❝miles❞ - jachary [✔]

xvii

"i'm breaking up with you."

zach felt hot inside and uneasy. those words hit him harder than anything. they opened up the wound that jack left years ago.

"i'm sorry, zach, but you deserve someone who's loyal to you and doesn't kiss other guys," he confessed, looking at the teen in the eye. zach raised an eyebrow.

"huh?"

did daniel kiss corbyn? is that what he meant? is that why he acts so nervous around him? if he really did kiss the faux blond, zach felt relieved and his guilt went away. he felt as if the score was even.

"i kissed corbyn." daniel scratched the back of his head.

"you did?" zach tried not to smile, although he didn't know why. he didn't know what to do or how to feel.

"yeah-why are you smirking?"

"sorry, it's just that-" he exhaled sharply. "i kissed jack the other day."

daniel let out a sigh of relief as well. "oh my- zach, i felt so guilty!" he laughed.

the conversation had somehow stopped being serious. they didn't say anything else; instead, they hugged each other tightly.

"let's just be friends." was all daniel said before giving zach a smile and entering the house.

the younger one stayed there for a while, looking at the door blankly. he sat on the step with his arms on his knees and looked at nothing. he was once again single. he forgot how it felt to be single and not have anybody. it felt . . . nice.

he heard the door open minutes later, not even bothering to see who it was. moments later, he felt a coat surround his shoulders and decided to look up. jack.

his heart fluttered at the sight of him.

"what are you doing in the cold, zach?" jack asked, fixing the jacket. "you know, you can get sick-what's wrong?" he noticed how the smaller male was out of it.

"i'm single."

"oh," he replied quietly. "seriously?"

"daniel broke up with me." the little one shrugged.

"um." jack didn't know what to say. was he supposed to feel bad? he felt happy. he felt like daniel had given him the chance to get zach back. "i really don't know what to say."

"he kissed corbyn, did you know that? and i was over here feeling guilty that we had kissed." he chuckled sharply and looked at the curly haired male.

"no wonder they both acted so weird around each other. huh. makes sense." jack faced zach and had the urge to hug him because he had his little sad face.

so he did. he wrapped his arms around his small body and held him. zach hugged back, burying his face into jack's neck and staying there. he missed those types of hugs that the older male used to give him. the ones where none of them said anything or moved. they just remained in that position, feeling butterflies in their stomachs.

---

the whole time his friends were at the herron household, zach had daniel's words in his mind. the smaller one could tell that his recent ex was actually disappointed in him for keeping such thing from jack. 

however, he managed to push those thoughts away and be happy that his son was home. they had left his home and went out to have fun or something, they didn't know. 

"we should all just hangout everyday before jack and i leave," suggested corbyn, holding miles' hands and lifting him up every so often as they walked, making the little one laugh. 

"that doesn't sound bad at all," said jonah with his hands in his pockets. 

they were walking towards a bowling alley that wasn't too far from zach's house. it was only about a fifteen minute walk and the nineteen year old made sure his son was zipped up well enough for the cold. he may have gone a little too far with the double socks and hats but he couldn't risk it. 

"well, we can't really go anywhere since it's cold," jack added, pursing his lips. "unless we go to, like, an indoor pool. that'd be nice, i'm up for a swim." his face lit up just thinking about it. 

miles gasped. "i wanna swim!" he exclaimed, looking up at jack, not letting go of corbyn's hands. 

"there's an indoor pool, like, thirty minutes away from here. we should go, i think it's eight bucks per person or something." zach's eyes were on the sidewalk beneath his feet the whole time. 

"then it's settled, we'll go to the pool," daniel finished and the conversation between the five of them ended there. 

when they arrived at the bowling alley, they paid for themselves and got their bowling shoes. 

"you look upset," said jack, sitting next to zach while he was putting on the shoes. miles was with jonah, who was teaching him how to bowl, while daniel and corbyn seemed to be having a competition. 

"i'm fine," he replied, tying his right shoe. "i just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"you worry too much about everything." the curly haired male rolled his eyes. 

"no i don't." zach furrowed his eyebrows. "you just don't worry enough." he hmphed and got up. 

"there's nothing wrong with that."

"then there's nothing wrong with worrying too much either." he crossed his arms over his chest. 

"whatever, zach, just get ready to lose," he said, walking over to the bowling lanes and grabbing a light pink ball. "i'm the bestest bowler in the world." he rolled the ball, hitting only one pin. 

the younger male rolled his eyes playfully and laughed. 

"please, i used to beat you all the time, jack." he grabbed a dark blue one and rolled as well, hitting almost all the pins. 

"only 'cause i let you win," jack scoffed, looking at the score board with a smile. 

---

the five friends had called an uber to get back to their own homes. jack, of course, stayed behind and went home with zach and miles. he wanted to make sure that the teenager was really okay, he knew how much he liked daniel. 

"are you trying to sleep over again? because that's not happening," zach joked, nudging the older male's arm as they walked up to the house door.

miles was in his younger dad's arms, taking a nap. it was dark but only thirty minutes before six.

"i like being lonely in my bed," he continued, stopping in front of the door.

"that's not sad at all," jack answered sarcastically. "you just seemed really odd after daniel broke up with you and i just wanted to make sure you're fine."

"i am, really." the younger frowned. Daniel's words couldn't get out of his head, zach knew that it wasn't the right moment to tell jack that he's miles' father.

but he felt the need to convince himself that he wasn't afraid of being left behind again. he felt the need to tell jack, and for a moment he was going to.

"there's something i need to tell you." zach sighed and bit his bottom lip, feeling nervous.

"okay."

"you-" he paused. "miles is-" he hesitated. "excited to go swimming."

like said before, he was going to.

but he didn't.

•••

ahahahahah u all thought he was gonna tell jack teeheehee