Creating Something out of Nothing
Chapter Fifteen
ZACKY'S POV
I can't believe she went off on me like that! I did not sucker her!
Well, maybe I did. Not so much intentionally as unintentionally. I don't know.
All I know is that I had to get out of there. So I said bye to Ryan, told him I loved him and I'd see him the next day, and I left. As soon as I started my car, I sped off toward home. Maddie had been calling me all day and I was feeling bad for not calling her back.
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"Baby? You home?" I called out once I got to the apartment.
"Yeah, baby, I'm back here."
I could hear her voice come from our bedroom, but farther in so I knew she was in the bathroom. When I got in there, I saw the mirrors were fogged up and when I looked over, I saw Maddie was sitting in a hot bath. The steam was still rising from the water, so I knew she'd just gotten in.
"Hey baby. What's up?"
"Not much," she replied, closing her eyes. Her black hair was wet but up in a crazy bun that was coming loose and her knees were above the surface of the water, peeking out from under the bubbles.
"You look relaxed," I said, sitting on the edge of the tub.
"I am. Wanna join me?"
I hesitated. I felt kinda guilty about telling Tammy that I was in love with her, but if she wasn't gonna accept it, then fuck it. Fuck her. I have someone that loves me and that I love.
So, wanting to forget about Tammy, I got out of my clothes, got in the tub behind Maddie, and started turning on the romance. But all I could think about as I was kissing Maddie all over he body was Tammy and how I wanted her.
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A few hours later, I woke up on damp sheets to the night air blowing through the curtains. After a couple of rounds in the tub (and the water had gotten cold), Maddie and I took things to the bed and picked up where we left off...about three more times.
And I felt even more guilty.
Grumbling and shaking my head, I looked at the clock to see that the time was 10:49. Not too late to go out and drown my sorrows and guilt in some JD at a bar. So after I got dressed, that's exactly where I headed.
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"Another one, tenduh!" I slurred to the bartender. Well, I assumed there was only one since I actually saw three of them and they all spoke at the same time.
"Are you alright, dude? You've had a lot of shots."
"Psh, I'm f- I'm fine, dude. I am gooood."
"Alright, how 'bout I call you a cab?"
"Well, sure, since you wanna be so nice. That'd be-" I fell off the bar stool and onto the sticky floor and yelled up to finish my sentence, "awesome, dude!"
"Cool, dude. What's the address?"
And that was my cue to tell him the address to my apartment. But that's not where I told him I should be taken.
END ZACKY'S POV
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Bang! Bang! Bang!
I woke up from the couch in the living room of my parents' house to knocking that sounded like police pounding on the door, without the screaming. But since I was certain no one had called them on me, I was curious as to who was making the noise. Anyone that'd be stopping by would know that I had a three year old and that it was.... I checked the clock on the TV and saw that it said 2:48. Shit, it's fuckin' late!
Who the hell was out there?
I got up to inspect and when I looked out the window, I was surprised to see Zacky. I opened the door.
"Zacky, what-"
I was cut off when he lurched forward and kissed me hard. When he finally pulled away, he put his left hand on my cheek. I could still taste the JD on my lips.
"Tammy, I love you, dammit! Don't you feel it? Don't you see it? I fucking love you! Can't you accept that? Please, Tammy."
He leaned back onto the wall next to the shut door and slid down it, burying his face in his lap and starting to cry.
I rubbed his back but he flinched away from me.
"Tammy, you can't tell me that you just stopped loving me. You can't! I see it in your eyes, I know you still love me, just like I love you!"
A tear slid down my cheek. "What about Madison? You'll break her heart."
"I can't help that I'm in love with you. It's not my fault. But it is what it is and there'll be three unhappy people rather than just one if you and me aren't together."
"Who's the third?"
"Ryan, Tammy. Our son."
I swallowed down some tears so that I didn't break down in front of him. I got on my knees and wrapped an arm around him.
"Don't hug me if you don't mean it, Tammy. If you're gonna play with my heart, then don't bother," he said, wiping some tears from his cheeks.
"How about you go sleep in the spare room and we talk about this tomorrow when you're sober? I'll get Matt or Jimmy to watch Ryan so we can talk, okay?"
Zacky nodded a little, sniffling and pouting as we stood up. I helped him get up and down the hall to the spare room since I didn't wanna risk stairs with a drunk Zacky.
"Alright," I said soothingly as I helped lower Zacky to the bed and under the covers. I walked to the door before I heard Zacky speak again.
"Tammy?"
"Yeah, Zacky?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"
I thought about being in Zacky's arms again after so many years. I walked back to the bed as he held up the covers for me. I slid in beside him as he wrapped an arm around me.
"Night, Tammy."
"Night, Zacky."
"I love you."
Oh, how ironic, this was almost exactly how this whole mess got started. But I said it anyway.
"I love you too, Zacky."
I can't believe she went off on me like that! I did not sucker her!
Well, maybe I did. Not so much intentionally as unintentionally. I don't know.
All I know is that I had to get out of there. So I said bye to Ryan, told him I loved him and I'd see him the next day, and I left. As soon as I started my car, I sped off toward home. Maddie had been calling me all day and I was feeling bad for not calling her back.
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"Baby? You home?" I called out once I got to the apartment.
"Yeah, baby, I'm back here."
I could hear her voice come from our bedroom, but farther in so I knew she was in the bathroom. When I got in there, I saw the mirrors were fogged up and when I looked over, I saw Maddie was sitting in a hot bath. The steam was still rising from the water, so I knew she'd just gotten in.
"Hey baby. What's up?"
"Not much," she replied, closing her eyes. Her black hair was wet but up in a crazy bun that was coming loose and her knees were above the surface of the water, peeking out from under the bubbles.
"You look relaxed," I said, sitting on the edge of the tub.
"I am. Wanna join me?"
I hesitated. I felt kinda guilty about telling Tammy that I was in love with her, but if she wasn't gonna accept it, then fuck it. Fuck her. I have someone that loves me and that I love.
So, wanting to forget about Tammy, I got out of my clothes, got in the tub behind Maddie, and started turning on the romance. But all I could think about as I was kissing Maddie all over he body was Tammy and how I wanted her.
*******************************************************************************
A few hours later, I woke up on damp sheets to the night air blowing through the curtains. After a couple of rounds in the tub (and the water had gotten cold), Maddie and I took things to the bed and picked up where we left off...about three more times.
And I felt even more guilty.
Grumbling and shaking my head, I looked at the clock to see that the time was 10:49. Not too late to go out and drown my sorrows and guilt in some JD at a bar. So after I got dressed, that's exactly where I headed.
*******************************************************************************
"Another one, tenduh!" I slurred to the bartender. Well, I assumed there was only one since I actually saw three of them and they all spoke at the same time.
"Are you alright, dude? You've had a lot of shots."
"Psh, I'm f- I'm fine, dude. I am gooood."
"Alright, how 'bout I call you a cab?"
"Well, sure, since you wanna be so nice. That'd be-" I fell off the bar stool and onto the sticky floor and yelled up to finish my sentence, "awesome, dude!"
"Cool, dude. What's the address?"
And that was my cue to tell him the address to my apartment. But that's not where I told him I should be taken.
END ZACKY'S POV
*******************************************************************************
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I woke up from the couch in the living room of my parents' house to knocking that sounded like police pounding on the door, without the screaming. But since I was certain no one had called them on me, I was curious as to who was making the noise. Anyone that'd be stopping by would know that I had a three year old and that it was.... I checked the clock on the TV and saw that it said 2:48. Shit, it's fuckin' late!
Who the hell was out there?
I got up to inspect and when I looked out the window, I was surprised to see Zacky. I opened the door.
"Zacky, what-"
I was cut off when he lurched forward and kissed me hard. When he finally pulled away, he put his left hand on my cheek. I could still taste the JD on my lips.
"Tammy, I love you, dammit! Don't you feel it? Don't you see it? I fucking love you! Can't you accept that? Please, Tammy."
He leaned back onto the wall next to the shut door and slid down it, burying his face in his lap and starting to cry.
I rubbed his back but he flinched away from me.
"Tammy, you can't tell me that you just stopped loving me. You can't! I see it in your eyes, I know you still love me, just like I love you!"
A tear slid down my cheek. "What about Madison? You'll break her heart."
"I can't help that I'm in love with you. It's not my fault. But it is what it is and there'll be three unhappy people rather than just one if you and me aren't together."
"Who's the third?"
"Ryan, Tammy. Our son."
I swallowed down some tears so that I didn't break down in front of him. I got on my knees and wrapped an arm around him.
"Don't hug me if you don't mean it, Tammy. If you're gonna play with my heart, then don't bother," he said, wiping some tears from his cheeks.
"How about you go sleep in the spare room and we talk about this tomorrow when you're sober? I'll get Matt or Jimmy to watch Ryan so we can talk, okay?"
Zacky nodded a little, sniffling and pouting as we stood up. I helped him get up and down the hall to the spare room since I didn't wanna risk stairs with a drunk Zacky.
"Alright," I said soothingly as I helped lower Zacky to the bed and under the covers. I walked to the door before I heard Zacky speak again.
"Tammy?"
"Yeah, Zacky?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"
I thought about being in Zacky's arms again after so many years. I walked back to the bed as he held up the covers for me. I slid in beside him as he wrapped an arm around me.
"Night, Tammy."
"Night, Zacky."
"I love you."
Oh, how ironic, this was almost exactly how this whole mess got started. But I said it anyway.
"I love you too, Zacky."