10 Ways to Fall in Love

“Spring what are you doing down here?” Spring’s brother Tom, l who is one year older than her, rudely calls out to her.

“Grabbing a hotpocket from the freezer in the basement. Is that a crime?”

“As long as you aren’t staying down here, we are trying to write.”

“Yeah Yeah! Calm down.”

“I want food. I’m gonna grab a hotpocket as well.” Zach says moving towards Spring and the freezer.

“Perfect Spring! Mention food in front of Zach, and there goes our lyrics.”

“Tom, Shut it!”

Spring and Zach walk up stairs and put their food in the microwave together. Zach breaks the silence by saying, “Ok hypothetically what would you do if I kissed you right now?”

“Simple. Kiss back.”

Then Zach doesn’t say a word he just moves towards her and kisses her. Spring does as she said she would and kisses him back. Then the microwave dings causing them to pull apart startled.

“I like you Spring, a lot. I always have.”

“I have always felt that way about you as well Porter.”

“Skip a few steps and be my girlfriend.”

“Alright.” Spring happily says before realizing her brother would kill her if he heard this conversation and then sadly says, “But Tom, and the other guys….”

“Our secret.”

“Alright.” She says smiling.

“Go out with me tonight.”

“Alright, but when the band decides to all hang out tonight and you ditch me just know I won’t be mad.” She says kissing his lips lightly. “Now get your pocket and go down stairs before they wonder what happened to you Porter.”

“Tonight.”

“Supposedly.”

After practice the guys are about to walk out as Spring is passing by the door when Tom says, “Hey guys let’s hang tonight. I have nothing to do.”

Everyone agrees, and indirectly forces Zach to do the same.

Zach mouths a sorry to Spring and in return she sends him a text saying, “No worries Porter. I saw this coming, and I told you I wouldn’t be mad, and I’m not.”

Later that night Spring is reading in her room when she hears a pebble hit her window, and then another, and another, and another.

She goes to her window to see who is throwing pebbles at her window and she sees it’s Zach.

“Porter! What are you doing here at midnight!?” She whisper yells.

“I’m here to see my girlfriend, if she’ll see me.”

“Hang on.”

Spring puts on some chucks and heads down stairs and outside.

“Hi Porter.”

“Hi Spring.” He says as she shivers. He takes off his hoodie and puts it on her.

“Porter, no it’s ok.”

“You’re wearing it.”

“Thanks.”

The two sit by her house for hours. Zach has his back against her house, and she is in his lap. They talked and kissed for three hours before Zach left her with his hoodie and a promise of another date.

****

Spring and Zach were fine for a few years until during the guys NBT competition practice they all wanted to confront Zach about his girlfriend they don’t know. That day they just so happened to ask Spring to listen to their practice to give them constructive criticism. She arrives a minute before Zach does.

When Zach arrives the guys pounce.

“Who is she?” Nathan asks followed by Cameron asking, “What does she look like?”

“Why didn’t you tell us about her? I mean you’ve been dating her for three years.” Michael says.

Tom asks, “Is she hot?”

“Whoa, wait! Who is she?”

“Your girlfriend.” Nathan answers.

Spring touches the music note necklace that Zach got her before saying, “I’m gonna go grab a hotpocket.”

“Me too.” Zach says following her.

“What do we do?” Spring asks once the two are safely upstairs.

“Zach grabs her hands and kisses her lips and says, “Tell them the truth.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

They did just that. Tom was pissed. All the guys took Zach’s side, and like that quickly Tom was out of the band.

****

“We are going to be gone. On a tour for three months, then back to LA to record, and then back to tour.” Zach tells Spring a few months later.

“Your leaving me Porter.” Spring says as a tear rolls down her cheek.

“I’m sorry Spring.”

“So we should make it easy and just end it here and now.”

“Probably”

“On last goodbye?”

Zach nods his head and Spring leads him to her room, and starts kissing him before closing her door.

The next morning Spring wakes up with no clothes on to nothing but a note. The note said.
“Spring I’m sorry but I had to leave, but I couldn’t have stayed even if I wanted to. We had to leave early, there was nothing I could do. I’m going, but remember one thing: I love you with all my heart and soul. I don’t expect you to wait for me, but know I will wait for you because you’re my one and only. Every time we are back in Poway I will stop by to say Hi.
Love yours Always,
Zach Porter”

****

She goes to every Allstar Weekend concert in San Diego. She was always in the front row. He always saw her and never stopped loving her. She never stayed for the meet and greet.

****

One day Spring was at home eating a hotpocket and wearing Zach’s hoodie he gave her the day he came to her house at midnight on the day they became boyfriend and girlfriend for the first time when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find her best friend Ella standing there.

“You have a blind date tonight.” Ella informed her friend.

“No I don’t”

“Yes you do. I just set you up. You should take off Zach’s hoodie and go get dressed.”

“I’m not going.”

“He’s been gone two years. You need to move on.”

“I can’t. No reason for me to. He’s kept all his promises.”

“What about your dream?”

“My dream is coming true.”

“But wasn’t he your dream?”

“My dream was for him to be living his dream, which he is doing right now. I never had a happily ever after at the end of my dream.”

“Spring.”

“My ultimate dream is for him to be happy. In my dream he ends up happily married to someone famous like Taylor Swift.”

“Spring.”

“My dream is coming true. I’m happy so please leave and cancel that date.”

“Ok. But only if you tell me one thing, where do you end up at the end of your dream?”

“Single, in an apartment in San Diego with a cat.”

“Spring…”

“Ella it’s fine. Just please cancel the date.” She says as a tear rolls down her cheek.

Ella leaves and as soon as she is out the door Spring breaks down in tears. Zach, who was in town for the day who was coming to visit her like he always does, comes up behind her, and hugs her. She cries into his chest neither of them saying a word. When she is done crying Zach continues to hold her, no words being exchanged and they both fell asleep like that on Spring’s couch.

The next day Spring wakes up alone on her couch with dry tears on her face and a note. The note said,
“Spring, the love of my life,
I had to leave, I’m sorry. Know I will always love you. Do me a favor and in the end of your dream give yourself a happily ever after. Put you and I together in the end.
Love yours for eternity,
Zach Porter”


****

“Ella why do you need to shop for a wedding dress in LA?”

“Because they have all the best dresses.”

As Spring scoffs at this remark she runs into someone. Before seeing who she ran into she starts apologizing, and the person starts saying it was no big deal. She looks to see who she ran into and she sees Zach.

“What are you doing in LA?”

“Wedding Dress.” As she says this Zach’s heart breaks and he feels tears coming on.

“Who are you marrying?”

“Whoa Porter! I’m not getting married, Ella is.” Spring says while Ella pulls her away. Those two sentences, however fixed Zach’s heart, and took away the tears that were threatening to fall.

****

Finally it was the night of Ella’s wedding which was in LA at some hotel. At the reception Spring says,
“Ella wanted me to play the first song she and Daniel dance as husband and wife. So here is “You Found Me” by the Fray.” Then Spring starts to play and sing her heart out.

Zach had no idea why, but today he decided to go with Cameron on his adventure, or go with him when he wanders. The two walked around the hotel until Zach stopped dead in his tracks. He heard a voice he knows better than himself. He hears Spring. He runs over and sees a wedding reception. At the piano is Spring playing with one tear rolling down her cheek. Zach taught her to play piano.

Zach waits until the song is over before he runs to Spring. When he is in front of her he gets down on one knee and pulls out a box. The box he pulls out he has had for years. He has had the box since Spring and him had their one year dating anniversary.

“Will you marry me?”

“Porter! Yes!”

He places the star ring with the engraving “to my Spring, Love yours Truly Zachary Porter” on her finger.