“Thank you for having me over Iz” Brian walked past Izzie, who just opened the door for him, and kissed her cheek. “That house is going to be the death of me” he claimed as he let himself fall down on the couch next to Matt.
“Why? What is going on?”
“Nothing. Everything. You know how it goes when you build a house. I thought I found some reliable contractors. Now they have all seemed to have taken a holiday at the same time, or something. It’s just not moving forward and I’m getting sick and tired of living in that small apartment, while I have a big ass house waiting for me.”

Matt nodded as both men took the beers Izzie brought them.
“No worries tonight Bri, I slaved in the kitchen all day, let me take care of you” Izzie smiled as she started to put all the food on the table. It was only then that Brian as well as Matt noticed she had set four plates instead of three. Just as Matt was about to open his mouth about it, the doorbell rang again.
Izzie dropped everything she was holding and rushed to the door “Let me get that, will be right back” Matt shot Brian a look, indicating he had no idea either.

Izzie had planned this carefully though, and she knew exactly who would be at the door. She smiled widely when she saw her friend.
“Oh! I’m so happy you could finally make it!”
“You didn’t leave me any choice, Iz” Mia answered as she hugged her friend. Izzie grinned at the reaction. She knew she had kinda forced Mia to be here tonight, but it was for a good cause.
“It needed to happen sometime. You usually cancel on my parties.” Izzie answered dissatisfied.

Mia and Izzie had known each other for almost a year now. The women instantly became friends when they met at art school. With the men being on tour Izzie spend most of her time with Mia. The bond that was created during those months would not be broken again, that was a thing they were both sure of.
“Come in, come in! Unfortunately most people cancelled, we are just with the four of us”

Mia frowned at Izzie’s words. Izzie told her she would have a lot of people over for a cookout. Now she announced there would only be four of them Mia almost regretted coming here. She didn’t know if she felt like this kind of one on one contact. She just wanted to eat some food and leave quietly. As soon as she entered the livingroom she knew leaving early wasn’t an option.

“Hey Mia, what are you-“ Matt started, but Izzie didn’t let him finish.
“Babe, could you please help me in the kitchen for a bit, please?” Izzie pushed Matt into the kitchen and turned around.
“Have you guys met before? Mia, Brian. Brian, Mia. We will be right back.”

“Iz. What the hell?” Matt folded his arms over his chest as soon as the door closed behind his wife to be.
“Don’t get mad” Izzie hugged herself to his hard body and batted her lashes at him “I just think they would fit well.”
She moved away from him and opened the door a little to peek. Brian and Mia were standing in the livingroom, a little awkward. But she saw Brian’s smile and knew she had made the right decision.

“Izzie!” Matt’s voice made her let go of the door, startled. “What the fuck is going on? What did you do?”
“Nothing!”
“So it’s a complete coincidence you invited Brian and also invited Mia, the only single friends we have, but no one else?” he raised his brows, challenging her to deny her part in this. He knew she was up to something when she pushed him to invite Brian to dinner. He knew something was going on when she spend the whole day cooking. He should have known better than to think it was the kindness of her heart.

“Don’t be like that. They are both single, I think they will fit. You know I love a happy ending, baby” She tiptoed to kiss the corner of Matt’s mouth “And we can’t uninvite them now. So let’s eat”
“Just dinner, no funny business, Izzie. I mean it. It will just work counterproductive. Brian is hardheaded, when he finds out about this he will definitely leave.”
“Hush. It won’t be that bad. Glad you are on board babe” Matt shook his head while Izzie grabbed a dish out of the oven “Could you please grab the roast?” she asked him as she made her way to the living room again.

“Dinner is served!”
Brian and Mia both turned their heads towards their happy host. Izzie walked over to her guests, grabbing them both by the arm.
“Sit! Sit! Please sit down. You two can sit next to each other!” She pushed the two surprised people to the other side of the table. As soon as Matt had put the roast on the table, Izzie pulled him down next to her.

“So, Brian, I don’t remember, did you meet Mia before?” Izzie asked while enthusiastically carving the roast and dishing it out to the others. Not even asking if they wanted a piece. Mia looked at her friend with curious eyes and something began to push from the back of her mind. Izzie wouldn’t do that to her, would she?

Brian chuckled a little and repeated what they had discussed when Matt and Izzie had left the room so suddenly “We just came to the conclusion that we probably were at one or two of the same parties, but we never really talked”

Izzie laughed a little too loud at that remark that wasn’t even meant to be funny and Matt shoved an elbow to her side to stop her from behaving ridiculous. She shot him an angry look, but dug into her food anyway.

“How did you two meet?” Brian asked, looking from Mia to Izzie, back to Mia. Izzie started telling the story of how the women met, making sure to point out Mia’s great qualities. Mia was slowly coming to the conclusion that Izzie would do that to her. She was setting her up!

One look at Brian told her that he realized too and he let out a small apologetic smile.

Brian could see that the woman was a little uncomfortable when she noticed what was going on. But he couldn’t help it. He was having a nice time. Mia was very nice and not to say very beautiful. He hated the fact that Izzie wanted to set him up, but he was happy she considered him good enough for her friend.

Truth be told, he had been whoring around the past time. But somehow, when he was home again, he more often got that feeling of wanting to settle down. Have something like Matt and Izzie had. Not that he would admit to anyone. He had an image to keep up.

The night slowly continued. The conversation was flowing freely and so were the drinks and the food. All and all this was a very pleasurable night and Brian was starting to think that being set up wasn’t that bad.

When the doorbell rang at 10.30, no one realized what was about to happen. No one realized what kind of night the man at the other side of the door had.

---

The minute Zack pulled his car up to the house he knew this was going to be a long ass night. And not in the way he enjoyed long ass nights. The reason that he knew was the same reason that would have made him incredibly happy just 2 months ago: the car of his girlfriend Eva.

Things had been awkward between them. After their last break up and getting back together, yes they’ve had a few of those, things never went back to how they were before. He still loved her, or at least he thought he did. Maybe it was just the familiarity between them, because they had been together that long. His friends knew her, so it was easier to bring her over. They mostly stayed out of his love life. But after his last drama with Eva they advised him to think twice about getting back to her. He did, think twice, but decided to do it anyway.

Why?
Because he didn’t want to be alone.
Because all his friends were in relationships.
Because that was what people ‘his age’ do.

Because it was…easier.

He took the time to gather his stuff from the car and got out when he could no longer postpone it. He stepped out of his car and made his way to the house.

Part of him wished she would have just stayed at home tonight. Eva moved into his house 6 months ago, but when they broke up again a month back, she moved into her old apartment again. Which she had kept on. Guess she didn’t really believe in it either, did she? When she came back after a week of being broken up, they had promised this would be the last time, that this time it really was going to work.

Unfortunately their promises were quickly broken. They had 3 consecutive nights of big fights already and Zack wasn’t sure he had the energy for one more.

“Babe?” he called out when he opened the front door “You here?”
“Hey” Eva stepped into his sight. Her voice sweet, her face not amused “Where have you been?”
Before he could even answer her she continued “I have been waiting for you all night and you didn’t even have the decency to call or text”
Zack sighed. This was fucking unbelievable. He wasn’t even home for two seconds and the complaining already started again.
“I didn’t even knew you were here!” He threw his keys on the table and took his bag into the living room.

“I’m your fucking girlfriend Zack! Even if I’m not here, you could at least tell me where you are!” Zack ignored her. Not because he was trying to piss her off even more, but because he didn’t feel like getting into this.
“Well?!” He turned around to her, her hands on her hips, an angry look on her face. Zack walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist “Come on, please don’t fight. I’m home now, aren’t I? Please let’s make most of the night that is left” He kissed her, but was only met by hard lips.

“The night that is left? It’s 10 pm! There is hardly any night left and it is always like this!” she fumed “You are always out at VU, always touring with the band, rehearsing, recording, or hanging with your little friends. I never come first place, I’m always last. I can’t take it anymore! You need to have more attention for me. Way more!”

Zack rubbed his hands on his face before letting them go through his hair. “Eva, can we please not do this now?”
“Then when Zack? You are never here!”

The anger that was boiling up inside of him was coming to an eruption. “I’m fucking working! You should maybe try it sometimes! You know… getting something like a J-O-B? I’m done with you complaining all the time. I’m working my ass off to buy you nice things. And speaking of money… you have no problem spending all of it. I’m done with this shit. Nothing changes with you!”
“I did change! You didn’t! You need to choose, Zack!” she was screaming now, pissing him off even more.
“You are actually asking me to choose you… Over my job, over my friends, over my life?!” Zack seethed. How could she ask this from him? How could she think this would go her way?

He could see that Eva was collecting herself to go for another round of complaints and arguments, but he wouldn’t let her. He was so so done with this. He walked back into the hallway and grabbed his keys again.
“Save it! I want you out when I get back. This is done. We are done!”

He threw the door closed behind him and inhaled the salty sea air. He was really done this time. She pissed him off so fucking bad. Something had shifted between them. They always clashed badly. So badly that this wasn’t their first breakup, not even their second or their third. They were both hotheaded, but this was the first time the argument was about something real. This was the first time she was making him choose her, over everything else.

He couldn’t believe it. He had invested years of his life in her. He had been loyal to her. Mostly.

Without realizing where he’d gone, he stomped his way over to Matt’s house. He noticed Brian’s car parked up front and nodded. Just what he needed. His two best friends. They would calm him down. There was nothing beer and friends couldn’t fix.

He didn’t realize it was already 10.30 when he rang the doorbell. He certainly didn’t realize his life was about to change.

“Zack, hey, what-“ he didn’t let Izzie finish when she opened the door, but stepped right past her. “Eva and I broke up. I’m so fucking done with her! You won’t believe what she asked me to do!” Zack was fuming again. The little walk over here did nothing to cool his anger. There was only one remedy to that… Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

Zack stormed in the house, telling the story of his fight with Eva to no one in particular but to everyone in general. “She really thought she could make me choose between her and my friends, between her and the band. She is FUCKING CRAZY!!! I should have listened to you guys a long time ago. She is a straight ass bitch all the way. I have no idea what I ever saw in her! Fucking hell! You guys should have stopped me. Stop me before I invested so much-“

The tirade stopped mid-sentence as Zack saw the scenery in front of him. The table was set nicely. Izzie’s empty chair, Matt, Brian and then this woman... His words got stuck in his throat, his breath fighting to make a way out, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.

“I’m… You guys… Shit… I’m sorry for interrupting your night” he stuttered. He couldn’t take his eyes of her. She was… She was… Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe her. It wasn’t only her beauty, it was the thing in her eyes. The thing he recognized from his own look in the mirror.
He didn’t know if this kind of thing was even real and how this all worked. But he was definite he could see her heart. It was the other half of his. He wondered if she saw the same when she looked at him, or if this was a one-way thing. He didn’t know how to drag himself away from her eyes. This was ridiculous. He just stood there.

It was like his whole future developed in front of him. Someone to love, a family, every little thing he didn’t even know he wanted. But one look at her was enough for him to want it all.

It must have been minutes, hours maybe, before his train of thoughts was broken by Izzie’s worried voice.

“Zack? Are you okay?” He heard a chuckle that might be Brian’s, but when he looked up he didn’t see him anywhere.

“Yeah… I’m… I’m really sorry..” He looked at Izzie apologetic. His cheeks flushed and he felt like a little schoolboy again. He was a grown man, damnit! How did this happen? What was ‘this’ anyway? He needed to get out of the close proximity that was this mysterious girl. He needed to think straight. Not live in this intoxicating cloud that was her nearness. If he would have been Jimmy, he would have thought she put a spell on him or something. But he wasn’t Jimmy, he was levelheaded Zack. He didn’t do stuff like this. He didn’t believe in love at first sight, he didn’t believe in falling head over heels. But what other way was there to explain all of this?

He turned around, not saying another word. Stumbling over his own feet he reached the door and quickly walked outside. As he heard the door fall close he put his hands on his knees and breathed heavily. Apparently he still wasn’t far enough, because his brain was still mush and everything that was left of his brain were thoughts of her. That mysterious woman.

“Are you okay?” A soft voice made him look up. There she was again. She must think he was crazy! But maybe he was. When he nodded, staring at her again, the look in her eyes changed. She put her hands on her hips and gave him an angry stare.

“What the fuck just happened between us in there?”

Notes

So little of you here.... Makes me kinda sad :(
But! I'm really happy for the people that are!

Please let me know what you guys think, give me some inspiration to write on for this story :-)

<3