BACHELOR [ JACHARY ]

-chapter twenty-two

ZACH SIGHED heavily as he stepped off of the private plane. it was a week later, and everyone was arriving in pennsylvania to meet jack's parents.

gracie was not invited to continue with the competition, and was left at home with her family.

to say zach was glad about this would be an understatement. the shrinking of the number of contestants on the show resulted in less hateful behaviour towards him, which made him relieved (to say the least).

a wave of nausea overtook the brunet's body, and he rushed into a nearby bathroom, locking himself in a stall. the small boy hunched over the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach, cringing at the uncomfortable feeling.

when his body decided to stop hating him, zach sat back against the wall and sipped his water, sighing as he flushed the toilet.

realizing he had been gone for far too long, he quickly made his way back to where everyone was waiting. the boy grabbed his bags, and followed his driver out of the airport. he winced as someone brushed by him, making slight contact with his chest.

the area had been so sensitive for the past couple of days, and it concerned the brunet slightly. he, however, decided to ignore it, as he believed he had more important issues at hand.

❦

the avery residence was absolutely gorgeous. the brick mansion was enclosed at the centre of a gigantic property, complete with a fountain in front of the huge building. as the black iron gates swung open, zach could feel his hands begin to get sweaty. he watched the gardeners go about their days, trimming hedges and watering plants.

this was actually happening.

he was about to meet jack's family.

the door to the car opened suddenly, startling zach. the driver smiled kindly and helped the small boy out of the car, handing him his suitcase. "thank you," zach smiled brightly as he turned to go inside.

when he faced the front door again, a figure was standing there.

a small girl, with light hair and bright eyes. she approached him hesitantly, brushing her locks out of her face. "are you zach?"

"yeah, i'm zach. what's your name?" the boy bent down to match her height.

"i'm isla. jacky talked about you a whole lot when he got home," she smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the house.

"jack!" she called when they got inside, "i found someone for you!"

the curly haired boy rushed into the foyer, embracing zach and pecking his cheek lightly. "what took so long? i feel like i've been waiting for you for ages."