(3) Not the Same: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 59: Offer

        "Later guys," Zack said from beside me as we made our way towards his car. I raised my hand, waving at Jack, Rian, Alex, and Stella heading off to three different cars. Stella grinned at me, excited still about Zack and I being together. I laughed lightly as she waved back and looked away, leaning into Zack's side as we walked, squeezing his hand lightly.

        He looked at me and smiled, ducking his head to press his lips against mine. I smiled against his mouth before he pulled away, the same look of happiness on his face.

        "Hey! Keep it G-Rated! There are children around!" Jack screeched, pointing his finger at us from three cars down. I raised my eyebrows at him, an amused look forming on my face as Zack's free hand rose, throwing his water bottle in Jack's direction. Jack screamed, his voice raising to a high pitch as he batted at the bottle, knocking it down to his feet.

        "You dick!" He yelled, reaching down to pick the bottle up. He raised his arm to throw it, but it only went the distance of one car before it hit the ground, rolling to a stop behind the wheel of someone else's car.

        "You throw like a fucking girl," Alex said, watching Jack from the other side of the lot. Stella hesitated by the passenger side door, holding it open slightly, waiting for Alex.

        "You're a fucking girl," Jack shot back, taking a step backwards towards his car as Rian pulled out, steering his car slightly to the side as if he was going to hit Jack. Jack glared at Rian's car, flipping both his middle fingers up in its direction before turning and walking to his own car.

        "C'mon," Zack said softly, his words coming out by my ear. I turned, letting go of his hand so we could move to opposite sides of the car. I slide into the passenger's seat of his Range Rover, dropping my bag at my feet as I pulled the door closed.

        "Would you mind driving past my apartment? If Craig's not there I want to stop and get some stuff," I asked, turning to Zack as he twisted the keys into the ignition. He looked at me, putting the car in reverse as he answered.

        "Yeah, no problem. We should probably move all your stuff in soon," He said, glancing at me before taking the turn out of the parking lot.

        "I know," I said, biting at the inside of my lip for a moment. "I just want to talk to Craig first." I watched Zack's eyes dart in my direction before I continued. "It's not going to change my decision," I added. "I just want to try to talk things out with him, and I just want to let him know that I'm moving out, and not just spring it on him by all my stuff being gone when he gets back one day."

        "It's okay, I get it," he said, taking another turn. It was mid-day, fewer cars on the road, making the trop to my apartment much quicker. "You can talk to him if you need to."

        I smiled at Zack, catching his eye before he focused on the road again. We took another turn, closer to my street. When we finally turned onto my street, I kept my eyes out the window, scanning the parking lot as we neared and pulled in. When I didn't see Craig's car, I reached for my bag, pushing open the door after Zack parked.

        "I'll only be a second, you don't have to come up," I said, sliding out of the car. He nodded softly, saying, "Alright," before I shut the door, walking quickly to the front door.

        I only need a few things, I knew it wouldn't take me long to gather them, but I didn't want to stick around longer than necessary. I had no idea where Craig was and when he was at the apartment, but I didn't want him coming back while I was packing more. I wanted to call him and ask if we could talk, not just show up and surprise him.

        I packed for a few more days, knowing it wouldn't be much longer before everything was moved into Zack's apartment, and then ehaded back down the stairs and out of the building.

        Zack's head turned to me as I pulled open the door, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel to the song. He turned it down slightly as I settled into my seat, his fingers falling idle on the wheel.

        "You got everything?" he asked, eyes on me.

        "Mhm," I nodded, eyes glancing towards the radio, listening to the voice coming through the speakers. "Who is this?" I asked, finger pointing towards the radio.

        The main vocalist was a girl, diferent than a lot of the other voices of female singers. Her voice sounded scratchy, like the way it would if you lost your voice, but the way it stayed the same through the entire song led me to believe that it was the way her voice naturally sounded. The song had an alternative, pop-punk sound, similar to All Time Low's sound.

        "Do you like the song?" Zack asked, instead of answering my question as the song ended, followed by another one after a few sceonds of silence.

        "Uh, yeah, she's got a good voice, why?" I asked, watching him carefully, no idea of where this conversation was heading.

        "This is the band we're taking on as a project next year," he answered. "The badn you could be managing," he added, stopping me from nodding my head. "If you still want to, the offer still stands."

        I bit my lip softly, listening to the song for a few moments. I'd forgotten about the job offer Zack had given me a few weeks ago, with everythign else that had happened recently. I had been thinking about saying yes, and so far, I was still jobless, lucking out with the interviews I'd been having. This was still an amazing offer, one that would allow me to be with Zack while they toured the country, instead of waiting around for him to come home. That idea made it even more appealing.

        "Would you want to?" Zack pressed, reminding me that I was still sitting in his car, and he was waiting for some kind of answer.

        I met Zack's eyes again, smiling. "Yeah, I'd want to. Absolutey."