Get excited for lots of Zach in this chapter!!
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“What on earth,” Zach mumbled, as the rain pattered against the glass windows of his car. “It’s only the end of September.”
I peered out the window and looked towards the empty streets. What am I supposed to do now? My ex-best friend is doing drugs, my Uncle is a drug dealer, and his girlfriend is the mistress of drug business. How did it all come down to this? I mean, what do I do now that I know this? My head was pounding, and all I want right now is to forget—to forget that I’m Jessica Hayes and forget what was going on in my life.
Zach let out a grunt. “Crap, I don’t think I have an umbrella.”
I jerked, Zach’s voice jarring me from my thoughts. I lifted my head and gazed outside, realizing immediately that we were parked just outside the Bryan residence.
“We don’t need an umbrella,” I reasoned while turning to look at Zach, “It’ll take us literally a second to get inside.”
Zach had been spun around in his seat, frantically searching through the mess in the back of his car. “I don’t live here,” he remarked. “I live in the guesthouse out back. It’ll take a few minutes to get there.”
“Guesthouse?” I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.
“You think my Dad would let me live there?” Zach asked, turning his head briefly.
I shook my head in confusion, “But you’re his son…”
“Believe it or not,” he muttered, “Parents can be ridiculous sometimes.”
I bit my lip. I could never imagine my parents treating me this way… how could Zach’s parents do that to him? He was a great guy—or at least from what I can see. “He’ll come around, hopefully,” I murmured.
“Nah, that’s pretty unlikely,” he replied softly, while still shuffling through the backseat.
Guilt aroused in me as I realized that he was probably doing all this for me. “Zach, its fine. I really don’t care if I get wet.”
Zach slowly turned his head, a smirk growing across his face. “Who said the umbrella was for you?”
“O-oh,” I stuttered in embarrassment. “I—”
“I’m just messing with you, Jess,” Zach chuckled as he retrieved himself from his fruitless search. He placed both hands on his thighs and then flickered his eyes towards me, the unreadable expression crossing his face again. He stared for a few seconds, but quickly his gaze dropped. “Hold on,” he said, his voice soft. I watched as he slipped off the jacket of his tux. “Here,” he handed it to me, “I don’t want you to get wet.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” I hesitated.
Zach narrowed his eyes. “Take it, Jess,” he asserted, his voice hard.
How could I say no to that? Obligingly, I took the jacket it from him and wrapped it around my body. My nose flooded with Zach’s scent, and my body was warmed by the lingering heat in the jacket. Inhaling, I turned to face him again.
“You ready?” he inquired, his blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
I nodded.
Instantly, he clicked his door open. Copying him, I flung open my door, stepping out as water began to drip down my face. Recklessly, I trudged behind Zach. Mud began to seep through the sides of my heels, permitting me to walk any further. I cursed myself for forgetting to take them off.
“Hurry up, it’s freezing out here,” Zach called out.
“I would, but my heels—” My words stopped as I felt myself being swept off of my feet. My breath hitched in my throat, as I gripped onto Zach’s neck as he carried me towards a white outhouse.
Once we reached, he set me down, one arm still around placed around my waist. I waited uncomfortably, shivering as he searched his pocket for his keys. My eyes were quick to wander up to his face, admiring his faultless jaw line and toned skin—he was flawless.
“Let’s get you some warm clothes,” he chuckled, pushing me through the open doorway, “You’re shivering already.”
Unfortunately letting go of my waist, Zach flipped on the switch next to the door. “Come with me,” he stated, making his way through the second doorway.
I quickly slipped off my shoes, knowing that there was no way I could bear this pain any longer. Slowly, I lugged myself through the doorway and towards the living room. I carefully noted the clean interior of the guesthouse. The kitchen was as usual—white countertops with steel silverware and green plants—but the living room had its own perks to it. There was a large TV, an Xbox, and, of course, random coffee mugs lying around.
As I looked around aimlessly, taking in all of this—all of Zach—I was stopped when my face hit soft flesh.
“Whoa,” Zach chuckled, his arms instinctively coming around me. “Easy there.”
My head shot up and immediately, I came face to face with Zach and his shirtless body. I dug my teeth into my lower lip in an attempt to hide any sort of reaction from slipping through my face. He was toned, but not in the bulky way—that was the most attractive. “Sorry,” I whispered nervously, groaning to myself when my voice came out breathlessly.
“No worries. Here, take these. You must be freezing.” He handed me a pair of his clothes, rubbing my shoulders for a quick moment after I took them.
***
I closed the bathroom door behind me and flipped on the light. As light flooded the bathroom, I carefully examined my face. I looked horrible. My eyes were beet red from crying, my hair wavy from the rain, and the rim of my dress was splotched with mud. Ivy’s going to kill me, I thought as I slipped off the dress and draped Zach’s extra large shirt over my body. I laughed when I realized that the shirt hung on me like a dress, so much so that I didn’t even need Zach’s sweatpants. Without bothering to check myself again, I scurried out of the room—I was too tired to care.
“Warm?” Zach questioned as I walked up his place in the kitchen.
“Yes,” I smiled. “Thank you for the clothes.”
He grinned. “Hungry? Zelda brought over some pizza left over at the house.”
I was hungry—starving actually—but I wasn’t in the mood to eat. “I’m fine,” I replied. “Who’s Zelda?”
“She’s our housekeeper,” Zach remarked while placing two slices on two white plates.
“That’s convenient,” I joked.
He laughed. “It is. She’s amazing.” Zach looked towards me and handed me one of the plates.
“No, really, I’m fine.”
“Jess,” Zach raised his eyebrows. “You must be famished.”
“I—”
“Eat.” He narrowed his eyes while pushing the plate towards me again.
Reluctantly, I took it. Who was this host in front of me and what had he done to Zach?
As if he could read my thoughts, Zach smirked and exited the kitchen. Making his way over to the sofa placed in front of his TV. “Are you going to stand there all day,” he laughed, patting the space next to him.
I shook my head and shrugged. “I was just thinking,” I said while placing myself on the opposite end of the sofa.
“Thinking about what?” He asked, innocently biting into his slice of pizza.
I let out a sigh. “I don’t know… everything, I guess.”
Zach pressed his lips together while setting his pizza slice back on the plate. “What’d I tell you, Jess? Thinking leads to worrying—you don’t need that.”
A sudden buzzing caused me to shift my eyes away from him. I looked down at the flashing phone in my hands, realizing that Uncles Jesse was calling me. Without hesitating, I pressed the ignore button, dropping it back into my lap as I sunk into the sofa and shut my eyes, groaning in despair.
“See. You’re thinking too much, and now you’re starting to get worried.”
I shot my head towards Zach. “How can I—” my phone vibrated again, cutting me off. I let out a grunt, flipping the screen around and pushing it to his face. “How can I not be worried? What am I supposed to say to him?”
He passed me a stern look while placing his empty plate on the table. “You don’t have to say something him right now if you don’t want to. Give your thoughts some pace. Let yourself breath, Jess.”
I sighed. “That’s impossible. All I can think about is how he lied to me, and how I have to face him tomorrow. And at this point, I can’t even tell right from wrong anymore.”
“You’ll figure it out, Jess. I know you will.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.” I brought my hands up to my face, pressing my face as hard as I could so that I could resist my urge to cry.
“Look at me,” he whispered, reaching over and gently pulling my hands away from my face. He lifted my chin up slightly so he could look into my eyes.
I shifted my gaze back towards him, inhaling deeply. His deep blue eyes pierced through mine, a concerned expression melting into his face.
“I know it’s not easy, Jess, but you can do this. Jesse is your Uncle, and I don’t think he’d ever do anything to hurt you. Maybe there was a reason why he hid this… maybe he was doing it to protect you—”
“But how does that give him the right to lie? I mean, it was obvious too! He would always avoid talking about where he worked and Vanessa was always a shaky topic. He’s been hiding so many things, and that’s not like him! Taylor’s not acting like herself anymore either! Everyone’s lying, changing… I hate it.” I bit my lip, turning my face away from Zach as I felt tears build up in my eyes again.
Zach sighed. “It happens, Jess. People lie—they change. But that’s not always a bad thing. It might not be as horrible as you think. Let it go and forget. You will only be able to understand the truth when Jesse tells you himself.”
I focused my eyes towards the blank TV, avoiding his gaze. He was right, but I couldn’t help it. I was just so angry. It wasn’t fair! I nodded, digging my teeth deeper into my lip.
“This is all my fault,” Zach groaned. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” I retorted, completely taken aback that he would even consider the possibility. “It’s not your fault.”
He ran a hand through is wet hair and peered away. “It is. It wasn’t my place to say anything.”
“You told me because you thought I knew, and the truth is, I should have known.”
There was a long, quiet pause before he looked back at me again. One side of his lips hitched up, his eyes flickering away momentarily. “You don’t deserve this… to be so upset.”
I took in a deep breath. “You don’t deserve what Mayor Bryan does to you either.”
Zach’s eyes flinched—from what it seemed like out of shock. “I do deserve it.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and narrowed my eyes. What did he mean by that?
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he mumbled, lifting his body off the sofa.
“Well, then, you should tell me,” I replied without thinking. Crap! Did that come off as too flirtatious?
“Hmm… maybe some other day,” he smirked, winking at me. He eyed my plate and pointed at me. “Eat,” he ordered before making his way over to the TV.
A knot tied in my stomach. At times I feel like I’ll never be able to understand this guy. He’s so open… yet closed off. He tells me everything I need to know to make myself feel better, but when it comes to talking about him, I get nothing. I don’t get him.
“I’m guessing you’re not tired,” Zach remarked while turning around his bare-chested body.
Who could be tired, when they have those abs sent from heaven right in front of their face? Inelegantly, I put the slice of cold pizza in my mouth and mumbled, “Nope.”
“Hmm,” he chuckled, turning away as he shuffled through one of the cabinets. He pulled out two DVDs and then twisted around to face me. “I have Jurassic Park and…,” Zach squinted at the second DVD and then frowned in confusion. “What the hell is Cinderella doing in here?”
“Cinderella!” I yelped, nearly choking on my pizza.
Zach opened his arms in disbelief, giving me a clear view of his gorgeous body. Really, abs like those should be illegal. “Oh come on, you’re not going to make me sit through that torture are you?”
I laughed. “Do you want me to scream every two minutes?” I asked. Horror movies are not for me—I’m the biggest wimp ever.
Zach’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Well, as long as you have me to hold on to, you shouldn’t have to worry.” He grinned boyishly.
I was so shocked I dropped the pizza I was holding. “Zach!”
He smirked and shook his head in a defeated way. “Fine, fine, Cinderella it is.”
I watched as he inserted the DVD and plopped back down on the sofa. Had Zach just...flirted with me?
“What is this movie about anyways,” he sheepishly questioned.
My mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? You haven’t watched Cinderella before?”
“I’ve never even watched a Disney movie,” Zach laughed, raising his eyebrows.
My mouth dropped… again. “I can’t believe that! You’ve missed out on such an amazing part of your childhood.”
“Boo hoo,” he mocked, chuckling.
The titles came on, and my attention immediately diverted—well, not really. I’m spending the night at a guy’s house, a guy whom I barely know, and I’m not scared. In fact, I feel secure, more secure than I have ever felt before. And I guess it was also that for once, I found myself having fun. I was laughing from my heart, speaking from my heart—it felt right and I didn’t want to let go
***
“Mr. Bryan!”
My eyes shot open, but closed back quickly due to the blinding light. I perched up against the armrest and rubbed my eyes furiously. Where was I, and why was my pillow so hard?
“U-uh, hey Zelda,” a low, deep, sleepy voice remarked near my ear. I shuddered, and almost had a seizure when I discovered that I was using Zach’s toned biceps to lean against in my sleep.
“Good morning, sir,” the lady replied, her voice flooding with a thick British accent. I peeled my eyes open, immediately taking into account her formal attire. “Would you like me to make you some coffee?” she asked pleasantly.
I diverted my gaze to Zach, who looked quite comfortable saddled up next to me on the couch. The question was… how did he move from the opposite end of the couch to here, next to me? Dear god. “Sure, that’d be great,” Zach answered with a yawn, stretching arms and revealing his divine body once again.
“And for the lady?” she asked, glancing towards me.
Zach looked at me and then smiled, his hands reaching over to fix his messy hair.
I turned away from him and faced Zelda. “A coffee would be nice. Thank you.” I could use a wake-up call, as well as something to brace myself from the sermon I would get from Uncle Jesse when he found out about my sleepover.
“Okay dears, I will get them for you in a minute.”
Zelda fled towards the kitchen and I reverted my gaze to Zach.
“You fell asleep last night,” he said, using his fists to rub is eyes.
“I’m sorry.” I shrugged, “I guess I was tired after all. “Just curious…last time I checked…weren’t you on the other side of the couch last night?
He chuckled. “I had to finish that whole movie by myself. And I got scared when the Fairy Godmother turned the pumpkin into a carriage! And talking mice? I was terrified; I needed someone to hold on to.” He pouted in mock-fear, and I rolled my eyes, but failed to hide my smile. This kid.
“Well, other than the scary parts, did you like it?”
Zach cocked up an eyebrow and gave me a droll stare, his scaredy-cat act completely gone. “How do you bear these kinds of movies?”
I narrowed my eyes and grabbed a pillow from my side. “I love Disney movies,” I stated, chucking the pillow at him.
“Hey,” he jokingly whined, rubbing the spot where I whacked him.
Zelda appeared again, a tray with two coffee mugs were in her hands and a newspaper tucked under her arm. “Here you are.”
“Thanks,” Zach and I said simultaneously.
I reached for a mug and Zach reached for the other. Before fleeing towards the kitchen again, Zelda handed Zach the newspaper. I took a sip of the warm coffee, watching Zach flip through the paper, his eyes intently scanning every page.
“Looks like my Dad made it in the headlines again,” he remarked dryly, pulling the coffee mug away from his mouth.
I shrugged. “Well he is the Mayor.”
He nodded in agreement, a little chuckle escaping his lips as he placed the newspaper and mug on the table. “Breakfast?” he asked, stretching his arms.
“Sure,” I replied, as Zach pulled himself off the sofa.
He walked over to the kitchen and began to scramble through his doors.
I narrowed my eyes, confused as to why he was jumbling. I sprung off the sofa myself, and neared the kitchen. “Zach, can you cook?” I interrogated, amused with his franticness.
His eyes flicked towards me, his hand reached back to scratch the nape of his neck. “Well, I like to believe I can, but I’m not really great in the kitchen…,” he mumbled, crinkling his nose—completely adorable.
I giggled. “Let me help.”
I helped him search through the cabinets, and after a few moments, I was able to lay my eyes on a packet of pancake mix. “Oh, look, pancake mix,” I remarked, pulling the heavy packet out. I set it on the counter and ran my fingers across the seal, attempting to break it open. It wouldn’t budge so I tried again.
“Here let me help,” Zach said, suddenly reaching over me with his bare chest pressing into my back.
I bit my lip, my heart racing. Forget seizure… I could feel a cardiac arrest coming along! He broke the seal open easily, and puff of white power spread all across my face. I groaned in annoyance—why the hell was I always the one getting crap all over myself.
“Holy shit,” Zach declared. He pulled me around, gripping onto my shoulders as laughed. “I’m so sorry.”
I used the sleeves of his sweatshirt I was wearing, to wipe away the power to from my eyes. I opened them, growing even more annoyed at his amused expression.
“That’s not fair,” I let out a grunt, “You Bryan boys are always spilling things on me!”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just funny.”
Out of impulse, I spun around and took a clump of mix into my hand. Twisting back around, I thrust it at Zach. His reflexes acted fast, as he was quick to duck.
“Ohh,” he purred. “You are so dead.” He sped past me, grabbing the bag.
I flinched, quickly speeding away from him before he grabbed my arm. Zach pulled me into him again, our bodies touching as he smothered my hair in pancake mix.
“Ah, Zach,” I laughed, attempting to push him away. “Stop—”
“Mr. Bryan?”
Zach and I spun around heads around to see Zelda standing in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at us with her mouth wide open.
“U-uh,” I stuttered in embarrassment. I pushed myself away from Zach, my hands flying to my hair in an effort to make myself look presentable.
“Sorry Zelda, we were just trying to make pancakes… it didn’t work out so well,” Zach shrugged apologetically.
Wow Zach, really? That’s your excuse. I turned to my side to glare at him. He smirked as he saw me from the corner of his eyes.
“You should have asked me, Sir,” Zelda responded.
“I know; I’m sorry. I’ll help you clean-up!” Zach said, approaching her.
“Sure, sir,” she smiled uneasily. “But please do get dressed first,” she added as Zach passed through the door.
I controlled my laughter until I passed through the door behind Zach. “Please do get dressed first,” I taunted.
Zach let out a deep chuckle. “You need some new clothes yourself,” he retorted, ruffling my hair.
“I’m sure I do. I look like a complete mess.”
“Actually, you look kind of cute,” Zach winked. “I think you’ll just have to borrow some more of my clothes then.”
My cheeks began to burn, and I diverted my eyes.
He chuckled once again, walking over to his bedroom. I followed him, taking the chance to get to see his room.
I gasped as soon as I stepped foot into his utterly messy room. “You live like an animal!”
“Hey, don’t judge,” he defended. “I’ve only been here for 2 weeks. I’m still unpacking everything.” He began to toss around a few clothes in his suitcase.
“Unpacking everything? So you’re not going back to New York?” I placed my hands behind my back, crossing my fingers tightly.
“Why, do you want me to?” Zach asked, lifting his head up from his pointless searching.
“N-no,” I bit my lip. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
I saw Zach smirk again before returning to his search. My eyes wandered around the room, immediately noticing the enormous window. It took up an entire wall, offering an amazing view of the rest of Millbrae.
“Crap. I have to get you home!”
I spun my head around to Zach, who was now walking towards me with a pair of clothes in his hand. “What?” My eyebrows came together.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you,” he uttered, “Jesse called again after you feel asleep.
“Violation of privacy!” I remarked playfully, but I realized he actually saved my ass. If someone hadn’t picked up… who knew, Uncle Jesse could have had an entire search patrol out by this point!
“I know,” he laughed, “But he called so many times. He was really pissed and he told me that if I didn’t get you home by nine, then he’d march over here himself. It’s already eight forty-five and we don’t need there to be a scene.”
“Did you tell him anything else?” I asked, letting a worried expression appear on my face. Like…the fact that you slept right next to me?
Zach inched towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t, Jess. Don’t start worrying. Trust me; everything’s going to be fine.”
“I hope so,” I sighed.
“Oh and here’s your phone,” he said, pulling my phone out of the pocket of his pocket and handing it to me, along with the fresh pair of clothes.
I smiled at him, grabbing my phone and the clothes while making my way out the door and into the bathroom. Unlocking my phone, I frantically searched through my eleven new texts. I opened the latest text from Chadd: Jess, where the hell are you? We really need to talk. Call me. ASAP. Like now… NOW.
I chuckled while selecting the reply button: Can’t call now, but lunch? We do need to talk, and I don’t want to be at home any way. I’ll be ready by noon.
I put the phone down and began to change, thinking to myself that I had to tell Chadd about everything that had been happening. He’s the only person I can think about trusting right now… and honestly, I just need a friend.
***
The car jerked, signaling that we had finally reached my house. I looked out the window, sighing. My gut twisted—ever part of me was wishing not to go inside. Slowly I turned back around to Zach. I smiled. “Thank you for everything.”
“No problem,” Zach replied, his voice calm and soft.
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” I said while reaching for the door.
“Wait,” Zach gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “If anything happens—anything—call me, alright?”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes wandered before he responded. “I mean if something happens with Jesse or Vanessa or Will, call me.” That unreadable expression crossed over his face as he gazed back at me.
I nodded. “Thank you, Zach, really.”
He shook his head, “Eh, don’t worry about it.” Suddenly his face lit up. “It’s my duty to serve you, your highness,” he winked.
“Don’t go all Prince Charming on me,” I joked.
“Guess it’s the effect of those Disney movies,” he shrugged.
I smirked, biting my lip as I reached for the door again. I climbed out and bent down to look at Zach. “Bye.”
He grinned. “Bye, Jess.”
I shut the door, my lips pressing together as I waved him goodbye. His car sped away in matter of seconds. Exhaling, I spun around stopping for a second as I realized that I didn’t actually have his number—or do I? Immediately, I pulled out my phone and opened my contacts. I flicked my finger across the screen until I finally reached the Z’s. A smiled slapped across my face as I saw Zachhh printed across the screen. He would do that.
Letting out a small laugh, I approached my door and pulled out my key, sticking it into the keyhole and twisting away. I pushed the door open and walked inside.
All of sudden, I heard the door slam behind me. “I thought I asked you to stay away from him,” a deep, angry voice boomed.
I jolted, twisting around to see Uncle Jesse standing in front of the door, his face fuming bright red.
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