Zac walked down the hall to Ben's apartment and quickly knocked, antsy to see his boyfriend again. He remained vague on the details of when he was coming home, and as far as Ben knew, Zac wasn't supposed to be home for another couple of days.
The door opened and Ben's eyes widened. "Zac!!" Ben threw his arms around Zac, pushing him backwards against the wall. Zac laughed and Ben kissed him. "You moron, you said you weren't going to be home for another couple of days!"
"I said it could be a couple of days," Zac said. "I wanted to surprise you."
"You'll have to do that more often," Ben said and kissed him again. "I missed you." Zac smiled.
"I missed you too."
"Come on in," Ben said. Zac walked inside, holding Ben's hand, and paused a moment upon seeing all of their friends sitting on the couch watching television. They looked up as if nothing had just happened.
"Oh, hi Zac," Jayden said, waving. Zac noticed Jayden had his arm around Bronwyn. It was the first time she'd seen Ben and Zac together. Zac didn't even tell her that he was gay, but it was obvious Jayden had told her already. She looked at Zac, looked at Zac's hand in Ben's, then quickly looked back at the television.
"Hey Jayden. Hey guys," Zac said. Zac sat down on the couch that Nix was sitting on and Ben sat down next to him. "Hi Nix."
"Hi Zac," Nix said. "How was LA?"
"Hot," Zac said. "Although I spent most of the time in the studio writing. I managed to go to the beach one day." Zac turned to Ben. "That reminds me. If in a couple of days you see me on TV rolling around the beach with a half-naked model, it didn't mean anything."
"Whoa, whoa," Ben said. "What?"
"Wait, Zac, you mean like that?" Jayden asked, pointing to the screen. Zac looked over.
"Oh, it's me! It's my commercial!" A steamy black-and-white commercial with classical music played on the television set, seductively showing Zac and Corrina together on the beach, then holding each other against a tree, and necking on the sand.
"Is she naked?" Nix asked.
"No," Zac said. "Almost, but no."
"Every moment could last a lifetime," the voice over on the commercial seductively whispered. "Eternity, by Calvin Klein."
"Was that her?" Jayden asked.
"No, that was someone else. Corrina has a heavy accent."
"Corrina?" Ben asked.
"What?" Zac asked him. He didn't elaborate.
"You know, they really shouldn't waste a hot commercial like that on someone who doesn't care at all about the girl," Carter said. Zac gave him a look. "I'm just saying. I would kill to roll around the beach and make out with a half naked model chick."
"I didn't make out with her," Zac said.
"Zac, can we talk?" Ben asked. Without even letting Zac respond, Ben pulled him up and brought him into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "What the hell was that?"
"What was what?" Zac asked.
"That commercial! You were all over her!"
"It was a commercial. I was acting. They told me to do that!" Zac said. Ben rolled his eyes.
"Sure."
"You don't believe me?"
"No I don't believe you!" Ben yelled.
"How can you not believe me? It's a commercial! People do that in commercials!" Ben shook his head.
"Not in any of the commercials I've seen. That looked like a Chris Isaak video!"
"It was supposed to!"
"I cannot believe this." Ben turned around and left the room.
"Ben! It was a fucking girl, for Christ's sake! Come back here!" Zac ran after Ben, who walked across the living room full of friends who were trying very hard not to pay attention. "Ben!" He caught Ben in the hallway. "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know," Ben said, sighing and looking down. "I don't know."
"If anything, spending a day with her made me realize how one hundred percent not straight I am," Zac said. Ben looked up at him.
"Really?"
"Yes," Zac said. A small smile came over Ben's lips. "I'm only in town for a few days, honey. I don't want to spend it fighting with you."
"How long are you going to be gone this time?" Ben asked.
"I don't know."
"Well let's go back inside," Ben said. "Maybe we can send everyone else home." Zac smiled.
"Maybe we should." Ben opened the door and they stepped back inside, seeing Nix discreetly sit back down as if none of them were up against the door listening. "Smooth," Zac said.
"All right," Ben said. "You guys need to leave so Zac and I can be alone."
"Ben, I love how subtle you are," Zac said. Ben shrugged.
"Anyway, please leave," Ben said. Everyone got up.
"We have to do something tomorrow," Jayden said. "I do want to see my friend before he leaves again." Zac smiled as Jayden passed by, lightly hitting Zac in the shoulder and they all left. When the door was shut Zac turned to Ben.
"You talked to him," Zac said. Ben nodded.
"Yeah. It took a lot of talks but he's fine now." Ben stepped up to him. "I missed you and I'm sorry for not being okay with you making out with a hot girl on TV." Zac smiled.
"I'm sorry for making out with a hot girl on TV and not telling you about it," he said. "I should have told you."
"It doesn't matter. As long as you get to make out with me." Zac smiled and kissed him. Ben laughed a little bit. "Oh, Zac, I love you," Ben whispered.
"What?" Zac said, pulling away immediately, his eyes wide.
"Um�nothing. Let's go in the bedroom."
"No, let's not. What did you just say?" Zac asked. Ben looked down. "Ben?"
"I said I love you," he said, looking back up at Zac. "And I know we haven't been dating that long but I haven't exactly felt this way about anybody else and�"
"I love you too." Ben broke out into a large smile.
"Really?" Zac nodded.
"Yes." Ben laughed and kissed him. "Now we can move it into the bedroom." Ben smiled and walked backwards to the bedroom, kissing Zac along the way. After kicking the door close, Zac pushed Ben onto the bed. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Ben said. Zac began to kiss his neck, running his hands up and down Ben's chest. "Baby?" Zac stopped and looked up at him.
"Yes?"
"How long are you going to be gone?" Zac put his head back down on Ben's chest.
"I'll be back for my birthday," Zac said.
"That's over a month."
"And you're lucky it's only that," Zac said. "I said I wanted to be home for my birthday. If I hadn't insisted it would have been Thanksgiving." Ben sighed. "Just appreciate the time that I am here."
"Okay." Zac continued to kiss him. "Zac, uh, do you want me to�?"
"No," Zac said. "I want to." Ben gave him a questioning look.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Zac said. "I do love you." Ben nodded.
"This is true." Zac gave him a smile and kissed him again.
"Well," Zac said. "That was�different." Next to him, Ben laughed. Zac looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too," Ben said, and took Zac's hand. With Zac's free hand he wiped at his mouth and smiled. "Come on, let's go watch a movie." Ben got off the bed, pulling Zac up with him. They went into the living room and put on a movie. At that moment the door opened and Ben's mother came in.
"Oh," she said. "Hi boys."
"Hi Mom," Ben said. "We were just watching a movie." She shrugged.
"Whatever, I'm just home for lunch before I leave. I'm going back to Denver for the rest of the weekend on business. If your boyfriend is going to stay over make sure you're careful and keep it down."
"Calm down," Zac whispered as Ben gripped the life out of his hand.
"She's always like this," Ben whispered. "I see her barely once a week and for the four seconds that she talks to me she says stuff like that." He sighed. "I wish she could be a little bit more of a mother." Ben turned and looked at his mother who was making a sandwich in the kitchen.
"I'll see you later, Ben!" she said, taking a bite of her sandwich and leaving the apartment again.
"Ugh," Ben said. "That woman."
"Well at least she's not massively demanding or anything," Zac said.
"I think it'd be better if she was. You know, I've been searching for a way to rebel but everything I do she's okay with. Maybe I should just become a republican."
"You're joking, right?" Zac asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"Good, because you scared me for a minute there." Ben rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just talk to her?"
"She's never home!" Ben sighed. "I don't know what to do about it. She can do whatever the hell she wants to do. I'm seventeen years old. I'd just like to have a little bit of direction." Ben looked over at Zac. "Have you told your parents yet?" Zac shook his head. "Are you going to?" Zac shook his head again. "All right."
"All right?"
"It's your choice, Zac. It can stay a secret until you move out of the house and then you never have to worry about it again." At that moment Zac's cell phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it.
"Speaking of which," Zac said, putting his arm around Ben. "It's my mother." He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Honey, why didn't you tell me about this commercial you did?"
"Oh, you saw it?" Zac asked.
"Yes I did!"
"I told you about it, Ma!" Ben began to kiss him and Zac gave him a warning look but he kept going.
"You didn't tell me you were going to be making out with a naked girl!"
"She's not naked, Ma!" Ben smiled at him but Zac pushed him away. "Stop it," Zac whispered. Ben didn't stop.
"Zac, she doesn't have a top on and neither do you. You're rolling around the beach with a girl pressing her breasts up against you and you're kissing her! I saw the ad, Zac, my eyes don't lie."
"Mother, it's nothing. So she didn't have a top on. I'm seventeen years old�it's not the end of the world. Don't get in such a conniption fit, all right? It's just a commercial."
"You sure are doing a lot of ads without you brothers."
"I've done two and I won't be doing any more. Don't worry about me, all right? I have to go. I'll see you later." Zac hung up the phone and gave Ben a look. "Please don't kiss me while I'm on the phone with my mother, okay?"
"Shut up," Ben said and kissed him. Zac nearly rolled his eyes as they fell back down on the couch.