Seize the Day

18. Bailey
I’ve Waited So Long Just To Come Hold You


I woke up with a heavy weight restraining me. A heavy weight that was warm had been snoring in my ear. What the fuck? I wiggled around and found myself face to face with a very asleep Zack. I tried to get myself free but he was holding tight. I turned and laid back letting myself fall asleep for another hour or so. This time when I woke up, he was on his back with his one arm underneath his head. The blankets were off of him, but I was still completely covered, and his arm was holding me into his side. I looked up at him and he had stopped snoring, but was still passed out.

Before I could take in the moment just a little longer and have this piece of time in my memory his phone started going off.

Not that he cared. He didn’t even flinch in his sleep – nothing.

I shoved at him but he just pulled me into him, rolling us over away from the noise.

“No… Zack your phone! Your phone is ringing! It’s annoying!”

“Fuck them.” He muttered burying his head into the back of my neck, instantly going right back into sleep.

“Zack…” I said trying to wiggle out of his arms. “I’m going to answer your phone.”
He sighed and let go of me, letting me get to his phone. I answered it right as they about hung up, it was Johnny.

“Why are you answering Zack’s phone, if I wanted to talk to you I would’ve called you.”

“Fuck you too.” I snorted. “You know, you should try being nice.”

“Sorry, I’m just.. not used to this yet. I’m trying. I’m sorry.” He sighed. “Where are you two?”

“At a hotel… we had to stop for the night.”

It went silent on the other end of the phone. I waited for a few seconds, not really caring if he hung up or not. I was tired and without coffee, I was not one to be fucked with.

“Well, how many more hours do you have to go?” He asked.

“Eight. Give us about an hour to get up and motivated and we’ll be on our way.” I said looking back and Zack who had rolled over and started snoring again. I rolled my eyes and got out of bed, hoping Johnny wouldn’t hear him so close to me. Not that it mattered.

“Alright. So you’ll leave by 10 am and you’ll be here around 6 or 7.” Johnny said.

“Sure.”

“Okay. Keep me updated if you can. Be careful. Love ya.”

“Love you too.” I said hanging up. I put Zack’s phone back down, not helping that I saw his screensavers were both of the farm. One was the field, the second was the barn loft – it was a picture that was taken of us. A picture I didn’t know existed. We were sitting on the couch and we were laughing, Zack had half of his face covered as he does when he laughs and I was holding onto his arm. It was a good picture.

I decided to step outside and give Ma and Pa a call, letting them know that we had a few more hours to go. Ma was glad to hear from me, scolded me for not updating her last night but said she figured no news was good news. She asked how Zack was, I told her that he was very tired and that he had pretty much drove the first 18 hours straight.

“Take care of him.” She said quietly. “He’s a good man.”

“Thanks, Ma. I will.” I nodded looking over my shoulder at his sleeping figure. “I’ll call you once I’m in California.”

“You don’t have to keep calling me, texting works too. I told you, I’m learning!” she laughed.

“That way I can get pictures too!”

I laughed, I really had the best parents.

I went back inside and made a pot of coffee, I freshened up my hair and make up before putting on the clothes I was gonna wear the rest of the ride. I put on a pair of black stretchy shorts, they were cute enough to be seen in but comfortable enough for an 8 hour car ride. I put on an avenged sevenfold shirt johnny had sent to me a long time ag4o, I honestly never wore it much because I didn’t want it to get mucked up.

“That looks good on you.” Zacky said in his groggy voice, his eyes barely open. “Did you sleep okay? How is your ankle?”

“Good.” I nodded. “You?”

“Good. That’s the best I’ve slept in a while.” He said in a shocked tone. “I haven’t been this well rested in a while.”

“Maybe it’s because you were holding me captive all night.” I joked. “I must be a good pillow.”

He rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry if I made –“

“You’re okay Zack, I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy it.” I teased. “I made coffee, told johnny we’d be leaving soon.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna go out and have a smoke, you wanna come with me?”

I smiled and grabbed my coffee before following him. The hotel room we had wasn’t much, but the fucker had a balcony. It was nice and private, I mean its scenery was the highway but I mean it was something other than a wall so it’ll work.

I sat next to Zack on the bench, curling into his side. I didn’t take his offer for a cigarette, instead just sipped my coffee. He put his arm across the bench behind me after lighting his cigarette. After I finished my cup I pulled my feet up and put my arm around zack, burying my face in his side.

He didn’t smell like cologne but he smelled so good to me. He smelled like Zack, I don’t know how to put it. He smelled like a faint smell of Marlboro reds and like Old Spice body wash, two things I absolutely never thought I would like the smell of.

He rubbed my back as he finished his coffee, still not really talking much.

“We have to get going.” I muttered looking at my phone that I had sat on the ground below us.

“I like it here.” He said with a shrug.

“This place is a dump. We are next to a highway, and I’m pretty sure if we paid enough attention there are hookers around.” I laughed standing up. “How could you like it here?”

“Because it’s the first time I’m actually alone with you. You and me. No one else.” He said pulling me back down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me. “If I wanna kiss you Bailey
May, I fucking can.”

“Then why don’t you?” I asked, my cheeks heating up. I wasn’t embarrassed, I wasn’t nervous, I didn’t know what this feeling was… this fluttering in my stomach. Zack had
awakened it a while ago, and I haven’t got it to go away just yet.

He leaned forward pressing his lips against mine, once… twice… three times. The third time
he lingered for a moment before I felt a smile form on his lips and he pulled away.

“You know, I’ve never been like this with a girl.” He laughed. “I usually have a one night stand with them, and it just kind of turns into a relationship… you’re ass backwards for me.”

“You mean, you’re doing it right this time?” I said running my hand through his hair. “Come on, we gotta get going as much as I do like having my alone time with you.”

“How about breakfast with me before we go, one last thing.” He said letting me go, following me inside. “One last time completely alone.”

“Is that a date?” I joked.

“Sure.” He smiled. “Will you go on a date with me?”

“Man, we are ass backwards aren’t we?” I laughed.

He shrugged before grabbing our stuff and putting it back into the car. We drove about an hour, hand in hand, before we found a Cracker Barrel. He smiled the entire time we waited in line, never once letting go of my hand.

I blushed as he put his arm around my waist as we got to the front, he asked the woman for a booth for two. I had had boyfriends but nothing like this.

I mean I’ve never really been on a date, even though I knew back in the back of my mind that this wasn’t a real date.

Was it?

Notes