Luckless Lover

chapter 9

Steff's p.o.v.

Aly ran up the drive into Zake's arms then ran to Steff. "That week was so long!" She piped. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Steff picked her up and looked at Zake.

"I got it." He said and got Aly's travel case. They all went inside and said goodbye to Aly's grandparents. "Now that my company is up and running I get to take a small vacation."

"Beach!" Aly sang.

"Beach?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I take Aly to the beach after she comes back from her grandma's. To make up for lost time. We stay three nights and two days the third day doesn't count because were in the car."

"Can Steff come? Can she?! Can she!?"

"If she wants." He looked at Steff and mouthed. 'Please come. For her.'

"Yeah." She smiled. "I'll come."

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Aly jumped up and down.

"When?" Steff said.

"Saturday." He looked at her. "Unless, of course, you have other plans."

"Please." She laughed. "You two are my whole life. I got nothing. Not since the ice cream on my shoe."

"You know what?" He looked at her. "When I was interviewing you, that was the most I've ever laughed in one day."

She blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"For me the most I've ever laughed was the day after my high school prom." He eyed her. "I was laughing at the poor sucker who went with me. Also I was, you know." She waived a hand in the air. Subtly telling him she was high. Never again. She thought.

"You?" He laughed. "Man if I were there." He looked at Aly. She was out like a light on the couch. He laughed. "She sleeps like you." He whispered.

"What?" She looked at Aly too. "Really?"

He nodded. "It's cute. You look so peaceful when you sleep. And I  probably look like a drunk beer bellied man."

"Nah." She smiled. "You like to sleep close to someone. Or is it just me?"

"It's you." He pulled her close. "But also me. A bit." He kissed her hair. "I sleep much better by you than I do alone."

"So do I." She kissed his chin.

"I'm gonna put her in her bed." He kissed her and stood up. She followed them up and went into her own room.  She found her PJ's and changed. Just as she pulled on her tank Zake knocked on her door and went in without waiting for her to answer.

He snaked a hand around her and kissed her. She smiled against his lips. "Why me?" She asked, suddenly questioning herself. "There's like four billion girls in the world. So why me?"

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Zake's p.o.v.

"So why me?" She asked.

He felt taken aback. "Because," he looked at her. "Because, you're beautiful. Because, I know you. Because I want to know you more. Because I love you."

Her eyes glistened in the moon light as tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you too, Zake. I think I love you even more than before." A tear rolled down her cheek. "You sure know what to say to take a girl's breath away."

He pulled her into a hug. "I never meant to make you cry. I'm sorry."

"Before you, if someone said I'd fall in love, I'd have slapped some sense into them." She pinched the hem of his shirt. "But now, now I can't live without you or Aly."

He kissed her on her forehead, her temples, her cheeks, her neck. He finally kissed her lips they walked over to the bed and he lifted her up. He set her on the pillow and kissed her neck more. She was still pinching his hem. She pulled it over his head and he tossed it to the ground.

He as about to pull her tank away when he heard Aly's room door click open. He flipped of her and lay beside her. "Mommy?" Aly wined. "I had a bad dream."

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Steff's p.o.v.

Mommy? She thought then realized she was just confused with how tired she was. Right? "Oh." She whispered. "Come on over and sleep by daddy and I." She crawled on the bed and wedged herself between them. She cuddled up to Steff. "Now, think happy thoughts."

She woke up to bouncing and tickled Aly again. Zake came in wearing only his pants. "Hello my beautiful girls. Did you sleep well?" He sang. He jumped on the bed and tickled Aly too. Then whispered in her ear. They both smiled big.

They came at Steff tickling her till she screamed. "Stop! Please!" She panted. "Please." When they stopped they planted kisses on her face. She pinched her eyes shut.

They all went down to the kitchen where Zake had pancakes and fresh orange juice waiting for them. "Hmm. Smells good." Steff said and sat at the table on the left of Zake. She held his hand with her right. Its good being a lefty. She thought. They listened to Aly's stories of her grandparents, adding comments here and there.

After they ate they played dance party on the wii. When it was a solo song Aly danced while Zake and Steff sat on the couch. They cuddled and watched her. "I love you." He said kissing her hair.

"Yeah." She looked up at him. "I know." She laughed. "I love you too."

Steff's phone rang, she looked at the ID, Scott. She answered it.

Steff: Scott?

Scott: Hey are you around Zake?

Steff: Yeah?

Scott: Cool let me talk to him.

Steff: Okay one minute.

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Zake's p.o.v

Zake: Hey bro what's up?

Scott: I called you like ten times.

Zake: Oh, sorry I don't know where my phone is. Anyway what's up?

Scott: Addy said to call you cause Steff will say no. But we have another dinner party tonight at seven.  You wanna come.

Zake: (looking at Steff) Yeah. We'd love to go. I'll have Grace come over and watch Aly. I'll tell her.

He hung up and looked at Steff. "Who's Grace?" She asked.

"Auntie GG!" Aly sang.

"Wait aunt?"

"Yeah she's my sister." He said. "Addy wants us to go to another dinner party tonight at seven."

"No!"

"Yes!" He smiled. "Or else you stay home from the beach."

"No!" Aly wined. "Steff has to go."

Zake looked at her. "Fine." She sighed.
"I'll go."

"Thank you"