The Day That I Met You
Chapter Six
Zacky
Olivia had called me a few minutes ago, asking me to meet with her for lunch. She seemed really sheepish on the phone, awkwardly telling me that she wanted to see me and talk. I knew why she wanted to talk, but I didn’t know what she was going to say.
I had gotten back to the house that I shared with the guys about an hour before she called me and luckily I wasn’t hungover at all. Jimmy certainly was and was currently passed out on the couch because that’s as far as he made it. The rest of the guys, except Gates since I didn’t know where he was, had retreated back to their rooms to recover. I sat in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee while I tried to calm my nerves. Caffeine probably wasn’t the answer to my jitters, but I needed to wake up and get ready for this day. I was honestly dreading meeting up with Liv because it was going to be an awkward conversation, no matter what ended up happening.
I expected the worst, honestly, especially after she left with Gates last night. I still didn’t know where he was. He could be in his room, but I didn’t want to be a creep and look; he’d get mad at me for it. He could be at her apartment still, even. That thought pissed me off.
I had to be prepared, though. Rejection was of course a possibility. Last night I was in denial about that, thinking that I’d swoon her with my kisses and with my confidence I ignored the possibility that she wouldn’t be interested. Honestly, though, if I hadn’t, there’s no way I would’ve went through with it. And deep down I’m glad I did it. It may have been messy and a little awkward, but I had wanted to do it for so long that I was at least a little proud of myself for trying. It was such an amazing kiss, one that I had been dreaming about for years. I would let myself remember that moment, even if nothing else came of it.
I needed to shower and get dressed still, so I rinsed out my coffee cup and started to leave the kitchen. I didn’t make it far because I almost bumped into Syn. So, he was here after all. I could tell he’d been here awhile, had slept here; he was in pajamas and his hair clearly had signs of bed head. That was comforting.
“Oh, sorry, Gates. I didn’t see you.”
He just grunted. He wasn’t a morning person.
I decided to get some answers. “When did you get home last night?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. Late.”
He clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He was making himself a cup of coffee, but I still wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know where I stood before I went to meet Liv.
“Did you end up walking Olivia home?”
He gave me a look then, but I couldn’t read it. He looked tired all around, but the look that he gave me almost seemed like… pity. He nodded in reply, that was it. I wasn’t going to get anything else from him until he had his coffee. Normally after a night with a girl, Syn wasn’t shy about telling me or anyone else what happened. But now he was being weird. It was either because nothing happened at all, or he just didn’t want to tell me. Maybe I was being paranoid.
I ended up walking away from him then, deciding that any answers I’d get would come from Liv today. She was easier to talk to about things like this. At least, she would be more straightforward. I didn’t feel like dealing with Syn’s bullshit right now.
I took a short shower, realizing I was running a little later that I planned now after my awkward conversation with my band mate. I got dressed, trying not to think too much into what I was wearing, fixed up my hair a bit, and headed out.
She and I were meeting at a little cafe that was near my place so I was able to walk over. It was hot out, but early enough in the day that the heat hadn’t reached its peak. When I reached the restaurant, she was already there, sitting at a little table outside under an umbrella. She looked beautiful.
She saw me coming and gave me a smile and small wave. “Hey there!”
I smiled back, taking a seat across from her. “Hey. How are you?”
“A little hungover, honestly,” she laughed. “Which is why I wanted to come here. They have the best breakfast.”
“It’s noon,” I laughed.
“Any time of day is breakfast time in my book.”
I laughed again, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at her. Her dark hair framed her face perfectly, and her eyes looked even more blue than usual today. Probably because of the cute blue dress she had on. It reminded me of the day that I met her.
We ordered drinks and food and talked about everything except what we came to talk about. It was nice, though, and I was happy to avoid the issue for a few more moments. After a while, as
we were finishing up our meals, she sighed, and I knew it was time.
“Zack, we should probably talk about what happened last night,” she said, just jumping right to it. That was one thing I usually appreciated about her; she didn’t mess around or beat around the bush, she just got straight to business. Today, though, I almost wished she wasn’t doing that. I felt nervous, not knowing what to say.
“Look,” I started. “I want to at least say that I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry too. For running out on you like that. It was a shitty thing to do.”
She was right, it was shitty. But I didn’t want her to feel bad. “I understand, though. It was a lot to process and you had been drinking.”
“It’s still no excuse to be a bitch,” she reply, laughing a little. I smiled back. “You were right though, I was a little overwhelmed by it all and didn’t know what to do. But leaving you like that wasn’t the nicest thing to do, so I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say. Her leaving me like that made me feel like she hated me for kissing her, but I couldn’t say that, not when she had just apologized. I just wanted to know if she was mad at me, if she was repulsed by my actions.
“I hope you aren’t mad at me,” I finally said after an awkward pause.
“Oh, Zack, I’m not. I promise,” she said, but wasn’t looking at me. Here it comes. “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just be honest with me.”
“I just don’t feel the same way,” she told me, still not looking at me.
I couldn’t help but feel my stomach knot up. The small part of me that had hoped she wouldn’t say that felt crushed, stomped on. I wanted to scream and hit the table, but I kept the childish reaction to her rejection inside. Instead I said, “I understand.” I couldn’t muster up anything else.
“I’m sorry, Zack. Brian said you had these feelings for awhile now. I had no idea, really.”
Brian? What the fuck did he know about my feelings? “When did you talk to Gates about me?” I asked, feeling myself getting defensive. I needed to keep calm.
“Oh, uh last night. He walked me home,” she said, blushing. She was biting her lip, too. I think she regretted what she had said, probably because she could tell it made me mad.
“I’m sure that made you happy,” I said with a laugh that was clearly fake.
Her brow furrowed. “Don’t be like that.”
I no longer cared about how she wanted me to be. She clearly didn’t care about me or what I wanted, so why should I care about being nice to her? “Oh, come on. The way you were dancing with him last night made that clear.”
“Zack-”
“Do you have feelings for him? Is that why?” I sounded like a child, jealous and unstable. I needed to know, though. I needed to know why I wasn’t good enough.
She didn’t answer right away and she wouldn’t look at me. That was answer enough, honestly. Eventually she said, “Yes. I have for a long time.”
“Did anything happen between you two last night?”
She looked up then. I couldn’t really read her expression. “That’s not really your business.”
I laughed. “That’s a yes. Jesus Christ, Liv. You seriously have bad timing.”
“Me? This isn’t totally my fault! I never asked you to kiss me.”
Ouch. “Well, you didn’t exactly stop me either. You seemed to enjoy it, honestly, before you left me standing there like a total idiot. Just to run off with your one true love.”
“Stop that. He probably doesn’t reciprocate anyways,” she said quietly, obviously upset by it.
“Well, I know how that feels,” I said, getting up from our table. I couldn’t handle anymore. “I have to go.”
“Zack, wait,” she said, getting up too. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t answer her and just walked away. I didn’t want to see her anymore. I didn’t want her to look at me like that again, pity in her eyes. That’s not the look I wanted to get from her. I wanted love, passion, lust. Not pity and guilt. I couldn’t take it.
Olivia had called me a few minutes ago, asking me to meet with her for lunch. She seemed really sheepish on the phone, awkwardly telling me that she wanted to see me and talk. I knew why she wanted to talk, but I didn’t know what she was going to say.
I had gotten back to the house that I shared with the guys about an hour before she called me and luckily I wasn’t hungover at all. Jimmy certainly was and was currently passed out on the couch because that’s as far as he made it. The rest of the guys, except Gates since I didn’t know where he was, had retreated back to their rooms to recover. I sat in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee while I tried to calm my nerves. Caffeine probably wasn’t the answer to my jitters, but I needed to wake up and get ready for this day. I was honestly dreading meeting up with Liv because it was going to be an awkward conversation, no matter what ended up happening.
I expected the worst, honestly, especially after she left with Gates last night. I still didn’t know where he was. He could be in his room, but I didn’t want to be a creep and look; he’d get mad at me for it. He could be at her apartment still, even. That thought pissed me off.
I had to be prepared, though. Rejection was of course a possibility. Last night I was in denial about that, thinking that I’d swoon her with my kisses and with my confidence I ignored the possibility that she wouldn’t be interested. Honestly, though, if I hadn’t, there’s no way I would’ve went through with it. And deep down I’m glad I did it. It may have been messy and a little awkward, but I had wanted to do it for so long that I was at least a little proud of myself for trying. It was such an amazing kiss, one that I had been dreaming about for years. I would let myself remember that moment, even if nothing else came of it.
I needed to shower and get dressed still, so I rinsed out my coffee cup and started to leave the kitchen. I didn’t make it far because I almost bumped into Syn. So, he was here after all. I could tell he’d been here awhile, had slept here; he was in pajamas and his hair clearly had signs of bed head. That was comforting.
“Oh, sorry, Gates. I didn’t see you.”
He just grunted. He wasn’t a morning person.
I decided to get some answers. “When did you get home last night?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. Late.”
He clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He was making himself a cup of coffee, but I still wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know where I stood before I went to meet Liv.
“Did you end up walking Olivia home?”
He gave me a look then, but I couldn’t read it. He looked tired all around, but the look that he gave me almost seemed like… pity. He nodded in reply, that was it. I wasn’t going to get anything else from him until he had his coffee. Normally after a night with a girl, Syn wasn’t shy about telling me or anyone else what happened. But now he was being weird. It was either because nothing happened at all, or he just didn’t want to tell me. Maybe I was being paranoid.
I ended up walking away from him then, deciding that any answers I’d get would come from Liv today. She was easier to talk to about things like this. At least, she would be more straightforward. I didn’t feel like dealing with Syn’s bullshit right now.
I took a short shower, realizing I was running a little later that I planned now after my awkward conversation with my band mate. I got dressed, trying not to think too much into what I was wearing, fixed up my hair a bit, and headed out.
She and I were meeting at a little cafe that was near my place so I was able to walk over. It was hot out, but early enough in the day that the heat hadn’t reached its peak. When I reached the restaurant, she was already there, sitting at a little table outside under an umbrella. She looked beautiful.
She saw me coming and gave me a smile and small wave. “Hey there!”
I smiled back, taking a seat across from her. “Hey. How are you?”
“A little hungover, honestly,” she laughed. “Which is why I wanted to come here. They have the best breakfast.”
“It’s noon,” I laughed.
“Any time of day is breakfast time in my book.”
I laughed again, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at her. Her dark hair framed her face perfectly, and her eyes looked even more blue than usual today. Probably because of the cute blue dress she had on. It reminded me of the day that I met her.
We ordered drinks and food and talked about everything except what we came to talk about. It was nice, though, and I was happy to avoid the issue for a few more moments. After a while, as
we were finishing up our meals, she sighed, and I knew it was time.
“Zack, we should probably talk about what happened last night,” she said, just jumping right to it. That was one thing I usually appreciated about her; she didn’t mess around or beat around the bush, she just got straight to business. Today, though, I almost wished she wasn’t doing that. I felt nervous, not knowing what to say.
“Look,” I started. “I want to at least say that I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry too. For running out on you like that. It was a shitty thing to do.”
She was right, it was shitty. But I didn’t want her to feel bad. “I understand, though. It was a lot to process and you had been drinking.”
“It’s still no excuse to be a bitch,” she reply, laughing a little. I smiled back. “You were right though, I was a little overwhelmed by it all and didn’t know what to do. But leaving you like that wasn’t the nicest thing to do, so I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say. Her leaving me like that made me feel like she hated me for kissing her, but I couldn’t say that, not when she had just apologized. I just wanted to know if she was mad at me, if she was repulsed by my actions.
“I hope you aren’t mad at me,” I finally said after an awkward pause.
“Oh, Zack, I’m not. I promise,” she said, but wasn’t looking at me. Here it comes. “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just be honest with me.”
“I just don’t feel the same way,” she told me, still not looking at me.
I couldn’t help but feel my stomach knot up. The small part of me that had hoped she wouldn’t say that felt crushed, stomped on. I wanted to scream and hit the table, but I kept the childish reaction to her rejection inside. Instead I said, “I understand.” I couldn’t muster up anything else.
“I’m sorry, Zack. Brian said you had these feelings for awhile now. I had no idea, really.”
Brian? What the fuck did he know about my feelings? “When did you talk to Gates about me?” I asked, feeling myself getting defensive. I needed to keep calm.
“Oh, uh last night. He walked me home,” she said, blushing. She was biting her lip, too. I think she regretted what she had said, probably because she could tell it made me mad.
“I’m sure that made you happy,” I said with a laugh that was clearly fake.
Her brow furrowed. “Don’t be like that.”
I no longer cared about how she wanted me to be. She clearly didn’t care about me or what I wanted, so why should I care about being nice to her? “Oh, come on. The way you were dancing with him last night made that clear.”
“Zack-”
“Do you have feelings for him? Is that why?” I sounded like a child, jealous and unstable. I needed to know, though. I needed to know why I wasn’t good enough.
She didn’t answer right away and she wouldn’t look at me. That was answer enough, honestly. Eventually she said, “Yes. I have for a long time.”
“Did anything happen between you two last night?”
She looked up then. I couldn’t really read her expression. “That’s not really your business.”
I laughed. “That’s a yes. Jesus Christ, Liv. You seriously have bad timing.”
“Me? This isn’t totally my fault! I never asked you to kiss me.”
Ouch. “Well, you didn’t exactly stop me either. You seemed to enjoy it, honestly, before you left me standing there like a total idiot. Just to run off with your one true love.”
“Stop that. He probably doesn’t reciprocate anyways,” she said quietly, obviously upset by it.
“Well, I know how that feels,” I said, getting up from our table. I couldn’t handle anymore. “I have to go.”
“Zack, wait,” she said, getting up too. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t answer her and just walked away. I didn’t want to see her anymore. I didn’t want her to look at me like that again, pity in her eyes. That’s not the look I wanted to get from her. I wanted love, passion, lust. Not pity and guilt. I couldn’t take it.
Notes
Thanks again, reviewers! You all seriously keep me going xoxo
Late to the party, but this was so sweet! I loved the whole story and it was perfect that she ended up with Zacky! I felt like it was fitting :) I love the moment she got to have with Brian though. The understanding was great! <3 Nice work! :)
6/8/17