***in' Perfect
We Really Need To Talk
Zack POV-
I sat up in the living room alone, sipping on a glass of Jack and Coke, watching the clock. Alli had been gone for hours now. She wasn't answering her phone. She'd been avoiding me for two days. What had I done wrong? This wasn't like her at all. I heard the door that led from the kitchen to the garage open, followed by the sound of keys clanking onto the counter. "Alli?" I called. "Yeah, it's me. Can you come get Belle?" she asked. I sat my glass down and took my daughter from Alli's arms. "We really need to talk," I told her. She looked at me and nodded. "Yeah. We do," she said. I followed her, laying Belle down in her play pen to sleep while Alli and I sat on the couch. I took her hands into mine and kissed across her knuckles. Usually that got a smile out of her. That night, the corners of her mouth didn't even twitch. I had a feeling that what I was thinking was right. "So what was it you needed to talk to me about?" Alli asked, her voice shaky. "I just...I feel like there's something you're not telling me. Are we okay?" I replied. I was gonna get to the point. There was no fucking around. She pulled her hands away from me and dropped her had into them. "You know I love you, Zack. You know I love you very much...and I appreciate everything you've done for me and Lexi," she said. I nodded. "This," she pointed between the two of us, "this polygamy thing...not being able to have you all to myself, it's not working for me anymore, Zack. I thought I could handle it, but I can't."
Alli wiped a few tears from her face. I wrapped her in my arms and held her while she cried. So I was right. Her heart wasn't in it anymore. She didn't want to be with me. She loved me, but she didn't want to be with me. "I'll always be here for you," I told her. "I know, Z. You're one of my best friends, you know? You...you gave me the love of my life..." she said, looking toward Belle. "I know. And I'll always love you and Belle. I kinda figured you weren't into it anymore...you've acted weird since I got home. Why didn't you just say something?" I asked. She swallowed hard and pulled away from me. "Because that's not all there is to it, Zack. It's so much deeper than this," she replied. "What do you mean?"
"I met...somebody. I didn't cheat on you, though. We're just friends...but I've...I've started having feelings for him that I can't explain. Zack, I am so sorry," Alli said. Tears were pouring from her eyes again. I trusted her. I knew she was telling the truth. That was one thing about Allison. She wasn't deceitful at all. She was always honest, so was her sister. Her sister...I fought a smile. Lexi and I had gotten really close over the UK tour. I had fallen even more in love with her than I had been before. She and I got along really well, even when we fought, everything was perfect between us. We had so much in common and we just made each other as happy as we could be. She was also pregnant, as we had found out that day, with twins. Lexi and I could be happy on our own. Alli wanted things out of a relationship that I wasn't good at. She liked romance, and commitment...eternal commitment. She wanted marriage, and that wouldn't be fair to either girl. "I believe you, Al. Don't cry," I said, wiping her tears away. "You're not mad?" she asked. "No, God no. It's okay, I promise. We'll always be friends, yeah?" I said. She nodded and kissed my cheek. "Forever," she replied.
I sat up in the living room alone, sipping on a glass of Jack and Coke, watching the clock. Alli had been gone for hours now. She wasn't answering her phone. She'd been avoiding me for two days. What had I done wrong? This wasn't like her at all. I heard the door that led from the kitchen to the garage open, followed by the sound of keys clanking onto the counter. "Alli?" I called. "Yeah, it's me. Can you come get Belle?" she asked. I sat my glass down and took my daughter from Alli's arms. "We really need to talk," I told her. She looked at me and nodded. "Yeah. We do," she said. I followed her, laying Belle down in her play pen to sleep while Alli and I sat on the couch. I took her hands into mine and kissed across her knuckles. Usually that got a smile out of her. That night, the corners of her mouth didn't even twitch. I had a feeling that what I was thinking was right. "So what was it you needed to talk to me about?" Alli asked, her voice shaky. "I just...I feel like there's something you're not telling me. Are we okay?" I replied. I was gonna get to the point. There was no fucking around. She pulled her hands away from me and dropped her had into them. "You know I love you, Zack. You know I love you very much...and I appreciate everything you've done for me and Lexi," she said. I nodded. "This," she pointed between the two of us, "this polygamy thing...not being able to have you all to myself, it's not working for me anymore, Zack. I thought I could handle it, but I can't."
Alli wiped a few tears from her face. I wrapped her in my arms and held her while she cried. So I was right. Her heart wasn't in it anymore. She didn't want to be with me. She loved me, but she didn't want to be with me. "I'll always be here for you," I told her. "I know, Z. You're one of my best friends, you know? You...you gave me the love of my life..." she said, looking toward Belle. "I know. And I'll always love you and Belle. I kinda figured you weren't into it anymore...you've acted weird since I got home. Why didn't you just say something?" I asked. She swallowed hard and pulled away from me. "Because that's not all there is to it, Zack. It's so much deeper than this," she replied. "What do you mean?"
"I met...somebody. I didn't cheat on you, though. We're just friends...but I've...I've started having feelings for him that I can't explain. Zack, I am so sorry," Alli said. Tears were pouring from her eyes again. I trusted her. I knew she was telling the truth. That was one thing about Allison. She wasn't deceitful at all. She was always honest, so was her sister. Her sister...I fought a smile. Lexi and I had gotten really close over the UK tour. I had fallen even more in love with her than I had been before. She and I got along really well, even when we fought, everything was perfect between us. We had so much in common and we just made each other as happy as we could be. She was also pregnant, as we had found out that day, with twins. Lexi and I could be happy on our own. Alli wanted things out of a relationship that I wasn't good at. She liked romance, and commitment...eternal commitment. She wanted marriage, and that wouldn't be fair to either girl. "I believe you, Al. Don't cry," I said, wiping her tears away. "You're not mad?" she asked. "No, God no. It's okay, I promise. We'll always be friends, yeah?" I said. She nodded and kissed my cheek. "Forever," she replied.