pick your poison.

When Zacky sat down next to her, Kayla curled close to his side, bringing her legs up onto the couch. It was so nice to just sit on the couch and relax with Zacky. When she wasn't ready to rip his head off for one of his benders, Zacky was her absolute favorite person in the world. He made her feel so safe and he always went out of his way to make her feel like the only girl in the world. "Of course this is okay, I love this movie," Kayla told him. She smiled softly when she heard Zacky whisper to her, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "I love you, too," she said. "And if you want to take me out, I'm not going to argue. I've got to show you off sometime, don't I? Just make sure you remember," she added teasingly. Kayla loved it when Zacky took her out, not only because she loved spending time with her, but also because she loved seeing the looks on the faces of some other girls when they saw her on Zacky's arm. He was just absolutely gorgeous and Kayla always felt so lucky that she was the one that got to take him home and take him to bed. And that she was the one who wore his ring and would one day take his last name.

---

Once upon a time, sleeping on the couch had been a death sentence for Johnny. They'd bought it second hand and it was comfortable enough to sit on, but certainly not to sleep on. But over the years, he'd passed out here and been banished here so many times that he'd gotten used to it. Hell, there was almost even a little depression in the cushions in the shape of his body. Johnny fluffed his pillow before placing it at one end of the couch, his feet pointing towards the front door. He turned on the TV for a bit of noise and light before he laid down, pulling the scratchy blanket over his legs. Johnny was out quickly, woken up far too early for his liking the next morning when the garbage truck came down the street. Upstairs in the bedroom with Ava, the noise might have disturbed him slightly, but not enough to wake him. He groaned as he sat up, glancing towards the kitchen as an idea came to mind. Maybe if he cooked breakfast, he could win a bit of Ava's good graces back. She liked waffles, right? He remembered her liking homemade waffles, so that's what he was going to make.

When Ava woke up, she felt like she got hit by a bus. She'd been on the phone with Gena until she practically fell asleep, and the poor dear pretty much cried the whole time. Bless Gena's heart, though-- she knew that it wasn't the time to pass judgement or offer unwarranted advice. The redhead just needed someone to listen. A groan left her lips, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Ava grabbed her robe from its spot on the bedpost and put it on, slipping her phone in the pocket before leaving the bedroom and heading downstairs. She raised a brow when she heard someone moving around in her kitchen, and for a brief second she panicked that someone had broken in before she remembered that Johnny had fallen asleep downstairs. He's actually up right now? No shit... Ava thought to herself as she entered the kitchen. She leaned against the doorframe, coughing slightly so he knew of her presence. "Morning," She mumbled, not moving from her spot. "So, whatcha doin' in here?"

--

Zack smiled to himself, absently running his fingers up and down Kayla's arm. "You gotta show me off? Pfft. If anyone's gonna be showing off here, it's me. Have you seen you, babe? You're a total smokeshow." He pressed a kiss to her temple before just resting his head against hers, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and enjoying the moment. They'd been engaged for awhile now, and it still boggled Zack's mind that she said yes. He'd proposed at home-- they were still in their pajamas, just sitting down and watching television like they were at that moment. It felt just like yesterday. A sigh left Zack's lips, and he tried to ignore the itch that was building for just one more line. Not now. He was spending time with the love of his life-- he would wait until she went to sleep. And then he would do a line. Or six.

Kayla rolled her eyes playfully at Zacky's comment. "Yes, I've got to show you off," she said. She smirked slightly, although Zacky couldn't see. "You haven't seen the way all of those girls look at you? They all want you, but I'm the lucky girl who gets to take you home." Kayla settled against Zacky, using his shoulder as a makeshift pillow as she got more comfortable. Times like this reminded her of the day that Zacky proposed to her. She knew most girls wanted their proposals to be big and dramatic, but Kayla didn't care about all of that. As long as Zacky was the one putting the ring on her finger, she didn't care about anything else. When Zacky sighed, Kayla knew exactly what his problem was. She knew he wanted a line or a drink or what the fuck ever and it irritated her a little. It irritated her that those things were still a priority in his life and it irritated her that he kept those things in the house, because even after a year, the temptation was still there. "You don't have to stay down here if you're ready for bed, you know," Kayla told him, sure that a bit of her irritation had slipped into her voice.

---

Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Ava cough behind him. He looked at her for a second before he turned back to the task at hand, namely dumping an entire bag of miniature chocolate chips into the waffle batter. "I'm uh, I'm making breakfast," Johnny finally answered, mumbling slightly. He hadn't realized just how hungover until he'd actually gotten up and tried to do something. "Waffles. I'm making waffles. I figured that would be a good way to start apologizing to you, right?" Johnny sighed as he poured the first batch of batter into the waffle maker, closing it before he turned around to face his wife. "I know these words probably seem pretty empty by now, but I really am sorry, Ava. I love you so much and it kills me to know I'm putting you through all of this pain. I'm sorry." Johnny knew it only spoke to the depth of his problem, but even as he was trying to clean up the mess from his latest bender, in the back of his mind he was wondering how soon he could have another drink. At this point it was largely physical; if he went too long without any alcohol, he started to shake and would sometimes vomit.

Ava sighed, sadness settling over her again as Johnny apologized. It was sweet that he remembered her favorite breakfast, though. That right there showed Ava that deep down, Johnny did still care. She smiled gently, sitting down at the kitchen table. "I know you are, babe." She sighed, running a hand through the hairs that had escaped her ponytail. The redhead knew that her husband really was sorry, but he did nothing to change his problem. Any time she brought up rehab, or even curbing his drinking, it led to a screaming match to beat the band. Ava really didn't have it in her that morning to argue. She was too damn tired. "Thanks for the waffles, by the way... did you make coffee?" She asked curiously, tipping her head to the side in question. She could really use a cup right about then.

--

Zack could detect the annoyance in Kayla's voice, and he immediately shook his head. "I'm not ready for bed, babe. I'm fine." He was doing his best to hang on until Kayla went to sleep. After how bad he had fucked up that morning, he could at least do that for her. The guitarist ran a hand through his hair and settled back down beside Kayla. "Besides, I'm in the mood to fall asleep next to my fiancee. The most gorgeous woman on earth." A hand absently played with Kayla's hair, and he focused his attention back on the movie. Hopefully, he could hang on until the movie was over and Kayla was comfortably in bed. Zack wasn't nearly as bad as Johnny, but he was getting there. He pressed a kiss to Kayla's forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

Kayla barely managed to hide her scoff as Zacky assured her he wasn't ready for bed. She knew damn well that that was a lie. He was just waiting for her to go to bed so he could go on a little bender. She had half a mind to try and stay awake as long as she possibly could, at least long enough so that Zacky got tired enough to skip his drink or his line and go to bed. "I love you too, Zack," Kayla whispered. She let out a yawn. "Why don't we head up to bed?" she suggested. She turned and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm feeling really cuddly and I want you to hold me until I fall asleep." Kayla hoped that by getting Zacky comfortable in bed, tangled up with her, she might be able to prevent him from doing whatever he planned to do after she'd fallen asleep, whether that was because he was too tired and comfortable or because he was worried that he might wake her as he slipped out of bed.

---

When Ava asked if he'd made coffee, Johnny glanced over at the empty coffee pot. "No, but I can make some," he said. He pulled the first waffle out of the waffle maker and slid it onto a plate before he went over to start a pot of coffee. He'd been so focused on the waffles that he hadn't given a second thought to the coffee. "Shit," he mumbled, bending over to pick up the coffee filter he'd dropped. Johnny could feel his hands starting to shake already and he knew that if he didn't have a drink soon, he'd probably spend a good part of the late afternoon sick. "Uh, here's your waffle," Johnny said, handing the first plate to Ava. "The coffee should be ready here in a few minutes. You want butter or syrup?"

Ava's heart broke as she watched Johnny attempt to make her a pot of coffee. She could see his hands shake from where she was sitting, and she knew how this day was going to play out already. "Both is good, baby." She whispered, giving him a grateful smile. Ava patted the kitchen chair next to her, indicating she wanted her husband's company. "Come sit," She spoke. "I can pour the coffee when it's done... no offense, but you look horrible." Ava rested a hand in the crook of Johnny's elbow. "You can take a nap in bed, if you want. That couch is terrible...we need to get a new one." She mused before taking a bite of her waffle. It was pretty good, if she were being honest. "Not bad, love."

--

Zack nodded his head, turning the tv off before putting the remote back down on the coffee table. He smiled at the mention of cuddling with Kayla-- maybe that would help dull his ache. Holding Kayla always did seem to stave off the thirst for another shot or line, at least for a little bit. "You're in a cuddly mood? Sounds good to me." Zack stood up before extending his arm out to Kayla, helping her up from the couch. He kept one hand clasped around hers before leading the way up the stairs and to their room. "Good thing I changed the sheets this morning." He laughed slightly when they reached their bedroom. The guitarist opened his pajama drawer in the dresser, searching for something to wear.

Kayla took Zacky's hand when he offered it to her, getting to her feet. In their bedroom, she stood next to Zacky in front of the dresser, searching for her own clothes to wear to bed. "I'm going to steal one of your t-shirts," she told him, smirking slightly. She loved sleeping in his clothes because they smelled like him no matter how many time she washed them. She slipped out of the clothes she had on, removing her bra as well before she pulled on Zacky's shirt and a pair of shorts. Kayla climbed into her side of the bed, looking over at Zacky with an exaggerated pout. "Hurry up and come lay down with me," she said. When Zacky finally climbed into the bed, Kayla curled up close to him, laying her arm over his stomach and even slipping her leg inbetween his. She wanted to be so close to him that it would be impossible for him to get up once she'd fallen asleep. "I love you, Zack," Kayla whispered.

---

Johnny started on a second waffle for himself before getting the syrup from the cabinet and the butter from the fridge. When Ava told him to sit down, he grabbed his waffle from the waffle maker before sitting down at the table with Ava. At Ava's next comment, Johnny scoffed. "I feel horrible," he said. He knew that both he and Ava knew that it had nothing to do with the couch, although Johnny did agree that they needed a new one. But he was grateful that Ava wasn't bringing up the real problem, not right now, at least. Johnny knew she would bring it up eventually, she always did. "I might nap later," Johnny continued. "But I kind of wanted to spend a little time with you, if that's alright?" Johnny knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, not unless he had something to drink. He was already starting to shake; before long he'd probably be too uncomfortable to sit still long enough to sleep any.

Zack eventually decided on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. He threw those on before putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. "Hang on, impatient." He teased, turning off the main light in their room. "You know, I don't even know why you say anything when you take my shirts. They all end up in your drawer anyway," he added jokingly. The guitarist then padded across the floor and climbed into bed next to his fiancee. Almost immediately, Kayla was snuggled up to him and Zack couldn't help the content feeling that flooded his system. "I love you, too, babe." He whispered, one arm slung around her shoulders and the other resting on top of the arm that Kayla placed across his stomach. Zack trailed his fingers up and down her back, bending his neck slightly to kiss the top of her head. He was still fine, but the ache was starting to sharpen, and Zack knew that if Kayla didn't fall asleep soon that he would be a goner.

--

Ava nodded her head. "Yeah," she spoke, smiling softly. "Of course it's fine." She took another bite of her waffle, trying to remember the last time the two of them had spent a day together where Johnny didn't drink at all. In the entire time that they'd known each other, Ava realized, she'd never see Johnny go without at least one drink. Christ. Ava thought bitterly. She heard the coffee maker ding, so she got up and crossed the kitchen to make herself a cup. Ava grabbed her favorite Disney Princess mug as well as some creamer, quickly making drink before heading back to the table. She took a long sip and sighed in relief as the warm liquid flooded her system. "What'd you want to do today, love?"

Kayla found the remote and turned on the TV, turning it to a rerun of Catfish before she settled back against Zacky. She knew that she would be tired in no time laying here with Zacky, but she wanted to try and stay awake as long as she possibly could. She knew that he would his hardest to slip out of bed once she was asleep and then he would do a line or two and the idea burned Kayla up inside. She just wanted Zacky to get sober, but every time she brought it up, he changed the subject. She knew she could give him an ultimatum - her or the cocaine - but it would be an empty threat. Kayla loved Zacky too much to leave him. He was the main one that was there for her when she was withdrawing from the drug herself. "You know what we should do, we should stay up really late watching movies like we used to when we first started dating," Kayla suggested, looking up at Zacky.

---

"It's up to you, babe," Johnny said. He got up from the table to make himself a cup of coffee, opting for his metal tumbler instead of a mug so it wouldn't break when he inevitably dropped it. He only added a dash of creamer, just enough to take the edge off of the black coffee, before going back to sit down at the table with Ava. "I probably won't feel like doing much out in public though, just a warning," he added, taking a sip of his coffee. He was going to have to get something to drink soon. He needed it. But he couldn't do it with Ava around because Johnny knew that if she caught him drinking again so soon, there would be hell to pay. Johnny cut off another bite of his waffle, stuffing it into his mouth. He felt like shit right now and that was exactly why he couldn't stop drinking.

Zack nodded his head, knowing that Kayla would probably get tired and pass out after one, maybe another half of a movie. "That sounds like a great idea, babe." he smiled somewhat sleepily, kissing her forehead before grabbing the remote and firing up the netflix app. "You can pick the first one, babe, how does that sound?" That had been their tradition when they first got together and they had their all night movie nights. Kayla would pick the first movie, Zack would pick the second, and so on and so forth until they passed out on the couch together. He sat there, an arm around Kayla's shoulders as he waited for her to pick something to watch. Kayla normally always fell asleep before Zack during those nights, and the guitarist was hoping that the same thing would happen this time. He wouldn't go all out like he'd done at the party-- just enough to take the edge off. So he could keep functioning like a normal human being.

--

"That's okay, babe." Ava spoke, sipping her coffee and hoping her mug hid the disappointed frown on her face. It had been a good few months since the two actually went anywhere in public on a date-- they normally just ordered takeout (picked up by Ava, of course), hung out on the couch, or went to a party with their friends. Ava had stopped going to those recently. She felt like crying every time she saw Johnny take a sip of booze-- and she didn't want their friends to ask why. "We can just do something here." She gave him a soft smile before turning her attention back to her breakfast, taking another bite. How long had it been since they just curled up on the couch with the dogs and spent the day watching horror movies, which used to be one of their favorite past times? "I need to take a shower before we do anything, though. I feel like I got hit by a bus."

Kayla was glad when Zacky agreed to her idea, taking the remote from him. She hoped she would be able to stay up long enough to stop Zacky from doing whatever he planned on doing. He probably didn't even know that she knew. But he didn't hide his stash very well, so how could she not? Kayla chose the movie before reaching over Zacky to put the remote on the nightstand. "I hope this is alright," she said, curling up close to Zacky again. Hardly halfway through the movie, Kayla found herself having trouble keeping her eyes open. It seemed like her little plan was backfiring. She wanted to stay awake, needed to stay awake, but she just couldn't. After another ten minutes or so, Kayla finally gave in to her exhaustion and let her eyes slip closed, pressing her face into Zacky's chest as she fell asleep.

---

Johnny could tell that Ava was disappointed that he didn't want to go out. He wanted to take her out like they used to when they first started dating, but unless he had something to drink - and soon - he just wouldn't be able to. And if he did have something to drink, Ava would notice and there would be another screaming match and she wouldn't want to be around him anyway. It was a lose-lose situation. "I'll clean up while you shower," Johnny offered, getting to his feet with his plate. His waffle was only half-finished, but he was already feeling sick to his stomach. He couldn't stomach another bite if he wanted to. Johnny waited just long enough to be sure that Ava was in the shower before he went to one of his hiding places he knew would have alcohol. There wasn't much left in the bottle and so Johnny only took a couple short swigs, which would hopefully be enough to tide him over until Ava went to bed that night.

Zack kissed the top of Kayla's head, waiting until he was absolutely positive that she was asleep before slipping out of bed. He looked back at her, smiling softly before heading into the en suite bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Zack flicked on the light before getting his little stash out of the case where he kept his electric razor. He set up about three lines before pressing a finger to his nostril and bending down, snorting the lines in quick succession. Almost instantaneously, he felt the ache that had been building up dull down to almost nothing. A satisfactory sigh left his lips and he cleaned up his supplies before exiting the bathroom and climbing back in bed next to Kayla. A protective arm slung over her waist, and he pressed a kiss to her head before drifting off to sleep.

--

Ava headed upstairs, taking a quick shower before changing into a pair of shorts and one of Johnny's t-shirts. She threw her hair up in a bun before leaving the bathroom and heading downstairs. Ava wasn't an idiot. She knew what her husband was going to do as soon as her back was turned. And it broke her fucking heart. She was just too damn tired to argue about it anymore. All the yelling and screaming in the world didn't do one bit of good. He was so deep in his addiction that even a few hours without alcohol was too much for him. "I figured we can just go out tomorrow or something," Ava mused, flopping down on the couch. "We haven't had a night in with just us in awhile." She grabbed her throw blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over her legs.

When Kayla woke up the next morning, the first thing she felt was dread. She'd fallen asleep much earlier than she wanted to and she just knew that Zacky had snuck out of bed to do a line once she was asleep. Leaving a sleeping Zacky in bed, Kayla went to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day. If they were really going to go out some place nice like Zacky had promised her, she would need a shower and time to blow-dry her hair. Honestly, if she hadn't once been a user herself, she might have dismissed the slight dusting of white powder on the bathroom counter as baby powder or residue from her dry shampoo. But she wasn't stupid, she knew what it was. And even though she knew Zacky used and knew that he'd done it last night while she was asleep, seeing the proof right there in front of her just made her feel like she'd been punched in the gut. There wasn't much, but enough to collect on her finger when she rubbed it across the counter. Kayla brought her finger up to her nose, only realizing what she was doing when she felt the slight sting in the back of her nostril. Going back into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes, Kayla noticed that Zacky was starting to wake up. "You know, if you're still going to do that shit, you could at least clean up your mess," she grumbled, grabbing her clothes from the dresser.

---

The small amount of alcohol wasn't nearly enough to do anything for Johnny, but it was enough to at least help with the nausea and the shaking. He'd just returned to the living room when Ava came downstairs. Johnny gave a nod of his head when she mentioned something about the two of them going out tomorrow, knowing full well that they would do no such thing. They never went out anymore, because Johnny couldn't go more than a few hours without a drink and Ava couldn't stand to see him drink. It broke his heart to know that he was causing the woman he loved more than anything so much pain, but he was in too deep. There was no getting out now. "It has been awhile, hasn't it?" Johnny agreed, sitting down next to Ava. He tossed his arm over her shoulder, relishing for a moment how close to him she was. She hadn't been this close to him in awhile, mostly of his own doing. He was pushing her away, he knew it. He rubbed Ava's upper arm, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. "You can pick the first movie," he offered her, handing her the Xbox controller. Johnny knew Ava would be able to smell the alcohol on his breath but he hoped she wouldn't say anything about it. After all, it wasn't like he was drunk or anything. He just had a few swigs of vodka so he could enjoy his afternoon with his wife.

Ava felt like throwing up as soon as the smell of vodka reached her nostrils. She cringed inwardly at the feel of her husband's kiss, the knowledge that his lips had been wrapped around one of the many liquor bottles hidden throughout her house almost bringing tears to her eyes. "Okay," She spoke, firing up the xbox. Once it was on and Netflix was up and running, Ava ran through all of the movies trying to find one that she liked, that would take her mind away from her current situation. As much as she loved curling up with Johnny, right now it just depressed her. His mind might as well have been on another woman. After a few minutes of searching, Ava came up with Scream. "I haven't seen this one in awhile," she spoke before pressing play. It was one of her favorite movies. In fact, one of Ava and Johnny's first dates (the start of their relationship overlapped with the ending of Johnny and Lacey's, but that's beside the point) had just been the two of them in her little shithole of an apartment, watching Scream and splitting a pizza. God, she would give anything to go back to those days. The redhead rested her head on her husband's shoulder and sighed comfortably.

--

It took Zack a second to process what Kayla had said, but when he did a feeling of dread had settled over him. Fuck. He thought to himself as he sat up, running a hand over his face. "Sorry," he weakly mumbled his apology before getting up and heading into the bathroom. He knew better than to try and give Kayla a good morning kiss right then-- the guitarist would have risked a slap right to the face. And truth be told, Zack wouldn't have blamed Kayla at all. He would have deserved it. Zack knew that keeping his shit in the house was taunting his now sober fiancee. But for the life of him, he just couldn't kick the stuff. Every time he tried by himself, it resulted in a miserable failure. And Zack was far too proud of a person to admit how far he had fallen. A sigh left his lips, and he quickly wiped up the counter before hopping into the shower.

Kayla was so caught up in ignoring Zacky that she didn't even realize he'd gone into the bathroom until she heard the door close. "Zack, are you fucking serious, you knew I was about to get in the shower!" she shouted, banging on the door once with her fist. Now she would have to wait, which would put them off leaving for whatever Zacky was wanting to take her to do. If they even did anything, that is. Kayla was so irritated that she felt like crying and she honestly didn't know if she wanted to go anywhere with Zacky at all. But she would likely change her mind once her irritation waned. Kayla didn't even glance at Zacky when he finally came out of the bathroom, bundling up her clean clothes and pushing past him to go in there herself. She tossed her clothes to the floor with a huff before turning on the shower, undressing before she climbed inside.

---

"Well Scream is always a good choice," Johnny said with a soft smile. He could tell that Ava was upset and obviously she could tell he'd had something to drink. He wished he could explain his logic for what he was doing, but nothing he could say would make sense. It made sense in his head but as soon as he tried to turn it into words, he sounded like a selfish asshole. And he really was. When he'd started dating Ava, he was still with Lacey, and ultimately, he was choosing alcohol over both of them. He didn't deserve Ava. She was too good to him and he wanted to treat her like a queen, but every time he tried, he stumbled and fell. "You know I love you right, Ava?" Johnny whispered.

Zack cursed again to himself. He was about to suggest that Kayla climb in with him, but he knew that probably wouldn't be the best thing to do. Zack decided to just finish up his shower, and hopefully Kayla would be calm enough by the time it was time to go to dinner. He climbed out of the shower in about five minutes, wanting to leave his fiancee with more than enough hot water to get ready. "Shower's fr-" Zack began, stopping as Kayla stormed past him. He sighed, shaking her head before heading over to his dresser to pick out something to wear. The guitarist decided on one of his flannels and a pair of black jeans before slipping them on. While he waited for Kayla to finish her shower, he might as well brew a pot of coffee for the two of them. That always seemed to perk Kayla's spirits up.

--

Everything was screaming in Ava to give Johnny a sarcastic response. If he really loved her like he claimed to, he would never even dream of putting her through the shit that he did. She wouldn't go to bed crying. She wouldn't find empty booze bottles littered throughout her house, under her bed-- even in the fucking garage. Pale green eyes looked up at the wedding picture she had framed above the tv, and Ava nodded her head. "I know," she whispered, focusing on the movie. A comfortable sigh left her lips, and she moved so she was laying down, head resting against Johnny's leg. Even though she had just woken up not that long ago, all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep until her life wasn't a shitshow anymore.

Kayla took a little bit longer in the shower than she probably needed to, trying to see if she could calm herself down. And she wasn't really all that mad about the shower thing; most of her anger stemmed from the fact that Zacky still kept his cocaine in the house when he knew she was trying to stay sober. And the fact that he left it out on the counter when it was still a temptation to her irritated her, too. And it didn't help that she was pretty sure she'd gotten a little up her nose when she sniffed it off the counter earlier. Kayla got dressed, deciding to blow dry her hair so she could curl it before they went to dinner. She could hear Zacky moving around in the kitchen and she headed in that direction, smiling slightly to herself when she saw that he'd made a pot of coffee. "Have you decided where you want to go for dinner?" Kayla asked him, going over to grab a mug from the cabinet.

---

Johnny knew he wasn't Ava's favorite person in the world, but when she didn't tell him that she loved him back, it stung. A lot. He really did love her, more than anything, even if she didn't believe him. When she laid down against his leg, Johnny reached down to run his fingers through her hair. Sometimes he wished that he'd never even met Ava, because then she never would have had to deal with him and his drinking and his self-destruction. Ava deserved so much better than anything Johnny could ever give her, but he loved her too much to give her up. That and if he didn't have Ava, he wouldn't have anything to keep him going. She was the only thing keeping him remotely functional right now. When the movie ended, Johnny grabbed the remote and started browsing to find another. Eventually he settled on Paranormal Activity, setting the remote to the side.

Ava sighed gently, the feel of Johnny's hand running through her hair bringing a slight smile to her face. She loved moments like these, when they were husband and wife instead of roommates. The redhead did her best to pay attention to the next movie that Johnny picked, but she couldn't stay awake for the life of her. Ava remembered the days where they would stay awake pretty much all day and night, no matter what they were doing. But now? All she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't go out much anymore-- her shopping the previous day with Kayla was an extreme rarity. When she was sleeping, she and Johnny weren't fighting. She didn't have to worry about his drinking or any of their other problems. She was able to pretend that her life was normal, despite the fact that it was anything but and falling apart at the seams.

--

Zack turned to face Kayla, smiling at the sight of her. "I was thinking the Water Grill? Any excuse to see my girl all dressed up and fancy." He crossed the room to press a kiss to her lips, hand cradling her jaw for a moment. "If you don't want to go there, though, we can go somewhere else. Wherever you want." He gave her a grin before turning his attention back to the cup of coffee he had been pouring. Once he put in his desired cream and sugar, Zack took a sip and sat down at the kitchen table. "What time did you want to go? I was thinking maybe around six thirty or seven? That way I have enough time to put in a reservation and make sure we get a nice table." Zack always liked to get a table near the back of the restaurant, so he and Kayla had some privacy.

"The Water Grill sounds fine," Kayla said. Despite her earlier irritation at Zacky, she smiled softly against his lips when he kissed her. "And yeah, go ahead and make the reservation for seven, that should give me enough time to get ready." Kayla said this with a smirk as she poured herself a mug of coffee. She didn't take an obscene amount of time getting ready, but Zacky always liked to complain that she did. Once she was finished with her coffee, Kayla decided that she might as well head upstairs and starting digging through her closet for something to wear, since that might actually take a little time. She didn't go out much since she was sober and Zacky preferred to have his benders in the comfort of their home, so when she got the chance to dress up, Kayla jumped at the opportunity.

---

Johnny could tell that Ava was getting tired, but he didn't want to tell her to go to bed. If she went to bed, that would give him the opportunity to drink. And as much as Johnny wanted a drink, needed a drink, he knew it would only make Ava upset and he would like to go at least a day without pissing her off. He knew that when she finally did go to bed, he would start to drink, but for now Johnny wanted to spend as much time as possible just enjoying Ava's company. "Do you want me to make some popcorn or anything?" Johnny asked, wondering if that might entice Ava to wake up. "Or coffee? I mean, I know it's late but I figured if we wanted to stay up all night we would need a little caffeine."

At the mention of popcorn, Ava sat up slightly. "Popcorn sounds like a good idea... I'm not too sure about coffee, though. I think we still have some redbull in the fridge. I'll check." She rubbed her eyes before getting up from her sitting position and heading into the kitchen. Biting her bottom lip, Ava opened the fridge and scanned the door before picking out two of her desired beverages. She then set about throwing a couple of bags of pop corn in the microwave for herself and her husband. Ava knew what was going to happen as soon as she fell asleep. She wasn't born yesterday. But for now, Ava was content to pretend that everything was fine. She deserved to be happy, if for only a few hours.

--

"If you start getting ready right now, we just might make it." Zack smirked before giving her another kiss. He always liked to tease Kayla about how long she took getting ready for events and such, but it was all in good fun. Zack knew that his fiancee loved getting dolled up-- and if it put a smile on her face, he was willing to put up with it. Zack waited for Kayla to head upstairs before calling The Water Grill, effortlessly getting a reservation. Sometimes, it paid to be him. Once that was confirmed, he finished up his coffee and put the cup in the dishwasher. He would start getting ready when Kayla was almost done-- it didn't take him nearly as long-- but then again, he was a guy. Zack headed upstairs, peeking his head into the bedroom. "Did you decide what you wanted to wear yet?" he asked curiously.