The next few days were uneventful for Kayla and the guys. There were a few awkward days at first, but slowly Kayla and Zac seemed to find their rhythm again. They both acknowledged that things were not 100% back to the way they once were; they both also knew they may not ever completely be that way again. There was a lot of hurt and feelings of betrayal on Kayla's part, and although she did her best not to bring them up, Zac was always in a constant state of guilt. He felt like he'd be paying for the damage he'd done for a long time to come.
By the time the end of March rolled around, the four friends were back into somewhat of a normal routine. Kayla was always the first one up, as she was the only one who kept normal hours. She'd usually shower, get dressed for the day, make everyone breakfast and then sit in their office and begin her studies for the day. At some point, usually mid to late morning, she'd hear Taylor pad down the hallway and into the kitchen. She'd soon recognize the smell of coffee floating into the office, and she knew it was safe to go and say good morning.
She walked into the kitchen to find Taylor slumped over the counter, face cradled in his left palm, staring at the coffee pot.
"You know watching it brew is only going to make it take longer," she said playfully as she came in and took a seat at the kitchen island.
"That's a myth," Taylor said, through a sleepy yawn.
Kayla chuckled, "Whatever you say, sunshine. You look tired."
"We were up later than usual. I don't know what's going on Kayla, but we just cannot seem to get on the same page with the demos. We feel pretty much defeated, like what's the point? Nothing we do is going to be good enough," Taylor said as he walked over and took the seat next to Kayla. He frustratingly ran his hands through his hair. Kayla looked at him and felt so bad. The process he and his brothers had been going through was exhausting and disillusioning.
"To them, maybe," she began.
"What?" Taylor asked confused.
"Maybe it's not good enough to them. Maybe it is and it's just not fitting with their agenda. Taylor, how many meetings have you had with them? Too many to count right? With countless people. Sometimes people that don't even have a say, they're just their to cosign," she replied. Taylor removed himself from his seat and poured then both a cup of coffee. He handed Kayla hers and took a drink from his as he closed his eyes.
"What's your point?" he finally asked.
Kayla paused for a moment. She knew little about the music business. She'd always been interested in their music, and was a genuine fan of them outside of the friendship she'd developed with them over the years, but any talk of business, she stayed out of. They were completely different beings when it came to discussing business.
"How realistic is it for you guys to do it on your own?" she finally asked.
He stopped and looked at her for second. It wasn't the first time the topic had been brought up. He and his brothers had been discussing it more often in their fits of frustration lately, but he was never sure how serious any of them were, including himself. He opened his mouth to speak, as he turned to look at her again and saw Zac standing in the archway leading into the hallway to his and Kayla's side of the house, "Mornin' sunshine," he mused, taking another gulp of his coffee.
Kayla turned to see Zac standing in nothing more than a pair of boxers, his hair wild from what seamed to have been a fitful night's sleep. She offered him a sympathetic smile.
"Come lay with me," he said as he reached out to her. She laughed as he embraced her and rested his head on top of her head.
"As tempting as sleep sounds, I can't. I have to go turn in my tests for this week by 1:00 and then Devyn and I are going shopping," Kayla said as she rubbed his back and took in his scent. He feeling of his warm body in her arms almost too inviting to turn down.
"Shopping?" he said, letting her go and reaching for her coffee cup. He took a drink and made a face at the bitterness.
"Yeah, we're hanging out later. A few of us are gonna go to the movies, maybe dinner. Spring break for them is coming up next week so we're just gonna chill tonight before they all have to get ready to go wherever," she said as casually as she could.
"They?" Zac asked, suspiciously.
"Devyn's friends. I mean, some of them I know too, from school, but Devyn still hangs out with them since she actually goes to school," Kayla answered. Zac narrowed his eyes at her as she turned and finally took a drink of her coffee. She put the mug down, and turned to look at Taylor, who'd been quietly watching the exchange between Kayla and Zac, "Think about what I said," she said to him as she got up and offered him her mug. He finished the last of the coffee in his cup before taking hers and taking a drink from it, "Yes, ma'am," he said.
"Think about what?" Zac said as he sat on the stool Kayla'd been siting in.
"Talk to your brother," she replied as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking into the office to gather her belongings, "Love you guys, see you later!" she called out as she walked past them, through the living room and out the front door.
"Was that weird?" Zac asked Taylor as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and made his way over to the refrigerator.
"The part where you casually walked in here and plopped down in your underwear? Yeah that was weird." Taylor said as he finished off Kayla's cup of coffee.
Zac rolled his eyes as he poured orange juice into his glass and took a sip, "No, I mean the part where she was all secretive about what she was doing today," Zac replied.
"She said she was going shopping and hanging out. What's so secretive about that?" Taylor asked.
"It's not what she said, it's how she said it. Like she's hiding something. She was trying too hard to be casual. Kayla is not casual," Zac said, "You think she's going on a date?"
Taylor paused. In all of the years he'd known Kayla, he'd only known of her "dating" Zac.
"Does Kayla date?" he asked Zac.
"I don't know. She never has, but that doesn't mean she can't, right?" Zac replied, making it clear he was asking himself more than he was asking Taylor. Taylor allowed Zac to ponder as he washed the two mugs and set them in the dish dryer.
"I mean, she definitely can. You should ask her. You guys are friends again, right? It's a normal question. Maybe if you bring it up, she'll be more comfortable telling you," he finally said.
"Maybe. Or maybe," Zac began walking up to Taylor and setting his glass in the sink. Taylor rolled his eyes as he began to wash it.
"Maybe what?" Taylor asked.
"Maybe you can ask her. You guys are like besties now, right? I feel like she'd talk to you about it before she'd talk to me," Zac said. Taylor wasn't sure if the euphemism was a product of sarcasm or jealousy.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Taylor asked, turning to Zac and looking him in the eyes.
"Well, you guys are close now right? You hang out alone and have little secret conversations and shit," Zac said, trying to hide the anger that he felt rising in his chest.
"You obviously have something to say," Taylor said as he crossed his arms around his chest, "So say it."
"I'm just saying, I've noticed the two of you getting closer is all. I'm not sure if you are trying to keep your mind off the fact that soon not only will you be a husband, but a father too, but I feel like your free time could be better used to prepare for those things instead of spending time with my--"
"You're what, Zac? Your girlfriend? Your girlfriend is somewhere in Georgia with my fiance, remember? Kayla is our friend. I know you feel you have this claim over her, but she doesn't belong to you. And in case you hadn't noticed, Isaac and I were the ones that were there for her while you were pretending like you didn't notice you were hurting her so that you could keep sleeping with her," Taylor said as he straightened out his arms and stood up straight. He and Zac were now face to face. Zac balled up his fists as Isaac appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Woah, woah, what's going on?" he asked as he broke the silent staring contest between his younger brothers.
Taylor smirked at Zac as he turned and began walking toward the hallway, "Ask your brother," he said as he disappeared. Isaac and Zac heard his bedroom door close before Isaac spoke again.
"What happened?" he asked.
Zac ran his hands through his hair, "Nothing, I'm going back to bed."
"We have a conference call at 1:30," Isaac called back.
"Screw the conference call, tell them I'm sick or something," he said as he turned and made his way towards his own bedroom. Isaac pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text to their manager postponing the call until Monday morning. There was no way he'd go into a call that important with his brothers in the middle of whatever ridiculous spat they had going on at the moment. He poured himself a cup of coffee before returning to his bedroom. He walked past his room and knocked on Taylor's door.
"I postponed the call until Monday," he said once Taylor'd opened the door. He walked inside and sat on the chair next to Taylor's closet. Taylor took a seat on his bed as he plugged his charger into his phone and turned it on.
"Thanks man. Did you talk to Zac?" he finally asked.
"No, what happened? He didn't tell me anything, just said he was going back to bed and left," Isaac replied.
"Kayla, I guess, kind of hinted about going out tonight... well she said she was going out tonight with Devyn and some 'friends' and Zac thinks she's going on a date. He also thinks I'm all of a sudden in love with her--" Taylor began before Isaac cut him off.
"Well that I can see," Isaac mumbled.
"--but honestly I think... wait, what?! What do you mean you can see that? See what?" Taylor asked, beginning to get angry.
"Nothing, I'm just saying that if you were to suddenly come out and confess your love for her, I don't think anyone would be surprised is all," Isaac replied, picking up his mug and taking a sip of his coffee.
"Okay, now you sound like Zac. And that's stupid. It's possible for guys and girls to be just friends, obviously. And also, you're close with her too. She and I may be a little closer because we're closer in age, but she talks to the both of us and I don't see Zac accusing you of liking her like that!" Taylor finished, almost yelling at this point.
"Dude! Okay, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that, continue with your story," Isaac replied, taking note that he'd obviously hit a cord with Taylor.
Taylor sighed deeply before continuing, "I was saying, I think Zac is just mad that Kayla may be dating someone, or at least going on a date, and isn't talking to Zac about it," he finished.
Isaac took a moment before replying, "Okay well, first of all, Kayla doesn't date, does she? And secondly, if she did, would it be so outrageous that she doesn't discuss it with Zac? Isn't that kind of awkward?"
"I mean, yeah, but if she wants to go back to being friends with him like before, it shouldn't be. This is something they'd likely discuss back then, isn't it?" Taylor asked.
"I don't know man, you know Zac. I think even if he'd never started sleeping with her, he'd never be okay with her dating. Especially not someone we don't know. Or even someone we do know for that matter. Hell, I don't think I'm okay with it, to be honest," Isaac said, shrugging his shoulders.
Taylor rolled his eyes at that. He understood where his older brother was coming from, because like him, he was protective of Kayla. They were the same way with Jessica now that she was getting older and was becoming interested in boys. On the flip side of that, though, he knew Zac was upset about it for different reasons. Most of them selfish.
"I mean I get what you're saying, I feel the same way, but come on is that really fair to Kayla? Zac has an entire relationship. Has had one for a while now. Did he think she was just gonna wait to date till the day he decided to marry Kate? She has to move on with her life too, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she does. I get that. Obviously you get that, but even if Zac does, it's not going to be easy for him to accept it," Isaac said as he grabbed his coffee mug and raised from the chair he'd been sitting in, "Our day's cancelled, so I think I'm gonna go back to bed. We hittin' the studio tonight?
"That's up to Sir Moody in there, I guess. When you find out, let me know. I'm down if you guys are," Taylor said as he grabbed his clothes from his dresser. "I'm getting in the shower," he finished walking past Isaac and exiting his room. Isaac retreated to his own room and closed his door. He set his coffee mug on his dresser and laid down. He'd take a nap and then talk to Zac later.
Kayla walked into her house a few hours later to complete silence. It felt strange, her house wasn't usually this quiet. There was always noise coming from at least one part of the house. She looked outside and noticed all three cars were there. She set her things down on the couch and walked into the kitchen and walked down the hallway leading toward Isaac and Taylor's rooms. She noticed both doors were closed and that it was quiet in this part of the house as well. She looked down at her watch, 3:22 PM. She turned around and walked through the kitchen to the hallway on the opposite side of the house. She poked her head through the archway and saw that Zac's door was closed as well. She took out her phone and shot Zac a text.
Kayla: Where are you guys, your cars are out front but no one's here.
She waited a few minutes and didn't receive a reply. She tried Taylor.
Kayla: Hello! Where is everyone??
Taylor: Hey, I'm next door. Ike and Zac are home. They're probably asleep.
Kayla: Still??? Why? This is why you guys don't sleep at night!
Taylor: Lol, yeah, I know. Wake Zac up, I think he needs to talk to you?
Kayla: Why? About what?
Kayla waited a few moments, but she knew Taylor wasn't going to reply. She looked down at her watch again, 3:31 PM. She told Devyn she'd be ready by 5:00 and that she'd pick her up shortly after. She contemplated waiting until later to talk to Zac, but she knew that by the time she came home, they'd be in the studio again.
She picked up her bags from the couch and made her way towards her room. She passed Zac's room and threw her things on her bed. She threw off her Adidas tennis shoes and walked over to Zac's door. She knocked softly, just to say she'd knocked. She knew if Zac was sleeping he wouldn't hear her.
Kayla opened the door and stuck her head slightly in. She could hear Zac breathing, snoring softly. She walked in and quietly shut the door behind her. She walked over to his bed and chuckled. He looked like a sleeping baby, and she almost felt bad for waking him up. She sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on his.
"Hey," she whispered as she shook his hand, slightly, "Zac. Wake up. Hey," she shook a little harder.
Zac's eyes fluttered a little bit as he tried to focus his eyes. When he realized who it was, he offered her a slight smile before wrapping his arms around her waist and swinging her onto the bed.
"Zac!" Kayla exclaimed, laughing a bit.
"You came to lay with me," he said into the back of her hair as he spooned his body around hers. She felt like home to him.
"No," Kayla said, still laughing a little.
"Yeees," Zac whined.
"Zac, it's almost 4 lazy bones, have you been sleeping all day?" Kayla asked as she pushed her body closer into his.
"Maybe," Zac replied in a sleepy voice, his face still buried in her hair.
"Well, it's time to get up,"Kayla said as she sat up in his bed. She leaned on her elbow and faced him, "Tay said you needed to talk. What's up?"
Zac threw a pillow over his head, but he knew it was no use. Kayla wasn't going to leave until they talked. "Thanks a lot, Tay." he thought to himself. He moved the pillow, laid on his back and stretched his arms and legs. He flopped his arms and legs down, exaggeratedly and Kayla laughed.
"Hey," she said, prompting him to turn his head and look at her. "What's up?" she asked again.
He turned his body and propped himself on his own elbow. He stared at her for a bit. He liked that she allowed him to do so. He slid a curl that had escaped the knot on the top of her head behind her ears.
"I need to ask you something, and it's kinda weird," he finally said.
"When is it usually not?" Kayla replied as she smiled. Zac smiled back as he playfully threw a small pillow at her.
"I'm serious," he said, "I don't want you to get mad."
"Well ask me and I'll let you know if I'm going to get mad or not," she replied.
Zac paused for a moment before speaking, "Are you dating someone?"
It was Kayla's turn to pause. She understood what he meant now. He didn't want her to get mad at the fact that he was questioning her, given their recent circumstances.
She sighed, "No, I'm not dating anyone."
Zac let out a small breath.
"But I am going on a date tonight," she finished.
His world felt like it was crumbling down. He felt his ears get hot and his palms start to sweat. Kayla read his body language, "Hey," she said. He didn't realize he turned away from her until then. He looked back at her.
"You knew this was gonna happen one day, didn't you?" she asked him softly.
He let out another breath before speaking, "I mean, I guess, I just honestly thought you were going to say no."
Kayla smiled, "I know you did," she began, "But, eventually I was going to have to move on. And it's just a date. And not even a real one, we're going out with a group."
"Did Devyn introduce you guys?" he asked.
"No, Olivia did. Devyn wouldn't even try," Kayla said, immediately regretting it.
"Why not?" Zac asked confused. He knew that outside of this house, Devyn was the closest person to Kayla.
Kayla paused, then took a deep breath before speaking, "Because she knew it'd be pointless," she finally said. She looked at Zac in his eyes. It was true. They both knew it, and even though he knew it shouldn't, her statement made him feel better.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I know," she replied.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Both pairs of eyes full of longing and regret.
"I gotta go," she finally said, breaking the silence, "I gotta get ready."
She sat up and got off his bed. He sat up as she approached the door.
"Have fun," he said halfheartedly.
Kayla smiled, "Thanks, love. I'll see you later."
She reached and opened the door, exited his room and made her way into her own. She closed her door and stood against it for a moment, begging the tears not to fall.
She took a deep breath.
It was really, really over.