Status: This story wil start as PG but as time progresses, I plan on an R rating.
Are You Listening?
Chapter Three
Not long after Tay and Ike left, my girl friends all decided to go out for the night. Zac said he was going to stay and help clean up but I knew better. “You can lie to my friends but you can’t lie to me Zachary Hanson. You’re staying to drink all my beer.”
“Busted,” he grinned. “So how are things?”
“Good. They’re good.”
“Chey, I said seriously. You fail to realize I’ve known you for like fifteen years and I know way too much about you. INCLUDING,” he enunciated the word, “when you’re lying.” He grabbed my wrists and turned me, begrudgingly, to face him. “Talk to me.”
“I’m just stressed I think. I’ll be fine, really.” Again I gave a forced smile. My mind was still racing from the knowledge he was married. MARRIED. “Trying to finish school… praxis tests, working full time… I think I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Then allow me to be a distraction from real life for a while.” I looked into his eyes- those amazing brown eyes I loved so much and I felt myself melt. Mentally smacking myself, I let myself be pulled in for a mini hug and began cleaning up the kitchen. Much to my surprise, Zac did help me before we sprawled out on the couch with our drinks.
“You really are you know,” I observed, taking a sip of my wine.
“Come again for big fudge?”
“A distraction from real life.”
“That a bad thing?”
“No, just what I needed I think. God,” I sighed, taking another drink. “I still can’t believe you’re here. After all this time you’re just here: sitting on my couch like you’d never left and toured all over the world. And got married.” I rambled but the end slipped out before I could stop it.
“I knew it. You are still pissed about it.”
“No Zac ya know, I’m really not. I’m just shocked I guess. I’m not even in a serious relationship and here you are with a wife. Tay has kids! It’s just going to take some getting used to I guess.”
“So are you seeing anybody?” Of course he would ask me that. At this point I was presented with two options: admit the ugly truth that I’d been dumped days before Valentine’s Day and had not even been on a single date since OR I could flat out lie.
“No.” Okay that was simple and true.
“Why not?” Damn that boy needing an explanation.
“I don’t have time. Like I said, I’m really overwhelmed as it is. I was dating this guy, Brad, up until four months ago.” I finished my glass of peach wine with a large gulp.
“Uh huh… and…”
“And what? We didn’t work out. End of pointless story.” I refilled my glass. If Zac was going to insist on delving into my dating life, or lack of one, I would need to get a good buzz.
“Ok then,” he replied. There was an awkward tension growing between us and I hated it. Things never had to be forced before. And I was about to be damned if they would now.
“Look I’m sorry alright? I just want to enjoy you…” he gave me a weird look. “Your company I mean. Brad and I dated almost a year then four days before Valentine’s Day he called me and said we were over. Just like that. He said I wasn’t there enough. I gave a lot of myself to him- in a lot of ways. But apparently it still wasn’t enough. And here it is- four months later and I haven’t had even so much as a date. But that’s no reason for me to be callus to you. I’m happy if you are Z-Man. I mean that.”
“Thank you.”
“I spilled all that and all I get is a thank you? Nuh uh Z-Man… give me the goods.”
“Why do you always talk about my junk?” he joked.
“Why do you always think I’m talking about your junk?” I retorted.
“’Mere Chey…” he instructed, holding an arm out. And I laid my head on his shoulder… the one place I’d always felt at home. From our very first meeting at age seven and even now at twenty-one, I could find solace in him. “What do you want to know?”
“How did you and Kate meet?”
“Um funny story actually… she went out with Ike first,” he admitted shyly.
“Come again for big fudge?” I quoted him from earlier.
“Yeah I know what you’re thinking…”
“No, no I’m sure you really don’t.”
“That I’m awful, a horn dog, moving in on my brother’s woman.”
“Who says horn dog nowadays?”
“Chey…” he was trying to sound stern but without looking I could even hear the smile tugging at his lips. “But it wasn’t like that. Kate and Isaac both knew they weren’t going to work. And Natalie is Kate’s best friend so she was around a good bit anyways. We kinda just hit it off and well, here we are.”
“Here we are,” I echoed. I really didn’t want to cry tonight. At least not yet.
“Busted,” he grinned. “So how are things?”
“Good. They’re good.”
“Chey, I said seriously. You fail to realize I’ve known you for like fifteen years and I know way too much about you. INCLUDING,” he enunciated the word, “when you’re lying.” He grabbed my wrists and turned me, begrudgingly, to face him. “Talk to me.”
“I’m just stressed I think. I’ll be fine, really.” Again I gave a forced smile. My mind was still racing from the knowledge he was married. MARRIED. “Trying to finish school… praxis tests, working full time… I think I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Then allow me to be a distraction from real life for a while.” I looked into his eyes- those amazing brown eyes I loved so much and I felt myself melt. Mentally smacking myself, I let myself be pulled in for a mini hug and began cleaning up the kitchen. Much to my surprise, Zac did help me before we sprawled out on the couch with our drinks.
“You really are you know,” I observed, taking a sip of my wine.
“Come again for big fudge?”
“A distraction from real life.”
“That a bad thing?”
“No, just what I needed I think. God,” I sighed, taking another drink. “I still can’t believe you’re here. After all this time you’re just here: sitting on my couch like you’d never left and toured all over the world. And got married.” I rambled but the end slipped out before I could stop it.
“I knew it. You are still pissed about it.”
“No Zac ya know, I’m really not. I’m just shocked I guess. I’m not even in a serious relationship and here you are with a wife. Tay has kids! It’s just going to take some getting used to I guess.”
“So are you seeing anybody?” Of course he would ask me that. At this point I was presented with two options: admit the ugly truth that I’d been dumped days before Valentine’s Day and had not even been on a single date since OR I could flat out lie.
“No.” Okay that was simple and true.
“Why not?” Damn that boy needing an explanation.
“I don’t have time. Like I said, I’m really overwhelmed as it is. I was dating this guy, Brad, up until four months ago.” I finished my glass of peach wine with a large gulp.
“Uh huh… and…”
“And what? We didn’t work out. End of pointless story.” I refilled my glass. If Zac was going to insist on delving into my dating life, or lack of one, I would need to get a good buzz.
“Ok then,” he replied. There was an awkward tension growing between us and I hated it. Things never had to be forced before. And I was about to be damned if they would now.
“Look I’m sorry alright? I just want to enjoy you…” he gave me a weird look. “Your company I mean. Brad and I dated almost a year then four days before Valentine’s Day he called me and said we were over. Just like that. He said I wasn’t there enough. I gave a lot of myself to him- in a lot of ways. But apparently it still wasn’t enough. And here it is- four months later and I haven’t had even so much as a date. But that’s no reason for me to be callus to you. I’m happy if you are Z-Man. I mean that.”
“Thank you.”
“I spilled all that and all I get is a thank you? Nuh uh Z-Man… give me the goods.”
“Why do you always talk about my junk?” he joked.
“Why do you always think I’m talking about your junk?” I retorted.
“’Mere Chey…” he instructed, holding an arm out. And I laid my head on his shoulder… the one place I’d always felt at home. From our very first meeting at age seven and even now at twenty-one, I could find solace in him. “What do you want to know?”
“How did you and Kate meet?”
“Um funny story actually… she went out with Ike first,” he admitted shyly.
“Come again for big fudge?” I quoted him from earlier.
“Yeah I know what you’re thinking…”
“No, no I’m sure you really don’t.”
“That I’m awful, a horn dog, moving in on my brother’s woman.”
“Who says horn dog nowadays?”
“Chey…” he was trying to sound stern but without looking I could even hear the smile tugging at his lips. “But it wasn’t like that. Kate and Isaac both knew they weren’t going to work. And Natalie is Kate’s best friend so she was around a good bit anyways. We kinda just hit it off and well, here we are.”
“Here we are,” I echoed. I really didn’t want to cry tonight. At least not yet.