Ben and Zac were going to spend a nice evening at Ben's apartment on Friday before Zac left. Diana had a problem with Zac going out the night before they left, but Zac was adamant on going. "Mom, I'm fine. I'm all packed, I'm completely ready to go. Tomorrow I'll just wake up, get dressed, and we can leave. What would you rather me do, spend a boring evening at home with the people I'm going to be spending all of my time for the next two weeks with or should I go out with my friends?" Zac asked. Taylor was standing in the kitchen with their mother. It was the first time Zac had seen him since Zac came out to him.
"Zac, I know you," Diana said. "You're going to be out all night and then you're going to be late tomorrow, making all of us very upset."
"Mom, it'll be fine. I think I'm old enough to take care of myself," he said.
"Well who are you going out with?" she asked.
"Ben and them," Zac said. Taylor raised an eyebrow and luckily he was out of their mother's view. "Come on."
"Fine. But if you make us late I'll beat you," Diana said, wagging her finger at him. He groaned. "Don't you even dare. And be careful, honey. Drive safe." She kissed her son before walking out of the room. Zac turned to leave as well but Taylor stopped him.
"You're going out with Ben, aren't you?"
"What's it to you?" he asked.
"I'm just wondering," Taylor said.
"Well, if you must know, then yes. Yes I am going out with him," Zac said, lowering his voice. "It'd be nice to see my boyfriend before we leave."
"You're not going to�do anything, are you?" Taylor asked. Zac rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on, Taylor, I haven't even let him get to second base yet," Zac said. Taylor paused, confused, obviously trying to think of what exactly second base was. "It's the same thing as your second base."
"But you don't have any�oh�" Zac nodded. "Ew."
"You're so ignorant, Taylor," Zac said. "I'll see you later." Zac grabbed his keys and left. On the way to Ben's he began to think. They'd been dating a month now and all they'd ever done was make out. Maybe tonight he could take it a little further�just a little bit. It was all he was ready for.
He arrived at Ben's and they almost immediately found themselves on Ben's bed making out. Zac stopped it after a while, ready to talk to Ben, when suddenly Ben spoke first. "You know, Zac," Ben said, looking down, "we've been together a month now. I was thinking maybe tonight, since you're going to be gone for a while, maybe you could stay over?"
"Stay over?" Zac asked. "You mean, like�"
"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to," Ben said. "I mean we could sleep together without actually sleeping together. I just thought we could spend some more time together." Zac smiled.
"Okay. But I'm not doing it with you."
"I know." Ben kissed him again. "Do you need to call anybody?"
"No," Zac said. "They're expecting me to stay out all night."
"Really? Were you planning on staying over when you came here?" Ben asked. Zac put an innocent look on his face.
"I don't know," he said. "Maybe."
"It's nice to know we think alike." Zac kissed him, pushing him onto his back and Ben laughed a bit a Zac's forcefulness. After a while of forceful, passionate making out the two of them settled in the living room to watch a movie with a carton of cookies and cream ice cream.
"You know I've only seen this movie twice and I already know every word," Zac said. Ben had put in the third Austin Powers movie.
"Do you?"
"Yeah, well, pretty much. I mean I've seen this first two a million times each so it's kind of easy to figure out what's he's going to say," Zac said. "Mike Myers is really talented."
"And cute."
"Really?" Zac asked.
"Well, more in his Wayne's world days, but he's just so funny and that's like, wow." Zac nodded.
"You're right."
"So who do you think is hot?" Ben asked.
"I don't know," Zac said. "I haven't really thought about that." Ben rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on, there's got to be somebody. And don't say Brad Pitt because that's just obvious." Zac thought about it.
"Seann William Scott."
"There you go." Zac sat back with his right arm around Ben and his left hand digging his spoon in the ice cream. When Austin Powers broke into a song about his father, Ben and Zac joined in and Zac listened to Ben's voice.
"I love your voice," Zac said.
"Really?" Ben asked. Zac nodded. "Thank you."
"You know, I could help you develop that." Ben smiled.
"I'd like that," Ben said. "So what else do you love about me?"
"Everything." Ben kissed him briefly before turning back to the movie.
After the movie ended, Zac was obviously tired and Ben insisted they go to bed. Zac noticed Ben's mother wasn't there, as she usually wasn't, and Zac had never attempted to ask about it. "Ben, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, hun."
"Where is your mom?" Ben groaned and sat down on his bed.
"I don't know."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"Well I saw her yesterday when I left for school," Ben explained. "She works a lot, I mean a lot, but I'm sure she's also got a boyfriend that she doesn't want me to know about. She's not here often."
"Oh."
"Don't worry about it. Things are much better if she's not around." Ben pulled off his shirt. "Come on, let's just go to sleep." They stripped down to their boxers and got into Ben's small bed after Ben turned off the light. Zac put his arm around Ben, cuddling up against him from behind. Ben smiled. "Ooh, Zac."
"That's not me."
"Oh, nevermind then. What is that?" Zac reached under the covers and pulled out a water bottle.
"Water bottle."
"Oh. Why is that in here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Ben turned around and faced Zac.
"I'm going to miss you," Ben said.
"Yeah, I'm going to miss you too," Zac said. "But it's only two weeks. I'll be back before you know it."
"But then you'll be gone again before I know it."
"Don't think about it like that," Zac said. "If you think about it like that then to you I'll always be gone. And I won't be." Ben kissed him, pushing him onto his back and sliding on top of him. Ben began to kiss his neck and down his chest. He glanced up at Zac, who was looking down at him, able to see him now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The look on Ben's face was unmistakable and Zac nodded as he disappeared under the covers.
The next morning Zac woke up around eight o'clock. He smiled and rubbed at his eyes, looking at Ben next to him. Zac got up and got dressed, Ben still peacefully asleep in the bed. Zac hated to wake him up, but there was no way he was going to just leave without saying goodbye.
"Ben," Zac said, carefully shaking Ben's shoulder. "Ben, baby, wake up." Ben opened his eyes and smiled upon seeing Zac. "I have to go."
"So you're really leaving, huh?" Ben asked, sitting up. Zac nodded. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Zac said. "I'll call you when I get there." He nodded. "And I'll be back before you know it." Zac kissed him. "Goodbye."
"Bye, honey." Zac kissed him again before reluctantly leaving. Ben watched him go before settling back into the bed. Zac walked out of the bedroom and to the living room.
"Oh, hello." Zac looked over and saw Ben's mother in a robe, holding a cup of coffee.
"Uh, hi," Zac said. "I was just leaving." He left quickly, slightly embarrassed to see Ben's mother when coming out of her son's bedroom. Zac went downstairs and to his car, a smile on his face. He said he wanted to further his relationship with Ben and that definitely happened. It definitely left him with something to look forward to when he came back from LA.
When he arrived at home he found most of the family awake already. Taylor was there with his mother and gave Zac a look to see him walking in the house wearing the same thing he was wearing when he left. Zac didn't say anything as he ran upstairs and into the bathroom to take a shower. They weren't leaving until noon but he still needed to finish packing. Although he told his mother he was finished, but he definitely wasn't. He knew the only way she'd let him out of the house was if he lied.
After his shower he went back into his room and found Taylor in there. "What are you doing in here?" Zac asked.
"So you spent the night with him?"
"I don't understand why you're acting this way, Taylor," Zac said, shaking his head. "It's none of your business but yes, I did spend the night with him. I'm didn't have sex with him�I just slept with him. He's my boyfriend. I wanted to spend some time with him before we left. Now if you don't mind, I need to get changed."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"Why is this a big deal? When I spent the night with Bronwyn you didn't care, but when I spend one night with Ben, and we didn't even do anything, you're like this." Taylor crossed his arms. "Fine. You want to know? You're so absolutely meddlesome that you have to know everything, I'll tell you. He went down on me. And it was damn good."
"Oh my God."
"You wanted to know."
"I'm leaving."
"You do that." Taylor immediately left and Zac shook his head. It wasn't getting any better with Taylor. Zac quickly changed into some clean clothes and continued to pack. He was just finishing when his mother yelled up the stairs for him to come down with his suitcase. He stuffed the last piece of clothing into the suitcase, zipped it up, and brought it downstairs.
"Are you ready?" Diana asked. He nodded.
"Yeah."
"Good. Let's go, then." Zac followed her out of the house and into the family car. Taylor was in the car as well and pretty much ignored Zac the whole ride to the airport. Zac was biting on his nails, upset. As much as he loved his job, the past month with Ben was definitely something he got used to. Two weeks without him meant two weeks of constant nail biting.
It wasn't until on the plane that Taylor actually spoke to Zac again. They were sitting together, Zac next to the window, and we already in the air. "I'm sorry," Taylor said. Zac glanced over at Taylor before looking out the window again.
"Whatever."
"No, I'm serious. I shouldn't be like that, but it's still weird, you know?"
"Geez, Taylor, say it a little louder, I'm not sure everyone on the plane heard you," Zac muttered. Taylor sighed.
"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"
"And why should I?" Zac asked, turning to him. "You're the one who's prejudice and intolerant."
"I am not!" Taylor said, raising his voice. Zac gave him a look. Taylor lowered his voice again. "I'm not. It's just when for seventeen years your little brother loves girls, and has had his share of them, may I add, then suddenly announces he doesn't like girls anymore, you really start to wonder if you know him anymore, all right?"
"I'm the same person, Taylor. I told you that already. If anything I'm a better person now," Zac said. "I'm happy now and the reason I've been around the block a few times is because I didn't know what I was looking for. Now I know what I was looking for. I found it in Ben."
"So you're really serious about him?" Zac nodded.
"I just want you to be happy for me, okay Taylor? That's all I ask."
"Well, Zac, if you're happy, then I'm happy for you," Taylor said.
"I'm still me, Taylor," Zac whispered. "Even if I am gay. I'm still you little brother Zac." Taylor smiled a bit and put his arm around Zac. Zac put his head against his older brother.
"I know you are," Taylor said. "It just seems like since I moved out of the house everything's been so different, you know? I find out Jess isn't a virgin anymore and now all of a sudden you're gay�"
"Whoa, wait a minute," Zac said, sitting up. "Jess isn't a virgin anymore?" Taylor shook his head. "Oh my God, who'd she sleep with? I need to beat his ass!"
"Shh," Taylor said, looking around to make sure nobody heard. "I just found out a few days ago. It didn't happen a long time ago but it did happen."
"She's sixteen!" Zac said.
"You were fourteen," Taylor said.
"Yeah, but she's a girl! She's my little sister!" Taylor gave him a look.
"Oh, so it's okay for you to have sex but it's not okay for her? That sounds an awful like what you're mad at me for." Zac sighed.
"You're right. But I still have to beat his ass." Taylor shook his head.