Never Had a Dream Come True

Zach was singing in the recording booth, while I was making us tea in the little machine provided by the studio. When I came back to the vocal booth Zach was smiling and cut the song. He hung up his headphones and came over to me.

“How’s it coming along?”

“Great!” He took his cup and asked, “Did you call your mom?”

“Yeah, about that,” I grabbed his free hand and sat him down on the sofa in the back. “My mom says that I have to make a choice: stay with you guys or go home for my sister’s college graduation. It’s on Nathan’s birthday, and I don’t know what to do.”

Zach looked over my face, “What’s your gut feeling telling you?”

I felt so guilty, “I think I should go home,” I turned my face away.

“Hey, Erica,” he took a hold of my hand again, and I turned more away. Zach let go of my hand and reached out to my face, gently turning it back toward him, “You need to be with your family, and that’s okay.” He put his tea on the side table and with his new free hand touched the spot where my tattoo was, “I’m always with you, remember?”

I smiled and he opened out his arm as a gesture for me to come and put my head on his shoulder. He grabbed his tea again and sipped some.

The recording studio’s manager came out and asked Zach if he still needed the booth any longer.

“Yeah, just a minute.” Zach looked down at me, “You going to be okay?”

I grinned, “Always am!”

He smiled, “I know,” and kissed my forehead. He then got up to go finish up a few more songs.

I stayed on the sofa and called my mom again to tell her I was coming down late the next day. I was going to stay for two weeks because my family was also making a gift for my grandparents’ 50th anniversary and baking for all the upcoming events.

Zach and I went back to our hotel room for the night and watched Hey, Arnold on DVD. We stayed cuddled up and didn’t talk too much. Eventually we fell asleep, and woke up with the lights still on and the DVD screensaver bouncing around. We got ready to go back to the studio for Zach to finish what he had to for the new CD. Then we took a bus down to New Jersey: we were headed to Bamboozle.

At Bamboozle we saw Taking Back Sunday, because Zach was three and pulling me toward the stage and spazzing out that he wanted to go. We went to a few more shows and stopped by some of the merch tables. It was getting late and we still needed time for me to get home and Zach to get back to New York. We ended up finding a band that Zach knew well enough and they drove Zach and I back to my house.

Back at my house my family attacked Zach and me. They were surprisingly happy to see us and made Zach promise he’d spend the night.

“This time you’re not allowed to sleep with Erica,” my dad said.

My mom looked over at him and said what I never believed would ever come out of her mouth, “Oh, come on, John. Let them snuggle, they’re going to be apart for two weeks!”

I stood there in awe and Zach looked over at me and laughed at my facial expression. He wrapped an arm around me and I looked up at him.

“What’s going on!”

My parents and Zach all looked at each other than me, “Nothing,” they all said at the same time.

My mom then continued, “You two should take the guest room. It’s a shame you have to cram in a twin sized bed all the time. I know you’re both the size of bean poles but come on, take the queen sized.”

“No objection there,” my dad further added, and looking at my mom said, “It’s right next to our room.”

Zach smiled and thanked them for everything before going upstairs to get ready for bed. After that odd night ended, the next morning my dad drove Zach back up to New York. It was time to start family fun time at the De Luca’s.

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The guys went to Canada and I was lying in my bed sleeping until late in the afternoon. My phone was buzzing and my laptop, that I left open overnight by accident, was pinging. I woke up a bit and shoved my head under my pillow.

"Shut up."

They didn't listen.

"Ughh!" I got up, and clicked yes to the video chat and the phone call at the same time, "WHAT?"

"Good morning, lovely!"

"Zach, how are you so perky?"

He paused, "It's two twenty in the afternoon." I just looked at him for a moment. He grinned and made a heart with his hands, "I've missed you!"

I rolled my eyes, "I've missed you, too," and blew a kiss. "You're hand heart stinks by the way."

He looked down at them and tried to move his arms so he could see them as if he were in my spot, "No it don't."

"Don't deny it!" I made one with my hands, "See this is clearly more heart shaped."

"Uh, ‘this is clearly more heart shaped.’ Blah, blah. Maybe I have a lumpy heart!"

"Zachary, you do have a lumpy heart, and a lumpy brain. That's why I love you."

"Because I'm lumpy?"

"No. Because you're you, and I wouldn't change anything about that. Even your flaws are great to me."

"Well," he stuttered, "well, I think you're lumpy, too."

"Thank you," I smiled.

"So what are you doing today, my dear?"

"I don't know yet, but this weekend I'm going to my aunt’s house in Pennsylvania and next Carolyn's graduating."

"I know," he grinned.

"Kay, you're freaking me out a bit."

"You look beautiful by the way."

"Tanks!" I said mockingly with a lisp. "You know if you were here right now I'd fake slap you, right?"

He laughed, "Yeah I know."

Our conversation went on like that for another hour.

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It was Saturday and I was in my aunt's dining room making a scrapbook page for my grandparent's gift. I printed out old and new pictures and got stickers with my hobbies and was trying to position them on the blue with yellow starred paper I got. My family was in the other room baking and whispering amongst themselves. I had to go to the bathroom so I got up and walked through the kitchen to get there. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. When I reached the restroom they began whispering again. The same thing happened when I left the bathroom. When back in the dining room I stayed close to the doorway to listen in on them.

"No, I don't think she'll be expecting it at all."

"Do you like him? Is he nice to you guys? To her?" I heard my aunt ask.

"He's so respectful! I've talked to his parents before and they're so sweet too. They just love Erica. Oh, and he is head over heels for Erica, there's no doubt in my mind about that. But he talked to me about this months ago, after she came home from her hospital trip. Then he talked about it privately with John on Monday. He has to be completely serious if he asked John on his own. John can be quite...intimidating."

"Woah, this is serious stuff then," my cousin commented.

"Yes, it is," Mom continued, "I just know it'll be the best thing for her. I mean after me, her sisters, kids at school, and even Stefanie were so harsh to her. She was lucky to have him, and I see now how much of a fool I was to try to split them on all those occasions. They're perfect together."

I walked back to the table, breathing heavily. What, in God's name, are they talking about? What was Zach up to? Why was I not allowed to know that was doing on? Is that why Mr. Porter and my parents were acting so weird over the past week? What was happening?