My Life with the Boys

Chapter 32- The Truth

It had been a week since the opening and Zack and I have barely said a word to each other. He was always at the bar working or when he was here, he was usually locked up in his room. He was also out a lot. I assume it has to do with Natalie.

One night after eating dinner by myself. Again. And with Evie already fast asleep I decide I have had enough of this silence when Zack walks in.

"Do you ever plan on talking to me?" I ask.

He turns and looks at me surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You have been avoiding me all week. Ever since Natalie showed up you haven't said a word to me. You haven't even told me what is going on. We are best friends. We are meant to be able to tell each other everything." I remind him.

"Like you tell me everything?" He says looking irritated. "You never told me about what happened with Ethan. You didn't tell me you were pregnant. You never even told me what happened with Aaron. One minute you were practically living together and the next, you were suddenly broken up and you refused to tell us why."

"It is complicated." I respond stupidly.

"Well what happened with Natalie was complicated." He mimics me.

"Fine. I will tell you. But you have to tell me what is going on with Natalie." I sigh.

"Fine. Go ahead." He says not moving from his spot in the kitchen.

"Everything during Sophomore Year with Aaron was going great. I really like him. He made me happy. But he was graduating that year. So in the summer he asked me to transfer schools and go live with him in New York. I said no and we got into a huge fight and broke up." I tell him.

"Why did you say no?" He asks.

Damn. I was hoping he wouldn't ask about that.

I take a deep breath. "I told him I didn't want to leave you guys. And he said it because of you. He said I didn't want to leave you because I was in love with you still. That was when I realised I was in love with you. That he was right. I hated seeing you with different girls all the time. We didn't really speak or hang out like we used to before we broke up and I missed that. I realised that I was in love with you so I couldn't go to New York. Because I was in love with you." I admit.

Zack stays silent for a moment. Taking in what I said. "You... You love me?"

"I did. Not anymore." I clarify and I would almost swear that I saw a disappointed look in his eye. Almost.

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"You were sleeping with all those different girls. You were happy. What would be the point in telling you when you didn't love me back? It would have just ruined our friendship. So I distanced myself from you. Because everyone else was in relationships I spent more time with Ethan. We got close." I continue.

"And then you guys slept together at the wedding?" He asks.

I look down and sigh. "Yes. I was sad and alone. Everyone else was happy. Ethan comforted me when no one else did. He was there for me. So we both drunk and decided we didn't want to be alone anymore. Even if it was only for one night." I admit.

"And you never told us? Told me?" He says looking hurt.

"This wasn't like last time. He died Zack! Two weeks after. How could I tell you? It would be like dumping my problems on top of everything else! It was something I had to deal with on my own. Do you understand what it feels like to see your best friend die right in front of you after sharing something so special? To see your telling you he is in love with you right as he died? And then not only do you wake up to find out that he really is dead, but to find out you are pregnant with his child? How can you ever understand that? You can't. And you never can. None of you could." By now I am crying. Zack stays silent, his eyes filling up with tears slightly as I continue to yell. "And then when I was going through all of that. You decide to leave. Right when I needed you more than ever. I need my best friend and I lost two of them. You got to leave. To escape everything that reminds you so much of him. I have to see it ever single day in her! In Evie. And as much as I love her it is killing me seeing how much she is like him. His features and mannerisms are all in her. I loved him and then he was gone. And you were too." By this point I was breaking down crying in Zack's arms.

We cry together. For hours. Until there were no tears left.

When we finally stop I realise that we somehow moved onto the couch.

"Sorry." I say quietly, wiping away the tears that are still on my cheek.

"No, I sort of understand now. I am sorry I got mad at you. I now know you had your reasons for keeping stuff from us. And I shouldn't have left. I was being selfish. And I should have told you about Natalie." Zack admits.

"You can tell me. But only if you want to. I shouldn't force you to tell me." I tell him.

He sighs. "I was working for my dad's new company. Not doing much. Just the basic stuff. Only slightly better than an intern. Then one day this girl walks in."

"Natalie." I say.

He nods. "She was my boss's daughter. She came in to talk to her dad but she bumps into me on the way and we start chatting. And I ask her out. We eventually start dating and I start falling for her. She was funny and intriguing. I then decide to ask her to marry me. I just thought it was the logical next step to show her how serious I was about her. I even got her dad's permission and had everything set up to ask her. And then when I do ask she breaks down crying. At first I thought that meant she was going to say yes."

"But she said no."

"She said no. She told me that she wasn't ready to settle down. She wasn't ready for such a big commitment. She broke my heart. I was in love with her. So I packed up my things and moved back here." He finishes.

"What now? What has been happening since she came here?" I ask.

He looks away from me. "She wanted to meet up. So I met her the next day. She told me that saying no was a mistake. That she loved me and missed me. She wants to get back together. To get married." He admits.

"What did you say?" I ask afraid of what the answer could be.

I mean this girl was a bitch. She broke his heart. And he just expects him to forgive her for that?

"I said yes."

***

Uh oh. So this chapter was extremely short. I am sorry. But I thought that it would be a good cliffhanger ending.

You may have noticed that there are less parts or scenes in a chapter now. Now that they are not in school years I am trying to keep each chapter about one main thing instead of lots of little scenes. It is also easier to write it this way when writing on a phone. I will probably be updating little and often.

So please comment and vote! X

P.S thanks for all the recent reads! My reads have now risen to well over 200 in the last two days. Actually my reads have almost doubled in the past week. So thanks. Xxxx :D