Home Run

Zacky’s POV

I was so fucking nervous to go on this date with Charlie. I’m probably worrying about nothing, but this is a big deal for me. I want everything to be perfect for her because I don’t want to let her down. Hell, even I need to look my best because I don’t want her to be fucking embarrassed by me in any way. I’m worried that by the time the date is over, and I take her back to her house, she will never talk to me again because this date was so bad. I don’t think I could live with myself if Charlie never talked to me again. She is the first best friend I have ever had that’s a girl, and I don’t want this date to fuck it all up. I’m ready to take our friendship to the next level whenever Charlie is ready.

Right now, I’m standing in my bathroom, trying to make my hair look perfect. I’ve probably used a thousand pounds of gel to get it spiked perfectly. I brushed my teeth and washed my face twice. I walked out of my bathroom and over to my closet. I looked through all my clothes to try and find the best outfit to wear for this date. I decided to wear a plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

I walked downstairs after getting dressed to put on my sneakers, making sure the dogs had food and water, grabbed my keys and wallet, and headed out the door to pick up Charlie. Before taking off, I pulled out my cell phone and sent to a text to Val:

I’m on my way. Is she ready?

Val sent me back a reply quickly:

She is and you won’t be disappointed.

I smiled really big while putting my phone back in my pocket and started the car. Now, I was getting more excited for this date. If she looked good and felt good, she would be able to enjoy herself, making me enjoy myself.

I pulled into her driveway, and my nerves kicked in again. I couldn’t help being nervous, this was a make it or break it date. If the date turned out good, we could possibly get into a relationship, if it went badly, we would probably never be friends after this because when we would see each other, it would be awkward as hell. I’m hoping for the first choice.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car. My hands started to sweat while I was walking up the walk way to the front door. I knocked three short knocks before Val opened the door with a big smile on her face.

“Zacky, there’s no reason to be nervous. She’s just as excited as you are, if not more.” Val said, smiling at me.

“That makes me feel a little bit better, but I just want to fuck this up.” I told her, stepping inside the house.

“You won’t, just be yourself, and everything will fall into place. Let me go tell her you’re here.”

Val gave my arm a small squeeze and headed up the stairs. I had no thoughts going through my head while I looked around the house. Footsteps snapped my out of my daze. I looked over, and Charlie was walking down the stairs, looking beautiful as ever. She smiled at me, making me smile back at her because it was so contagious. Her smile made me forget about all the bad things that could come out of this date and replaced it with good thoughts.

Charlie’s POV

When Zacky smiled at me while I was coming down the stairs, I was on cloud nine. I was worried that I wouldn’t look good enough for him, and he would regret ever asking me out. I really like him a lot, and I don’t want to screw this up.

“You look great.” Zack told me, pulling me into a hug.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” I smiled, hugging him back.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked, taking my hand.

“Yes I am.” I smiled at him and let him lead me to the door.

“Make sure you have her home at a decent hour and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Val yelled out the door.

“Shut up, Val.” Zack yelled back at her as he opened the passenger door for me.

I chuckled a little bit and climbed into his car. He shut my door and jogged to the driver side and got in. We both waved bye to Val as Zacky was pulling out of the driveway. There was a comfortable silence in the car, and there was a good vibe surrounding us.

We were a few blocks away from my house when I started talking.

“So, what are we doing tonight?” I asked him.

“Well, I decided that we are going to do stuff that relates to the beach since, I think, that was the best time we had together.” He told me with a smile.

“Okay, I just want to let you know that I’m looking forward to whatever you have planned for the night.” I said, smiling back at him.

“I know you’re going to have a great time.”

We drove for another fifteen minutes before we pulled into a seafood restaurant parking lot. Zacky got out of the car and walked over to my side and let me out. He continued holding my hand as we walked up to the door. He let me go in first, and we walked up to the hostess stand.

“How can I help you both tonight?” The hostess asked.

“We would like a table for two.” Zack told her.

“Okay, right this way.”

The hostess led us to the tables outside, where there were other couples sitting and enjoying the time that they could spend together. There was a romantic spark outside with the wind giving off a little breeze, and the temperature was just right; it wasn’t humid, hot, or muddy. The hostess set down our menus and told us that our waiter would be with us in just a few. We both opened our menus to see what the restaurant offered. I’ve never been here before, but from the pictures of the different types of food in the menu, I knew I would like what I got.

The waiter came to our table and asked us what we wanted to drink. I got a Coke while Zacky got a beer. The waiter left and it got silent again before Zacky said something.

“Have you ever been here before?” He asked.

“No I haven’t, have you?” I asked back.

“No, so I thought we could try it. I hope it’s okay with you.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I love seafood.”

“Good. I thought I was going to make a fool out of myself.”

We both laughed, and the waiter came back to our table to take our order. I ordered shrimp alfredo, and Zack ordered popcorn shrimp. He left, and it was just the two of us again. I looked around at all the other couples. I kind of felt left out because I could tell that these couples were boyfriend and girlfriend, and Zack and I were only on our first date. I would love to be Zacky’s girlfriend, but after tonight, I don’t know where our relationship will stand. I don’t want him to think I just went out with him because he’s Zacky Vengeance. I went out with him because he’s Zacky Baker, an attractive, kind, and loving person.

“So, are you having a good time so far?” Zack said after taking a sip of his beer.

“I’m having a blast.” I told him.

“Okay good, I was thinking you were having a bad time with me, you haven’t said much since we got here.” He said, looking into my eyes.

“I just don’t want to say something stupid and have you think I was weird or something.” I said softly.

“I wouldn’t think you were weird. I have the same thought going through my head as well.” He admitted.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“I’m afraid that if I say something dumb, you aren’t going to like me anymore. I really like you, Charlie, and I’m trying not to make any stupid mistakes.” He said, looking down.

“Zack, I just want you to be yourself. I like you just the way you are.”

“That’s what Val said.” He muttered.

“She always knows what to say.” I laughed.

“I couldn’t agree with you more.”

We continued talking for a little longer until our food came. While eating, we continued talking about everything and anything. Zacky had me laughing the whole time about stupid shit that him and the guys would do on tour and in the studio. I could tell he was letting loose and being himself. He was talking and smiling more, he was laughing too, and just having a good time. I love to see Zacky happy. After everything that went down with Stacie, when you looked into his eyes, he wasn’t the same person anymore, but now, he’s better than ever.

“Are you ready for the second part of our date?” Zacky asked as we exited the restaurant after he paid the bill.

“What is it?” I asked after getting into the car.

“I thought that we could just take a walk on the beach.” He said, pulling out of the parking lot.

“That sounds lovely.” I said, smiling at him.

He smiled back and took my hand and laced our fingers. I turned to look out the window because I didn’t want him to see me blushing. On the outside, I was trying to stay as calm as possible because I didn’t want Zacky to judge me on how I was reacting to him holding my hand. On the inside, it was a whole different story. My heart was pounding, and I thought it was going to bounce right out of my chest.

We pulled up to the beach, and it was just gorgeous. The sun was setting, and it was so romantic. There were hardly any people walking along the shore, just couples spending the night together. Zack and I kept our shoes in the car and started our walk. He took my hand again, lacing our fingers, and led the way. I could see other couples looking and pointing at us, talking about us. I could tell they were good things because as they were talking, they were smiling. I smiled to myself and leaned up against Zacky. He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulders to pull me closer to him. I put my arm around his waist and pulled him closer to me.

About half way from the car, Zacky stopped us, and we sat down in the sand, me in between his legs. He had his arms wrapped around my waist, and I had my hands on his knees, rubbing my thumbs against his knee caps. I leaned back against him and looked at the horizon. He wrapped his arms tighter around me and pulled me closer to him. I smiled to myself thinking about how I never thought this would happen, but it is, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Did you have a good time?” Zacky whispered in my ear.

“I had a blast.” I whispered back.

“Good.” He said and kissed my cheek softly.

I could feel my face heat up, and I’m guessing Zacky saw because he chuckled; that just made me blush even more.

“Are you ready to go back home?” He asked.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” I told him.

“Well, it is getting kind of late, and I don’t want your brother killing me, so I think now’s a good time to get you home.”

“I wouldn’t want him to kill you, so I think that’s a good idea.” I laughed while standing up.

I put out my hand for Zacky to grab so he could get up. He took it, but when he was already standing, he didn’t let go, which I was happy about. We got to the car, dusted the sand off our feet, and put our shoes back on before taking off. It didn’t take long to get back to my house. Zacky opened my door and walked me to my front door like a true gentleman.

“I had a great time tonight, Zack.” I said, smiling at him.

“I did too. I guess that means you’ll go out on a second date with me.” He said, smiling as well.

“You can count on it.”

He smiled down at me and moved some of my hair behind my ear. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly. I kissed him back just as soft. He pulled away first with a big smile on his face, much like mine.

“Good night, Charlie.” He whispered, kissing me again.

“Night Zacky.” I whispered back and went inside my house.

I closed the door and watched Zacky pull away from my house through the window by the door. When he was out of sight, I cheered quietly and slid down to the floor in front of my front door.

That was the best date ever!