Dressed In Black

It would only complicate things.

"Please say something." I pleaded, looking to meet his eyes.

"Does he know?"

"No. I haven't spoken to him. I don't want to until i'm sure." he nodded.

"Am I the only one that knows?"

"I've talked to Lily. But other than that, yeah. Like I said, I don't know for sure. There's just a lot that makes me think it's a possibility."

He nodded and pulled me to him, kissing my cheek.

"Well let's get what you need. Better to know than not to." He grabbed his jacket and his phone, calling an uber to get to the drug store.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon."

"Thank you." He nodded and left.

15 minutes. The most agonizing ones I'd had in quite some time.

I was walking back and forth across the room, chewing on my thumb. God why can't time be faster?

"Alli, sit down. Your pacing doesn't change the time."

I nodded and sat down, propping my feet up. I was silent but inside my head was a mess. What was I going to do if this was positive? How did I handle my job? How would I handle Daniel? How would I--

"Get out of your head, talk to me." He said, putting a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. I was so wrapped up that I didn't even realize that he'd moved from where he was sitting previously.

"I'm just worried that whatever this is is going to change a lot of things for me. And I don't want that." He sat down in the chair across from mine and sighed.

"I promise you that I'm not going anywhere Allison."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what. We've been through alot together. This doesn't change anything between us. Whatever happens between you and Danny or you working, I'll be here. It might get really difficult, and I know I'm not always the best or the most understanding person, but I can try to be."

"Okay.

"Okay." He echoed. He shifted to look at me.

"What?"

"For what it's worth, I think you'd make a good mother."

"Thanks. I just... I don't know if I want that right now. Or ever."

"Trust me, I understand. Everyone knows how I feel on that subject. I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you."

3 minutes.

2 minutes.

1 minute.

I took a deep breath and stood up, wiping my palms on my pants. That was my future I was about to go look at. Everything depended on those little sticks.

I froze.

"Allison. You have to look." I turned around to plead with him.

"No, I don't, maybe if I don't know I--"

"Alli. I'll go with you." He stood up and placed his hand on my back, shuffling me into the bathroom. There they were, three of them, flipped over so I'd have to turn them to see.

One. Two. Three.

I flipped them all over before I looked.

Negative, negative... NEGATIVE!

I started laughing with joy, tossing all three into the garbage.

"Alli wha-" I cut him off by jumping up onto him, hugging him tightly to me with my legs around his waist. He leaned back.

"So?"

"I'm not pregnant! Oh my god!"

He kissed me, burying his face in my neck.

"I'm happy for you." he whispered, now planting kisses on my neck.

"I'm happy for me too." I pulled back to look at him and sighed, kissing him softly. It was only a moment, but it felt like forever before I knew I had to drop the next thing on him.

"Alli, you okay?"

"We gotta talk about one more thing."

"Okay." He sighed and set me down, walking to the bed and sitting down beside me.

"Thinking about you with someone-- anyone-- else makes me feel like shit. And I know that it shouldn't because we never discussed anything, and all we've ever been is us. I don't know why I want it so bad, but God."

"Alli--"

"I'm not done. When I thought I might be pregnant and I'd have to let you go I didn't know what I was going to do. I've had a taste of what it's like to be with you, and that's all I want now. And I just hope that you understand that and aren't annoyed with me for it, because that's how I feel and I'm being shit straight honest with you, Zak. I'm--"

"In love with you." Zak finished, touching his forehead to mine. Very uncharacteristically romantic.

"Yeah." I whispered, a little caught off guard.

"I know." I played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I think I've been in love with you for a long time, Allison Gray. I just didn't know it." I smiled and put my hand to his chest.

"Look, I know you. I know you're not a relationship guy, but I want to know if you'd be opposed to trying, with me."

"I'd never give up on a challenge."

"And I can be a big one." it was silent for a minute. "What do you think?" I prompted him. He nodded and smiled back at me.

"Let's give it a shot. But, you know things might get hard for us, with the show and everything. We're not really supposed to show that we're dating anyone."

"Well. You're not. They don't care if I do it."

"Pressures of the job."

"Understood. I've been a part of this long enough to know how it works."

"You ever thought we'd have this conversation?" he asked, playing with the hem of my shirt. I kissed his ear and down his jaw line, ending with a peck to his lips. "Never. But we did. So put me down on that bed, and fuck me." I whispered into his ear with a sultry tone.

He was caught off guard with that one, groaning and kissing me a little rougher than before.

"Goddamn I've been waiting to hear that for days." He tossed me on the bed and pulled his shirt off. I did my own and laid back as his kissed his way from my jaw to my pants. He unzipped them and pushed his hand into my underwear, undulating his fingers on my body. I hummed my pleasure and pulled his jaw to mine so I could kiss him.

"Slow down, we have all night."

"If you're quiet enough." he smirked at me and started teasing me, coaxing small moans from my body.

"Y-you asshole." I said through gritted teeth, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Oh you love it." I threw my hand over my mouth as he kept at it, trying to stifle any noise. He removed it, and I scoffed.

"You are making this so difficult."

"Good. I live to annoy the shit out of you."

"No kidding."