Pictures And Some Memories

Twenty Four: Talk is Cheap

I crept into the house quietly, trying my hardest to not disrupt Carly, Alex, or Jack as they slept. Thankfully, no sounds emerged in the ten second pause I'd made upon closing and locking the front door, and I breathed a soft sigh of relief. I ducked into my room and kicked off my shoes, glad to get a few hours of sleep before facing the day. As I lifted the comforter, I saw Jack laying comfortably sprawled, most likely harboring himself here to avoid hearing Carly and Alex's loud love affirmations.

Another sigh escaped my lips as I dropped the comforter back over his body, but I quickly stripped off my jeans and replaced them with running shorts. I also grabbed a soft fleece blanket from the end of my bed and nearly collapsed into the sofa, too tired to walk upstairs and take Jack's bed. My eyes drifted closed instantly, and as I drifted off into sleep, all I could think about was how calm I felt when I'd almost done the exact same thing in Zack's arms only twenty minutes before.

"The fuck are you doing sleeping out here?" Carly nearly shouted, jolting me awake a few hours later.

"You did that on purpose, you bitch," I seethed, eyes still closed as I tried my hardest to succumb back to sleep. "Jack's in my bed, so I'm out here. You and Alex really need to learn how to either not fuck like rabbits, or be quieter, you freaks."

She carefully lifted my legs so she could sit, setting them back atop her bare thighs. I could hear her sip her coffee slowly, making as much noise as she possibly could. "I'm mostly just curious as to why you even came back after your night with Zacky."

I groaned, finally opening my eyes and giving her my full attention. "It wasn't what you think, Carls."

"Oh yeah? Then please enlighten me, because my imagination has run wild, and I must admit, I like him way more than I ever liked Larkin."

I pushed myself into a sitting position, my hands immediately finding warmth in the kangaroo pocket of the hoodie I'd been lent from Zack the night before. "He had a mediation scheduled yesterday with Jourdan to arrange temporary visitation until further notice. Both sides were aiming for supervised visitation for a few hours each Sunday, and instead, she used a sob story to get every other week with her son without supervision. She's trying to take Nick back completely, and Zack doesn't want that to happen, considering what she's done. He needed to blow off some steam, so I took him to the batting cages instead of the bar he was sure to be headed. We went for a drive, the record store, and eventually his house. "

"That's a date, you know," she remarked matter-of-fact, smirking. "I mean, the circumstances aren't ideal, but he sought you out. That means something, Andi."

"You really think so?" I couldn't help but ask. 

She beamed. "I am so glad you're finally starting to figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"Oh, come on, don't play dumb with me," she rolled her eyes, tucking a long lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Stop avoiding the truth."

I yawned, trying my best to stop this conversation from taking place. I'd only just realized exactly what she was hinting at a few hours before, as I nodded off against him, warm and comforting and utterly familiar. "What are you doing up, anyway?" I diverted, raising a curious eyebrow in her direction. "Alex's only day off for the next two weeks is today."

"Yeah, about that..." she sighed, trailing off. "My schedule might be getting busier, too."

"Really?" 

She nodded, although she smile she had on her face didn't quite reach her eyes. I narrowed my own in concern. "The label promoted me. I'm the head producer now."