All I’ve Waited For
Prologue
Zac carefully lifted the box off the shelf. He carried it over to the coffee table and set it down gently, taking his place in front of it on the couch. He inspected it, blowing some dust off the lid. Man, it had been awhile since he’d seen that box. He wasn’t even sure what was in it.
Zac removed the lid and set it on the couch behind him. “Wow, I always wondered what a box full of photos would like,” he muttered to himself. Sighing, he reached in and brought some out.
They were old – they were photos of him and his brothers from pre-fame days, photos from “just starting”, photos from the This Time Around tour, and so on. Those were on top. Underneath those were photos of the rest of his family – Jessica, Avery, Mackie, and Zoë as infants, then getting older, his mom and dad, family pets, etc. He wasn’t prepared for the next batch of photos.
Zac stared at the girl for what seemed like eternity, but in reality had only been a couple of minutes. In some photos, he was with her; in others, she stood alone or with his family. There were even a few with her and her friends.
Staring at a picture of the two of them at a pizza parlor, he noted how happy they both looked. She was laughing, and he had this goofy look on his face as he watched her laugh. Closing his eyes, Zac remembered when it all began.
Chapter 1
Thursdays were always the worst. Some people think that it would be Mondays, but people were so desperate to escape boredom that they always went out on Mondays. No, Thursdays were the worst because students were trying to finish reports and homework so that maybe their weekend would be free and they could party. Very few people came in on Thursdays.
I snapped my gum and twirled my hair around my finger, examing the nails on my other hand. I probably looked like the stereo typical teenager right then, but I didn't really care.
"Hey, Ash, guess what!"
I looked up and saw Jon, a fellow employee, grinning at me. Uh-oh, I thought. "What?"
"Chicken butt! Haha!"
I rolled my eyes and turned toward the cash register. I saw a man browsing through our small selection of clothes, and I studied him.
Closer inspection revealed that he wasn't a man at all, just another teenager. But he had something most teens I know don't have - an air of confidence. He looked kinda weird - he was wearing a hat, and had on baggy blue jeans and a tight, black shirt. A pair of sunglasses hung off the collar of his shirt. Turning his packed cart around, he pushed it towards the checkout lines and started for mine.
"Hi, is this everything for you?"
"Yeah." He started piling stuff on the black conveyor belt.
Running the items over the red laser light, I studied him once again. He looked so familiar...suddenly, it dawned on me - I knew this guy! I didn't say anything, however, and struggled to keep my face nuetral. "Shopping for your mother?"
He started, snapping out of whatever world he'd been lost in. He cleared his throat. "Yeah."
"Does she check the recipt?"
"Yeah," he said, giving me an odd look.
I held up his box of condoms. "I assume, unless these are for your father, that you'd like to pay for these seperately?"
He looked slightly embarrassed as he nodded. "They're not for me."
"Oh? For one of your brothers?"
"Yeah, they're for Is-" He stopped. "Wait a minute. How'd you know I have brothers?"
I smiled. "If only I had the guts to tell you. Hey, I know we just met, but mind if I blackmail you?"
"Blackmail me? How?"
"If you'll come to my school play, I won't announce over the intercom who you are."
"When is it?"
"Here. Everything you'll need to know is on this flyer. And your total is $194.91." I took out a flyer for the play and quickly wrote on it before handing it to him.
He payed for the groceries, his condoms, and smiled at me. "Even though this store is empty anyway, thanks for not announcing who I was. Hopefully I'll see you at the play."
I raised my hand in a wave and watched him walk away.
***
Pushing the cart ahead of me, I looked over the flyer. The girl had written her number on there, telling me that if I had any questions, I could call her. She'd also written, "Probably not many people would know who you were, but you might want to disguise yourself anyway. If someone did recoginize you, they probably wouldn't want your autograph."
I folded up the flyer and stuffed it into my pocket, pushing the cart up to the car. I unlocked the door and loaded the groceries in the backseat, and a few in the trunk. I pushed the cart back to the store and left it on the sidewalk, then hopped in the car.
Turning on the radio, I ran through the stations, trying to find one that was playing music and not advertisments. Giving up, I turned it off and drove the rest of the way in silence. It wasn't very far to the place where me and my family was staying and soon I was pulling into the driveway.
"Hey, I'm back," I called, opening the door. "Ike, Tay, come help with the groceries!" Leaving the door hanging open, I went into the kitchen. "Hey, Mom, what are we doing on the 30th?"
"Nothing that I know of. Why?"
"I was just wondering if I could go to this play. See-"
"Zac, we're not doing this alone! Get out here!" Isaac yelled.
"I'll tell ya in a minute." I loped back out to the car. "Hey, I had to haul them from the cart into the car - I think you two can handle these by yourself."
"Hey, too bad," Taylor replied. "It'll go faster with three of us. And besides, you volunteered to go get the groceries, so that's your own dang fault."
I sighed and decided it would be useless to argue. Grabbing up six plastic sacks in one hand, and five in the other, I staggered back to the kitchen and set them on the cutting table. I made one more trip, and the car was empty. I handed Isaac his package. "You guys can go back to whatever you were doing; I'll help Mom put them away."
"Okay, thanks." Isaac looked at Taylor from the corner of his eyes, and then the two raced upstairs.
I rolled my eyes and went back into the kitchen. "So, anyway, as I was saying, at the store, this really nice girl checked me out and she told me about this play that she's in. She knew who I was! I couldn't believe it! You'd think, in a small town like this, that no one would even know how to say Hanson. Here, she gave me this flyer." I handed Mom the flyer and put the milk away.
"I don't know...I'm not sure it would be wise for you to go to this play."
"Oh, please, Mom?"
"I'll talk to your father about it, and let you know tomorrow."
"Okay." I grabbed up the empty sacks and shoved them all in one sack, then reached for more stuff to put away.
"Now you stop that! You went and got these grocies, and you hauled them in - you don't need to put them away, too!" She smiled at me. "Thank you, Zac. You've really helped me out a lot."
I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm Mr. Wonderful."
"Don't ruin it," my mom said, laughing. She tossed the flyer back to me.
Grinning, I studied it once again. Then it hit me that I didn't even know her name.
***
"I can't believe I just did that," I muttered to myself after Zac Hanson had left. "Oh, man, I need to sit."
"Ash! Hey, Ashly, guess who I just saw in the parking lot!" My best friend, Janine, ran up to me, her eyes sparkling. She waved her hand. "Never mind, you'll never guess. I just saw-"
"Zac Hanson?"
"Za - Hey, how'd you know?"
I laughed. "He went through my line."
"He went through your line?" Janine looked as if she were about ready to pass out. She grabbed my hand. "Can I have your autograph?"
"Janine, chill. He's just a human being." I eased my hand out of her grip. "Look, you're scaring off the customers."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, because you're sooo busy. Well, anyway, I'll let you work. But call me tonight."
"I will."
"Ashly," she gave me a look, backing up, "don't forget."
"I won't!"
"As soon as you walk in the door!" She was almost to the door now.
"You got it!"
She gave me another look, turned, and went out the door.
I shook my head, grinning, and wondered when my shift would be over.
Chapter 2
"Hey, I'm back!" I yelled, closing the door behind me. "Hello? Anyone home?" I listened for an answer, but the house remained silent. Sighing, I walked over to the table and picked up the mail. Leafing through it, I found what I was looking for, put the rest back, and headed up to my room.
Turning on my stereo, I switched to 'CD' and pressed play, skipping over the first track. The familiar opening of "If Only" filled my room as I changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Collasping on my bed, I tore open the letter.
It was from my friend Elle (or Ellie - it's short for Ellen, but we don't call her that). It was weird to be getting a letter from her because she's at home, and she only lives a couple of blocks away. But I was expecting it because she's grounded, and when she's grounded her parents really go all out. They say "Go to your room and stay there," and they mean it. They bring her breakfast, lunch and dinner, she's not allowed to call on the phone or get on the computer, and she can't watch TV. Her only means of communication is writing letters, and she can only leave her room to go to the bathroom and to school, unless, of course, it's summer or it's a weekend. But sometimes they won't even let her go to school - I knew she wouldn't be there tomorrow. But she says it's not so bad. It only lasts about a week, if that. I figure that she'd had Kate drop it off for her.
I folded the letter back up and sighed. I had to babysit in about an hour, and I was not the least bit ready for it. I didn't even want to babysit, but Ellie's older sister, Kate, had asked me to watch Jade, her 10-month-old daughter. I love Jade - she's no trouble at all - and Kate hardly ever asks me, so I agreed.
Rolling over onto my back, I yawned, wishing I had time for a nap. I had the nagging feeling that I was supposed to do something...
I gasped, remembering that I was supposed to call Janine. I sat up, grabbed the phone and dialed the number quickly. I tried to sound cool and calm when she answered. "Hey, told you I'd remember."
"I said as soon as you walk in the door."
"I just got home!"
"You lie, but oh well. Come on, now, spill!"
"Spill what?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Ash. You know what."
"Nooo..." I said innocently.
"Zac Hanson! What was he like? Did you talk? What'd he buy?"
I raised my eyebrows even though Janine couldn't see me. "J, you are really nosy, you know that?" Before she could say anything, I went on. "He was just like anyone else. He seemed kinda distracted, though...anyway, yeah, we kinda talked. I invited him to the play. He was buying-"
"Whoa, back this train up! You WHAT!"
"I invited him to the play."
"You don't seriously think he'll come, do you, Ash?"
"Well, you never know." I twirled the phone cord around my finger.
"Okay, go on. What was he buying?"
"He was buying groceries for his mom. And condoms for Isaac." I snickered. "You know, you'd think that Ike could buy his own condoms."
"No kidding."
"Oh, I've got to go. I'm supposed to babysit for Kate tonight. She and Drew are celebrating their anniversary tonight."
"Okay, good luck with Jade. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, bye." I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and got ready for Jade.
***
"Zachary Hanson, I'm not going to tell you again! Don't tip your chair back like that!"
"Mom, I'm not going to fall and hit my head, so don't worry."
"It's the chair I'm worried about. You're going to tear it up."
"Oh, thanks, I'm glad you're so worried about..." I sniffed, "...me."
My mom smiled in spite of herself. "Come on, just put the chair down. What are you teaching your little brother and sisters?"
"That I'm cool and daring?"
"Haha, nice try. Down." She pointed at the floor to emphasis her point.
I didn't feel like arguing anymore, so I let the chair fall forward. It hit with a loud thud, and my mom gave me a pointed look. I grinned and shrugged, and she looked away. I got to her everytime. That's why I was never in trouble - she could never stay mad at me.
My brothers and sisters snickered, and even my dad, who isn't as easily fooled, chuckled.
"Well, I'm done."
Taylor looked up at me, smirking. "Already? That was only your third helping."
"Haha." I scraped my plate, rinsed it, and put it in the sink. "I'm going upstairs." I didn't wait for a reply; I just headed on up to my room. That's right, my room. I don't share with my brothers anymore, but the public likes to envision that we do...something to do with brotherly love and bonding...or something. So we've never out and out said we didn't.
I flopped down on my bed, once again pulling out the flyer. I was tempted to dial the number, but I didn't know the girl's name, so I didn't know who to ask for. Biting my lip, I stared at my ceiling and tried to picture her.
Her hair looked to be either a light, light brown, or a dark blonde, and had been up in a messy bun. Her eyes had appeared to be dark colored, but I wasn't positive on that. Her skin was tan - I didn't know, or really care, if it was real, fake bake, or bottled. She'd been wearing a cute, pink shirt that had something written on it, but I wasn't sure what because she had been wearing a regulation smock over it. Her jeans I had no clue about. All in all, she had been pretty nice looking.
Okay, so I'm crushing on her after only seeing her once. That's not uncommon for me...or Taylor and Ike to think of it. It's just a bit unrealistic. We don't really have time for girlfriends because we're so busy, and it's really hard to go out with fans because you feel like they're going to scream if you so much as look at them.
Now, don't get me wrong - I love being a part of Hanson and I love to perform. It just makes it really hard to have a girlfriend, and harder to keep one. But we knew, or had a pretty good idea, what it was going to be like. Girlfriend or no girlfriend, we love music and I don't think I would trade it for anything.
I rolled over onto my stomach, hugging my pillow and burying my face in it, making a quick decision: I was going back to that store tomorrow.
Chapter 3
I layed Jade down gently in the basinet, trying not to wake her. I watched her for a few minutes - partly to make sure she was going to stay asleep and partly because babies are so cute when they're alseep - then walked back to the couch and picked up the book I had to read for American Literature. We didn't have to have it finished for another week, but I like to get an early start on things.
I had been reading for half an hour when I heard a key being inserted into the lock. I turned to see who it was.
"Hey," Crystal, my 17-year-old sister called, "I'm home."
"Don't slam-"
Crystal slammed the door and Jade started crying.
"-the door," I finished lamely, setting my book aside and getting up to tend to the baby.
"Are you babysitting again?"
"Yeah, you knew that. Mom and Dad had plans to go out to dinner and a movie, Ryan's over at a friend's house, and I'm babysitting for Jade."
Ryan is my 12-year-old brother. There are four children in my family altogether. Matt, at 19, is the oldest. He's going to college, but he comes home a lot for the weekends and such to visit. He's not coming home this weekend because he has to write a paper for some class.
Crystal held up her hands. "Hey, don't get mad at me just because I don't remember every little thing like some people I know." She said it like it was a bad thing.
"Um, some people consider that a virtue." I tried to stay calm. I was holding Jade close, and, although people don't always realize it, babies can sense when someone's mad or irritated, and it makes them cry sometimes.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to bed. Tell Mom and Dad I said good night."
I watched her walk up the stairs, rolling my eyes. I love her and all, but sometimes she can be so bitchy it's unbelievable.
Humming softly, I walked Jade around the room, trying to get her back to sleep. I hoped it wasn't going to be a long night.
***
I brushed my long hair back into a smooth ponytail before slipping a hat over my head. I hated wearing it, but my parents didn't hardly let any of us leave the house without some sort of disguise.
I flew down the stairs and into the kitchen, almost knocking Jessica down the stairs in the process. I shouted an apology over my shoulder before screeching to a halt in front of my parents. "So, can I?"
You may think I've really got it bad for this girl to want to go see some high school play she's in, but it's not just that I like her. It's also the fact that I hardly ever get to do anything. Do you know how hard it is to just hang out and go places? People are always looking at you and whispering, or coming up to me and asking for an autograph or a photo or a hug...not that it's a bad thing, it just makes it really hard to try and act like a normal teenager.
They exchanged looks. My father looked at me and sighed. "I suppose you can-"
"Yahoo!"
"-but only on one condition."
I stopped. "And what's that 'one condition?'"
"That we talk to her parents or you take one of your older brothers with you."
I thought for a moment: have my parents talk to hers, probably embarrassing me in the process, or take either Ike or Tay with me, giving them the possibility of being able to blackmail me. Hmm. "I'll let you know," I told them.
Swiping the last two pieces of bread (I hadn't picked any up yesterday because I'd forgot), I put them in the toaster and poured a glass of juice. When they popped up, I spread butter and jelly on them and sat down at the table to eat. "Do you want me to go back to the store to pick up some bread, Mom?"
"Sure, sweetie."
I finished off the toast in a matter of seconds and downed the glass of juice, then jumped to my feet. "Anything else you need?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Okay, mind if I go now, then?"
"Put your glass in the sink, sweetie. And yes, you can go now."
I rolled my eyes, grinning, and put the glass in the sink. I even rinsed it out. Then I dropped a kiss on my mother's cheek, yelled "Back in a few," and scrambled out the door. "Free at last!" I shouted and hopped into the car.
I love driving. I could drive forever. It's kind of strange, considering that Ike and Tay don't really like to drive. Of course, they claim they would rather drive than ride with me. I, on the other hand, think I'm an excellent driver.
I was so caught up in my thoughts I almost missed the turn. I made it, but my turn signal hadn't been on. Oh, well, it seemed I was the only one running around anyway. Then it hit me that it was Friday morning: everyone would be in school.
Feeling like a goober, I went in, brought a couple bags of bread, and left. Hopefully, I'll be able to use the car tonight.
***
I tapped my pencil against my notebook and glanced at the clock before turning my gaze to the window once again. The PE class was outside today, and they were playing soccer. Too bad I was stuck in World History.
The bell rang, cutting off the teacher mid-sentence, and forty books slammed shut, thirty-eight teenagers jumpimg up and stampeding to the door, pushing and yelling. I, on the other hand, was a bit more relaxed, and stood up slowly. Janine joined me, and we watched as they practically fell into the hallway. We could hear lockers slamming and people screaming stuff to one another, straining to be heard. We looked at one another, eyebrows raised. Typical Friday.
We walked into the hallway. It was amazingly empty, considering that the bell had only rang a few minutes ago. Sure, there were some students standing around and talking, and some pulling books out of their lockers, but mostly they were all outside, piling onto the buses or sliding into their cars, or walking home.
"So, how did babysitting go?"
"I finally got Jade to sleep and Crystal comes home and slams the door." I opened my locker. "Luckily, it didn't take too long to get her back to sleep."
Janine leaned against the locker next to mine. "Why did she slam the door?"
"She forgot that I was babysitting. I swear, she has such a bad memory!"
"Are you sure she forgot?"
"No, but I hope that she's not so rude that she was trying to wake Jade up." Shoving the books I needed into my bag, I shut my locker door and followed Janine to her locker.
"Well, my night was entirely uneventful." She sighed. "You think my parents would have something better to do than just sit at home all the time."
"Where would you go?"
"Um, good point. You ready?"
"Lead the way."
Janine started out to her car, not even turning to check and see if I was following her. "So, are we on for tomorrow?"
"Hey - when I said 'lead the way' I didn't mean it literally." I jogged to catch up. "What's tomorrow?"
Janine gave an exsaperated sigh. "The mall! How could you forget?"
"Geez, J - it's just the mall."
"You need help, Ash."
I stuck my tongue out at her and waited as she unlocked her car door. "But, yeah, we're on." I buckled up. "Don't forget - you're taking me to work, not home." I smirked as she switched her turn signal from right to left. "How could you forget?"
"Shush, or I'll make you walk."
"Whatever. You could never make me walk - you love me way too much."
"Do you want me to stop right now? And let you get run over by all this traffic?"
I looked around. Since it wasn't even five, we were the only car on the road. "Oh, please don't. I'm not ready to die," I said in a monotone.
Janine giggled and turned into the store's parking lot.
"Thanks for the ride," I said, picking up my bag from the floor. I got out and shut the door, but the window was down, so I leaned back in. "You picking me up tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'll be by around 10 - sound good?"
"Sounds great. See ya, girl." I pushed away from the car so she could leave and waved as she drove away. Then I turned and went inside. After putting my bag away and pulling on my smock, I clocked in and got to work.
After I'd been there a few hours and we'd only had a few customers, I was beginning to think it was going to be a long night. I wasn't paying very much attention to what was going on, so when I looked up, I jumped slightly.
"Scare ya?" Zac asked, grinning. He was standing a few feet away.
"Just a little."
"Oh, sorry." He handed his purchase, a CD, to me and leaned on the counter. "So, listen, yesterday, I never got your name."
Now I couldn't help but grin. "Ashly, no e."
"Well, Ashly no e, I can come to your play."
"Really? That's great. You know, I'm sure my family wouldn't mind if you sat with them, as long as you don't mind my sister. She's not very nice sometimes."
"Sure. But how would I be able to pick out your family from the other people?"
"I have a brother - Matt. I'm sure he'd watch for you and then wave you over."
"Okay, sounds like a plan to me." He glanced at his watch. "Oh, I gotta go." He dug out his wallet and handed me a twenty.
I gave him back his change, said "Bye," and he was gone. I smiled, shaking my head. Zac Hanson was going to come to my school play!
Chapter 4
The next few weeks flew by, filled with studying, memorizing lines, working, and school. Occasionally, Zac would come by the store and chat with me. I knew him a bit better, but the thought of him at my play really freaked me out. I mean, he's famous and I'm, well, not. What if he laughed at me, or worse, laughed behind my back? I tried not to think about it, and soon opening night was here, and I found myself dressed and in make-up, staring out at the crowd of people from the curtains.
I scanned over the many, many heads, but I didn't see Zac. In a way, I almost hoped he wouldn't show, but, then again, I really wanted him to come. Glancing at the door to the gym, I saw him walk in. I ducked away from the curtain, although he couldn't see me, and took a deep breath. Please, please don't let me make a fool of myself, I prayed mentally, then pushed away from the wall and ran down to the locker room.
"Okay, Ashly, sit down."
"Zac, are you okay? You're being really weird."
Zac crossed his eyes and made a face. "Of course I'm okay," he said in a dopey voice.
I laughed and sat down.
"Okay." He took a deep breath, trying to look serious, but a grin broke across his face. He pushed a button on the radio he had dragged out and turned toward me. "I know you've heard that worn out line about love at first sight. Well, I never knew those words were true until you walked in tonight. All it took was just one look to knock me off my feet. I'm not a man of many words so I'll make this short and sweet."
My eyes felt as if they were going to pop out of my head and I know my jaw must have been dragging the ground.
"Could ya, would ya, ain't ya gonna, if I asked ya would you wanna be my baby tonight. Well, I'll take a chance, slow dance, make a little romance - honey, it'll be alright. Girl, you got me wishin' we were huggin' and a-kissin' and a-holdin' each other tight. So, could ya, would ya, ain't ya gonna, if I asked ya would you wanna be my baby tonight." He finished by sliding across the floor on his knees and coming to a stop by my feet. The song continued to play, but he didn't sing, just looked up at me expectantly.
I stifled a laugh. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Will you go out with me?"
I bit my lip, my laughter dying away, and shook my head. "No, I don't think so." He looked like his dog had just died, so I tried to make him understand. Grabbing his hands, I looked him in the eye. "Listen, I like this guy in this band Hanson. His name is Zac, and he's the drummer. He seems really charming and spontantious, but he can also be serious. He seems to have a temper, and when he's mad, it's not pretty. You see, I like Zac the drummer. I don't know Zac the person, and I don't know if I could see past the guy in the band enough to get to know Zac the person."
"Ashly, you are not another crazed fan - I knew that from the moment you let on that you knew who I was, but didn't ask for an autograph. I knew that you would treat me like a person instead of an icon, and you have!" He paused for a moment, lifting my chin up. "You are a really great person, and very talented. I would be so honored if you would go out with me so that we can get to know one another better."
I stared into his eyes. He was sincere, I knew he was, but I was still afraid that-
"Don't be afraid," he said softly.
My breath caught in my throat. It was almost as if he had read my thoughts. Slowly, I nodded. "Okay." My voice was as soft as his, like we were sharing secrets. "Okay, I'll go out with you."
Chapter 1
“Zac! Hurry up, will ya? We’re gonna be late!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zac pulled the hat down lower over his eyes and pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. Observing his reflection one last time, he slipped on some sunglasses and left the bathroom. “Let’s go.” He followed Isaac out the door and down to the lobby, where Taylor was waiting for them. From the lobby, escorted by bodyguards, they left the motel and went out the waiting cab.
It was like walking into a storm of people – girls mostly. It startled Zac every time he walked into it, although he supposed he should be used to it by now. The girls were loud, and their volume increased considerably when they spotted the three boys. They reached out, screaming, yelling, crying, desperate to touch the brothers.
Zac walked through it, smiling and ducking away from the pulling, clutching hands. He had almost made it to the cab that he and his brothers had insisted on over a limo when a young girl caught his eye.
“May I have an autograph?” she asked sweetly, smiling calmly despite all the hysterics going on around her.
“Sure.” He smiled at her, taking the piece of paper she offered and scribbling his name.
“Zac! Come on!” Taylor said impatiently, taking hold of his brother’s arm and pulling him toward the open cab door.
Zac barely had time to hand the paper back to the girl before he found himself seated. He flinched as someone slammed the door shut, then turned to look at Taylor. “Geez, Tay, what was that about?” he asked, but he didn’t really care, so he wasn’t mad when Taylor didn’t answer him.
“Whatever tomorrow brings I’ll be there with open arms and open eyes,” Taylor sang happily.
“Tay. Taylor!” Zac waited until he had Taylor’s attention. “Can you sing solo?”
“Huh? Of course!”
“Can you really? Sing solo, I mean?”
“Zac, what are you talking about? Sing solo?”
“Yes. Solo we can’t hear you!” He laughed at the peeved expression on Taylor’s face.
“Yeah. That’s great, Zac. Just great.” He turned away from his brother and continued to sing.
It normally wouldn’t have taken Taylor so long to catch on; he wasn’t as dumb as people thought. Sure, he had blonde moments, but they were mainly when he had just woken up, when he was hyper, or when he was tired. And Taylor looked like he was going to fall over from exhaustion at any given moment.
Zac always wondered why traveling was harder on Taylor than anyone else. It just seemed as if he couldn’t fall asleep, and when he did he couldn’t stay asleep. Sure, he did fine at hotels, but when they were on the road it was hard. His parents had taken him to a doctor and he was prescribed some sleeping medication and stress relievers, but it had been a bad trip for poor Taylor.
Zac shook his head, remembering how sick the pills had made Taylor; it was almost ironic – Taylor had been in the bathroom when he should have been it bed.
Pulling on a sweatshirt, Zac settled against the “couch” and flipped restlessly through the channels, searching for something, anything.
“Would you stop? That’s annoying,” Isaac said, looking up from his notebook.
“Fine. I’m going to bed.” Zac got up and wandered toward the back, shed his jeans, and slid under the covers. He wasn’t very tired, and wasn’t sure he’d have been able to go to sleep even if he had been; it had been a very interesting day, and his mind was racing.
And he could not stop thinking about that girl. What was it about her? He’d never been so stuck on someone in his life! She was definitely cute, but so were a lot of girls that he’d come across.
Impatiently, I pressed the button again. I jumped when I heard a startled scream and a thunk. The elevator doors opened to reveal two laughing girls: one was on the floor, her face red and hair in a mess, and the other was leaning against the side of the elevator, as if hanging on.
Taylor sat at the table, eating a chocolate frozen malt.
Zac entered the room, doing a do take when he saw Taylor. “You okay, Taylor?” Zac asked. It was a rare occasion when Taylor allowed himself ice cream.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
(something about Diana walking in)
“Taylor, honey, what’s wrong?” Diana asked, a concerned expression on her face.
“Okay, if anyone else asks my that, I’m gonna scream.”
“Taylor?” Ashly said, walking into the room. “What’s the matter?”
Rolling his eyes, Taylor abandoned the ice cream and left the room.
“Hmm.” Ashly picked up the container, snapped the lid back on, and put it in the freezer. “Guess he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Guess not,” Zac said, laughing.
“I love you,” Ashly whispered, burying her head in Zac’s neck and breathing in his scent. She pulled back, however, when she didn’t get the desired response. “Zac?” He didn’t answer, and she pulled away from him completely.
“Ash…” Zac reached for her, but she back away from him.
“How come you never tell me that you love me? You do, don’t you?” Zac nodded. “Then why won’t you say it? Please, say it.”
Zac remained silent, begging her with his eyes to understand that he did love her, to understand why he couldn’t say it.
Ashly nodded slowly. “Oh.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. “I guess that’s that, then.” She turned and started to walk away.
“Please, Ashly.” Zac grabbed her arm.
She didn’t turn. “I’m sorry, but I need to hear that you love me. That’s just the way that I am. And since you won’t even say it, it makes me wonder if you love me at all.” Slipping her hand out from his, she walked away, ignoring him when he called her name. Ashly slid into her car, wiped away her tears, and drove away.
Based on “Me Too” by Toby Keith.
I was sitting on my porch steps, lost in my own thoughts when I felt something hit my hand. I looked up at the darkening sky and held out my hand. More sprinkles splattered on my skin. Soon, it was raining and I stood, dusted myself off, and went inside.
Turning on the television in my room, I muted it and watched the pictures. I made up her own storyline to whatever show was on and played out the dialogue in my head. The doorbell rang and I looked up, startled, and checked the time.
Wondering who would be visiting so late and in this weather, I walked quickly to the door, not wanting my parents to wake up. I flipped on the outside light and opened the door, drawing back when I saw who it was. "What are you doing here?"
Zac looked up slowly. His dripping hair hung in strings around his face, and a raindrop fell from his eyelash and rolled down his cheek. "I couldn't stay away," he said, his voice shaking.
I stared at him for a moment, swallowing hard, then threw my arms around him.
We stood they way for a long time, the rain falling behind us, just holding each other like we were never going to let go.
Epilogue
"Zac, what are you doing?"
Zac watched his wife come into the living room and held up the picture. "Just remembering."
She took them from him. "Oh, wow." She sank down beside on the couch and leafed through them. "I haven't seen these for a long time."
"Daddy, daddy! Look at what I drew!" A little girl with blonde pigtails and bright brown eyes ran up to Zac, a piece of paper in her hand.
Zac lifted his daughter onto his lap and took the picture from her hand. "That's wonderful, sweetie!"
She beamed, but her attention fell to her mother. "Mommy, what's that?"
"Photos. See? That's me and your father from a long time ago." She looked at Zac over the child's head and smiled at him, love in her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Ashly."
