Coffee Break

“This really isn’t a good time, Martin,”

“Paul said he saw you storm out of your shop looking angry. Is everything okay?”

“No. I’m not. Can you meet me after work?”

“I don’t finish for another hour,”

“I don’t care, I just…I need to see you. I’ll wait,”

“Okay, sure. Um, where will you be?”

“The park. I’ll be in there somewhere,”

“Alright. Zack, just…be careful okay? Please don’t do anything stupid,”

“I won’t, I promise. See you later,”

*

As soon as my shift was over, I sped out the coffee shop, throwing a half-assed ‘catch the bus home’ to Alex – I have to see Zack. His words…he really worried me. He sounds so upset, so angry, and I was itching to find out what the fuck happened to him to get him like this. It didn’t take me long to get to the park, and it didn’t take me long to find Zack either. He was sitting on a bench, his hands clenched into fists, glaring at a squirrel sitting directly in front of him. Poor squirrel.

“Please say that’s Martin because I really don’t want to talk to anyone else right now,” Zack murmured, not even turning around.

I smiled sadly and sat down next to him, scaring the squirrel away. Poor squirrel.

“I came, like you asked. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” I said softly, taking his hands in mine.

Zack bit his lip but nodded, finally looking at me. Huh. His eyes are bloodshot. He must’ve been crying. It takes something real bad for him to cry.

“I had an argument with my brother and my dad. I can’t stand them right now. I had to leave or I would’ve end up hitting Sam,” Zack grumbled.

Shit. It was that bad?

“What did you argue about?” I asked worriedly.

Zack smiled weakly at me. What?

“You,” Zack replied.

Oh. Wait, what?!

“Me? Why me? What did I do?” I yelped.

Zack sighed, looking away from me again.

“Apparently I’ve been smiling way more than usual and I smiled when you texted me today, so Sam stole my phone while my dad pinned my arms behind my back and they read through all your texts,” Zack said.

“Oh,” I said quietly.

“Sam got really mad at me because he told you to stay away from me and I said that I told you not to listen because he’s an arrogant twat, and then my dad said so you are dating, and I said that we’ve been on 7 dates yes, and then Sam said that he didn’t want me to date you because he doesn’t want to see me go through hell again just because of ‘some guy’,” Zack said angrily.

“He doesn’t?” I said weakly, interrupting.

Zack scowled, shaking his head.

“So I said so you want me to be alone for the rest of my life just because I’m gay? and my dad tried to defend Sam by saying that Sam didn’t mean that and that he’s just trying to look after me, but I told them to fuck off and that I can look after myself, and that it doesn’t matter because you make me happier than I have done in a long time and why can’t they just accept that?!” Zack ranted.

It took a good few seconds for me to be able to process his words, but when I did, I raised my hands to his face and leant up to peck his lips in a kiss. He had an argument with his family…over me. Little old me. Fuck. Did I really mean that much to him?

“Your brother and dad are just trying to protect you,” I murmured, trying to make peace.

“Fuck, I know that, but why do they have to be so pig-headed about it? After everything that’s happened, don’t you think they’d want me to be happy? To find someone new? To…fuck,”

Zack choked as he swore, tears filling his eyes. In the time it took me to wrap my arms around him, he’d started to cry silently into my chest, clutching at me like I was the only thing keeping him sane. Fuck, Zack’s really broken up about this, isn’t he? I know his family means so much to him, but their approval means even more, and if they don’t approve of me…fuck. I can’t put him through this.

“Look, maybe I should back off a bit to placate them, yeah?” I suggested.

Zack lifted his head sharply, eyes filled with anger and shock. Okay, maybe not then…

“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare try to back away from me, Martin. You’re…you’re all I have that makes sense right now. I can’t lose you because of them,” Zack said firmly, tears still pooling in his eyes.

“But you need your family,” I insisted.

“I need you too,” Zack replied quietly.

I bit my bottom lip, Zack just staring at me with an expression I couldn’t read.

“Please promise me you won’t leave me?” Zack murmured.

I swallowed heavily. There’s only one thing I can really do here. If we're going to piss of his family, why not go the whole way?

“Only if you’ll be my boyfriend,” I replied nervously.

Zack’s eyes went wide, his breath hitching his throat.

“R-Really?” he managed to choke.

I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak properly.

“Of course I will, Martin! Fuck, yes!” Zack grinned, rapidly drying his cheeks with his hands.

I felt a huge weight lift off me, a grin spreading across my own lips. Holy fuck. Zack Merrick is my boyfriend. Someone pinch me.

“I can’t believe you’re finally mine,” Zack said happily.

Before I could reply, Zack pressed his lips firmly to mine, kissing me more eagerly than he ever has done before. Fuck pinching me. I think this just about confirms everything. All of a sudden, Zack broke the kiss.

“Can we go back to yours? I don’t really want to face my family right now and I really want to make-out with my boyfriend on his bed,” Zack asked hopefully.

How the fuck can I say no to that?!