Ever since Zac Efron had a very public breakup with his ex-girlfriend, Sami Miro, in 2016, he's had a series of "almost" relationships with costar Alex Daddario, Olympian Sarah Bro and even ex-girlfriend Halston Sage, but none lasted more than a few...
After returning from their trip to Chicago, Y/N and Zac were greeted by a crush of photographers at LAX. Following Zac's lead, Y/N kept her focus straight ahead, doing her best to ignore the onslaught of invasive questions photographers shouted at them as they walked towards the exit. News of their relationship was like letting a genie out of a bottle- once it was out, there was no way to put it back. Whether either of them liked it or not, her life would never be the same once she had been publicly linked to one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, no matter what happened with their relationship.
They went their separate ways after they landed, with Y/N insisting she needed to get straight to work. Her store had a steady stream of customers since it opened, but nothing like what happened once her name was published in several online articles about her relationship with Zac.
He didn't see her that entire week as she worked tirelessly with her small number of employees to fulfill orders and restock the store. It struck him how much he missed her after just a few days- he selfishly wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but he understood her business needed to come first. He was at least able to convince her to go on a double-date with Ryan and Shelby on Friday night.
With both of their girlfriends working late- Y/N at the store and Shelby at a photo shoot- Zac and Ryan decided to prepare dinner at home vs. going out. In the kitchen at Ryan's house, they caught up with each other while they waited for the girls to arrive.
"How was Chicago?" Ryan asked as he worked on preparing a salad.
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Ryan had been Zac's best friend for nearly a decade, and yet he still felt a sudden shyness and apprehension as he shared with Ryan, "I don't think it could have gone any better than it did."
"Really?" Ryan was pleasantly surprised. "Chuck and Camille are amazing, but those brothers...they can be a lot to handle. Did they all come for you pretty hard?"
"Yeah- thanks for the heads up on the five brothers by the way. That was a fun surprise," his sarcasm was evident. "The thing is," Zac paused for a drink of beer before he resumed slicing vegetables on a cutting board. "From the moment we got there, they all welcomed me with open arms. The brothers and I all went to a bar our first night, they asked me if I was in love with her, I confirmed that I am, and that was that. It was pretty refreshing, honestly. Sure, there were a few petty jabs here and there, but-"
"Wait, what?" Ryan momentarily halted what he was doing. "You told them you're in love with her?"
"Well...yeah?" Zac was confused with Ryan's shift in demeanor.
"I didn't realize you guys were that serious, is all. Telling her you're in love with her?" Ryan shook his head in disapproval.
"I'm confused why you're confused. Isn't the reason you set me up with her in the first place because she's exactly the type of girl I would fall in love with? What did you expect would happen?"
