A/N: I've gotten a few requests, over the year, of what kind of music I listen to when I write, and what goes with the feel of each chapter, so from here on out, I'll post what I've listened to and what helped inspire each chapter, if you guys are interested :)
Songs listened to, for this chapter, are :
'New Love' by Maroon 5,
'It Was Always You' by Maroon 5,
'Just For Now' by Imogen Heap
*Chapter 29*
After a few minutes of steady driving, Tessa finally felt her shoulders relax. She slumped farther into Zane's body and nuzzled her face into the back of his neck and shoulder, she tightened her arms around his middle let her eyes lull closed. After looking at the pitch black surrounding, she figured just mindlessly relaxing for the ride would do. The bike was as powerful and as fast as ever, though the ride was surprisingly smooth. Tessa lightly peeked her eyes open and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion; she had to wonder how he knew where he was going in this dark environment. How they haven't brushed a single tree or shrub was beyond her. She knew the two were on a stretch of a dirt path, but she occasionally glanced in Zane's line of sight, and was still stumped to see nothing but silhouettes of dark things, mystical and factual. The only light present was the powerful glow of the light bike. It's hypnotizing glow, as well as the steady roar of the futuristic engine, was enough to make Tessa feel right at home.
She kept a tight grip on Zane as the bike rocketed across creation; her heart lightly thumped at the words he had uttered, before peeling away from Selka. She felt a bashful smile sprawl her face. She knew she had no reserves when it came to the term of endearment he had referred her as, she almost felt as if it suddenly made the looming Academy life a little easier. She knew things would settle eventually, though for now, she felt her attention switch from trying to impress strangers to now eagerly wanting to impress one soul and one soul only. She gripped the very reason she smiled and let her eyes lull closed again. She raised her eyebrows in mild confusion as she suddenly felt Zane's strong center expand to take in a deep inhale. He breathed a long sigh and, to Tessa's surprise, she could feel him relax once and for all; she was certain the position they were in was final, though she welcomed him farther into her arms and curiously peered over his shoulder. His strong jaw and highlights of bits of his face and hair were illuminated by the glowing blue gauges of the dash on the light bike. His piercing blue eyes stared forward in determination; Tessa felt her stomach dip in a sense of delightful curiosity at the raw sight of him.
Just as Tessa was about to get lost in thoughts she wasn't even sure were possible, Zane gently, though suddenly, veered off course and began to off-road their adventure. Tessa flinched and huddled even closer to Zane; she firmly buried her whole face into his back to avoid any low, jungle branches they just so happened to encounter. After a good while of tearing and weaving through jungle trees, she flinched as a small ray of light flit through the large, gorgeous leaves. She furrowed her eyebrows and nearly closed her eyes as the sudden, stark difference in lighting made her eyes react in dull pain. Before Tessa could try and guess what was beyond, the bike finally smoothed out into a massive, circular clearing in the jungle. The grass below looked like velvet, and planted in the center of the clearing was a perfectly circular pool, it looked to be a body of purely light. Tessa lightly straightened her back and sat up as Zane slowed the bike; they neared their destination, though Tessa kept her eyes trained to the confusing, blinding sight before her.
"What is it?" Tessa finally asked with a small laugh as the bike gently came to a stop; the engine purred, as if to claim victory over it's long stretch.
"Like nothing you've ever seen," Zane beamed a gentle smile as he slowly got off of the light bike and turned it off. He reached his hand out to Tessa to help her off of the bike as well, she gratefully took hold of his hands and scoot off the bike; Zane continued on, "I-I just hope you like it as much as I do."
"I'm sort of confused by it," Tessa heaved a small giggle as the two stood a good few yards from the circle.
She squinted her eyes and got a good look at it, finally. It looked to be merely a pool of heavenly light, it illuminated the whole entire clearing, as if it were where Dead Zed's warmth came from. It sat nestled in the grass, though the closer the two got, Tessa largely furrowed her eyebrows and blinked hard a few times; it were as if the pool was simply a mirror, though the sky it reflected was as bright as day, and coated with huge, puffy clouds. Tessa wrinkled her nose lightly and got as close as she could feel comfortable; it were as if she were looking deep into an endless canyon, and one single wrong step would send her rocketing to her death. She was surprised to feel the warmest, sweetest gust of beckoning air wisp all around the two, as if it were just begging for the two to step forth. She tucked her hair behind her ears and eagerly peered at Zane.
"Do you...?" Tessa motioned towards it, as if to wonder if they were supposed to jump in. Zane smiled a kind smile at her and gazed out to it; it was no bigger than twenty feet in diameter, though the trick of it all made it seem a lot larger. It practically beveled in such a way, as if to try and envelope the two.
"Jump in?" Zane wondered with a small laugh, "Well, the trick is to step out and let it do the rest."
"You won't fall in?" Tessa wondered, though she raised her eyebrows in surprise as Zane tenderly took both her hands in his.
"I'll show you," Zane eased to her as he began to back step towards the glowing, supposed portal.
"Wait," Tessa felt her heart jump in a fit of nervousness, though she glanced back at Zane's light bike, "What about the bike? We shouldn't leave it here, right?"
"The bike will be just fine, here," Zane shook his head lightly, as if he had left it out in the field many times prior.
"You sure?" Tessa asked, though Zane knew she was more worried about their wellbeing than the bike's wellbeing. Zane smiled an infectious, toothy smile as his half-moon eyes pierced hers with sincerity.
"I promised you, didn't I?" Zane breathed quietly, though Tessa was more than surprised to see Zane back-step out over the glowing nothingness; though it was as if he was still stood on solid ground.
Tessa breathed a noise of concern as, she too, stepped out. She largely furrowed her eyebrows as the two practically stepped on thin air. The warm breeze that hit the bottoms of Tessa's feet sent her mind on a whirlwind of confusing sensations. She exhaled nervously and gripped Zane's strong hands in hers, though she gazed at him for questions she knew he could answer. He kept a calm air about himself as he led the two to the center of the circle. He stopped moving once he reached the center, though Tessa was eager for camaraderie. She slowly filled the gap between them and remained close to him; she was thrilled to feel Zane's arms warmly and loosely come around her.
"Just relax," Zane kindly eased down to her.
Tessa nervously nodded and kept her eyes trained to their surroundings. After a few moments, she let her eyes widen in surprise as the field surrounding began to gently come into a bright hue, as if the sun was rising at an abnormally quick pace. All at once, the sky was immediately filled with those massive, white fluffy clouds and a remarkable blue sky she was certain couldn't get any bluer. She inhaled a small gasp and pulled out of Zane's comfort to get a good look around. The game looked brand new, as if it had just been turned on for the very first time. It was flawless, every single green jungle tree popped with more color and life than Tessa had ever seen. She let her warm surroundings soak into her skin, as if this was suddenly her second home. She gazed up to the sky and got lost in Dead Zed's warm breeze. It whipped her hair about in a warm flurry of nostalgia that was set upon the environment. She finally gazed back at Zane in a look of confused surprise. She flinched and was delighted to see his gaze had just been locked on her.
"Zane," Tessa hissed as she gestured about, "Wh-where is this?"
"The Flip Side," Zane chuckled with a small shrug, though he motioned downwards as he gently took hold of Tessa's hand, "Look down."
Tessa quickly looked down and gasped, though that only cued Zane's hand to squeeze hers tighter, to assure her not to freak out. Below them was a dark pit of glowing stars and the few clouds they had left behind. She quickly peered up at Zane in a fit of realization and shook his hand lightly.
"A rip in time," Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, though she quickly followed Zane's lead as he moved them out of the center of the portal in which they were hovering over. They stepped out to the soft grass, and Tessa eagerly got a good look around; the place was near heavenly. The grass swayed in the warm breeze, the yellow and orange hues of the spring sun set the place ablaze a fresh, dewy bubble of divinity. Tessa peered around and noticed that Zane's light bike had vanished, though she had to wonder if anything they had come to know was even around.
"It's a glitch in the game," Zane said gently as he gestured around, he gently took his hoodie off, neatly folded it and set it near the dark pit of stars they had just emerged from; Tessa followed suit as Zane continued, "It's... It's exactly preserved when the game was brand new."
"You mean, time has stopped," Tessa wondered as she nervously looked around.
"The day and night cycle continues, but," Zane looked down a little and motioned around, "Time is frozen here. It's as if User made the map, then it somehow got copied and this version was put on pause and forgotten about."
"Like a back up of your game, or something?" Tessa wondered as she couldn't help but look around in a fit of excitement, "This is incredible! So no matter how long we stay here, time in Arcade has frozen?"
"Essentially," Zane shrugged lightly and gently peered over to the pit of darkness they came from, "If it were daytime in the real world, it'd be night time here. I-I only ever come here when it's day, on the Flip Side, because it's just... So new, and so bright."
"Real time Dead Zed is still just as wonderful," Tessa assured kindly and honestly, Zane smiled and looked down.
"Yeah, it is," Zane agreed, "It's just nice to come here and... Basically, cheat time. It's like you can put the world on pause to merely exist beyond others. To think and to dream without wasting any time."
"You come here to just think and be alone?" Tessa wondered kindly, though Zane lightly furrowed his eyebrows and glanced far off in the distance to a mountain range that loomed nearby.
"More or less," Zane said, almost in a sad tone.
"How come you wanted to bring me here?" Tessa wondered lightly as the two stood a few yards away from each other. The grass swayed and licked at their shins, the warm air current brisked their hair about in the kindest, most gentlest way possible.
"I've... I've never shown anyone this place, before," Zane said gently, his eyes held onto hers honestly, "I just... I was waiting for the right person to share it with."
"Why me?" Tessa asked softly as she remained with her hands still and to her side casually, she rested on one leg and stood poised; Zane gently gazed at her through glassy eyes and wondered just how perfect an imperfect being could get.
"I don't know," Zane suddenly wrinkled his face in mild confusion, he gently turned and took a few steps to his side and away from Tessa; she furrowed her eyebrows and remained still.
"Well, whatever the reason is, you can trust me," Tessa smiled gently as she watched the waves and waves of green grass, "I won't tell anyone about this place."
"Thank you," Zane uttered gently as he gazed down to the ground in an almost suffering contemplation.
Tessa gently gazed at him for a few moments as he seemed to be battling himself in his mind. She lightly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and studied him. She knew after everything that had happened tonight, the gear on their friendship had been shifted to second. With that, though, she was certain they would delve further into their personalities, and all of it's dark, sharp edges that came with it. She trusted Zane was a kind and gentle person, though she remained trained to his figure and was almost certain he had inner demons he had been battling all along; of which Tessa never thought to notice. She heaved a soft sigh and looked down to the ground in sorrow, as Selka's words hit her skin like sharp ice, yet again.
"I'm really sorry what happened with Selka," Tessa eased as gently as she could.
"It's not your fault," Zane said as he ripped himself away from his inner turmoil and gave her a genuine, loving smile. His eyes held onto hers with a powerful force of sincerity. She knew that if he were to ever have any kind of super power, that'd be it.
"But, it is," Tessa lightly argued in a sense of realization, "I'm the cause of this turmoil. You wouldn't be in this falling out with Selka if I just stood my ground three weeks ago and denied him that stupid dance."
"Tessa," Zane started as he shifted his weight to face her yet again.
"I really didn't mean to cause any of this hurt," Tessa gestured her hands nervously, "I-I guess it was just me being stupid and immature. I somehow thought dancing with the popular guy would earn me a high standing in Academy, but... I realize that in doing that, I was walking all over you."
"I was doing what good friends do," Zane stated, "I was helping you out. You had a goal, and I wanted to help you reach it."
"You knew Selka was a complete jerk," Tessa wagged her finger at him and let a small, annoyed smile sprawl her face, she dared to step one step closer to him, though the gap between them was still large.
"I knew Selka was picky when it came to the people he involves himself with," Zane largely shrugged as his hands moved into the pockets of his jeans; Tessa felt her face get hot as his shirt raised just a tiny bit, which revealed a tad bit of sculpture she was unaware of.
"But, you didn't try to talk me out of dancing with Selka," Tessa side eyed him with a sly smile as she filled their gap, albeit very slowly.
"Why would I do that to you?" Zane argued with a confused laugh as he largely gestured his arms, Tessa furrowed her eyebrows lightly.
"You didn't just want to teach me," Tessa dared with a widening smile, "You wanted to steal me. You knew of Selka's dirty deeds last year. This was pay back."
"That's hardly the truth," Zane argued with an annoyed glare, though he couldn't help but smile.
"Why exactly did you bring me here, Zane?" Tessa wondered in a sharp tone, though it was laced with all the kindness in the world. She crossed her arms gently and dared to continue approaching him.
"Because it's awesome!" Zane gestured, though he avoided eye contact; Tessa rolled her eyes.
"I can see right through you," Tessa muttered softly, though her gentle smile never faltered, "Tell me the real reason, Zane."
"Fine, fine!" Zane barked as he gestured his arms towards Tessa. He inhaled a hard breath and largely furrowed his eyebrows, "So, it was a ploy. I-I was too much of a chicken to ask you to the dance, myself, because my competition was Selka! Every girl's dream guy. How can I compete with that? Especially with that whole kissing your hand, sweeping you off your feet deal he boasted about in front of everyone. No way I could go to you after that," Zane said loudly in an embarrassed rage, though the twinkle in his eye held delightful enjoyment as to what was unraveling. He continued on in a dorky voice as he daintily waved his hands around, "Hey Tessa, I'm a dweeb, let's go to the dance together."
"Zane," Tessa exhaled a hard giggle and scrunched her shoulders as she shook her head.
"I figured if I helped you out, you'd be comfortable enough to dance with me at the dance," Zane said gently as he looked down, "My initial plan was to get back at Selka, but..."
"You realized you were bigger than that?" Tessa wondered gently, though Zane softly shook his head and let his gaze slide up from the ground to pierce her hazel eyes.
"I knew you were smart enough not to follow through with it," Zane eased, though his shoulders remained tense, "I knew if you could just spend five minutes with the guy, you'd realize he was one big pile of crap."
Tessa let her facial expression slope to genuine surprise as she looked about Zane's body; he looked down to the ground and heaved a hard sigh. Tessa gently let her arms slide from their crossed position, she relaxed and gazed at him with gentle understanding.
"The last night of our practice," Zane started softly as a gentle, dazed smile sprawled his face, "I almost asked you right then and there to change your mind and go with me, instead... I knew then, that, nice guys finishing last, isn't such a bad thing after all."
"The name of your game seems appropriate," Tessa beamed a gentle smile, though Zane raised his eyebrows lightly and looked down in mild, confused annoyance.
"You have no idea," Zane muttered, though he returned his gaze to Tessa and lightly smiled as he continued, "I brought you here, because... I just couldn't believe that things actually panned in my favor, for once. Not only did Selka finally understand how much he's hurt me, but... I was able to spend the whole night with the most amazing girl in creation."
Tessa raised her eyebrows lightly and, before the gears could turn in her head, she beamed a wide smile and bashfully looked down. She felt her face get hot as the two kept their handful of feet's distance between each other, though she so badly wanted to close the gap. After a few moments she returned her curious gaze to Zane and looked at him as a whole. He was stunning, a handsome, organized mess. His jet black faux-hawk ruffled in the wind lightly, the longer strands on top of his head lightly flowed over his electric blue eyes every now and then. He inhaled a deep breath, his strong chest expanded and boasted power Tessa was certain she underestimated.
"At first, I wanted vengeance on Selka, but... Every day that we danced together, all I wanted to do was just... Hold you, forever," Zane admitted softly as he glanced at her a few times, "I wanted so badly to prove Selka wrong, but... As time went on, my only motive was to win that last dance."
"You could have just asked me, Zane," Tessa smiled lovingly, though she too looked down in light embarrassment, "Believe it or not, our intentions were very much similar."
"You wanted to prove your worth," Zane assured gently with a nod as he kept his eyes down, though he slid them to hers after a moment, "Though to the wrong crowd. I've known your worth this whole time... A-and let me tell you, it's eons beyond me."
"Zane," Tessa lightly laughed as she beamed her adorable, gap-tooth smile.
"I brought you here because... I knew you were way out of my league," Zane said in an almost sad tone as he looked down and to the side, "I figured my luck somehow was going to come to an end. I knew I had to pause the game for this. I want this to last as long as possible... But, I don't want to waste your time, in the process... What better way to do that than to just... Stop time altogether."
Tessa gazed at Zane in a grief ridden shock. She raised her eyebrows in saddened surprise before she exhaled a hard breath of dismay and disbelief. She let her arms slump to her sides, as if she was just given the highest honor. She finally beamed a loving smile toward her misunderstood, best friend. She squinted her eyes gently and gazed at him, in all of his earnest intentions. She finally breathed a small laugh and dared to take a few, slow steps closer to him.
"Well," Tessa smiled, she was happy to see Zane's humbled, yet delightfully surprised eyes meet hers, his mouth was still neutral in a look of honest vulnerability, "Now, you have me here."
"I don't want us to leave," Zane said sadly, above a shy whisper, as he glanced at their star ridden portal, he felt his eyes almost turn glassy, "I-I just... I know my intentions were selfish at first but... I have never welcomed such a change into my life."
"We have to leave eventually, Zane," Tessa eased as she neared him, she tenderly took his hands in hers and gazed down at them. She finally slid her eyes to his unsure ones and gave him an innocent, teasing smile, "Though, who says anything has to change, once we step back into reality?"
"Yeah?" Zane wondered in a surprised breath of a whisper as he raised his eyebrows. He kept his eyes trained on hers, he was floored to see her grow closer and closer.
"Yeah, I think we can handle that," Tessa teasingly wrinkled her nose as she exhaled a soft, barely audible laugh. Her fingers curled around his a bit more; she cocked and eyebrow lightly and long blinked, though her gaze remained on his, "Right?"
"I had hoped you would say that," Zane eased deeply through a bashful smile.
Tessa gave him a loving, hopeful smile, though she began to suddenly feel out of her skin, in a delightful, contemplative sort of way. She nervously glanced at Zane's mouth and wondered just when they'd be brave enough to finally seal their feelings for each other. She felt her heart pound and jolt about in her chest, she knew glitch-hiccups were a part of her code, though she immediately prayed they wouldn't flare up any time soon. She nearly flinched as she felt Zane squeeze her hands in a slowly growing wave of want that began to spill over them. The two shared a generous amount of space between them, though Tessa felt as if she was frozen in time. She knew she had made it this far, though the gap between them looked like miles. She nervously swallowed and inhaled a steady breath, as if she had to remind herself that this was brand new.
Zane curiously gazed down into her hazel eyes, he felt his head spin with a sweep of delightful confusion. He long blinked gently, as if to take long exposure memories of this moment. As bravely as he could, he tenderly leaned down, just barely, as if he was unsure if they were on the same page. He flinched lightly as the warm wind picked up about the two; Tessa's delicate, waves of hair lightly splayed around her back and body, which sent her intoxicating scent in his direction. He raised his eyebrows in a surge of surprise as his heart practically backflipped; he could swear he could feel sweat form on the crown of his head. He furrowed his eyebrows lightly and knew he owed Tessa, for being a bit of a coward. He let his lips curl into a gentle smile as he tenderly pulled on her hands a little, which slowly inched her closer to him.
Zane delicately leaned down a tiny bit and pushed his forehead to hers, like when he did when they were on the dance floor. Through hardly parted eyes, he gazed down at her nose and flushed cheeks, as did she. The tips of their noses just barely touched this time, though Tessa was certain the tension between them had practically quadrupled in size over the span of the past two hours. She exhaled a gentle breath of mild impatience on his mouth, she very lightly furrowed her eyebrows and kept her eyes just barely parted, as if they were in a death match of who could cave first. She blinked her barely parted eyes once before she glanced at his mouth yet again; she felt goosebumps shoot up her spine and arms as she could feel the tip of his warm nose gently push farther into the side of her nose. Zane gently tilted his head just barely, and with a gentle nudge, he finally let his eyes lull closed. With one final, brave inhale, he warmly filled the gap.
Tessa felt as she was suddenly hit with a wave of new information, as if the answers to the universe was up for grabs. She raised her eyebrows in gentle surprise as they pushed into each other's warmth. She suddenly felt as if every single nerve ending in her body was swimming as Zane's warm breath delicately coated her cheeks. She felt what she thought to be the sensation to giggle as the gentle prickles of the stubble on his chin and face brushed her face for the first time. She smiled on Zane's warm lips and eagerly returned their first kiss, though she felt as if she had to force her eyes out from the back of her head as Zane tenderly broke the kiss and parted his eyes again. The two just barely pulled from each other, as if they were magnets that couldn't figure out whether to nervously resist or eagerly pull back together. Tessa raised her eyebrows in dewed, delectable surprise as her barely parted lips formed an innocent, curious smile, as if to silently ask him just where he thought he was going.
Zane nervously inhaled an audible, gentle inhale and let his eyes roll from the back of his head as well. He gently gazed down at her in an honest, yet gentle pluck of surprise. Tessa gave him the same, eager look and quickly glanced back at his barely parted mouth, their string of eye contact was billowed with a palpable vibe of uncertain want. It was apparent that they each were worried about offending the other, though with that, they each were eager to convey an important amount of contrary want. Tessa exhaled a gentle, barely audible noise of a question, her teasing fingers lightly slipped from his hands and trailed up his wrists and lower arms. In the split second of worrying about being too pushy, she tenderly flinched as she could feel Zane's strong hands gently grope for the dip of her waist. His fingers ever so tenderly mapped the curve of her figure in such a way that was like dipping your toes in swimming water to test the temperature. He lightly furrowed his eyebrows with a kind smile and felt his heart surge with undying bravery.
With another sweep of the thrill, Zane delicately dipped down to meet her, yet again, though he was surprised this time to feel Tessa meet him half way. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and finally felt at ease with letting his strong hands hold her small waist. He tried his very hardest not to seem to eager to practically squeeze her tight. He gently remained in his slow process, though he felt the gears turn faster and faster in his mind as Tessa's warm hands just barely slid up his chest. He inhaled a nervous breath as the two lightly and just barely parted yet again. He hovered his mouth over hers and peered down at her cheeks again, through his innocent, half-moon, electric blue eyes. Tessa curiously glanced up at him through the haze as well, though she smirked an almost annoyed smile up at him. She knew he plucked these breaks in fear of him pushing the limit too far, out of respect towards her. She felt her heart swell, and appreciated the gentlemanly act, though she tried her hardest to convey that it wasn't necessary in this moment.
She gently slid one of her hands to his strong jaw and pulled him back down to her with an exhale of a giggle, laced with delight and appreciation towards him. She smiled on his warm lips and was thrilled to feel his familiar smile on hers as well. She felt a hard chill go down her spine as she finally draped her arms around his neck, which invited him in farther. He gently tilted his head a little farther into their kiss and easily, and courageously, gripped his strong hands around her lower back. He held her tight and squeezed her to him, he dug the pads of his fingers into the hot skin on her back and wrinkled her shirt in a delirious draw of innocent want. He felt a cold shiver crawl down his strong, muscular back as the tips of her fingers trailed from the short hairs behind his ear, to the longer strands on the middle and back of his head. She relished in his soft hair, and was delighted that she could finally feel the bizarre texture in a fit of want, without seeming too pushy or awkward.
They just barely stirred in the midst of quelling their hearts, but before Zane could get too ahead of himself, he was glad to feel Tessa gently break their kiss this time. He exhaled a nervous, faltering breath on her mouth as the two just lightly panted. Tessa curiously glanced at his barely parted lips and felt her heart pound in a sense of delightful, needy urgency. She furrowed her eyebrows and beamed a curious, girly smile. She lulled her eyes closed and wondered if what had just happened was reality. Her heart continued to jolt about as she could feel Zane's strong arms stay firm and protective around her middle and back. He tilted his head just barely and lovingly gazed into her eyes, his soft, black hair just barely tickled her forehead and nose. He gave her an innocent, almost dorky smile and long blinked in mild disbelief.
"H-How was that for a proper send off?" Zane's deep voice was laced with a new bout of excited nervousness Tessa had never heard before. She beamed a wide smile, though she continued to keep her arms around his neck, as if she didn't want him to leave their tight bubble of fresh love.
"It was a lot more than I was expecting, I can tell you that," Tessa breathed in a soft giggle as Zane pushed his forehead to hers once more.
He gazed down at her in pure, excited delight; he knew, somehow, he'd manage to get to this check point with Tessa. So delicately and smoothly, though, he was not expecting. He inwardly had to remind himself that this, indeed was reality; this new, blooming chapter to this life was now something he was excited to be responsible for. He returned Tessa's loving smile back to her in such a way to remind her that he was the luckiest guy on Earth. He knew the road ahead would be a challenge, though he knew somehow, they'd see it through.
A/N: I did fanart for this chapter, if you guys are interested - it's titled 'New Love' on my deviantART. My username is Vyntresser :)
