The Broken Road - A Zac Efron Novel (18+)

Chapter 24 - Coffee Confessions

I slept in Zac's shirt that night to feel close to him.  It was the first night we'd spent apart in weeks.

The twelve hour period from the time we left New York until the time I tucked myself into bed that night happened both at warp speed and in slow motion.  I was terrified we had taken things too far, too fast and that we might not have thought it through.  I was worried I hadn't thought it through.  Was I really ready for what I'd started?  Was I even sure of what my feelings for Zac were?  As I replayed everything that had happened over and over in my mind, I finally drifted off to sleep.

I woke feeling well-rested and confident in my feelings.  I just needed to find the right way to break the news to Zac.  I got in the shower and washed him off of me and let my hair air dry so it was naturally wavy.  I changed into a crop top sweater and high-waisted jeans before making my way downstairs.  I found Starla in the kitchen washing dishes.

"Good morning," she said as I walked into the kitchen.  "Did you sleep well?"

"So well," I replied giving her a warm hug.  "We've been working like crazy these last few weeks and with the time change, I was out like a light."

"Zac said the same," she smiled.  "Did you want some coffee?"

"That would be great."

"Zac and Dylan went for a run, so who knows how long they'll be gone," she said as she poured me a cup of coffee and topped off her own.  She joined me at the kitchen table.  "With those two, they could be gone for hours."

"I'm glad.  I know Zac has really missed him."

"I was surprised when Zac mentioned you two were planning to spend Thanksgiving at your hotel.  Isn't your family from New York?"

"They live in New York, yes.  My parents and I, we have a very complicated relationship.  They will always be my parents, and I will always love them, but we have very different views on what is important in life and what is considered successful."

"How do you mean?"

"To my parents, success is determined by how much you have – how much money, how big your house is.  It's all about appearances – having the right education, the right job, the right clothes. To me, success is measured by the people you have in your life.  The memories you make with people, the adventures you get to share, thats what life should be all about."

"I'm sorry to hear you aren't close.  That breaks my heart."

"Mine too.  I hope that we can be close again one day.  It just got to be too much, hearing how disappointed I made them all the time.  I feel like I worked really hard to become a person they could be proud of, and they can't see that.  I want nothing more than to have a close-knit, loving family.  Zac gave me some really good advice about them.  He was the first person to tell me it was still possible to rebuild our relationship, even if we don't see eye-to-eye on those things."

"That's Zac," she replied.  "He always wants to see the best in any situation.  And family is very important to him."

"We've talked a lot about that.  He's told me so much about his life growing up and what a wonderful family he had."

"And he's told me a lot about you.  I can tell you're very special to him."

"He has?"

"Oh absolutely.  I can tell he really cares about you.  He wouldn't have brought you here if you weren't."

I smiled to myself as I took that information in.

*~*~*~*

The morning after it finally happened between Jess and I, Dylan woke me up early to go running.  We took off from the house and raced each other to one of our favorite trails - Felsman Loop.