A Helping Hand

7 missed calls, 2 voicemails and 4 text messages later, Indy gave up trying to reach Zacky. She had tried immediately after she kicked Brendan out, but the guitarist had snubbed her call. Indy would be lying if she said it didn’t hurt, but what could she do? She was over 2000 miles away. She tried calling a few more times before she called it a night and settled on sending a text message the next morning before she boarded her flight back home.

Indy took a cab back from the airport straight to her empty house. She opened the door and immediately missed the presence of her dogs. She was used to their excited faces when she walked through the door, their wagging tails and the way they would push each other out of the way to get to Indy first. She had missed her babies terribly over the two weeks she was away, and decided to pick them up from her father’s house.

Unfortunately, her father wasn’t home when she turned up, the house deftly locked, her puppies’ safely inside. It made Indy both happy and sad. She was glad they were safe and she knew they couldn’t escape or be taken from the yard if she couldn’t get in, but she wanted her babies. With a sigh she hopped back in the car and made the trip to the studio, knowing exactly where her father would be.

In the parking lot, she took the space next to her father’s truck and quickly made her way through to the main console. As predicted, Mudrock sat behind the desk, two screens in front of him and his fingers deftly adjusting the faders in front of him. She had recognised the riff to Blinded in Chains echoing through the hallway as she made her way to the console, finally hearing a rough mix of the song that included vocals for the first time. It took all her will not to just stand in the doorway and listen as her father worked, having to remind herself of the reason she come to the studio in the first place.

She walked to Mudrock and waited a few seconds for the phrase he was working on to finish before she tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her, startled when she got his attention. The look on his face quickly turned from shock into happiness when he realised it was Indy standing in front of him. He rose from his seat and enveloped her in a hug. He had gotten used to seeing his daughter nearly every day over the last two months, and her abrupt departure to Pennsylvania and Michigan took more of an emotional toll than he was expecting.

“You are back,” he breathed, thankful that she was safe in California once again. He gave her one last squeeze before taking a step back and returning to his seat at the console.

“I am,” she said, smiling. Her father was not one for huge displays of affection, so the intensity of the reunion had taken her by surprise.

“How was the trip?” He asked her, eager to catch up with her travels. She had filled him in about the recording last night when she had announced she would be returning today.

“It was fine. A bit of a rough landing, but that’s all,” she replied, shrugging. “I just came to see if I could steal your house key? I went over to your house to collect the pups, but I couldn’t get in.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he said, fishing his keys from his back pocket. “Do you want to go get a set cut? I have been meaning to ever since I moved.”

“Sounds like a plan, old man,” she agreed, taking the set of keys from him hand and extracting the 3 keys she needed. “Front door, back door and padlock, right?”

“That’s it,” he confirmed. “The Home Depot around the corner should be open.”

“Perfect, see you in a bit,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before making her way back through the studio.

She would be lying if she said that her return to the studio had no effect on her. She couldn’t help the memories that flooded back as she walked through the hallway. She passed the kitchen where she and Johnny had started a sauce fight, Indy opting for a squirty bottle of mustard while Johnny claimed the ketchup, walked down the hallway Jimmy would race them down, trying to reach the door outside first so he could lean against it to stop everyone else from going outside. Even the god damn parking lot held the memory of Zacky’s second fall. That memory hurt the most, not from the accident itself (though Zacky might disagree), but what it had led to over the next few weeks. The nights Indy had visited Zacky after the accident had taken her down an unexpected road, and she had found herself opening up to the green-eyed guitarist, his laid-back attitude comforting her and making her feel more at ease than she had in some time.

Indy looked to the sky, deciding that as it was such a gorgeous day, she would walk the short distance to Home Depot to get the set of keys cut. Taking advantage of being outside, she took a cigarette from her bag and lit it, placing the lighter back in the pack so she wouldn’t lose it. She gave a quick glance behind her at the outside table she had spent so many hours sitting at, the memory of confiding her feelings about Zacky to Matt smacking her in the face. She sighed.

Throughout the 5 hour flight, Indy had been mulling over the situation with Brendan, Zacky and herself. All she wanted was a chance to explain herself to Zacky, and hoped to God that she would get a chance soon. Hindsight told her that she should have been 100% honest from the get-go, letting him in on the fact that Brendan was her ex, that way he would at least have some context for the conversation. She also should have told him about Brendan’s first visit when he had met her at the hotel on her first day in Michigan, but she was anxious that Zacky might have taken it the wrong way. Hindsight was such a motherfucker.

As she made her way through the carpark to the sidewalk, a car pulled in to the studio, parking near the front door. Before it had even come to a full stop, a door flew open and unleashed a screaming Jimmy into the neighbourhood.

“INDY!” He shouted, running full pelt towards Indy. She braced herself, ready for the lanky giant to throw himself at her in a hug. As expected, the impact came and Indy managed to stay upright thanks to Jimmy slowing down a little before he reached his target.

“Hey Jimmy-Jam,” she greeted with a smile, wrapping her cigarette-free arm around Jimmy. He gave her a huge squeeze, taking the breath from her lungs before retreating.

Jimmy stood back from Indy, the rest of his band wandering over to the pair. Indy made the rounds, giving all the guys a quick hug. She reached Zacky, unsure of her next move. Luckily, he took the lead and stepped towards her, embracing her briefly. Indy sighed with relief, glad he had made the move so she didn’t have to overthink it.

“What are you doing here, shorty?” Brian asked her, grinning as he spoke. He had grown close to Indy over their time recording together, and was glad to see her again.

“Just dropped in to get the house keys from Mudrock. I want my puppies back,” she replied, holding up the aforementioned keys. “What are you guys doing here on a Sunday?”

“Boss man wanted to show us the rough mix and get the ok before he threw himself into the nitty gritty,” Johnny replied on behalf of the rest of them. He had his hood up, his sunglasses on and a bottle of water in his hands, Indy recognised that immediately as one hungover Johnny.

“That so good,” Indy smiled, happy that the band were that much closer to the completion of their album. “Enjoy! Knowing Mudrock, I’m sure you guys will love it so far.”

“Aren’t you coming in to listen, too?” Brian asked her, screwing up his face in confusion.

“No, I didn’t even realise you guys were coming in, let alone that the album was up for some form of listening party,” she replied, shrugging. As much as she would love to hear it, she usually was not involved with the remaining work on an album once she was dismissed. She would record, move on, and get a copy of the completed version in the mail later down the track. There was no reason this should be any different.

“Come in! Join us!” Jimmy said, changing from an excited tone to the creepy twins from The Shining mid way through.

“Thanks for the offer, Jims, but I will take a raincheck,” she replied, watching his face fall. It took all she had not to just give in to see him smile again. “I have a few things to sort out from my trip.”

“Fine,” he sighed, but surprised Indy with a quick hug before running towards the studio. Indy shook her head and smiled as she watched him, envious of his carefree spirit. Johnny followed Jimmy’s lead, eager to get out of the bright sunlight and into the dark studio to help his hangover pass.

“You sure you don’t want to come in?” Matt asked her, speaking up for the first time since the group’s arrival.

“Thanks, but no thanks. You guys enjoy, though!” She answered, smiling lightly at the front man. “I better be off. Home Depot waits for no woman.”

“We will be here if you change your mind,” Brian told her, taking the opportunity to give her a quick hug before turning towards the studio.

“Just come in and say goodbye before you leave, ok?” Matt requested, pointing at her sternly before following Brian.

“It’s good to see you,” Zacky said softly, looking briefly at Indy before joining his band mates.

Indy didn’t even have a chance to reply to him before he had walked the few steps away from her. She sighed deeply before looking down at her now fully ashed out cigarette. She had been too distracted by the appearance of the band to remember that she even had it in her hand. She took out another before beginning the walk to Home Depot, making her feet take her away before she changed her mind and ran into the studio.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Indy, Zacky was struggling with Matt and Brian. He had joined his band mates to walk to the studio together, but upon seeing his arrival, both Matt and Brian had stopped walking and started pushing Zacky back towards Indy. Zacky struggled against them, trying to get past them, but was having no luck. With one arm in plaster, he was at a severe disadvantage, couple that with going against the brick-shit house that was Matt, he was screwed.

“Go talk to her,” Matt urged Zacky in a hushed voice.

“Grow some balls and man up,” Brian agreed, giving Zacky a firm shove.

“Why are you on his side?” Zacky asked in a huff. He knew why Matt was all for him going after Indy, but why had Brian joined in?

“Because I am not as dumb as you are, and I can see when my best friend needs a good push in the right direction,” he replied, pushing Zacky once more as he spoke. Great, so that was someone else that had clued into his crush on Indy.

“You guys don’t understand,” he whispered fiercely. They didn’t know what he had overheard last night, and much he had been agonising over it all.

“I don’t give a fuck. You are not getting in the studio,” Matt told him firmly. He crossed his arms and stared down Zacky.

“Are you serious?” Zacky asked him, stunned at his friend’s reaction to the situation.

“Deadly. Now go, before I call her back,” Matt said, and Zacky knew better than to call his bluff.

“You guys suck,” he told them angrily before taking a step away from them.

He turned and started walking towards Indy slowly, quickly looking back to see if Matt and Brian were still there. As expected they both stood in place, waving at him to get him to hurry up and catch up. They had seen through his plan to walk slow enough not to catch up to her deft strides. He flipped them off and got into step with Indy.

“I thought you were going to quit when you got back,” he said, alerting her of his presence. He couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips as she jumped slightly at his surprise arrival.

“Yeah, that was the plan,” she replied weakly, taking a drag from the cigarette they were talking about. “But it’s just too damned good.”

“I can agree with that,” he said, taking the chance to get out a cigarette of his own and lighting it as they walked. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, mesmerised by the smoke that was blown through her lips. He couldn’t help the attraction he felt towards her, even if his mind was racing 1000 miles an hour.

“So,” she said, unsure of where to start. Should she try to explain? Was now the right time? Should she just wait until he asked?

“How was the flight back?” He asked, his mind running through the same questions that ran through Indy’s. He decided to keep the conversation light, at least for now. If she wanted to talk about it, she should bring it up.

“It was ok. A little turbulence, but fine,” she replied, taking the edge off her anxiety with another drag of her cigarette. The nicotine had a hold over her once again, and right now, she was actually thankful.

“That’s good,” he replied. A silence fell between the two as they walked, both struggling with their own internal battles.

“Johnny looked pretty hungover today,” Indy said, trying to find another safe topic of conversation. She was rewarded for her effort with a cute chuckle from Zacky.

“That’s what the little fuck gets for trying to outdrink Jimmy,” he replied as the memory of Johnny downing a third of a bottle of bourbon to stop Jimmy from drinking it first flashed before him. The little shit would never learn his lesson and would never accept defeat until he was passed out.

“Oh god,” Indy laughed, her imagination filling in what could have happened. After seeing the very same thing happen at a few of the get-togethers she had attended, the image in her mind was fairly clear. “He will never learn.”

Again, a silence fell between them as they both finished their cigarette and rounded the final corner. Before them was Home Depot, and after extinguishing their butts and throwing them in the trash, they walked in together, searching for the key cutting machine. As it was the weekend, the station was manned and Indy walked straight up to the counter and put in her order. She only needed one set of each key, so they were told the wait would be 5 minutes.

“While we are here,” Indy started, looking at Zacky, “I am just going to quickly grab a few things. Do you want to wait here?”

Zacky debated the options. If he stayed, he wouldn’t have to deal with the awkward tension that had fallen between the pair. If he went along, at least he had something to do.

“I’ll tag along,” he replied, shrugging. He noticed the small twitch from the corner of Indy’s mouth, seeing it briefly form a smile before returning to normal.

“Ok, cool,” she replied, repressing her smile as she motioned Zacky to follow her.

They made their way down the aisles towards the lightbulbs, Indy having remembered that two downlights in her kitchen had blown and she had yet to replace them. On the way, she couldn’t help herself when she picked up random assorted items from the displays at the end of each aisle. One 3 gallon bucket, an extension cord and a packet of AA batteries and she had finally reached the lightbulbs. She picked up two, put them with the other items in her bucket and looked to Zacky sheepishly.

“I swear I can never come in here for just one thing. I always leave at least $50 poorer,” she explained, a light blush rising to her cheeks as she admitted the truth. It was just one of those shops where she could always find something else she needed. They started to make their way back to the key cutting machine, Indy managing to grab a citronella candle she hadn’t seen on the first trip past.

“Don’t worry, I am like that in every music store I step foot in,” he replied, knowing the feeling. He thought it was cute that she got so wrapped up in the displays, picking things off here and there, that she forgot he was walking with her for a while.

“Oh god, that is by far the worst. I sometimes have to go in with only the right amount of money to pay for the strings I need, or whatever I went in there for,” Indy agreed. She had been known to impulse buy a hell of a lot, and by far the music store was her kryptonite.

“That is a great idea. I am stealing that,” Zacky said, smiling widely. The tone between them was shifting back to normal, but they both knew that it would change once more when they had the conversation they needed to have. .

They reached the key cutting counter, Indy receiving the new set of keys along with the originals. She put the new set in her bucket and the old back in her handbag ready to give back to her dad. The pair then made their way towards the registers, waiting in line for their turn.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise it would take this long,” Indy apologised to Zacky, taking a step forward as the line shuffled. “I’m sure you would prefer to be back at the studio.”

“Yes and no,” Zacky replied, shrugging lightly. He had the internal battle already, still unsure of which he would prefer. “I would like to be at the studio with the guys, but I know they will wait until I am back to listen. I know those guys, and I am sure Matt mentioned something about a retrack of his backing vocals. But at the same time, I am happy to be here, with you.”

Indy’s face immediately lit up with both happiness and a blush. Maybe he hadn’t heard the conversation after all, she thought.

“Good morning,” the cashier greeted, interrupting the pair. She was an older woman, about 50-ish, and had a smile on her face as she started to ring up Indy’s items. Indy started to fumble around in her bag, finally finding her wallet to pay for the goods. She was glad for the distracting so she didn’t have to think about how to reply to Zacky.

“Hi,” Indy said in return, smiling back at the cheery lady.

“Hello,” Zacky also said in greeting.

“Is this all fine to go back into the bucket?” She asked as she rung up the few items.

“Yes, thank you,” Indy confirmed, watching her scan everything.

“Ok, that comes to $58.34, dear,” she said, placing the last lightbulb carefully back in the bucket and putting it out so she could reach it.

“Thanks, just on card,” Indy replied, flashing her credit card. She looked to Zacky while the woman set the machine up. “See, I told you, I can never get out under $50!”

Zacky laughed at her statement while Indy paid, putting her pin into the machine. He looked away, making eye contact with the cashier. She made a silent show, looking at Indy dramatically then winking as if to say ‘good catch’. Zacky flushed slightly at the implication and smiled awkwardly at the cashier.

Indy finished paying, sliding her card back into her wallet before reaching to grab the handle of the bucket. It wasn’t there. Zacky had already taken it, her shopping hanging by his side. She looked up at him, a smile on his face as he noticed her looking. She put her hand out, asking for him to hand it over, but he refused. She gave him a look, and he just motioned for her to move from the register now they had paid and collected their items.

“Have a lovely day,” the cashier said, farewelling her customers.

“Thanks, you too,” Indy said, distracted by Zacky’s gesture. It wasn’t anything ground breaking, but that in addition to the words he had spoken only a few minutes ago had Indy’s brain swimming.

They made their way back outside, falling in step as they walked through the parking lot back towards the studio.

“You know I can carry that,” she told him, motioning towards her purchases.

“I know,” he replied simply. He realised time was getting away from them, the trip back to the studio only gave them a few minutes before he would head into the studio, and Indy would disappear once again. He had to bring it up. “So… last night.”

Indy visibly stiffened at his words, the awkward air retuning instantaneously. She had no idea where she was going to start trying to explain her conversation with Brendan as she was unsure exactly what Zacky had heard. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say, but now the time had come, it had all flown from her mind, and she was left speechless.

“Sorry I didn’t answer your calls. I was...processing,” he told her.

“I’m sorry you had to hear any of it,” Indy said in a small voice. She was truly sorry she hadn’t had the mental capacity to actually hang up the phone before her conversation with Brendan, her shock at seeing him won out again.

“I should have hung up while you were talking to your ex, so it is kind of my fault too,” he replied, giving her his own apology, in a way. “I was eavesdropping.”

“It’s not your fault, don’t apologise!” She said as she found her voice. “Wait, you said my ex. How did you know he was my ex?”

Zacky paused, mentally kicking himself that he had spoken without thinking first. The conversation he had heard between Indy and Brendan had heavily implied that they had once had a relationship, but they hadn’t actually said it. He was racking his brain, but could not think of any excuse as to how he knew Brendan was her ex. He would have to tell her the truth.

“I overheard you tell Val,” he admitted, keeping it as simple as he could. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Indy react. First, she scrunched her brows, knitting them with confusion, but the realisation of how long ago that was reached her and she looked almost shocked.

“You eavesdropped on us?” She asked, her anxiety peaking once again. She dug back in her handbag, reaching for her cigarettes once more so she could take the edge off.

“Uh,” Zacky stuttered, trying to make it not sound so bad, “I just overheard a few things.”

“Like what?” Indy asked, demanding an answer. Her brain was spinning.

“Just that he was your ex, and that he asked specifically for you for the recording. And then you actually went,” he replied, his words becoming sharp towards the end.

They had reached the studio by now, but both Indy and Zacky were not ready to stop the conversation now. Indy moved towards her car so she could put away her purchases. It also doubled as time to take a short pause, gathering her thoughts and trying not to let her emotions take over. She unlocked the car and opened the passenger side door, Zacky taking the hint and placed the bucket in the footwell.

“If you heard that conversation, and the one last night, then you would know that the only reason I went was to help my career. Yes, Brendan is my ex, and he admitted that he wanted something more when I got there, but I made sure he was professional during working hours. I was not about to fuck my career up by mixing business and pleasure,” she told him, her tone matching his sharpness. She was a little shocked that he would insinuate that the reason she went was for Brendan. How could he not realise that she drew a line between her work and her personal life, especially seeing as she had to draw it so firmly between the two of them?

“Professional during working hours? What does that even mean? You were free to kiss outside 9-5?” He asked, not being able to believing her. He had been trying to forget hearing Brendan mention a kiss, but now he had to know.

Indy was quiet for a moment, taking a drag of her cigarette while she tried to reign in her temper. The logical side of her brain knew he was speaking from a place of jealousy, and that the argument was getting heated because they both felt something more than friendship towards one another. The other side of her couldn’t help but get frustrated and angry at his words.

“Yes, we kissed. Well, he kissed me, but that was all there was. He took me by surprise, and it just felt… wrong,” Indy started, pushing though his reaction to continue. Her voice lowered as she let herself be vulnerable for the first time. “It was nothing like what we shared. I thought about that kiss the entire time I was gone.”

“Really?” He asked, taking his turn to be vulnerable. “Even when you were with…him?”

“There a three situations where I lose myself, and don’t think at all,” Indy said, not answering Zacky’s question straight away. He looked at her with nothing but confusion in his eyes.

“What?” He asked, having no idea what the fuck Indy was saying. He watched her take her last drag, dropping the butt and grinding it between the pavement and her boot.

“One of those three situations is when I am jamming. So to be honest, no. When I was with him, I wasn’t thinking about you, or the kiss, I was actually not thinking of anything at all. Like I said, I won’t ruin my career by mixing work with pleasure. When we were working, we were working, when we weren’t we were either in a group, or I was back at the hotel,” she answered, trying to bring the conversation back around to a lighter tone. She hated fighting and tried to avoid it at all costs. She hoped that she had covered everything Zacky had worried about, and that he believed her. “Last night was the second time I was actually alone with him, and I told him that there was nothing between us anymore.”

“But you share so much history with him,” Zacky said, still finding it hard to believe that she felt nothing towards her ex. He had exes before, most were just flings, but he still harboured hurt and pain from the two meaningful relationships in his past. He couldn’t imagine seeing either of them, even after all these years.

“And? Just because we have a past doesn’t mean there is a future,” Indy told him, taking a step towards him, cautiously. She was aware that this could be the breakthrough they needed, and after months of hesitation, she was actually ready to make it. She was finally positive that she could move on and break her ‘no musicians’ rule, and it was all because of Zacky. “We grew apart and we couldn’t make it work. We broke up for a reason, I am not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.”

Zacky reached his hand out, moving the sunglasses that were covering Indy’s eyes to the top of her head. He looked into her eyes, finding the blueish green colour fascinating. He lowered his hand, carefully cupping her jaw as they drew closer together due to his actions.

“I really like you, Zack,” she told him quietly, her cheeks flushing as she bit her lip. “I tried to ignore these feelings, but I can’t-”

Indy’s confession was cut off by the feeling of those plump, pierced lips meeting her own. Taken aback by the abruptness of Zacky’s movement, Indy gasped against their kiss before realising what was happening. She soon returned the kiss eagerly, her hands automatically moving to hold Zacky’s forearm to steady herself. Their lips moved against one another tenderly, their eyes fluttering closed as they enjoyed the sensations they had been craving for so long.

Zacky’s hand moved from Indy’s jawline to the back of her head, pulling her closer to him and taking advantage of the movement to intensify their kiss by running his tongue over her bottom lip. She quickly complied, their tongues meeting and gently caressing. Neither fought for dominance as they found a rhythm, eager to be lost in the feeling of each other. Indy’s hands moved from Zacky’s forearms to loop around his neck, the action completely subconscious as she lost herself in their kiss.

A wolf-whistle sounded through the parking lot, breaking Indy and Zacky apart. Both slightly breathless, they looked towards the source of the noise and saw Brian and Johnny standing at the door of the studio, each with a cigarette in hand. Johnny was lowering his hands from his mouth after his successful whistle, both men with a giant smile on their face as Brian started to clap the pair.

“About fucking time!” He called out, making both Indy and Zacky blush deeply from being caught.

In return, Zacky flipped the bird to the pair, turning back to Indy to see her eyes sparkling. They had not moved from their previous position, and he could swear he could feel her heart beating against his chest. He smiled widely, slightly shocked that he had built up enough courage to kiss her again, yet proud with himself. Indy returned his smile, feeling almost drunk from the kiss.

“By the way, I like you, too.”