Cate

I awoke the next morning with a totally blissed out smile on my face. I breathed in deeply. Sighed happily. The air simply smelled sweeter. Fresher, too. Sunlight streamed in through the hotel window in a burst of bright, golden rays.

Stretching out languidly across my plush king-sized bed, I replayed the kiss with Zac over and over again in my mind. I giggled into my pillow like a teenage girl with a crush. For the first time in forever, I felt lighthearted and energized.

Granted, I had been doing just fine for the past few months, getting by, surviving, focusing on school and family, but there was no denying it—I hadn't truly felt like a whole person.

Because Zac had been my other half.

Now, at last, wewere officially together again, and the thought filled me with absolute delight. I tried not to get overexcited, though. I needed to remain on guard. As happy as I was at the moment, not everything between us could be considered right and rosy. Not yet, anyway. There was still so much to be done to heal from our heartbreak.

Zac didn't leave the Beekman until 2 am last night. I had been reluctant to let him go. I think he had also been hoping that I might invite him to stay the night. He kept finding excuses to delay his departure. I didn't give in, though. I was afraid that, the more time we spent together, especially when there were no other distractions around us, the more likely he would be to start hounding me about the secrets surrounding his dad, Lily's dad, and my dad.

Those were questions that I wasn't ready to answer for him. I needed to keep his attention occupied on other things.

We made plans to go out to lunch later today, followed by some sightseeing around the city.

Two hours before our date, I started getting ready. I showered and shaved. I beat on a full face of makeup in golden peachy tones and coral pink lipstick. I curled my hair and slipped into a short ivory-colored flirty, flowy fit-and-flare dress. The neckline dipped nice and low in a sexy but tasteful V. My assets had never looked perkier.

A fact, I hoped, wouldn't go unappreciated by Zac.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd ever put in this much effort to impress a guy. I wasn't going to lie. I was brimming with excitement. Zac and I had never been on a proper date before. Our final semester together at Ashton Wellesley had been so chaotic. Zac and I butted heads from day one. Even after the two of us caught feelings, there simply hadn't been enough time for us to go out and enjoy each other's company. The closest Zac and I had come to a date was the time he took me to Auburndale Park and the night we got all dolled up for my sister's charity ball, which, unfortunately, turned into an evening from hell thanks to Lily.

Today would mark our first official date. It would be the first of many this week. Once I finally finished primping and prepping, I went down to the hotel lobby to wait for Zac to pick me up. My man arrived right on time.

Zac's handsome face lit up the moment he saw me. "You look..."

I arched an expectant eyebrow. "Yes?"

He blushed as his eyes drifted over my cleavage. "So fucking hot."

I sauntered over to him and grinned. "Thank you, baby. I was hoping you'd like it."

I rose on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips. Zac immediately placed his hand upon my cheek to deepen our kiss. He even slipped in a little tongue. When he pulled away, I felt lightheaded and dazed.

"I can't believe I get to kiss you whenever I want now," he mumbled in awed tones.

"I know, right?" I teased. "You lucky bastard."

"I really am," he agreed without an ounce of sarcasm.

As though to prove his sincerity, he kissed me again, sweetly, on the lips. "Ready to go, babygirl?"

Babygirl.

My heart skipped. I loved the way Zac was looking at me even though I suspected the feelings he felt for me right now probably only represented a fraction of the love we once shared. It felt bittersweet as fuck. Still, I nodded eagerly, plastered a smile over my sadness, and let Zac take my hand as he led me to his car.

For lunch, Zac brought me to his favorite pizza place, John's of Bleeker Street. It was a small neighborhood pizzeria known for lines out the door and their thin crust brick-oven pies. We got a pepperoni pizza and a second pizza with fresh basil, sliced tomatoes, and extra mozzarella. Every bite was fucking delicious.

For the rest of the afternoon, we talked about school, friends, family... us. Zac wanted to know everything. How we met. How we started dating. How I coped when I found out about his accident and his memory loss.

In turn, I told Zac everything I could. He clung to my every word with an expression that alternated between wide, earnest eyes and a thoughtful frown.

"We hated each other when you first came back to Wellesley," I told him with a wry smile. "You were kind of an asshole."

Zac eyed me with amusement. "And I'm sure you were a complete saint who just took all my shit without a peep."

I admitted sheepishly, "Okay, fine. I admit, I might have been a bitch to you, too."

He grinned. "Did I deserve it?"

"Not always," I replied. "But you liked me enough to stick around."

"Call me a masochist."

I quipped back, "Does that make me a sadist?"

"We're a match made in heaven."

"More like hell."

In this fun bantering manner, we walked and talked, hand-in-hand, wandering from Times Square all the way to the Statue of Liberty until the skies turned dark. The sights and sounds of NYC were vibrant, gritty, and very much in-your-face, but all of the beautiful, bustling mayhem fell to the wayside. Zac and I only seemed to have eyes for each other.

For dinner, we ate at an amazing sushi restaurant on Greenwich Street. Zac got a bowl of tonkatsu ramen, and I ordered the chirashi bowl. Then, Zac brought me back to the hotel and followed me up to my room. We flopped down onto the bed in a cloud of exhaustion. After nearly ten hours of nonstop walking, exploring, and sightseeing, my legs felt like jelly.

Despite my aching muscles, however, I was floating on cloud nine. Our day together passed by like a dream. Zac had been the quintessential gentleman. I couldn't really complain about anything. Yet, his behavior charmed me as much as it annoyed me. I already gave him permission to take the lead. But he didn't take advantage of it at all. Aside from kissing and a few innocent touches here and there, my man tended to mimic whatever I did. If I touched his shoulder, he would touch mine. If I hugged him, he hugged me back. I hoped that Zac wasn't losing interest in me. The Zac I knew would've been all over me and let the power go straight to his head.

Right then, I was reminded that things between us were forever changed. Each look of uncertainty and every timid touch that Zac gave me served as a reminder that we were in a completely different place now. It made my heart feel a bit heavy.

After dinner, we returned to my hotel. Within the privacy of the room, the tension between us grew to be unbearable. I could feel it buzzing as we pretended to chill on the bed. Zac's body was wound taut next to mine.

Nervously, he tried to make small talk, "I had fun today."

"Me, too."

"Dinner was pretty good."

"Mm-hmm."

"What's your favorite restaurant in DC?"

"Opaline is pretty good, I guess."

"Maybe you could take me if I ever visit DC."

"Sure, of course, whatever you want," I agreed with a sigh.

"But we don't have to go there. I'd be down for anyth—"

Finally, I got fed up and decided to make my move, scooting closer and closer to him until our bodies brushed against each other. I rolled towards him. I placed a hand on his hard, muscled chest. "Not to be rude, baby, but can you shut up and kiss me already?"

At this point, Zac definitely got the memo. "Fuck, why didn't you say something earlier? I've been holding back all night!"

He flipped over on top of me, and we started making out like sex-starved creatures. The moment our lips kissed, tiny little fireworks started to go off inside me. It became impossible to think. I gave in to Zac completely. Giving, claiming, freefalling. Our clothes stayed on, but touching everywhere and anything became fair game.

Zac's palms dragged along my hips and waist before settling firmly on my boobs. The deep V neckline on my dress made it easy for him to slide his hand beneath the fabric. As his fingers grazed the swells of my breasts, trickles of pleasure whispered through me. Zac groaned in approval as he squeezed and caressed The Girls under my bra. My hands traveled over the familiar ridges and hard planes of muscle on his broad shoulders and chest. He shifted over me to get closer, and I sighed with contentment. I missed the feel of him on top of me. Hell, I had missed everything about Zac.

As we continued to kiss and touch, it didn't take long for our breaths to grow heavy and erratic. My hand drifted south. Before my fingers could locate their target, Zac pulled away.

With his chest heaving wildly, he stared down at me with dark, desperate eyes. "Can we stop, babygirl?"

My jaw dropped with dismay. "What?"

A feeling of rejection crept over me. I began to inch away. Zac noticed immediately. He grabbed my hand and held on tight. "Don't get me wrong, I really wanna keep going with you, like, you wouldn't believe the world of pain that my boner is in right now."

I glanced down at the massive tent in his pants. I pouted. "Then, let me take care of you."

His cheeks flushed. He coughed. "Not yet. I-I want it to be special, okay? I don't wanna just... do it... before I get to wine and dine you."

With a faint smile, I assured him, "I don't need to be wined and dined, Zac. I'm already yours."

Zac reached down to adjust his crotch.

Ooh, awkward.

I glanced away with a giggle.

He grinned sheepishly. "I know you're my girlfriend already, but I still wanna do shit in the right order. You deserve to be treated like a queen, Cate."

My heart melted at his words, but I tried not to let it show. Arching an eyebrow, I teased, "I guess you have a point. Every queen needs a king. Ready to step up your game?"

Zac gazed at me with a soft expression. "I'll be anything you want me to be. I'm all in. I want you to know that, okay?"

Damn, somebody had to be cutting onions in here because my eyes were getting watery as hell. I tried to blink away the tears. "I'll hold you to it, baby."

"You better." Zac smiled beautifully as his amber eyes shone with emotion. My breath caught.

With my whole heart, I told him, "For the record, I'm all in, too."

He kissed me on the nose. "Thank fuck."

I didn't know what else to say, except, "You're welcome?"

Feeling insanely bashful all of a sudden under Zac's soul-searing gaze, I tried to regain my composure by bringing up a new subject, "So... what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"The plan for tomorrow?" Zac repeated. A contemplative look passed over his handsome features.

I offered, "I have some ideas if you don't have anything planned."

He laughed. "Nice try, commando, but I got this whole week covered! I was thinking that we could check out the Met in the morning or something. And then—"

"And then?"

Zac hesitated. "You remember my best friend? Wes?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, he's having a barbecue tomorrow afternoon. Did you wanna stop by and meet some of my friends?"

For months, I had been super curious about Zac's life in New York and his social circle. We had talked about his friends all the time through texts. Now I was finally going to get the chance to meet them.

"Oh, wow. Okay. Sure!"

"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to..."

"No, no! It's fine. Sounds fun."

Zac paused one more time. He blushed for some reason. "Um, so, I guess if we're planning to go to Wes' barbecue... you should know that... he has a hot tub. Did you, uh, bring a swimsuit?"

"I didn't, actually," I replied with a mischievous look, "but..."

"But?"

I smirked. "Maybe you could take me shopping for one? Before the barbecue?"

Zac's blush darkened to a rosy red color. His voice came out somewhere between a squeak and a stutter, "Yep! That's fine! I'd be, uh, more than happy to take you shopping."