Always Beautiful (12 page)

I furrowed my brow. “You seem kind of unsure of your future.” I observed. Zeppelin dropped his eyes the table and slowly set his glass down. His shoulders tensed and he was silent for so long that I thought maybe I had upset him. I was about to apologize but his blue eyes lifted and he began speaking.

“The future isn’t guaranteed to anybody. I just don’t like to focus too much on what might be when I can enjoy what will happen here and now.” He said. “I would love to have things pan out for me and I look forward to my future. I just don’t want to forget the present either.” I tried to see things from that perspective. Perhaps there were things that I was missing out on by focusing too much on my future.

“That makes sense.” I replied. Zeppelin seemed to relax his posture in the seat across from me. “I take it since you’ve already confessed to being analytical that you’ve never been even a tiny bit reckless?” He asked with a sly smile. I narrowed my eyes. “Are you hinting that I’m boring?” I tried to sound hurt, but the way his eyes lit up made it difficult.

“Of course not,” Zeppelin shook his head. “I mean you like cars and racing so you have
some
sense of fun.” I scoffed. “I like to have fun. Hannah and I used to have tons of fun in high school. Honestly though since I’ve been in college, I kind of scaled down on the social situations.” “Why is that?” He wondered. I shrugged. “I just really want my career plans to happen. It’s important to me.” I admitted. Zeppelin was about to say something but the waiter interrupted us.

Setting down each of our plates along with our beers, he asked if we needed anything else. After he left I looked at Zeppelin expectantly. He was laying out his silverware, focused on the food in front of him. I unrolled my napkin and laid it across my lap before reaching for my glass of beer.

“I think it’s amazing that you know what you want to do with your life.” Zeppelin said quietly. My eyes shifted to his, my glass remained halfway to my lips. He furrowed his brow. “I always wanted to have my own business. This sounds really lame, but when I was younger, I swore that I was going to open up my own garage for race cars. I wanted to restore them, fabricate things and the like.” I shook my head. “That’s not lame Zeppelin.” He half smiled and shrugged. “I got into college and decided to major in business. I figured I would need to know the ins and outs of owning my own place. After I turned twenty one though, I decided that I didn’t want to do that anymore.”

His face fell a little and his eyes unfocused as he looked past me. “I decided that I didn’t want to do anything for a while. I went back home to Seattle because my parents needed me back there. While I was there I thought a lot about my future and the things I had once dreamed. I realized that whatever career path I chose, it wouldn’t matter. And so I dropped out of college.” His gaze moved to mine and he looked perplexed. “I don’t know why I just told you that.” He said softly. “Anyway, I guess I just lost the drive to seek out a definite future for myself. It’s really admirable that you have such a passion for yours.”

“What happened in Seattle?” I asked as I set my glass down in front of me. Zeppelin’s shoulders straightened and he looked down at his untouched food. “Nothing really, it was just a minor issue that needed to be taken care of.” He muttered and then began cutting in to his dinner.

There was a heavy silence between us as we both began to eat our food. My mind was running the entire time, trying to figure out what it was that happened to him. Why would he just lose the drive to achieve his dream? It had to have been something significant. I suppose that I could understand why he wouldn’t tell me though. We didn’t know each other that well and maybe it was something he was embarrassed about or it was just too personal to share.

After we were finished eating, mainly in silence, and the waiter removed our plates, Zeppelin finally met my eyes again. A slow smile formed on his full lips. The sun was nearly set and the air was cooling. “What did you think of the food?” He asked. “It was really great. Thank you for dinner Zeppelin.” I said. He nodded. “Of course, are you ready for the next part of our date?” A smile played on his fill lips. My brow furrowed. “There’s more planned than just dinner?” “Remember last night when we made the bet? I told you one night, one date…” His voice trailed off.

I thought back to when we were making the bet at the race the night before. He had said that. Did that mean that he meant the
entire
night? Zeppelin chuckled and my gaze flew back to him. He must have read the confused and slightly panicked expression on my face.

“There’s another place I want to take you, if you’re okay with that.” He said. I knew that I wasn’t ready to go home yet. I had relaxed considerably from the beginning of the date thanks to the beer with dinner. “That’s okay with me. You’re not going to tell me where it is you want to take me though.” I spoke as more of a statement than a question and Zeppelin’s smile grew wider as he shook his head. “Not a chance Angel.”

We talked a little bit more as we waited for the check. I watched the waterfall, so majestic and powerful behind us. It really was beautiful at this time in the evening with no tourists interrupting the view. After Zeppelin paid, he stood from the table and reached for my hand. I took it easily as we made our way out of the restaurant. When we got to Zeppelin’s car, he opened the door for me again. Once he was seated in the driver’s seat, he turned to look at me.

“You look really pretty tonight.” He said as his eyes searched my face. “Thank you.” I said shyly and tucked my hair behind my ear as I looked down. Zeppelin stretched his arm toward me and placed his index finger under my chin, guiding it up to look at him. Without a word, he leaned closer to me and placed a kiss on my lips. It was tender and sweet. He pulled away from me and started the car.

We drove back toward town before Zeppelin took another exit and we were cruising along a winding road through the vast trees. “So do you have any brothers or sisters or anything?” I asked. Zeppelin shook his head. “Nope, it’s just me. What about you?” “Nope, I had Dixon though. He was more like an older brother to me than a cousin.” I said. “You guys are pretty close then?” He asked. I nodded. “Yeah, I was really sad when he moved here. He and my uncle Eddy were the ones who got me into cars. I pretty much followed Dixon around everywhere.” I said with a smile as I remembered our younger days.

“He’s lucky to have you.” Zeppelin said. “I have a few cousins but we were never really close. I mostly just saw them at family reunions and stuff.” “Do they live in Seattle too?” I asked. Zeppelin nodded. “My whole family is from that area. My parents didn’t really like it there and that was why they moved here to Portland before I was born. After my grandfather on my mother’s side passed away, they decided to move back to Seattle to be close to my grandmother.” He explained. “Do you prefer Seattle?” I asked. Zeppelin shrugged. “I think I like both cities equally. Since I grew up here though, Portland feels more like home to me.”

I had been so wrapped up in our conversation that I barely noticed that we had come to the top of the road. Zeppelin turned in to a small gravel parking lot with a short stone wall around it. We were at some sort of scenic area. The sun had set by now and the sky was a dark blue with an array of stars twinkling throughout. The moon was full and golden, setting off a glow. Zeppelin shut the car off and grabbed his door handle. “Come on Lucky.” He said with a wide grin.

I opened my door and walked to where Zeppelin was standing in front of his car. He crossed his arms and leaned against the hood. “Where are we?” I asked as I rested against the hood beside him. He glanced at me and then stared straight ahead. “It’s a lookout place where you can see the entire city. During the day if it’s clear, you can see the mountain.” I followed his gaze and saw the shimmering lights of the city in the distance. You could make out tail lights and head lights of cars down below, and see the tops of every building downtown. It was amazing.

“You sure know how to show a girl a good time.” I said, nudging my shoulder in to his. Zeppelin chuckled. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself Angel. I figured we could hang out here for a while. I brought something too.” He said and began to walk around to the trunk of the car. I furrowed my brow in confusion and watched as he pulled out a folded up quilt. He closed the trunk and then went back to the driver’s side of the car. He rolled down the windows and turned the stereo on. Flashing me a smile he shut the door and made his way back to me.

There was a small patch of grass to the right of us that was on a hill so that you could still see the view. Zeppelin grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the area. He laid the quilt out and then grabbed my hand again. “Will you sit with me?” He asked. I nodded. “Of course,” I was smiling from ear to ear. A week ago when I met Zeppelin, I assumed him to be a flirt, a bad boy. Based on his actions tonight, I began to wonder if I had pegged him wrong.

We sat down on the quilt next to each other. Zeppelin had his knees bent, his elbows resting on them as he gazed out at the city. I crossed my legs in front of me and leaned back on my hands. I watched the twinkling lights of the city beyond. I loved watching all the movement and wondering what people might be out doing or where they might be headed. It was actually quite private here with a few trees around the grassy area. It almost felt like Zeppelin and I were alone on top of the world.

“So why fighting?” I asked after a while. Zeppelin slowly looked at me. “It’s more of a release than an income for me anymore.” He said. “In all honesty, it used to be about the money, before I had to go back to Seattle. I was good at it and it was an easy income to help pay the bills.” He shrugged. “But now you do it as a form of some sort of therapy?” I asked. Zeppelin nodded. “Yeah, I mean I could use the money too, but there are some things that I have dealt with that I want to forget about. Fighting helps me do that. I can take my aggression out and clear my head.” He explained.

I wondered yet again what it was that had happened to him in Seattle or with his family. I wanted to ask but decided I didn’t want to pry and possibly ruin our date or have a repeat of him being tense and quiet at dinner.

“Do you think you will ever stop fighting?” I asked instead. Zeppelin shrugged. “Eventually I will, maybe sooner than later, who knows. This week, I went back to the old gym I used to go to when I lived here before. Josh works there and he said he would be willing to spar with me if I wanted.” I smiled. “That would be cool. Hannah said he used to fight too.” “Yeah, after he graduated, he stopped. I think this summer is the last that Matt and Dixon will be running the fights anyway.” He said. He stretched his legs out in front of him and lay back with his hands clasped behind his head.

Smirking, his blue eyes fixed on my face. “Do you remember after the fight last weekend?” He asked. I could feel the heat in my cheeks instantly. Of course I remembered after the fight. Zeppelin had grabbed my hand and whisked me off to that room. I thought about the way his tongue swept over mine and the feel of his body against my own. I bit down on my lip and nodded. Zeppelin’s smirk turned into a wry grin and he stretched his arm out, trailing his fingers down my arm. I shuddered under his touch.

“Will you lay with me Angel?” He asked softly. I lay back against the thick quilt beside Zeppelin. I stared up at the night sky and watched the stars shimmer. I felt him shift beside me, rolling onto his side. I turned my head to look at him. His head was propped up with his hand, his elbow on the quilt. He used his other hand to stroke my cheek, over my lips and down my neck. Lowering his head, he touched his lips to my cheek gently and then to the corner of my mouth. “Do you remember what I said to you that night?” He asked as he drew back from me slightly.

I tried to think of what he said, but I couldn’t remember anything distinct. My brow furrowed and I looked in to his blue eyes that looked somehow brighter in the moonlight. “I don’t remember anything specifically. There were so many things you said.” I replied. Zeppelin’s lips tilted up in a smile. “It was after I kissed your lips for the first time in that room, right after the fight.” His thumb slid along my lower lip and I felt my body warm under his touch. I licked my lips and his gaze dropped to my mouth. “Those gorgeous lips that beg for me to kiss them,” He breathed and lowered his head.

He kissed me slowly, his lips parting as they slid against mine. He rested his hand against my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. After a few minutes, he pulled back and looked at me with a smoldering gaze. “You distracted me Angel.” He said with a low chuckle. “Sorry, what were you trying to tell me?” I asked with a smile. “After Dixon interrupted us, you mentioned something about how incredible I made you feel…Or something like “Wow.”” He replied with a smirk. I laughed and shook my head. Now I remembered what he was talking about.

“You said you would make me see stars.” Zeppelin’s grin widened and he nodded. “Exactly, that’s the reason I brought you up here tonight. You can see the stars, much better than in the city. No one ever really comes up here at this time of night.” He settled himself again so that he was lying on his back. His right arm was tucked behind his head and his left bent at the elbow with his hand resting on his stomach. I giggled. “Thank you.” I said as I turned my head to look at him. “You’re welcome Lucky. Thank you for allowing me to take you out tonight. It wasn’t so bad being surprised was it?” He asked. I shook my head. “No, not at all, I’m glad you won the bet.”

Zeppelin smiled and turned on his side again. He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him, causing me to shift to my side as well. His eyes met mine and we just gazed at each other for an immeasurable amount of time. My breathing grew heavier as his hand slid lower to my hip, his thumb moving in a circular motion against my lower stomach.

Never breaking eye contact, Zeppelin then slid his hand to my thigh, making me shiver. His touch felt so warm, so intoxicating. Not saying anything, he suddenly moved so that his body was hovering over mine. His hand at my thigh grasped tightly as he hitched it around his waist. His forehead fell to rest against mine as he panted, his breath heating my face.