Zak POV
"Where is it?" I huff, digging through the couch.
"It's not in the couch bro." Bacon says from the other side of the room, clearly amused at how frantic I had become.
"It has to be! I can hear it! It's driving me nuts!" I tell him, yanking off the couch cushions and diving in.
"Are you sure it's not somewhere else?"
"Nope." I growl, reaching as far as I could before getting my arm wedged into the couch. "Damn it."
"Dude, I can hear it in the kitchen!" Bacon calls, leaving me to look up and struggle furiously until my arm dislodges and I clamber over the couch, heading towards the kitchen.
Bacon is right, it's louder in here and after a long search, I find it.
"Got ya' you little bastard." I tell the phone, turning off the alarm that had been going non-stop for the past hour.
"Why did you set an alarm for this time?" Bacon questions.
"I didn't." I tell him before yanking the phone out of my pocket.
I didn't set an alarm at all. So why was it going off?!
Pressing the button, the screen lights up, displaying a photo with Elle and two other women.
"It's not my phone." I tell him, falling onto the kitchen chair with a sigh.
"Who's phone is it?"
"Elle's, of course. She is the only other person who has been here."
"Never know with you..." Bacon mutters, not thinking that I can hear him. I let the comment slide in favour of looking at the notifications building on her screen.
There are a ton of missed calls and messages from a woman called Sophie as well as a facetime miss call from a woman called Mia. I look at Bacon, wondering if I can get him to run the phone over to Elle's, but a glance at the time tells me that I have no hope when the crew would be turning up to set up lighting in the theatre to film some episodes.
I needed Bacon here, helping me out and making sure no idiot leaves the door open like they did last week. Gracie wandered off and was almost a street over when she was brought back by a woman who recognised her off my social media.
In those moments, I had lost my shit. Almost tore through the community trying to find her, desperately looking in everyone's gardens and ringing the community security to keep an eye out for her. The only relief I got was when I got back home and saw her, after Bacon rang me, letting me know she was safe and back at the house.
I couldn't thank the lady enough and made a vow with Bacon, never to let it happen again. She may only be a dog to some people, but she was my companion, my bit of light when the world has gone dark.
When Elle's phone begins to ring again, I see a request for FaceTime from Mia, and answer it.
"Hello."
The woman on the other side pauses, before her eyes narrow. "Where is Elle?!"
"I don't know." I tell them truthfully. "She left her phone at my house, she was going home."
"You better be telling the truth or I'll come over there and f-"
The woman is cut off and the phone is moved over until a man appears on the screen. "Hello, this is Henry."
"Hi. I'm Zak." I tell him, listening as he tells the woman behind him to shush. The screen flashes, telling me that he's just taken a screenshot of my face.
"I don't know who you are, or where you are from. But Elle is important to us. If she is not here within the next hour, I will be contacting the police."
I frown "For what? I've not done anything wrong."
"It's for her own safety. Mia hasn't received any information from Elle's watch this morning..."
"Her watch?" What the hell is he on about? "What are you on about? Information from her watch?"
"Like no pulse, heart rate, sleep. Nothing." He tells me.
"She wasn't wearing a watch when she was here."
"How convenient!" Mia barks in the background.
"Look, I wouldn't hurt Elle, okay? So how about we rewind, why would Mia know all about Elle's heartbeat?"
"Don't tell him anything!" Mia yells before snatching the phone out of Henry's hand. "She's got an hour so use a phone to ring us otherwise I'm coming to find her and you!"
The phone cuts off, leaving me looking at the phone bewildered as to what has just happened.
"Some overprotective friends there." Bacon says having heard the conversation.
"You're telling me. Damn." But as hers has a passcode on, I have to use my home phone and try to get hold of my phone which she has...
It wasn't getting the phone back I was concerned about, it was the fact her friends were worried about here, which in turn, now worried me. What didn't I know?
A knock at the front door tells me that the production crew have arrived and all thoughts of Elle will have to wait until I've helped the team set up. With Bacon looking after Gracie in the garden, I put him on ringing Elle duty, in a hope that someone will get hold of her.
**
"Bro..." Bacon says making me look up from my seat in the theatre. He signals his phone. "Elle coming over in about 30. She's dropping it off in her lunch break."
I find myself fussing over my shirt and making sure I look okay, before answering him. "Okay, great."
"Who is Elle?" Aaron chirps having overheard the conversation.
"Elle?" Jay repeats.
"There's a woman on the scene? Since when?" Billy asks turning to face me. He has been in a bad mood all morning and the moment he arrived, I felt the dark cloud behind him. He was struggling with some bad energy at the moment, but for some reason, refused to cleanse.
I look at Bacon who shrugs his shoulder and disappears. "Since it's none of your businesses." I answer them.
"Oh he's defensive." Aaron points out.
"Must mean he likes her." Jay adds.
"Okay, stop acting like a bunch of college girls and come help me make lunch." I tell them, leaving the theatre and heading for the kitchen.
I can hear their jibes all through my home, but I ignore it, wanting to make food for when Elle arrives. If she is doing this in her lunch hour, the least I can do is have some food made for her.
The guys are as helpful as a chocolate fire guard, instead of helping, they all get themselves a drink and crash around the dining room table, checking their phones and talking.
Guess I'm cooking alone...
I make the guys tacos, along with a side salad. As expected, they all tuck in quickly, whilst I clean make a few more for myself and Elle.
When the doorbell rings, all four guys look up from their plates but decide that food is more important and stay put.
"I'll grab the door." I tell them, heading out the kitchen and straight towards the door.
I catch sight of Elle through the glass pane, fluffing her hair and fixing her clothes before grinning when she sees me approaching. I realise my smile matches and I open the door to greet her.
"Hey."
"Well hello again." She smiles before pulling my phone out. "Please take this, it does not stop going off. I wanted to throw it out the window for most of the way here."
I laugh at her honesty and invite her in.
"I can't stay long, I'm on lunch."
"Then the least you can do is stop for something to eat."
"Okay, but I can't stay too long." Elle tells me again, stepping into the house and following me towards the kitchen.
The guys look up from their plates as I enter into the kitchen, before they all look behind me to see Elle. I run through the introductions and end with Bacon who is sat at the table looking happy to see Elle again.
"Hi, again." Elle laughs before looking towards me as I give her phone back to her.
"I've made you some lunch too. Considering I am eating into your lunch break."
"You have?" She asks crossing over the kitchen to look at the tacos and salad I've made. "It looks amazing."
"You'll have to let your taste buds be the judge, here." I pass her a plate before grabbing the bar stools and pulling them to the kitchen island for us.
"So how did you two meet?" Billy asks, having turned slightly to look at us.
"Oh, I uh. I was escaping a bad date." Elle says "Ran into him, quiet literally."
He nods before trading a look with Aaron who then looks at Bacon. I'm frowning now, trying to work out what is going on between them all but when Elle looks at me, I wipe my expression and shove some salad into my mouth.
It takes me a couple minutes to work out what they are up to, when the questions keep coming. From what do you do, to have you heard of the show. For anyone it would seem like a normal route of questions, but they are vetting her out, suspicious of why she is here and I have a feeling Elle is getting a little uncomfortable from how much she is drinking and not eating.
"Isn't your food gonna go cold?" I ask the guys who shrug and turn back to us.
Looking over to Elle, I find her glancing down at the watch on her wrist with a worried look and I find myself trying to take more of an interest, especially after Mia's phone call this morning.
"Cool watch." I say making Elle look up from it.
"Uh thanks." She says moving it out of view and picking up her fork to eat something.
I'm about to ask more about it when her phone rings, I see Mia's name flashing on screen. Elle is quick to stop the call, but seconds later, it's ringing again. Putting her fork down, she picks up her phone and slips off the barstool. "Excuse me... Sorry." She says touching my arm before shooting out into the garden to answer the phone.
I wait until she is out of ear shot before glaring at the guys. "What the fuck is that all about?"
"What?" Aaron asks, trying to play the dumb card.
"You know exactly what!" I hiss. "The twenty questions. You are all making her uncomfortable."
"How are we making her uncomfortable? If she hasn't got anything to hide then she should be fine. Unless of course, she is lying and has heard of the show and is looking for a meal ticket." Billy says.
My eyes burn in his direction, pissed that he has even hinted at such a thing. Elle is good, I can see that in her. I've become a good judge of character over the years..
"Bill, we have been friends for many years. But I will not have you-"
"Oh come on Zak." He interrupts looking over at me. "You barely know her."
I frown "And neither do you, but I'm willing to give her a chance."
"For whose sake?" He asks.
"What?"
"For whose sake? For yours? Or hers?"
"What does that mean?"
"Well she isn't exactly your type. Is she?"
I want to fly off the handle, I want to kick off this chair and go toe to toe with him, but he is partially right, even if he is being an asshole about it.
Guess that energy has affected him more than I thought?
"You don't get to judge-"
"You go for a type. You always have and you always will. She, is not it. So whether this is a pit break before you get some other woman in or some little game, I don't know. But she isn't it. From the second I saw her. I knew. So did the others." He says looking at the guys who all lower their heads or shove food in their mouth. "You don't go for a bigger woman Zak, hell I don't think you've dated anyone with a dress size in double figures. Do the decent thing and let her down gently, before you go too far."
I'm about to go. I can feel my blood pressure rising and the anger building within me, but as I'm shoving my chair back, Elle enters looking between us. Her face is flush and I have no fucking doubt that she heard what just went down.
"I'm sorry, I uh.. I have to get back." She says rounding the island and picking up her bag.
"Already?" I ask. "But you haven't eaten-"
"I'm sorry, really. But I can't be late. Boss is a real stickler for time." She says before looking at the guys. I can see the hesitation in her eyes but like trooper, she says "It was really nice to meet you all."
"I'll walk you out." I say quietly.
"There is no need. Really, eat your lunch." She says giving me a smile before wagging her phone at me. "Right one this time... Take care Zak."
This isn't... Is she trying to say goodbye?
Before I can take a step, she is gone and I'm left in the kitchen with the guys who have just watched. Bacon shoots out from his chair, giving me a nod to let me know that he is going to check on her.
"It's for the best." Billy says quietly.
"Shut up. Any future comments? Keep them to yourself. Don't like it? You know where the fucking door is." I growl shoving our plates and the food straight in the bin.
"Where you going bro?" Aaron asks as I grab my phone and Gracie's leash.
"For a walk. I want my fucking house empty by the time I come back! That means all of you!" I yell before leaving out the back door and slamming it on the way out.