I Found You, Something Told Me To Stay - (Jason Berry/Zacky Vengeance)

Chapter Forty-Five.

“Hey, you.” He greeted me casually, sending me a smile as he pulled a beer out.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, playing with the cap of the bottle. “Hello...”

He then moved away from the fridge, not bothering to shut the door as he pulled one of the draws in the counter open and grabbed a bottle opener. I stayed looking down at my water, expecting him to just walk out, but he spoke again.

“Getting pretty cold out, huh?” He said, opening the bottle.

“It’s August...” I blinked.

He hesitated for a moment, before shrugging. “Yeah, that’s why it’s so weird.”

I didn’t have the slightest clue what he was talking about. I’d not particularly noticed any drop in the temperature recently, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d experienced cold weather in England for seventeen years, or it hadn’t got cold at all and Zacky was, for some reason, attempting some pointless small talk.

“Yeah...” I murmured, unsure of what I was supposed to say to him.

He then placed the bottle opener back on the counter and stepped towards the door, glancing over his shoulder.

“See you, kid.” He quickly murmured.

A sigh escaped my lips, and I think it was that that stopped him from walking back out to the garden, as he turned on his heels to face me again.

“What are you holding yourself back from saying?” I demanded, raising an eyebrow as my voice wavered slightly. “Just go ahead. I’m sure I’ve heard it all before.”

He stepped further into the room again, heaving a sigh. “I’m sorry about the kiss. It shouldn’t have happened. Let’s pretend it didn’t and go back to being a family that’s happy.”

Of course, I knew he already felt that way. I knew he regretted the kiss, but it didn’t stop the twinge of disappointment and hurt making itself obvious to me as his words stabbed into me.

“Right.” I snapped, slamming the fridge door shut. “But why did it happen? And don’t give me any bullshit about how drunk you were, because you’ve managed to control yourself before.”

“I wanted to.” He shrugged a little awkwardly. “And it was wrong of me. And I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, feeling even more hurt than before. Something in Zacky’s expression changed, but he quickly shook it off and glanced towards the door.

“Coming out, kid?” He asked me, blatantly trying to change the subject. “I think Jimmy just put the barbecue on.”

“Cut the crap, Baker.” I scowled, not caring that I was showing my anger now. “Just lay it all out there. Where do we stand?”

He blinked, and those stupid puppy dog eyes returned. “Family. Friends.”

Feeling more and more disappointment course through me, I stared down, scared that I might weaken and start crying. I really didn’t want him to see what effect this had had on me.

“Or, if you want...” He spoke again, “I won’t talk to you anymore.”

I couldn’t actually believe he was seriously suggesting that. I knew I’d been the one avoiding him, but it was a bit much to suggest cutting me off completely. We were supposed to be family. There was no way that would work, even if I wanted it to.

“And you’d be happy to do that? After all the time we’ve spent together?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What was that all about, huh? Do you feel sorry for me or something? Because I thought I made it clear that the last thing I wanted from any of you guys was sympathy...”