Zachery Williams

I turned around when I noticed that Kayla wasn't following me. I saw her standing in front of a guy. I walked towards them to hear Kayla say his name. She looked shocked and unsettled.

"What are you doing here?" Kayla composed herself and asked.

"I came for the science fair project with others," he replied, looking her up and down.

The nerve of this dude to checkout my girlfriend so shamelessly. I hurried forward and placed a hand on Kayla's shoulder, pulling her to my side. "Kay, we’re about to leave." I moved back a lock of her hair behind her ear. I could see from the corner of my eyes that the guy was glaring at me.

She nodded, her eyes silently pleading me to take her away from there. I took her hand and started walking towards my car with Kayla in tow. I had many questions about the guy but I knew better than to ask Kayla right then. She looked too shaken. From what I saw, I gathered that they both knew – or used to know – each other well and that the guy had somehow hurt her in the past. I had my suspicions but I kept quiet, giving Kayla the space she needed. I knew that when she was ready she would come and talk about it. That is how she was. Silent and trying hard to figure things out by herself. But eventually she would confide in me. One thing I learned just by being with Kayla was to be patient.

We both climbed in my car and I started driving while Liam and Melissa followed behind us in Liam's truck. The ride was silent and I took quick glances over to Kayla to see if she was alright. She was in deep thought and her hand was fidgeting. I slowly took her hand and intertwined our fingers. She relaxed under my touch and gave me a sweet smile before turning to look out of the window.

I knew she wouldn't get much comfort unless she talked about what was bothering her. Even so, I wanted to give her anything I could offer. If it was time that she needed to sort through her thoughts, I’d give her just that. She was that important to me. She was nothing like the other girls I had met or dated. She was so much more in every single way. She was caring and dedicated to the people she loved. She was down to earth and even if people hurt her she still forgave them. She was so strong even when her life was like hell, and she didn't stop smiling. She never treated others bad and always looked for the best in people. Kayla was the girl that I had fallen in love with. I knew that my feelings for her were strong and genuine. When I looked at her it was all so clear that she was the one I wanted to spend my life with.

It was still early so we decided to grab some dinner and head to my place. Liam and Melissa also joined us. My house was free since my mom had left with Lucy to visit my grandparents.

We all ate and then watched a movie. I invited Liam and Melissa to spend the night at my place but they declined, saying that they had plans which I clearly had an idea about but didn't want to know.

I saw them to the door and came back to find Kayla texting someone on her phone.

"What's up?" I asked, flopping on the couch next to her.

"Nico texted me, he wants to hang out tomorrow," she replied.

"So you’re meeting with him?" I hoped that she would say no but I already knew the answer.

"Yeah, he’s leaving in two days so I want to spend at least one day with him." She put her phone aside and turned her attention to me.

"So what are we gonna do? Should I drop you off home?" I asked, looking at her.

“No, I already texted Ashlin that I’m spending tonight at my friend's place," she said, leaning close to me.

“You still haven't told them about me? I'm still in the friendzone?" I pouted, making Kayla laugh.

"I’ll tell them soon. It's just, things are finally falling into place, I don't want to rush anything." She snuggled into me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her onto my lap. She gave a small squeal and laughed.

"Hey, can I use your shower?" she asked suddenly. I had forgotten that we both needed a shower since we spent the whole day at the fair.

She went in first and I laid some clothes out for her on my bed and went back down till she came out.

After some time, I was scrolling through Netflix when Kayla hugged my neck from behind.

"You can go take a shower now," she whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Are you indirectly saying I smell?" I smirked.

"Maybe." She scrunched her nose, teasing me. 

I pinched her nose and left to take a shower. After 15 or so minutes, I got out of the shower and dried off, feeling relaxed. I put on my loose sweatpants and grey t-shirt. 

When I went downstairs, I saw Kayla lying down on the couch. She was wearing my boxer shorts and t-shirt, which was too big for her. It came around her thighs showing off her long legs. 

I came over to her and she stood up, giving me a hug.

I was thrown aback by her sudden gesture. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and sat down with her partly on my lap. 

"He’s here again. He came back into my life," she whispered.

"The guy who ran away right?" I blurted out what was on my mind. She pulled back and stared into my eyes and slowly nodded conforming my suspicions.

"They all are here. The part of my life that I want to avoid the most, it's all back," She said grimly. " The bullies and everyone who made me feel like crap are here. They all came for the science fair."

"Hey, it's all in the past now. You’ve grown stronger than anything. They can’t hurt you now. You can handle them. And you have all of us to back you up." I said warmly, stroking her cheeks.

“I'm just scared that I might let them walk all over me again. They were the people who kicked me down. Even Jake, he left because he couldn't be with someone like me. He couldn't handle me." She sniffed, trying to hold back her tears.

“It's gonna be okay, Kay. Do you think I’d stand by and watch if anyone tries to pull anything on you? You should know that I’d always be there for you, that I’d protect you even if you didn’t need protecting," I mumbled, kissing her forehead.

We stayed entangled in each other's arms for a while and Kayla suggested to eat the ice cream that she saw in my fridge.

We both went into the kitchen and sat at the counter to eat ice cream. I put some on her nose and she tried to do the same, which I easily avoided. I ran upstairs, Kayla at my heels to catch me. We ran into my room and started laughing about how childish we were being.

"Zach, thanks for coming into my life," Kayla said a few minutes after we fell into a comfortable silence. She wrapped her arms around my torso and I buried my face into her shoulder, inhaling her familiar scent. 

I hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist a bit tighter than necessary, clinging onto me.

"Relax Kay, I'm just gonna lay you down." I murmured and laid her on the bed.

I hovered over her and slowly trailed my lips from her temple to the corner of her lips. She let out a small shaky breath and I pulled away to look into her eyes before closing the distance and capturing her lips in mine.

She kissed me back with equal passion and I slowly moved down her neck, pressing feather light kisses as I went. She gave a soft moan and I smiled enjoying the sound she made. She gripped the back of my shirt and pulled me even closer to her. I started tracing the outline of her collarbones with my tongue and Kayla groaned before putting her hands on either side of my head and pulling my face up to hers. Our lips met again and the kisses got more fervent.

After a few more minutes of making out, we settled into my bed and fell into a deep sleep, tangled in each other's arms.

*****
A/N

Hey guys!! Another update for all my lovely readers. I hope you like my story. So don't forget to vote and comment.
Thanks for the support!!!
Love y'all ❤️❤️

-Ansh