✔︎ Simple Beginnings || Zach Herron

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It had been twenty minutes, and I could hear Zach's voice coming from downstairs, he seemed confused and angry; I had answered all the questions I would think Zach would ask me and prepared some questions of myself. I crept downstairs, and as I turned the corner the mumbling stopped and all eyes on me. I looked at Zach and signalled him to follow me outside. We both stepped out, there was an awkward silence, as I looked down at the ground Zach coughed catching my attention.

"so, you're in LA," he said awkwardly.

'y-yeah," was all I was able to spit out. It didn't feel like I was talking to Zach bit someone utterly different... He seemed distant like he would want to be doing anything else at this moment. "You can leave if you don't want to talk you know." Zach stood there not moving an inch; it was hard being this close to him. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at his feet. 

Suddenly he noticed, "hey, Isn't that my sweater?" I smiled and began to take it off, "no, no, you can keep it I was just wondering where that went." It took Zach and me only five minutes to finally start talking to each other again, it was nice, calming even to be able to stand in front of this boy and know he won't hurt me. As he looked down at me, I smiled knowing that He was still the same person I left three months ago. It may not seem like that long to be apart from someone, but when you care about them its a lifetime.

We both walked in side by side talking and chucking at each other, the boys seemed surprised considering what happened but I felt happy. I sat down Next to jack and Jonah feeling a sense of relief with our conversation. Zach had said he missed me dearly and would leave Aspen in a heartbeat, I, of course, told him it's way too early for anything other than a friendship between us. But Zach did say he wanted to split up with her before I came so if the news of Zach breaking up with her ever rolls around, I know it's not my fault.  

"and was that so bad Paige," Jack exclaimed as I rolled my eyes. He always knew what was best for me. "told you so."

I walked upstairs to me and Daniel's room, and while I passed who I thought was Jonah's room, I stepped in to see Zach dancing around with headphones turned away from me. I grinned at the charming setting, I slowly creped behind him and suddenly placed my hands on his shoulder to completely scare him. 

"ahh!" he screamed, "Paige, why did you do that?" Zach half-wined. I just looked at him with curiosity, he slowly took out one earphone and placed it into my ear. The song playing was Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. I swung in the cute music and laid my head on Zach's chest. He placed his chin on the top of my head; I could practically feel him smiling, we both stood there moving back and forth for what seemed like forever. 

Soon enough I got tired and started to yawn, my eyes got heavier by the minute, but I didn't want to stop dancing with Zach. Soon I was half asleep on his chest, He picked me up bridal style and brought me to my bed. 

I woke up the next morning with the memories from last night still buzzing in my brain; I grinned as I saw that I was still wearing Zach's hoodie. It was seven in the morning meaning most o the boys were probably still asleep, I knew for a fact Daniel was because he was snoring as I got up. I quietly walked over to Zach's room to return his hoodie. As the door creaked open, I saw him laying on his bed with his phone by his head sleeping peacefully. I smiled and walked over to his closet where there were a plethora of Hoodies, t-shirts and black pants. I placed his red hoodie in the hamper hung along his door and scanned the array of hoodies for one that I liked most.

I found Zach's mustard yellow hoodie hanging in the back of his closet and slipped it on, as I left I noticed that Zach was no longer resting on his bed. I looked around his room and saw no trace of him anywhere. I walked out of his place only to be tackled by Zach who was hiding behind the door this entire time.

"Zach! come on." I wined

"Is that a different hoodie of mine?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"yes... the other one didn't smell like you anymore, is that weird? I'll take it off."

"no, it's fine. It's just cute when you wear my hoodies." Zach smirked. I swiftly walked downstairs to the rest of the boys who had just woken up ignoring Zach's apparent fails at a flirting technique. 

"Good morning boys!" I yelled causing Daniel to jump and almost flip a pancake onto Jacks' hair. I giggled, and Daniel turned around to give me a wave. I went to sit at the island with Jonah and Corbyn to my right. Jonah was on twitter while sipping a mug of coffee while Corbyn, on the other hand, was having a heated discussion with Jack about League Of Legends. The morning felt calm and perfect, I stepped outside for some air, but when I looked out the windows, I saw there was a massive thunderstorm outside.

"how did I not notice how hard it was raining?" I asked

, "because you're deaf." Jonah replied nonchalantly as he was still scrolling on his phone. I sighed and grabbed a plate of pancakes that Daniel was making, Zach came down soon after with his hair finally gelled up for the day. This boy did take forever in the morning.

The next few hours were tedious; the guys just sat on their phones doing their own thing until I proposed an idea,

"Nerf Battle!" All their heads snapped in my direction ready and excited for this war.