With the sun rise came the fatigue. We had been up all night, checking the cameras, trying to de-bunk the call that Zak had recieved. We found nothing . Not that we had to do all the editing and listen to the recordings now, we just wanted to know if it was safe to return for other equipment. If it was a person in there, they probably were a very disturbed individual. We did manage to collect all, including my phone that was found on the main staircase. Right where the cameras had a blind spot. Aaron promised that the next time we will cover the whole building, because now the most important piece of this puzzle was missing. Disaapointed and disturbed was what Zak said multiple times. I can bet that his brain wasnt woking properly anymore .
We loaded up the equipment in the campers 'cargo ' compartment ,as we called it, and shot back one last look at the Hospital before starting our road trip back to Nevada , back Home . No hotel stops, no flying, just me and 4 dudes in a camper for 9 hours.
Zak instantly dissapeared into his den and so did the rest of us. Aaron took the liberty of driving first , just so he could sleep longer after. I was also done , my feet were dragging on the floor and it felt like heaven when i finally hit my bunk bed. I got under the covers and begun to fall asleep. As i adjusted my positon ,i felt something under my pillow and pullet it out. It was a piece of paper that read -
" i have more questions , when you are ready, please come by "
Despite the fact of how busy we were , Zak took the time to figgure out more questions and hide a note under my bed. Wow, a multi tasker. I put it back under my pillow and fell asleep in seconds hoping that Zak would understand that i am not ready.
The bright sun was blinding me and it was getting hell hot in the camper. Was the AC not working? I groaned as i sat up in my bed and saw the guys still sleeping in their bunks , Aaron too. Zak must be behind the wheel. I fixed my hair and decided that my sleeping clothes were good enough to make an appearance and make my request for the AC to be turned on. I was wearing a loose white tank top and some black shorts. Would be nice to sleep naked but not with all these guys around.
As i turned the corner i saw Zak driving, he was listening to music and having some snacks.
" Got enoigh rest to drive?" I asked in a calm voice , didnt want to scare him. He shot a glance back and after a second answered
" Like one hour , but its fine, i just want to be in my bed and then sleep for 2 days straight "
" Oh ,well be careful, i can take over too if you -"
" Did you come here to talk? You know, like in the note i left? "
" Uh , actually i'd really like to get some more sleep, just wanted to ask if you could turn the AC on, its like a sauna in the bunks" i said as i took a seat next to him.
" Its broken in the bunks....but you can go to my room, it works fine there" he suggested quite seriously. Ofcourse he wanted me in his bed.
" Wow, you really do have all the luxuries, but i dont know, thats a bit wierd and i would not want to start any rumors-"
" Dont worry ,i will send out an official email to everyone that you slept there for sleep only purposes" - Zak teased with a grin
" Fine, i accept, but next time you will be sleeping in the bunks if you dont get the AC fixed "
" Deal"
I i shot him a smile and made my way to his den.
" Can i just ask one question? Before you sleep "
" Yea, what about ?"
" You said that you had planned on 2 months in rehab and then coming back for me. So when you showed up at my party , were you coming for me? Or is it all different now" he asked. I rubbed my face in my palms as i was thinking, the sleep was creeping up on me. I made my way back to the passenger seat and sat down
" Well , i was hoping to see you, but no, i wasnt coming back for you as i planned before. 1 year in i already realised that nothing would be the same and that maybe its not something we need anymore. Even more when i saw that you had found new company. She was beautiful by the way, you have good taste. " i explained. He showed no emotion and was hard to read, very focused on the road.
" Thank you, all i wanted to know. Goodnight" He said with even less emotion than on his face. I knew he needed to process that , so i left wothout saying a word.
Zaks sheets smelled like him, you could smell the specific smell of his hair gel and his cologne. This was bringing back a lot of emotions ,but not enough to keep me awake. I was glad that me and Zak were slowly getting the closure we both needed and going with the healthiest option. On the other hand, all i really wanted was Zak but all i could do is fantasise about what could have been.
"Hey, goodmorning, we have arrived" - i heard before i opened my eyes and saw Zak by the bedside. I shot up from the bed immedeatley, some how it felt like it was a sign i needed to leave.
" Well thank you for letting me use your luxuries, 5 stars !" I mumbled and quickly made my way back to the bunks to change clothes. As i stepped in i saw eyes on me.
" I am a bit jealous, Zak only let me sleep there once and because we thought i could be possesed " Aaron chuckled , Jay and Billy laughed too.
" Wow, but at least you got to enjoy the woderful joys of AC " i said as i was folding my clothes.
"What do you mean ?" Aaron said .
" Well its broken in the bunks , i went and asked him if he could turn it on, but he said its broken so i could just use his den for a nap." I said confused. The grins on their faces grew wider untill they all bursted into laughter.
"What?" I asked
" Its not broken, its working perfectly, he turned it up for us when i asked " he said between laughs
I felt the emberassment show on my cheeks as they turned red. This man fooled me into sleeping in his bed , but why??
David picked me up after the road trip came to an end at Zak's house. I hsd not seen him in a while and i missed his dumb face. Him and Zak exchanged looks that would set things on fire if they could. Atleast the feeling was mutual. David drove me home and we caught up on all the events, he was not suprised by Zak's behavior, in fact he called Zak an ass wipe. Maybe he was right. As David left my appartment , i prepared to finally sleep in the comfort of my home, untill i recieved a text from Aaron
"PARTTTTYYY, tomorrow , at Zak's place. 10 pm , SEE YOU THEREE"
How was he so hyped about a party when all i could think about is sleep.
I replied " See you there" , what could go wrong, right?
I got ready and put on a black dress that i had wanted to wear for a long time, it was quite gothic but short. Before going i swore to myself that id not part take in the drinking, so i can deive myself home. Of course i was running late and arriving at 11:30 pm. There were so many cars all over the block that i had no place to even park, had to go a whole block down and then come back to the house. It was packed, i could not even seem to find anyone i know but i quickly got attention from a bunch of guys , they gave me drinks. Not that i did not trust them , i just had a gut feelin gthat i should not drink it so i pretended to sip it for a while. I lost the crowd and went to the back yard. Around the fire place was an empty seat where i could sit and observe all the women at this party. They were obviously not a part of the GAC , they were most likely here hunting the ghost hunter.
Someone grabbed my shoulders , i turned around to see Jay smiling . The party had obviously started earlier than 10, this man was faded.
" I swear, i wanted to wait for you but i cant resist Aaron, he made me some crazy cocktails " Jay said as he sat next to me but on the ground.
" I m guessing that the cocktails were mostly vodka? " i asked
" Cannit confirm or deny"
"Gotcha, now i know that i better make them myself"
"You dont seem to be in the drinking mood yet" Jay said lifitng up an eyebrow
" I never am but lets see how this night turns out"
" Have you seen Zak?"
" No , is he wearing like a ghost costume?" I laughed
" Lets keep it that way, he is feeling extra crazy tonight. Do you want to dance ?" Jay asked and held out a hand.
My mind raced , as it always does, especially when it comes to Zak, i was actually hoping to see him tonight, maybe talk over a drink but i should best trust Jays suggestion. Maybe i do need a drink. I took Jays drink out of his hands and downed it in one sip.
" Okay, yes ,now we can dance" He pulled me by my hand to the " club room "like an excited child . The music was cool and we ejoyed ourselves to the beat. No touching or grinding, just having a good time. The alcohol hit, damn i must be a lightweight.
The night seemed to go on faster , even more so after 3 shots of tequila. During the dance we found Aaron and Billy , so we decided to hang out and goof out in the backyard, by the pool. I was actually having a great time.
"Hey, there you guys are" Zak exclaimed as he approached us , he was very drunk, i had not seen him like this. He greeted every guy with a handshake and a good old head rub, but when he apprached me he bowed and said
" Good evening to you madam"
He almost fell over and before he did that ,he seemed to spot something in the distance that set him off on a side quest or something. He just left. Me and the guys just brushed it off and laughed.
Around 2 am the house got emptier and emptier till there was only a few people left, me and the guys decided to call it a night and i called David to uber here and drive me home. He , ofcourse, agreed.
" No wait, lets find Zak and let him know we are leaving" - Jay suggested
" Actually i havent seen him in a while, we should probably check on him. " Aaron said and we agreed. Since the house was big , we asked a woman sitting on the couch if she might know his location.
" He is in the dungeon, might be passed out by now, he was fucked upppp" she said in a slurred voice. Maybe we shoukd be concerned about this woman instead. We set out to the dungeon and as we opened the doors....And there - a wiew that made me sober up in 1 second. The lump in my throat was the size of a boulder as he gripped her thighs and lifted her on his desk while kissing... Zak was shirtless, she was still in her dress but Zak was sliding it upward. She moaned as he kissed her neck. It felt like we stood there for too long but the shock was too big, we were stunned. The woman saw us and tapped Zak, he turned to us and managed to slurr out
" Fuck have you not seen two people fucking before what is wrong with you i would never interrupt you if you we-"
He did not even get to finish his sentence as he passed out and threw up.
Big manly man now sleeping in a puddle of his own vomit.
As shocking as this was, all i could feel was my heart shattered in peaces.
Maybe i deserved this but one thing was clear to me - i am leaving GAC, time to lawyer up.