My Heart's Always With You Now

"My parents love you," Zacky says with a smile as he walks me back to my house.

"Really?" I smile and blush a little, excited my efforts paid off.

"Yes, really." He kisses my cheek and rubs my shoulder. "They said you should come over once a week for dinner." Zacky grins and takes my hand in his.

I smile. "Sounds good to me."

Zacky's parents still love me, even though I'm not dating him anymore. My parents still love Zacky even though he broke my heart years ago. Our parents get along quite well, too, even after the series of events. So last night when they had me invite him and his parents over, it wasn't too terribly awkward. Except when his mom brought up his new girlfriend Carlee.

I climb out of bed and see Zacky fast asleep on my couch. I had almost forgot he was even here. He is so quite when he sleeps or when he gets up in the morning. I pull on a jacket and walk over to him, not able to stop myself from glancing at his phone that flashed two missed calls. Figuring it wa probably Carlee I ignore it and put a blanket over the adorable guy on my couch.

I'm not in love with Zacky. Hell, I don't even know if I like him either. All I now is that my heart aches for closure. He never gave me a reason as to why he ended the happiest moment of my life. He never brings it up or hints at us ever being together.

"Morning sweetie," my mother whispers from the kitchen where she makes coffee.

"Morning." I smile at her and pour myself a cup. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mhm." She smiles. "Is Lilly still asleep?" She laughs and looks at the big lump in my bed.

I shake my head. "Seems so. She kicked me a few times last night." I rub my hip and sip my coffee.

My mom smiles at me and rubs my back. "Zacky's still here?"

"Yeah." I nod and look down at my cup. "He usually stays over after parties to help clean up or whatever."

"He's a charming young man."

"Sure."

"His mom said he has a girlfriend now?"

Why does she have to bring this up? "Um, yeah. Her name is Carlee." I walk over to the deck trying to avoid this conversation. However, she follows with more questions.

She sighs and sips her coffee, looking over at me. "You're sad it isn't you, huh?" My mom looks out at the city.

I gulp and look down at my feet. "I'm not in love with him. I don't like him. I just want closure from it all. I don't want to go and live my life not knowing why the one guy I cared so much about just dumped me. He's just my best friend. There's honestly nothing there. Nothing left."

"Okay." She laughs and rubs my back. "I'm just calling it like I see it. I think you're sad it isn't you." And with that, she walks back inside.

Groaning because my mom is always wise, I walk back inside and see Zacky playing with my little sister while my parents make something to eat. I sit back and watch as Zacky tickles Mary and runs around the apartment with her on his back. After a few minutes Zacky collapses on the couch next to me. "Carlee said we should go out tonight. Are you up for it?"

Not one fucking bit. "Yeah, sure." I smile and hug my little sister when she sits in my lap.

My makeup is done perfectly, my hair is down and wavy, I'm wearing high heels like I never do, and I'm wearing that life-saving little black dress that hugs every curve. My lips are full and sparkling with gloss and my cheeks are lightly brushed with a pink blush.

I never get dressed up for dates but this is an important one... Sort of.

"Damn. You look good." Zacky smiles as I pull up to his house. He steps outside with me and walks over to his red mustang.

"Thanks. You do, too." I smile at him as I fix his jacket.

Zacky smirks and unlocks the car then drives us to the restaurant where we are meeting his girlfriend and her brother. "Do I look okay?" Zacky asks, genuinely nervous.

I laugh and put my hands on his shoulders. "You look fine, Zack. Why are you worrying?" I ruffle his hair.

"Because." He laughs and blushes a little. "I'm really, really happy. For the first time in a while."

Wait.. What was that... Oh, that's just my heart breaking into a million pieces. "That's great," I say with a fake smile and look down at my feet.

"Shall we?" He holds his arm out for me, not thinking anything was wrong.

We walk inside and spot two people sitting at a table of four in the far back. Zacky smiles and takes a deep breath. "God, she's beautiful."

God, you're breaking my heart.

Walking up to them I bite my lip looking at Carlee's brother. He's tall, handsome, brown hair, blue eyes, and a very nice smile. He stands up and smiles at me. "Hi, I'm Mark." He holds out his hand.

"I'm Megan." I smile and sit down next to him. I glance over and see Zacky kiss Carlee then pull her chair out for her. I ignore them and turn to Mark who is grinning at me.

"So how do you and Zack know each other?" Carlee asks.

Ugh, I have to look at her... I look away from Mark's gaze and answer, "we met in middle school. He's friends with my brothers and I was always there to annoy him. Now I work for him." I laugh and nudge his shoulder.

Zacky laughs. "Not for me. With me."

"That's awesome. What do you do, exactly?" Mark asks interested.

We discuss work and some things we like before dinner comes out. Mark is a really cool guy and I can definitely get used to having him around. Before the night is over we make plans to hang out again soon. "It was nice meeting you, Megan." Mark smiles at me as he walks me out to Zacky's car.

"You, too." I grin and kiss his cheek. "I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay." He blushes a little and opens the car door for me.

I wave at him then climb in as Zacky kisses Carlee passionately. I cough loudly and he pulls away laughing. "I'll see you later, baby. Bye." He waves and gets in. "That was fun. Mark seems to like you a lot."

"I like him, too." I smile and watch as he stands next to his sister and waves at us.

Honestly, I do like Mark. Yes, it still pains me to see Zacky with another girl. But not because I love him or anything. It's because I haven't had closure from our breakup yet.

I'm pretty sure that's it... I'm hoping it is, at least.