• April 18, 2017 (A Day After Olympics Selection) •

Kara couldn't wait for Ava and Zach to come back so that she could get to know whether he had gotten selected or not. So when Ava texted her that they had returned, she wrapped up all her work and went to their house immediately.

Ava opened the door to let Kara in but she didn't look as excited as Kara had expected her to. Morena wasn't at home and Jonah was at work too so the house was really silent. There was no sign of Zach either.

"Hey, what happened?" She asked, concern flickering in her eyes, "did Zach make it?"

Aviana let out a weary sigh and seeing her as such made Kara's heart sink. It surely meant that Zach hadn't been able to make it through the selection despite all the effort and extensive training.

"Ava come on, tell me."

"Well..." But she had left the sentence deliberately incomplete, a sympathetic look in her eyes, "Kara, we tried our best but..."

"Oh," the pause and the prolonged silence confirmed Kara's suspicions, "oh no."

Since she knew Zach had set his heart upon it, so it was no wonder that he would be very dejected. And thinking of him being sad and dejected cut through her heart.

"Where's Zach?"

"In his room."

She paused, not knowing what to say but her concern got the better of her. "How's he taking it?"

Ava shook her head in disappointment, "you can go check up on him yourself. Really, you should go. He's locked himself up in his room but maybe he'll let you in."

Kara had gotten very worried to hear that. She dashed up the stairs to Zach's room in order to make him unlock his door or break it open if he didn't.

However, there was no need for that as the door wasn't locked and slid open with a brief push. Kara stepped in cautiously, looking around for Zach.

She found him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head held in his hands. He looked extremely dejected and seeing such an optimistic and cheerful person like him be so disappointed made her feel terrible.

"Zach?" She called out softly as she approached him, her hand reaching out to touch him but stopped midway.

She wanted to hug him and comfort him but felt a barrier between them. They had been good friends but it was quite clear that both of them felt something much more than friendship.

And right then those feelings were coming in between and making her nervous.

He hadn't looked up nor had he replied and that made her even more anxious. Overcoming the barrier forcefully, she gently rested her hand on his head, fingers running through his hair as if to wake him up.

"Hey, so what if you didn't get selected?" She didn't want to say anything that would hurt him but at the same time, she wanted to reassure him without giving him any false hopes, "you gave it your hundred percent and that's all that matters. You tried so hard and gave your best so it's definitely not your fault that you didn't make it."

She felt him take in a deep breath as if trying to calm himself down. Kara could see that he was unstable and needed comfort so without even thinking twice, she had knelt down in front of him, her hands cupping his face.

He was still holding his head as if it was throbbing but when she gently held his face, his grip loosened.

"Come on, there must be something way better than this in store for you as a reward of all your effort and hard work. Besides, you're the one who finds the silver lining in every grey cloud, why are you giving up now? That's so not you."

His hands closed onto her wrists instead, not pushing her away from him but just holding her close as if asking her not to let go. Kara badly wanted him to look up in her eyes because she wanted to see what he was feeling and help him through it.

"Zach, please... Look at me."

She was so worried that the concern was evident in her tone and hearing that, Zach finally looked up, brown eyes meeting glassy azure.

But she got shocked because instead of the dejection and sadness she expected to see in his eyes, there was a spark of amusement dancing in those deep brown irises.

And even his lips twitched as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Wait, are you okay? What's going on?" She was clearly very surprised by the reaction and couldn't help asking.

He had gently pulled her up to her feet as he stood up, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Zach..."

He couldn't hold back any longer and a soft chuckle escaped him, eyes twinkling brightly. Kara was very confused and she let out a slight gasp as Zach lifted her up in his arms.

That adorable dimpled smile was denting his features yet Kara could still not fathom what had just happened.

"I made it, Kara," he twirled her around happily, "I got selected!"

"Wait what?" Quite taken aback by the sudden revelation, she felt as if she couldn't even respond properly.

"I made it!" He didn't let her feet touch the ground as he twirled her again and she held on to his shoulders, letting his words sink in.

"Oh... Congratulations! That's... That's great but Zach, put me down..."

"Not yet. I'm so so happy, Kara, you have no idea..."

A laugh escaped her as well with another twirl and she relaxed in his arms, knowing he wouldn't drop her. "And you two were pretending all along just to get me anxious... Unbelievable!"

"It was worth it. And it was Ava's idea."

"Ah I see."

She felt relieved to see him laugh and be happy. He truly deserved to be rewarded for all of his efforts and seeing him as such made her feel accomplished too.

It was as if their dream was coming true and not just Zach's alone.

His eyes shone in delight and that dimpled smile was luring her in like a magic spell. Zach being truly happy was contagious and she couldn't stop smiling either.

He stopped twirling her as he didn't want them to get dizzy and placed her down on the ground at last. "Kara, thank you so much for being here for me all the time. I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you, Ava and Connor. I'm really grateful to all of you."

He hadn't let go of her yet when much to his surprise, Kara leaned in, connecting her lips with his. That kiss was very unexpected for both of them but Zach responded almost immediately, bringing her closer to himself as he kissed back.

For the first time ever, Kara understood what it felt like to have butterflies in one's stomach.

Her back came in contact with the wall behind her but all she could focus on was Zach. His hands reaching up to gently hold her, fingers entwining with her own and his soft lips kissing her with just as much sweetness and passion that it made her feel giddy.

Her eyes connected with his as she cupped his cheek in her left hand and seeing his gentle brown eyes full with trust, she deepened the kiss, eyelids fluttering shut.

They had no idea how long had passed yet neither wanted to stop. But an interruption was due as the door to Zach's room flew open, revealing a very unsuspecting Ava who got shocked to see the sight in front of her.

"Oh fuck, where's the holy water? Nope... Bleach, I need bleach! Sorry guys, you carry on."

She had come up to join in on the aftermath of their shocking Kara plan but seeing them as such threw her off guard. They had pulled apart immediately, eyes wide in alarm and faces red from embarrassment.

"When I made up this plan, the last thing I expected was to walk in on you two having such a steamy make-out session," Ava grimaced, stepping out instantly, "you should have locked the door or given me a warning... Jesus..."

Both Zach and Kara were quite red too at being caught in such a state. But fortunately for them, Ava didn't stop by to tease the hell out of them. Instead, she had gone downstairs immediately, not wanting to be a disturbance to the two.

"Well..." Kara broke the awkward silence between them but didn't know what to say next.

"That happened..." Zach mumbled, his eyes shifting in nervousness.

"Yeah, um..."

His gaze had trailed back to her lips, wanting to kiss her again but he was hesitant due to the current scenario. Kara felt the same way but didn't want to be the one to take the first step again.

"Uh, Kara," he spoke up at last, trying his best to overcome the hesitation, "you... You don't regret this, right?"

"Hmmm," she could still taste him on her lips and that in itself was a huge trigger for her to close the gap between them once again, "no, I don't."

"Then can I kiss you again?"

The answer to that question came in a nod and Zach pulled her closer, his eyes searching her features for any sign of refusal. But finding only the softness of someone who had accepted the offer, he stopped being nervous and kissed her too.

For Zach, it was the best gift he could get for being selected at last. And at that moment it became very clear to him; Kara was his reward for all the effort and hard work he had put in.

***