Pandora's Box

The Fate

"So how's it been, being back?" Zacky asked as we walked hand in hand along the beach.

"It's been good but ... weird. Like I've stepped back into my old life except I don't have someone to share it with when I get home at night," I sighed.

Zacky nodded, "It's been weird being on tour without you."

I turned to look at him, "You've been on tour plenty of times without me."

"Never when we've been together though."

I bit my lip as I thought back, "Oh, yeah. I never realised that."

He nodded, "Being the only girl-less guy hasn't been fun."

"The Berry's don't have girlfriends."

He smirked, "I didn't say girlfriends."

"Eww, classy," I screwed my face up as he laughed.

The guys' friends, twin brothers, Matt and Jason Berry were well, like the disgusting little boys that never grew up. You know, the kids that would chase you around with a bug and threaten to stuff it down your shirt, or the guys that would shit in a bun and serve it to someone for dinner.

"There are some aspects of touring that I definitely don't miss."

Zacky grinned, "The Berry's provide the most entertainment though."

I shook my head, "It's like living in a teen gross-out movie or something, not that the boys at the shop are any better."

"Oh?"

"Let's just say it's pretty obvious they haven't had a girl hanging out with them for a long time," I smiled.

Zacky laughed, "But other than that it's not been too difficult, you know with Ami and everything? He's not tried anything has he?"

I shook my head, "It's been fine. Ami and I are just friends, you know that. There's nothing there any more."

"Just checking I don't have to go back there and kick anybody's ass or anything," he shrugged.

I bit my lip to stop myself form laughing out loud, "You would kick Ami's ass if he had tried anything?"

Zacky nodded, "For sure. He wasn't working you too hard was he, I'll kick his ass for that if you want?"

This time I did laugh, loudly, "No he hasn't been working me too hard. It's nice to be in a busy shop with people that actually want me to tattoo them."

Zacky hooked his arm around my shoulders and squeezed them, "You're too modest. Adam tells me your clients back home are really missing you."

"You've spoken to Adam?" I asked with a frown.

Adam was Matt's friend and my boss, sure he and Zacky knew each other but they weren't close enough to call each other to just talk.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I, uh, was hoping that, uh, you'd be able to join us for the rest of the tour. So I called Adam to see if he'd let you have another couple of weeks off."

I stopped suddenly, not believing what he had just said, "You called my boss?"

He shrugged, "I figured you've already been gone two weeks what does a couple more matter?"

"I've been working my butt off for the last two weeks, Zacky. Building up my reputation so that when I go back to Huntington people will come to the shop and ask for me, specifically for me," I shrugged out of his grasp and wrapped my arms around myself, the cool breeze from the ocean whipping my loose hair around my face.

He shrugged, "Then you'll need a break before you go back to all that work."

"Touring is hardly a relaxing vacation," I scowled.

"You used to have fun on the road with us."

"And I'm not saying I won't this time. But you went behind my back and called my boss," the hypocrisy hit me suddenly.

Hadn't I gone behind his back and slept with Matt?

Zacky looked at me pleadingly, "Will you come wih me?"

I swallowed the lump in my thoat, "I'll think about it."

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