ᴛᴏᴏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ » ᴢᴀᴄʜ ʜᴇʀʀᴏɴ

Chapter Five

February 26, 2018

The weather in Ohio was bitingly chilly.

Well, at least it was in Maeve's opinion.

The boys chuckled as they walked through the crowded parking lot to Texas Roadhouse, Maeve wrapping her coat around her figure tighter. She threw a playful scowl in Corbyn's direction when he brought up all the times she would borrow his coats for weeks at a time during the cold months in Virginia before he moved.

Despite the cold, and despite the teasing, she was happy. It was the night before the first show of the Invitation Tour and everyone—the boys, the managers, and the entire tech and moving crew—was going out for a group dinner in a sort of pre-celebration.

In the days before, Maeve had told Jess over the phone that it was strange to feel so close to a group of teenage boys she'd only known for a little over two weeks. They were all easygoing, gentle, kind.

Jonah reminded her of her sister sometimes, because of the way he carried himself as a person. When the time was right, he was entirely focused and serious, but in down time he laughed loudly and was game to act childish, which was usually initiated by Jack. Jack was always lying down on random things, pretending to run into walls and doors and saying the phrase, "I've discovered something!" quite often.

She had bonded with Daniel quickly. His sweet spirit and infectious smile made it incredibly easy to open up to him, as it was with Corbyn. The time she spent with her old friend continued to be rendered priceless with laughter until they couldn't breathe and conversations about things they couldn't understand late into the night.

To her relief, the initial awkwardness that had rested between her and Zach faded with time. It was less awkwardness than she just didn't know him, but she and the boys had spent every day leading up to the tour together, so she had plenty of time to get to know him until he didn't feel like a stranger anymore. Once she got over his daunting attractiveness, they clicked instantly.

His personality was rooted in teasing, joking, making faces and laughing at everything. After years of practically living with Jess, she adjusted quickly. She felt comfortable with him, and it helped that he seemed to reciprocate those feelings.    

Maeve was pulled from her thoughts when a peanut shell landed on her folded arm.

She glanced across the small waiting area near the entrance of the restaurant; it had obviously been thrown by Zach, who was feigning innocence. She just stared at him until he met her eyes and laughed, in which she took the opportunity to launch her retaliation. He scoffed loudly when her peanut shell hit his shoulder.
   
"How unoriginal of you," he said, voice a bit drowned out by the buzz of unintelligible conversation surrounding them. She didn't get to respond because Jack had caught on and thrown another shell, this one hitting Zach in the face.
   
Then, one by one, all five of the boys and Maeve were involved in a mini-war of projectile peanuts.

All the while, they were trying to be discreet since they were directly next to their managers and the rest of the crew, acting like immature children in a public place. No matter how stupid it was, however, Maeve didn't regret it because by the time they were escorted to their table, they were all breathless from laughter.

***

"It wasn't just once, either, it happened all the time," Maeve told Corbyn, who was sitting on her right.

As his eyes narrowed and an incredulous smile pulled at his lips, she reached blindly for the basket of rolls she knew were on the table nearby.

"So he just left orange dust everywhere?" Corbyn asked, laughing.

"Everywhere," Maeve confirmed, frowning a bit when her hand still hadn't touched anything but silverware wrapped in cloth napkins and plastic cups.

Turning her head, she saw Zach slyly pushing the basket out of her reach little by little. She scoffed, swatting at his shoulder.

"You're the worst, you know that, Herron?"

He grinned at her.

"Come on, Orland. You're not even trying."

She attempted it once more to no avail as he pushed it even further down the opposite length of the table. Despite herself, she let out a laugh, muttering as she back in her chair again, accepting defeat.

"Alright," he said after he laughed, pulling the rolls back, "you make me feel bad."

The rest of the night continued in the same fashion, both bothering each other at any chance they got.

"Why the heck are your elbows so sharp?!" he exclaimed incredulously at one point in the night. He had made a comment about her height, she had elbowed him in the arm.

His pride and joy of the night was in teasing her after she ordered from the kids menu.

"How old are you again?" he asked her as the server took orders from others around them. She made a face that made him smile at her fondly.

"There's nothing wrong with chicken tenders, Zachary," she retorted.

Then she turned away, but his gaze lingered on her.

She didn't notice.