*Chapter 36*
"Tessa's still with Zane, right?" Taffyta rushed as Vanellope slapped her large helmet to the kitchen island; Taffyta quickly joined her and dusted her jacket free of chocolate powder.
"Yeah, I'm going over there now," Vanellope eased, though the two rushed towards the warehouse, "She should be okay, but I'm itching to get her home, for a reset."
"So what you told me, earlier, before that quarter alert, was that she got lost?" Taffyta prod as the two sisters quickly stepped into the warehouse and towards their motocross bikes, which were draped in a protective tarp.
"Yeah," Vanellope huffed in a dreadful way, she lightly glanced at Taffyta as she ripped the tarp off of hers and Taffyta's bikes, as well as the proper helmets mounted on their seats, "The jungle shape shifted on her, and she was taken across creation... Poor thing."
"She was alright, though, when you left her with Zane?" Taffyta wondered as the two quickly got onto their bikes and strapped their helmets on.
"Yeah, she was unconscious, but stable..." Vanellope trailed off and caught eyes with Taffyta, "I know she's in good hands."
"With Zane?" Taffyta questioned lightly as they finally froze, their frenzied actions settled merely for seconds.
"Yeah," Vanellope breathed as her eyes scanned the ground under Taffyta's bike, in a idle, contemplating sort of way, "There's something about that boy I can't quite put my finger on... I can tell, by the look in his eye, that he really likes Tessa, and vice versa, but for some reason, it seems as if he almost doesn't know what to do with it. I-I really like him, so I'm sort of hoping this little day together has made life easier on the two."
"I'm surprised you haven't gone all 'momma bear' on him, yet," Taffyta laughed as she crossed her arms lightly; Vanellope heaved a chuff of a laugh and shook her head. She gripped the handles of her bike and barely wrinkled her nose with a hint of snark.
"That's because he hasn't given me a reason to," Vanellope caught Taffyta's eyes with hers and furrowed her eyebrows, "Yet."
"Please give me seats to that show," Taffyta muttered with a sly smile, she raised her eyebrows as if her request wasn't displayed as an option.
"Front row, babe," Vanellope quipped as she slapped her helmet visor over her eyes; with one kick downward, her bike suddenly roared to life.
Taffyta quickly followed suit, and before anyone from inside the castle could come rushing to see just what was going on, the two girls rocketed out of the warehouse and out the side of the castle. As fast as lightning, they approached Sugar Rush's exit together; they climbed the massive, sloping rainbow road and easily weaved through Sugar Rush's winding outlet. As if firecrackers setting a quiet, humble night sky to bits, they burst into Game Central Station and skid to a halt. Their bikes loudly grumbled in impatient wait as they peered towards Ralph's outlet. As if on a cue, Ralph gently skid out of his outlet and nervously caught eyes with the two girls across the station. Vanellope lightly nodded in his direction, before, all three powerful heads of Sugar Rush began to rocket towards Dead Zed's outlet. Ralph heaved an annoyed sigh as the two girls practically rocketed away; he knew he could run fast, though he still huffed at the idea of being left behind.
"Alright, alright," Zane heaved a hard laugh and shook his head; his kind eyes peered at Tessa from across his kitchen nook, "I've only been to Tapper's once."
"Once!" Tessa retorted; Zane furrowed his eyebrows.
"Once, I'm telling the truth!" Zane argued with a widening smile, he shook his head and beamed down into the hot pot of macaroni and cheese he was preparing for the two, for dinner.
"You're two years old," Tessa waved her hand in a sharp manner, as if he wasn't understanding, "Don't you old folk like, live there?"
"Old folk!" Zane repeated through a contagious, rippling laugh; Tessa couldn't help but beam, her heart nearly stopped working as he practically oozed an adorable air about himself, "I'm only a year older than you, it's not like I live there! Who would I go with, Selka?"
"Tammy? Emery?" Tessa shrugged, "They're fully grown gamers."
"Well," Zane furrowed his eyebrows and gazed up at the backsplash of his stove for a moment, "So are you," he concluded as his electric eyes gripped Tessa with all the kindness in the world.
"Oh yeah," Tessa mumbled as she slumped her chin into her larger hand. She furrowed her eyebrows hard and stared at the stainless steel pot in which Zane bobbed about, a little. She finally let a curious smile sprawl her face, "I'm totally allowed in Tapper's, now... When did that happen!"
"Three days ago!" Zane chuckled as he shot Tessa a curious smile. He opened his mouth to carry on the conversation, though a bubble suddenly popped in the food he was cooking, below him. He largely flinched and gazed down at the hot, steaming pasta below him in a wild, exaggerated fit of surprise and mild anger.
"You good with that?" Tessa eagerly asked through a hard giggle, which caused Zane to exhale a few laughs as well.
"I-I haven't cooked for others in a long while," Zane admitted through a nervous smile down to the food. He eagerly stirred it and turned the burner down.
"Why not?" Tessa wondered kindly, though she let her demeanor sink once Zane's aura dimmed to that of a calm, almost sorrowful glow. Tessa furrowed her eyebrows lightly and sat up straighter, as if to wonder if she had hit a sensitive point, "You okay?"
"Oh, yeah I'm fine," Zane breathed with an assuring smile, though he kept his eyes to the food below him, "It's just been so long since I've had company... Minus you, of course."
"I consider myself lucky," Tessa smiled a cheeky, yet sensitive smile towards him; he lightly glanced at her, in a wave of appreciation, though his demeanor continued to hang in a spot Tessa was hoping it wouldn't stay. She let her smile sink, yet again, though her eyes held curious to his figure, "You... You worried something's going to take this company away, or something?"
"No," Zane breathed as he wrinkled his nose in light contemplation, "Well... Yeah."
"What!" Tessa beamed, "I'm not going to go anywhere, Zane. Sorta, hook line and sinker'd, here."
"I'm terrible at fishing," Zane gave her a cheesy smile, though he averted his attention to Lickity, who slowly moseyed into his bubble and nudged her snout into his side, but not before letting out a gaping, toothy, grumbly yawn that made their cores practically tremble from the bass. He wrinkled his nose and rubbed the top of her head with one hand and continued to stir with the other. He smiled down to her kindly, "Hey, you."
"... Have you been abandoned before, or something?" Tessa tread into the topic as lightly as she could, though Zane peered his inquisitive, intelligent gaze into hers with a sweep of trust. Tessa squinted her eyes lightly and gently continued, "You somehow act as if I'm just going to, one day, up and leave..."
"Well," Zane hissed as he gazed down at Lickity, who thoroughly was enjoying her head being scratched; her large eyes lulled closed and into the back of her skull as she emitted a deep, satisfied purr; Zane continued gently, "All my life, I've sort of been a loner... I-I'm, not technically a guy a lot of people enjoy having around. I guess it might just be hard to understand."
"What wouldn't I understand?" Tessa wondered softly as she furrowed her eyebrows, "And, that is not true. Not one soul, have I ever heard, doesn't want you around. That's bull-roar, who told you that?"
"Guess I just had a rough Academy life," Zane muttered gently, though after a moment of stillness, he gave Tessa a gentle smile, "It's no big deal. I guess I'm just wary about who I let into my bubble."
"Well, I'm honored," Tessa said seriously, her voice was coated with care.
"In fact," Zane furrowed his eyebrows and turned the burner off. He lightly stepped around Lickity, who gazed up at him through eager eyes; he grabbed two bowls from his cabinets and began to serve the two the dinner he made. He lightly glanced at Tessa with a bashful smile as he continued, "You're probably the only person who has ever been this close to me."
"Really?" Tessa wondered; she knew exactly what he was talking about, though she knew this topic was definitely a brand new one, and should be treated with the utmost respect. She lightly tapped her fingers together and glanced about, as if to search for the right words. She inhaled nervously and side eyed Zane, as if to wonder if they were getting too deep into the topic, "... Not even, Jeska?"
"Jeska?" Zane largely furrowed his eyebrows and approached Tessa with a bowl of steaming hot pasta, he exhaled a soft laugh and kindly set the bowl in front of Tessa; she sat on the opposite side of his counter-like bar and faced him. He lightly pulled up a stool and sat directly across from her as he continued, "Nah, Jeska... She wasn't my girlfriend, if that's what you're asking."
"She wasn't?" Tessa wondered, though she felt her heart throw off a massive weight it had been harboring; she swear she could hear birds singing.
"No," Zane smiled bashfully and prod at his food with his fork, "She was just my date to last year's Academy ball, though she didn't come out of it my girlfriend."
"Well, cause Selka stole her from you," Tessa added as she pointed lightly, though she picked up her fork and gave him a kind 'thank-you', for the food, in which he properly responded to.
"Yeah, well," Zane darkly glared down into his food, though he almost sneakily shot Tessa a daring smile, in the kindest way possible, "Guess this year is just reversed."
Tessa lightly raised her eyebrows, though she tried not to seem to eager to his insinuation. She glanced back and forth between his piercing gaze, though she finally tore away and looked down with a bashful smile. She peered to the side and tried her hardest to remain calm, though she couldn't help but breathe a small laugh as Zane did the same. Tessa tucked her hair behind her right ear and lightly shook her head.
"Can't say I'm complaining," Tessa eased smoothly, though she felt as if her skin was about to slide off of her body in a fit of tectonic tremors.
She raised her eyebrows in mild surprise as she suddenly noticed Zane reach his right hand out and warmly hold her left hand in his. As if it were merely a normal thing to do, he held their resting hands between them comfortably on his counter-tops, like it was done on the daily. Tessa, in a haze, stared down at their warmly met hands and finally peered her eyes on Zane. He began to eat, as if his gentle, loving act was something he was casual about, though Tessa knew he was painfully trying to hide his nervous demeanor. Tessa tried to hide a beaming, girly smile; she bit her bottom lip to help aid her venture, though she couldn't help but squeeze his warm hand.
"We should go to Tapper's sometime," Zane said gently before swallowing; he kept his eyes trained to his food and his free hand lightly gripped in Tessa's.
"That'd be fun," Tessa said gently, though her voice was kindly coated in question towards this new, little venture they found themselves in. She knew, no matter the situation, his skin sent electric, buzzing bees straight to her stomach. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly, as if to silently question herself why, though she began to eat as well.
"Take the whole group," Zane added as he looked up and out to his loft behind Tessa; he waved his empty fork about only lightly, "I don't remember the last time I even went."
"And I've never been, so," Tessa gently shrugged, though she was careful to keep her hand warmly locked with Zane's, "Should be interesting."
The two continued to eat in each other's warm, silent presence. Tessa occasionally would glance at their warmly conjoined hands; she felt Zane's firm pulse in her hand and felt her face flush at the thought. She caught a silent breath, in her chest, at the mere, adorable act Zane had gently brought upon the two. She studied him; she knew he was an extremely patient individual, though she had to wonder just how slow and crawling this process would be. She knew she had hardcore, quick paced racing blood in her, though as if gently plucked from her own DNA, she wondered just what Zane was trying to teach her here. She knew he was a shy being, though she almost felt as if she were bound to eventually drown in tortured anxiety.
She gently bought into Zane's warm, steady and subtle hints of longing; she knew these little acts had to eventually grow and blossom, though when, she wasn't sure. She furrowed her eyebrows and could taste the frustration from eons away, as if his slow and steady pace was bound to eventually torture her; just when? She wasn't positive. As if she couldn't decide, she almost was hoping Academy would, now, distract her from her Zaney thoughts. She wondered if the rush of everything bright, good and new was maybe carrying her too high into the clouds. She came back down to the loft and let her eyes glance at Zane, once more, as if his steady demeanor knew hers was about to rocket to the moon. Like brainwaves that were in perfect sync, he caught eyes with her and held it, as if he knew exactly what she was worried about; she felt her heart jolt in a nervous, almost angry sort of way, though she knew she had no right getting this riled, so soon. She finally let her shoulders relax as Zane's kind eyes practically coated her with a wave of patience she didn't know she had, as if he was ever so tenderly asking her to bear with his shy soul, in this new adventure they had found themselves in.
"Too bad you missed Academy, today," Zane said gently, as if he knew he was interrupting a very long slew of messy thoughts Tessa was lost in. He cocked an eyebrow, as if to kindly and silently remind her that this ride, of there's, wasn't to be rushed; she finally caved to his request as her eyes promised his that'd she'd relax, though the two would never dare to speak their minds aloud, at this time anyhow.
"I'm sure Penny will have some sort of story to tell me," Tessa breathed, she hoped she conveyed more clarity than her mind could even begin to give her credit for.
"You have any classes with her?" Zane wondered kindly, as if the cavity-inducing sweetness, that they were drowning in, was finally dripping from their sharp, confused edges.
"Yeah, I have four classes with her," Tessa nodded as the two continued to eat; their gentle hand-holding never faltered.
"Four out of six, not bad," Zane smiled, though he caught eyes with Tessa once more, "You have that one with Selka, though, yeah?"
"Yeah," Tessa breathed, "Not looking forward to this semester."
"Let's hope he passes, this time," Zane breathed an annoyed laugh as he raised his eyebrows in a jolt of mild sarcasm.
"I hope not," Tessa beamed, "Because then we'd move on to the next class, together."
"Good point," Zane mumbled down to his food, he began to feel a gentle, protective coating gloss his skin at the idea of his Tessa being locked in a classroom with the big, bumbling idiot. He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at Tessa lightly, as if to guiltily convey that he, too, was beginning to feel their tension, "If he tries anything, I know what wing Applied Coding is in."
"I don't doubt you for a second," Tessa lightly smirked.