasn’t he in the picture as well?”

Zac took the cellphone from her and set it back down on the table.
 

“I didn’t know where he had gone. I tried to look for him and tell him I was leaving, and was going to look for you, but I couldn’t find him and I couldn’t call him. When Nicole came on to me, I had enough and left. I had no idea she was right behind me until she threw herself at me. Faith, I swear, I didn’t kiss her, I pushed her back immediately. It was nothing.”

“You know this woman, first name basis.”

“She’s the daughter of a business associate. I had never been out with her except when she joined in one of the dinners I had with her father.”

“Was she the one in your office? The day when I got home.”

“Yes. When I didn’t answer her calls or reply her texts, she came over to the office to look for me. She was throwing some hissy fit at the lobby, and I didn’t want to create a scene, so I let her up. I didn’t know she would hurl herself at me.”

Zac winced slightly when he heard his own words. Twice, Faith had seen his lips locked with Nicole. Now, he was insisting that twice, he didn’t know better. It sounded like a pathetic lie even to him.

When Faith didn’t speak, he continued, “My angel, the whole time I was with Dylan, all I wanted to do was to leave and come meet you. I will never hurt you this way; you mean the world to me Faith. Look at me, you always knew when I was lying. Look at me and tell me if you think I’m lying.”

Faith bit her lips and shook her head slightly. He didn’t seem to be lying, neither did she think that he would hurt her that way. But the pictures, the pictures seemed to paint a different story.
 

She continued staring into his eyes, and Zac looked right back. No, he wasn’t lying. Faith was sure, but still, she couldn’t get herself to shake the picture off her mind.
 

Although Zac seemed to be telling the truth, the anger, jealousy and uncertainty wouldn’t ease. She knew that it would take time for her to calm down and stop being upset about what she saw. She sighed and not wanting to dwell on the subject any further, she spoke of something else.

“I wasn’t checking up on you. I thought it was my phone.”

“What?”

“When the phone rang, I thought it was mine, so I checked the message.”

Zac kept his eyes on hers. “You can look through my things all you want. I don’t mind. Tell me that you believe me, Faith. Please,” His voice faltered toward the end and her heart softened.
 

Zac loved her. There was no way he would do such a thing to hurt her and thinking about it, there simply wasn’t enough time for him to fool around with the girl and still get to the resort before four.
 

“Faith?” Zac reached his hand up and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. Faith closed her eyes and leaned in.
 

“I trust you. It’s just that the photos,” Faith bit her lips. “It’s hard to see.”

Zac heaved a sigh of relief and pulled Faith into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Faith, I’m sorry you have to see something like this.” Then lifting her from his chest, he looked at her. “I love you more than anything in the world. I should have known better about joining Dylan at the nightclub. No more clubs for me.”

Faith nodded in his arms. She believed him. Knowing Zac’s background, such a situation might come up again. She needed to make up her mind once and for all to trust him and not let herself get rattled over such things. It was going to be difficult, but she was at least going to try.

“We have to meet Uncle Roger and his wife for lunch later. Do you want to get some more rest? It is still rather early.” Faith squirmed, trying to step out of his hug.

“You don’t have anything planned?” Zac kept his arms over her, refusing to barge. He was slightly relieved, but was afraid that if he were to let go, Faith might just go running out of the door and away from him. It was the picture against his words. Faith said she trusted him, but there was still something in her eyes. He couldn’t decide if it was uncertainty or fear.

Faith squirmed again. Yes, she was definitely still upset over it.
Who wouldn’t be?

He released the stronghold on her but kept his hands on her shoulders. As he stepped back, he half expected Faith to turn around and walk out of the door. Instead, she looked straight at him. “I was intending to explore some areas beyond the resort.”

“I’m not included in your plans?” Zac asked.

“You got in late, don’t you want some more rest?”

“No, if you don’t find me a bother, I much rather spend time with you,” Zac said with all the sincerity he could muster. Faith wasn’t angry with him over the picture, but she certainly wasn’t pleased about the whole situation.

“All right then, I’ll wait for you to wash up.” Then she turned and walked out to the balcony.

He would have to do something to coax her into a better mood.
 

Why didn’t Dylan text Faith?
He closed his eyes and went to take a shower. He wasn’t trying to find an excuse, he did think that with Dylan there, there wouldn’t be any trouble, but something about this whole situation seemed off.

Dylan had insisted on going to that particular club and then disappeared after promising to drop Faith a text.
Stop finding fault with others Zac. You screwed it up, you fix it.

Chapter Fifteen

By the time Zac had emerged from his shower, he was determined to be the most caring and considerate boyfriend anyone could ever be. He was going to let Faith know he was serious about being with her, and that there would be no one else but her. He was somehow going to get her into a better mood and forget about the whole stupid photograph, which some moron snapped.

When they left the villa to have lunch with Mr. Turner and his wife, Faith had smiled at him and chatted like nothing happened. Zac’s relief inched up a notch and thought that perhaps with a little more time, Faith would put the whole situation behind them.