Ginger and Zac were in Ginger's room at 2:45, still waiting for Kris and Taylor to get back. Wherever they went, they were obviously having a good time because they weren't back yet. "I hope she remembers that we have a conference call in fifteen minutes," Ginger said, looking at the clock again. She'd been doing nothing but look at that clock since 2:30.
"She'll remember," Zac reassured Ginger. He was lying on the bed while she was sitting up, facing the door. He was playing with the ends of her hair.
"I hope so. She has my phone and I can't call them without it; I don't remember the number." Ginger sighed. "I hope they're having a good time. I hope Taylor didn't sleep with her and leave her somewhere, because if he did�"
"He didn't, Ginger. You're so paranoid. I told you there was something different this time. He's never like that, no matter who the girl is. I know you've noticed it; he's not that way around you even, and you're my girlfriend." Ginger sighed again and was about to say something else when she heard Kris running down the hall and made it into the room, breathless.
"Am I late?" she asked, opening her purse. She pulled out two cell phones; one was hers and one was Ginger's.
"No, we've still got about ten minutes before we have to call. You're just on time." Ginger took the phone Kris was holding out for her. "Geez, what were you doing that you're so late? You guys were gone for nearly three and a half hours!"
"We went to a movie. It ran long." Zac looked up at Kris for the first time since she entered the room.
"You went to a movie?" Zac asked. She nodded. "Wow�"
"What?"
"Did you sleep with him?" Ginger bluntly asked. Kris looked appalled.
"Of course I didn't sleep with him!" Kris said, her voice rising. "Why would you think something like that?"
"Well�" Ginger started, looking at Zac a moment, "Taylor's just that kind of person. He likes to have sex." Kris was still shocked. "Did he even try to sleep with you?" Kris shook her head.
"No, he didn't."
"Oh my God," Zac said, not hiding the surprise in his voice. "He didn't?" Kris looked at him.
"What?"
"Um�I have to go talk to Taylor. I'll leave you two to your call." Zac got up quickly and left the room. He walked down the hall to Taylor's room and went inside; the door was open and Taylor was flipping through the television channels. The poster of Ginger that Zac had given him was hung up on the wall, still in its frame. Taylor looked up.
"Oh, hey Zac."
"You didn't sleep with her?" Zac asked immediately.
"Well, even though it's none of your business, no. I didn't." Zac glanced out of the room. The door to Ginger's room was still open. Zac closed Taylor's door.
"What's going on, Taylor?"
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked, giving his brother a slightly annoyed look.
"Oh, come on, Taylor. I know you. You'll sleep with anything that's anatomically correct. Do you not like her or something?" Zac asked. "I mean, although I'm not supposed to notice, I think she's hot. If I were you I'd do her�"
"It's not that, Zac," Taylor said. Zac looked at him impatiently. "I do like her. She is hot, and, yeah, I don't have a problem doing her, but she's different."
"You don't have to be different with her just because she's Ginger's friend, Taylor. Ginger's not going to excommunicate you just because you did your typical Taylor thing�"
"No, that's not it!" Taylor said, his voice raising. "You're not listening to me. I like her, Zac."
"Yeah, you said that�"
"No, I like her, Zac." Zac paused. "She's not like all the rest of them, I knew that the moment I looked at her. She's not the kind of person that you can just spend a night with and then forget. She's the kind of person you have a relationship with."
"Do you want a relationship with her?" Zac asked. Taylor nodded.
This was completely shocking. Taylor had been with a lot of girls and had a lot of girls around him all the time, but he'd never really had a serious girlfriend before. He'd never been out with someone for more than three weeks. When he got bored he always moved on to someone else, and he usually did it in a tasteful manner. As of late he'd just been spending the night with girls and throwing them away as quickly as they came, but he wasn't always like that. But this was something unheard of. He'd never had serious feelings for anybody, and especially not after knowing them for less than four hours.
"Kris said you guys went to a movie," Zac said, breaking the long silence. Taylor nodded again. "Did you kiss her?"
"Of course I kissed her," Taylor said. "I'm only human." Zac smiled. "But that's all we did. I've never actually gone to a movie with a girl and watched the whole thing, but we did. We made out a little in the car before we came into the house, but that was about it. I didn't want to ruin anything."
"Wow, Taylor."
"I know."
"Well�I have more important things to be doing," Zac said and left. As soon as he got into the hallway Ginger walked up to him. He checked his watch. "Don't you have a call?"
"Kris is setting up right now; I said I had to go to the bathroom. What'd he say?" she asked. Zac looked back at Taylor's room and the door was closed again.
"He likes her."
"Really? What does that mean?"
"Taylor's never actually had feelings for anybody before. He said all they did was make out a little in the car before they came inside the house. He didn't want to ruin anything. He wants to have a relationship with her."
"Oh my God, really? That's what she said! This is the best!"
"Ginger, I think you're too into this," Zac said, rolling his eyes and walking past her. She stopped him.
"You're so mean to me, Zac Hanson," she said, pulling him back to her. "You know I'm leaving at nine. This phone call's going to take at least an hour."
"Well after you phone call I'm just going to have to take you out," Zac said, slipping his arms around her waist. "When do you think I'll see you again?"
"I don't know�" Ginger said, sighing. "It could be a while. We're both just so busy." It was the truth. They would both be busy for the next few months, at least, but after that Ginger didn't have anything else to do. She wasn't planning on another movie and the book she was writing was just so the publishers would leave her alone. She had never been interested in publishing any of her work.
"Ginger!!!" Kris yelled from down the hall.
"Shit," Ginger muttered. "I'll see you later." She kissed Zac before slipping off to her room.
"Can Kris and Taylor come with us?" Ginger asked about an hour and a half later, after she'd finished her conference call. Zac looked up from his desk, where, ironically enough, he had been writing.
"Do they have to?" Zac asked. "I kind of wanted it to just be the two of us. We can't get it on in the back seat if they're coming along with us."
"No, they'll go in Taylor's car; they just want to go out with us. Please? I promise they won't bother us and we'll have plenty of alone time." Ginger walked up to him and sat on his lap. "I promise." She kissed his neck softly. "I love you�"
"All right, they can come."
"Thank you, baby."
"Are you all packed and everything? I want to be out with you as late as possible." Ginger nodded. "Good." She stood up.
"Let's go, babe." Ginger walked out of the room and Zac followed, leaving his half-scribbled work on the desk. Taylor and Kris were already downstairs, waiting for the two of them. They looked so homely together. Taylor, who normally would be grabbing her indecently, was standing like a perfect gentleman beside Kris.
"Are you two ready?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah," Ginger said. "Let's go." Zac opened the door. Taylor took Kris's hand and the four of them began to leave.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"She always pops up at the worst times," Ginger muttered to Zac. Zac couldn't help but smile.
"We're going out, Mom," Zac explained, erasing the smile from his face. "I'd like to spend some time with Ginger before she leaves this evening. If anything you should be happy." Diana sighed and looked at Taylor, but, more directly, at Kris.
"Who is this one, Taylor?"
"Excuse me?" Taylor asked.
"Mom," Zac said, stepping in. "This is Kris. She's Ginger's friend." Diana nodded.
"Oh, yes�the editor, right? Nice to meet you, dear." Diana shook Kris's hand and Ginger watched, surprised. "Are you leaving with Ginger this evening?"
"Yes I am," Kris said.
"That's a shame. I didn't even get to speak with you."
"What the f�"
"Let's go, guys," Zac said, cutting Ginger off. He pushed her out the front door and as soon as they door was closed, Ginger's temper exploded.
"What was that? Why is she nice to Kris?" Ginger yelled. "Is this another way to completely piss me off?"
"Don't you think you're being a little unfair, Ging?" Zac asked. "I mean, she did just meet Kris and all."
"She was mean to me the moment I met her! Why is she so nice to Kris?"
"Well, for one thing, my mother hasn't seen any posters of a half-naked Kris hanging up on my wall," Zac said. "That could be one thing."
"That was your fault!"
"Ginger�" She sighed and apologized, walking over to Zac's car. Zac let her in and she sat down, hurt. Zac got into the car and looked over at her. "Are you okay, honey?"
"I just don't get why she doesn't like me. It's not like I've ever given her reason to; it's not like I've done anything to her. And then Kris walks in there and she's just nice and happy with her�I don't get it."
"Neither do I, baby. Just don't think about it, okay? We have a few hours left before you have to go, let's try to have a good time. Everything's working out for the good here. Taylor likes Kris and he's never liked anybody before. Maybe something can come from that."
Ginger sighed again. "Maybe�"
"What, do you not want them to have a relationship?"
"No, that's not it." She looked at him. "It's not that. Like you said, let's just try to have a good time. I don't know when I'm going to see you again." He started the car. "I love you, you know that?"
"Of course I know that, sweetie."
"Just don't forget that." She kissed him. "Let's go."