Status: Active
All Good Things
One
The studio felt colder than usual without all the body heat from the boys. Zacky usually arrived almost-late, hair disheveled, contacts not even in, but this morning he was the first there. Getting to work on time in the morning was easy when you didn’t sleep. He grabbed at his guitar, strumming a chord before setting it flat on his thighs. Leaning forward in his chair, he pressed his palms to his eyes and sighed.
“ZV, what’s goin’ on, man?” Brian clasped him on the shoulder, startling the rhythm guitarist. “You’re here early.”
“Hey, dude,” he grumbled, glancing over at his friend. “How are you?” Brian sat now, eyebrows furrowed, clearly concerned. He didn’t speak, waiting Zacky out. “Long night last night.”
A smirk played across his face. “Ohh, I get ya. Lotsa sex!” he slapped him on the back.
“No, dude.”
“Please tell me Christ didn’t forget the caffeine again,” Matt spoke as he entered the studio. They often rotated who grabbed the java in the mornings and last time it was Johnny’s turn he’d forgotten.
“He’s not here yet, so we can only hope,” Brian said.
Zacky felt Matt’s eyes on him, but neither of them spoke. Matt was never one to push when he could sense something was amiss and Zacky appreciated that now. Yet here Brian was. Always a good friend, sure, but sometimes Zacky just needed to sit and sulk and not talk about what was going on. Guilt plagued him whenever he kept things from Brian though and that guilt was settling itself between his ribs at the moment.
“I thought proposing to your girl meant you’d get sex whenever the opportunity arose,” Brian wouldn’t drop the subject.
“Dude, that’s not the problem. We’re fighting again.” Zacky hoped that was enough, but it never was.
Brian shook his head, opening his guitar case and pulling it out. “Shame, dude. You’re always at each other’s throats.”
“Yeah, I know.”
That was the problem. When times were good, they were great. But it seemed like every day Abby would get pissed at him about something. He couldn’t keep running from his thoughts, but this was the worst time to be having them.
“Coffee, anyone?” Johnny called, nodding at Brooks who held the door open for him. Zacky could imagine Johnny standing outside the door, just waiting for someone to open it for him, two cardboard holders of coffee in his hands.
“Oh, thank God,” Matt breathed, striding over to the bassist and grabbing a cup.
Brooks stood silently in the corner, sipping his coffee. He was pretty reserved, actually. Not that the boys were as wild as they used to be. Zacky wondered how he would have taken them if he would have joined the band back in their City of Evil days. The thought made him laugh.
It was good to see Johnny. There was something Zacky needed to ask him, but he waited until everyone got their coffee and for Matt to start bullshitting with Brian and Brooks.
“Hey, Johnny, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
Zacky nodded. “When you and Maddie did the whole wedding thing, you went with a wedding planner, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, dude! Best decision, honestly.” Johnny nodded enthusiastically. “Our planner, Cora, actually became a good friend of Madison’s.”
“Seriously?” Zacky raised a brow. “That’s great. Do you think I could get her number? She’s still doing it, isn’t she?”
“Oh, shit, sure!” Johnny pulled out his phone, putting in the passcode then scrolling through his contacts. “Lemme call her really quick. If she knows you’re a bandmate, I’m sure she’ll give you a discount.”
Johnny knew it would take a few more minutes of coffee drinking before they could get started in the studio so he decided to make the call now, stepping outside quickly.
“Hello?”
“Cora! Hey! It’s Johnny Seward.”
“Oh, hey, Johnny. What’s goin’ on?”
The morning air was cold against his skin and he kicked himself for leaving his coat inside. “Yeah, my buddy Zacky is getting married and he’s thinkin’ of hiring a wedding planner so he asked about you. You’re not too busy, are ya? I know Maddie said you’ve been working like crazy.”
She laughed. “Oh, no. I tend to bite off more than I can chew, but I’ll work it out. Do you know when they’re getting married?”
“Fuck,” Johnny looked up at the sky, wracking his brain. “June something. End of the month. Like the last Saturday…uh…”
He heard movement on the other line and she quickly came back with, “June 24th?”
“Yep! That’s it!”
“Oh, alright. Well I’m not booked that day yet so if you wanna give him my contact information, I’d love to meet with them.”
Johnny grinned. “Sweet. I’ll let him know. When are you gonna be here next? We should meet up.”
“I’ve actually got a meeting in Huntington tomorrow afternoon. Maybe Madison, you, and I can grab dinner?”
“Sounds great.”
“Thanks, Johnny. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, Johnny reentered the building. “She’s open on your date, dude. I’ll text you her number. She said to call her.”
“Sweet. Thanks, Johnny.” Zacky smiled at his friend. “She from around here?”
“She’s got an apartment in Irvine. From Cleveland, Ohio originally,” Johnny informed him after taking another drink of coffee. “We’re grabbing dinner tomorrow night so she’ll be in town.”
Their producer, Joe Barresi, came in and they got right to work. Zacky made a mental note to call Cora after work, even if Abby didn’t want to hear it. The fact that she was in town would help immensely with his suggestion to Abby, though they weren’t talking at the moment and that was just fine with him. He’d meet with Cora himself if that’s what it took to push his fiancé in the right direction.
He’d quit smoking, but it was moments like these he wished he hadn’t. His nerves were high the entire day in the studio. He’d gone outside to get air, but if he could just taste that sweet nicotine he knew he’d be in a better place mentally. This wedding was coming up and he found himself in that same hopeless place he’d been in years prior with Gena. His ex-wife was a distant memory of screaming, throwing shit at each other, and lack of enjoyment. Planning a wedding was supposed to be fun, she’d said. Only it wasn’t. It was stressful and honestly that was probably why Zacky currently wanted to hire a planner. He and his now-fiancé, Abby, were at each other’s throats already. And she hadn’t even booked a single vendor yet.
The phone rang three times before she picked up.
“Is this Cora?” Zacky asked into the receiver, turning down the music in his car. He’d been sitting in the driveway for five minutes, wondering if he should just get the call over with then. He’d decided to go for it before talking to Abby and maybe that would be another black mark on his record, but at the moment he didn’t care.
“Yes, it is,” she spoke sweetly.
“Yeah, hi, this is Zack Baker. My buddy, Johnny, called you earlier.”
“Hey, Zack! It’s good to hear from you. How are you doing?”
“Not bad, not bad,” he lied. “So my fiancé and I are getting married in 8 months and, I’m gonna be honest, she hasn’t planned a damn thing.” There was silence on the other line and he didn’t know how to take that so he just kept talking. “She claims she’s gonna plan it all herself, but we’ve been engaged for…” he bit his lip, thinking, “Four months already and she hasn’t done anything.”
“I see,” she spoke simply. “Well, that’s what I’m here for.” They both laughed. “I’m free to meet up with you guys whenever it fits best for you. I’m assuming you’re near Johnny in Huntington?”
“Yeah. Yep, we are.”
“Well I have a meeting with a client tomorrow at 2:00 and then dinner with Johnny and Madison around 6:00 so if you’re free tomorrow I’ll be in town,” she finished.
Zacky nodded to no one in particular. “Right. Well, I haven’t really passed it by the Mrs. yet, but…” he rubbed his temples and sighed. “I probably won’t be able to call you back tonight, but I can text you.”
He was hiding things from Abby already. Great sign, he thought. He was always texting one of the guys, so she’d probably brush it off as that if he did get back to Cora that night. A phone call? Not so much. If Abby got wind that he’d decided to meet with a wedding planner before getting her permission, he’d be a dead man.
“Oh, that’s no problem. This is my personal phone, so text away whenever you get a chance. As I said, I’ll be in town so the short notice is no problem.”
Zacky sighed, relieved. “Thanks so much. I appreciate it.”
“Talk to you soon, Zack.”
“Alright.” He ended the call then slid his phone in his pocket.
Running a finger over his bottom lip, he stared at the lights on in the house. This conversation could go either way, really. He hoped it didn’t end with another screaming match and him sleeping in the guest room again. He was tired of the bullshit. Maybe getting some stress off her back would make things better. He sure as shit hoped it would.
“ZV, what’s goin’ on, man?” Brian clasped him on the shoulder, startling the rhythm guitarist. “You’re here early.”
“Hey, dude,” he grumbled, glancing over at his friend. “How are you?” Brian sat now, eyebrows furrowed, clearly concerned. He didn’t speak, waiting Zacky out. “Long night last night.”
A smirk played across his face. “Ohh, I get ya. Lotsa sex!” he slapped him on the back.
“No, dude.”
“Please tell me Christ didn’t forget the caffeine again,” Matt spoke as he entered the studio. They often rotated who grabbed the java in the mornings and last time it was Johnny’s turn he’d forgotten.
“He’s not here yet, so we can only hope,” Brian said.
Zacky felt Matt’s eyes on him, but neither of them spoke. Matt was never one to push when he could sense something was amiss and Zacky appreciated that now. Yet here Brian was. Always a good friend, sure, but sometimes Zacky just needed to sit and sulk and not talk about what was going on. Guilt plagued him whenever he kept things from Brian though and that guilt was settling itself between his ribs at the moment.
“I thought proposing to your girl meant you’d get sex whenever the opportunity arose,” Brian wouldn’t drop the subject.
“Dude, that’s not the problem. We’re fighting again.” Zacky hoped that was enough, but it never was.
Brian shook his head, opening his guitar case and pulling it out. “Shame, dude. You’re always at each other’s throats.”
“Yeah, I know.”
That was the problem. When times were good, they were great. But it seemed like every day Abby would get pissed at him about something. He couldn’t keep running from his thoughts, but this was the worst time to be having them.
“Coffee, anyone?” Johnny called, nodding at Brooks who held the door open for him. Zacky could imagine Johnny standing outside the door, just waiting for someone to open it for him, two cardboard holders of coffee in his hands.
“Oh, thank God,” Matt breathed, striding over to the bassist and grabbing a cup.
Brooks stood silently in the corner, sipping his coffee. He was pretty reserved, actually. Not that the boys were as wild as they used to be. Zacky wondered how he would have taken them if he would have joined the band back in their City of Evil days. The thought made him laugh.
It was good to see Johnny. There was something Zacky needed to ask him, but he waited until everyone got their coffee and for Matt to start bullshitting with Brian and Brooks.
“Hey, Johnny, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
Zacky nodded. “When you and Maddie did the whole wedding thing, you went with a wedding planner, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, dude! Best decision, honestly.” Johnny nodded enthusiastically. “Our planner, Cora, actually became a good friend of Madison’s.”
“Seriously?” Zacky raised a brow. “That’s great. Do you think I could get her number? She’s still doing it, isn’t she?”
“Oh, shit, sure!” Johnny pulled out his phone, putting in the passcode then scrolling through his contacts. “Lemme call her really quick. If she knows you’re a bandmate, I’m sure she’ll give you a discount.”
Johnny knew it would take a few more minutes of coffee drinking before they could get started in the studio so he decided to make the call now, stepping outside quickly.
“Hello?”
“Cora! Hey! It’s Johnny Seward.”
“Oh, hey, Johnny. What’s goin’ on?”
The morning air was cold against his skin and he kicked himself for leaving his coat inside. “Yeah, my buddy Zacky is getting married and he’s thinkin’ of hiring a wedding planner so he asked about you. You’re not too busy, are ya? I know Maddie said you’ve been working like crazy.”
She laughed. “Oh, no. I tend to bite off more than I can chew, but I’ll work it out. Do you know when they’re getting married?”
“Fuck,” Johnny looked up at the sky, wracking his brain. “June something. End of the month. Like the last Saturday…uh…”
He heard movement on the other line and she quickly came back with, “June 24th?”
“Yep! That’s it!”
“Oh, alright. Well I’m not booked that day yet so if you wanna give him my contact information, I’d love to meet with them.”
Johnny grinned. “Sweet. I’ll let him know. When are you gonna be here next? We should meet up.”
“I’ve actually got a meeting in Huntington tomorrow afternoon. Maybe Madison, you, and I can grab dinner?”
“Sounds great.”
“Thanks, Johnny. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, Johnny reentered the building. “She’s open on your date, dude. I’ll text you her number. She said to call her.”
“Sweet. Thanks, Johnny.” Zacky smiled at his friend. “She from around here?”
“She’s got an apartment in Irvine. From Cleveland, Ohio originally,” Johnny informed him after taking another drink of coffee. “We’re grabbing dinner tomorrow night so she’ll be in town.”
Their producer, Joe Barresi, came in and they got right to work. Zacky made a mental note to call Cora after work, even if Abby didn’t want to hear it. The fact that she was in town would help immensely with his suggestion to Abby, though they weren’t talking at the moment and that was just fine with him. He’d meet with Cora himself if that’s what it took to push his fiancé in the right direction.
He’d quit smoking, but it was moments like these he wished he hadn’t. His nerves were high the entire day in the studio. He’d gone outside to get air, but if he could just taste that sweet nicotine he knew he’d be in a better place mentally. This wedding was coming up and he found himself in that same hopeless place he’d been in years prior with Gena. His ex-wife was a distant memory of screaming, throwing shit at each other, and lack of enjoyment. Planning a wedding was supposed to be fun, she’d said. Only it wasn’t. It was stressful and honestly that was probably why Zacky currently wanted to hire a planner. He and his now-fiancé, Abby, were at each other’s throats already. And she hadn’t even booked a single vendor yet.
The phone rang three times before she picked up.
“Is this Cora?” Zacky asked into the receiver, turning down the music in his car. He’d been sitting in the driveway for five minutes, wondering if he should just get the call over with then. He’d decided to go for it before talking to Abby and maybe that would be another black mark on his record, but at the moment he didn’t care.
“Yes, it is,” she spoke sweetly.
“Yeah, hi, this is Zack Baker. My buddy, Johnny, called you earlier.”
“Hey, Zack! It’s good to hear from you. How are you doing?”
“Not bad, not bad,” he lied. “So my fiancé and I are getting married in 8 months and, I’m gonna be honest, she hasn’t planned a damn thing.” There was silence on the other line and he didn’t know how to take that so he just kept talking. “She claims she’s gonna plan it all herself, but we’ve been engaged for…” he bit his lip, thinking, “Four months already and she hasn’t done anything.”
“I see,” she spoke simply. “Well, that’s what I’m here for.” They both laughed. “I’m free to meet up with you guys whenever it fits best for you. I’m assuming you’re near Johnny in Huntington?”
“Yeah. Yep, we are.”
“Well I have a meeting with a client tomorrow at 2:00 and then dinner with Johnny and Madison around 6:00 so if you’re free tomorrow I’ll be in town,” she finished.
Zacky nodded to no one in particular. “Right. Well, I haven’t really passed it by the Mrs. yet, but…” he rubbed his temples and sighed. “I probably won’t be able to call you back tonight, but I can text you.”
He was hiding things from Abby already. Great sign, he thought. He was always texting one of the guys, so she’d probably brush it off as that if he did get back to Cora that night. A phone call? Not so much. If Abby got wind that he’d decided to meet with a wedding planner before getting her permission, he’d be a dead man.
“Oh, that’s no problem. This is my personal phone, so text away whenever you get a chance. As I said, I’ll be in town so the short notice is no problem.”
Zacky sighed, relieved. “Thanks so much. I appreciate it.”
“Talk to you soon, Zack.”
“Alright.” He ended the call then slid his phone in his pocket.
Running a finger over his bottom lip, he stared at the lights on in the house. This conversation could go either way, really. He hoped it didn’t end with another screaming match and him sleeping in the guest room again. He was tired of the bullshit. Maybe getting some stress off her back would make things better. He sure as shit hoped it would.