Start To Begin Again

Piece Four.

I left before Zacky could even get the chance to wake up. I never did go back to sleep. It wasn’t that bad. He had woken me up a couple hours before sunrise.

I did however take my sweet time getting ready to leave. The walls just screamed memories. I don’t know why. They just did. I walked to the bathroom to wash my face.

I couldn’t help but open the medicine cabinet. I smiled at the way he had everything organized. The rest of the house was a mess but he never could handle a dirty bathroom.

I reached out and grabbed the bottle of aftershave and before I knew it I had spun the cap off. The smell couldn’t help but bring back memories.

I was sitting on a bench. It was something I did frequently. To clear my head, to get my mind straight. I wiped my nose with my sleeve. I had gotten into a fight with my Da. We both got mad. Angry. He was mad I was leaving the house. I was leaving him.

‘Linette, no!’

‘Da! Please. Come on Da, it’s everything I could have wished for. I mean I get to do what I love.’ I said following him to his room. Their room. I pushed the door open. Da was staring out the window.

‘I said no. You are going to stay here with me. Till we’re both old and gray.’

‘Da that’s not realistic. I have to go out into the world. I have to live. I have…’ He cut me off.

‘No. You just want to leave. Just like your mother. Just like her,’ I sighed and shook my head.

‘You want to see someone leave. Watch me.’ I slammed the door shut and left the house.

I sniffed back my tears and rubbed my faces with my sleeve. The man was so infuriating. I just wanted to…something.

“This might work better then your sleeve,” I looked up at the voice. He held a tissue.

“I didn’t ask for help,” I said taking the tissue anyway. I wiped my eyes and looked back at him, “Thanks,”

“Boyfriend issues?” I rolled my eyes and stood up.

I left my ‘suitor’ and walked down the street. I heard footsteps following me. He was following me. I quickened my pace and turned the corner running into someone. I cursed and helped myself up. I looked down at who I ran into. Those green eyes and smile. I couldn’t help smile at his smile.

“Sorry,” I mumbled helping him up.

“No issue, I’m alive. I have a sore ass but I’m alive.” He laughed. I laughed and wiped my nose again with my sleeve.

“Zacky,” He said sticking his hand out.

“Linette,”

We got coffee after that. We talked. It was fast and quick. It made me forget about my fight with my Da. It was the first time I had left Montana. Figuratively.

He was so animated and passionate about what he talked about. The band, his life, his dogs. He apologized for rambling but I couldn’t help but not listen. He said his tour bus broke down and that his band was stranded.

When I asked why there were in Montana in the first place? He said that was one of the reasons why his bus broke. The driver didn’t know east from west. I smiled, I laughed, I flirted then I did something that I’m sure would’ve made my father pull out his own hair and some of Zacky’s. I slept with him.

We both stayed quiet after he collapsed on top of me. I let my hand wander and trace the ink that dotted his arm. He rolled over and sighed. I didn’t take that as a good sign. I grabbed the motel sheet and started to leave the bed.

“Whoa, whoa where are you going?” He said pulling me back into bed.

“To get dressed,” I said trying to get out of bed again. He pulled me back into the bed and I laughed when his fingers dug into my side. He let out an amused sound and tickled me again. I laughed and tried to get away. We moved around the bed till we both slipped off. I let out a laugh as Zacky let out an oomph. We looked at each and laughed again.

“You silly,” He said coming down from the temporary high. I rolled onto my stomach and looked at him sideways. He was on his back and moved his head to look at me. He moved my hair from my face.

“You look sad when you smile,” He said touching my cheek with his thumb, “Like a sad beautiful girl,” He said moving onto his side.

“Thanks, I guess.” I said smiling even wider. It was the weirdest thing anyone had every said to me but it made me smile so hard my face felt numb.

“Do you normally sleep with someone just after meeting them?” He asked dropping his hand.

“Only the sexy rockstars who become stranded in Montana,” I said moving closer to him.

“You mean I’m not the first,” I stopped inches away from his face and looked in his emerald eyes.

“Maybe,” I laughed softly. He attacked my lips like a savage and we started again.

I smiled and closed the aftershave. Memories were nice but they were memories at best. I put it back in the medicine cabinet. I stared at it for a minute. I grabbed it and closed the cabinet. He could buy another.