"Hey baby," Zac said later that evening. He'd managed to avoid pretty much everybody for the rest of the day. He got his things packed already but left the boxes at home. He knew if he brought anything but his necessities for living at Gwen's for the next three weeks he'd want to stay longer, and that just wasn't an option.
"Hey!" Gwen said. "Is that all?"
"Yeah. Everything else is at home," Zac said. "I don't need them here."
"All right," she said. "Here." She grabbed one of his suitcases and helped him up the stairs to his new room. She'd gone ahead and fixed up the room a little bit, and he liked it. It was still temporary enough for him. He set his suitcase down and looked around. Gwen dug in her pocket and pulled out a key. "Mom made a key for you. Now that you're living here you don't need to ring the doorbell every time you come inside."
"Thanks," Zac said. He took the key and sat down to put it on his key ring.
"I was thinking about having everyone over," Gwen said. Zac put his keys on the table and she sat down on his lap. "Have a nice party for you now that you're here."
"Sure," he said. He kissed her. "I can't tell you how much easier it is here already. Back home I couldn't breathe without having someone yelling at me."
"Well, it is understandable. You're the same you for the longest time and then all of a sudden you're different! Your decisions have been rather rash�" He gave her a look. "It's not like I don't support this, Zac. I'm glad you're taking that producing job in LA. I know it'll make you happy. I can see where they're coming from, that's all."
"Whatever, Gwen," Zac said. "So, did you think about coming with me?"
"I thought about it. I didn't come to a decision, but I did think about it. Don't worry; I'll let you know. I just�need some more time. This is a big deal for me. I'm not like you. I'm not as spontaneous as you."
"I know you're not. That's why I didn't go to LA right away like I had initially planned."
"What?" she asked.
"Well�when I decided to move out of the house and quit the band and everything, I was just going to catch the first flight to LA and have send someone for my things. I was going to get out of here as soon as possible, but then I stopped and thought about you and I knew I couldn't do that. Plus my mother would never speak to me again if I left the city before my birthday."
"And I wouldn't ever speak to you again if you left right away."
"True."
"I'm going to call everybody. Seven o'clock?" she suggested. "The prime partying hour?" He looked at the clock. It was only four.
"Sure. Are they going to be okay with two parties two nights in a row?"
"Of course. If they all feel as bad as I do, they'll want to do something to feel better," Gwen said. She stood up. "I'll be in my room. You unpack and get settled."
"All right." He kissed her and she left the room. He stood up and put his suitcase on the bed that was freshly made in white sheets and white pillowcases. The only thing he didn't like about the room was that it was completely white. In his suitcases he'd actually packed a few old vintage posters and some trinkets from his room so there'd at least be a little color. Being in that much white for so much time was draining.
Looking over his bed, his eyes rested on the white pillowcase. It brought back memories; he could see it there, vividly, as if it was just happening. A shock of red hair, spilling over the white pillowcase, the color so drastic he couldn't imagine its full intensity. It stood out, her hair all over his pillow, lying on his bed and looking up at him with such love and admiration that he could just sink into his knees in front of her. That was the night he told her he loved her.
"Is something wrong?"
Zac jumped around, surprised, and found Gwen's mother standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi Mrs. Garcia. No, nothing's wrong."
"You looked a little lost there." The woman was young. She was in her late thirties; she'd married very young and had Gwen about a year later. She was as dark as Gwen, but she lightened her hair in an effort not to look so brown. Gwen was brown from head to toe and Zac never had a problem with that.
"No, just thinking."
"Are you all right? Getting settled? Did Gwen give you the key to the house?"
"Yeah, she did," Zac said. "I was just unpacking and everything. It is okay if I put some posters up, isn't it? I mean, this is just too much white for me."
"Oh, sure!" she said. "It's your room, do what you want with it. You can paint it if you really want to, but I know you're only staying a couple of weeks so you probably won't be doing that."
"No�" Zac said. "Mrs. Garcia�"
"Please, Zac, you live here now. Call me Mom."
"Okay," Zac said. "Mom. I just wanted to thank you. This means a lot to me. Things at home are a little�"
"I know, Gwen told me. You can stay here as long as you want, dear. I know you want to go out to LA, but if you find you can't leave just yet, you can stay here all you want."
"Thank you so much."
"It's not a problem dear. Anyway, I just stopped by to say my husband and I are going to be out all night. I know Gwen is planning on throwing a little party for you, but I need you to keep an eye on her. I don't want the house a disaster when we come home, all right? I know you kids like to have a good time."
"Don't worry, we'll keep it clean," Zac said.
"Good. Well, happy unpacking dear." The woman left and Zac began to unpack. As he was putting his clothes away, his cell phone rang. He walked over and looked at it. It was Vinnie.
"Hey, Vinnie!"
"What the fuck are you doing, Zac?" Vinnie asked.
"Um, standing here talking to you, I believe. Was it so necessary to drop the f-bomb?" Zac asked. "That's very rude."
"What are you doing at Gwen's house? What are you doing around Gwen? Zac, Ginger cheated on you and you dump her. Gwen repeatedly cheated on you and you're dating her again? What the hell?"
"Vin, that's really none of your business�"
"And then you go and quit the band? What are you doing with your life? I can understand that you don't want to talk to Taylor right now, but moving all the way to LA to take a lame-ass producing job just because you can't talk it out with your brother."
"Excuse me, Vincent, but that is not a lame-ass producing job. With that job I'll make more in a week than you'll make in an entire year with any job you hold from now until you retire!"
"It's not what you want to do, Zac. You're in music to play music, not to produce other bands. It is not something you do."
"How do you know? How do you even know what I like, Vin? You have no idea. You know what, I am dating Gwen again. She might even be coming out to LA with me when I move out there. It has nothing to do with you and nothing you can say is going to stop that!"
"What happened to you, Zac?"
"Nothing, Vin. Nothing. You know, of all people I thought you were going to be the one to support me on this decision. I obviously thought wrong."
"You're turning back into him, Zac," Vinnie said. "You're turning into Gwen's boyfriend again. This isn't you. I bet you're high right now."
"I'm not, Vin, and even if I was, it doesn't matter to you anymore." Zac hung up the phone and threw it on the desk. He let out a frustrated groan and continued to unpack. When the doorbell rang at seven o'clock that night Zac smiled, recognizing the chime. His smile grew when he realized that he could answer the door without a thought because he lived in this house. That chime was his doorbell chime. Since Gwen was in the shower (and unfortunately, he was not with her) he ran down the front steps and to the door. He opened it.
"Hey Linds," he said. "Jarren, right?"
"Yeah," Jarren said. Lindsay and Jarren walked into the house. "So, you live here now?"
"Well, I'm just staying here," Zac said, "just for the next three weeks."
"Why?" Lindsay asked. "Gwen called and said she was having a party in honor of you moving in here, but she didn't explain why."
"Well, things at home are a little rough," Zac said. "I needed somewhere to stay until my birthday, when I could really leave and go out to LA."
"You're leaving already?" Lindsay asked, putting her head against his shoulder. He slid an arm around her waist. "You just got back! I thought since you quit the band you'd be around more often, but now you're leaving!"
"I know, I know Linds," Zac said, giving her a kiss on her forehead. "But I've got a good job in LA and the only way to have a good job in LA is to live in LA." Lindsay sighed as they walked towards the kitchen.
"What about Gwen? She's not going to like you being all the way in LA while she's here," Lindsay said.
"She might be coming with me."
"What?! Both of you are going?" Lindsay turned to Jarren. "Jarren, baby, I think they're leaving us behind."
"We're not leaving anybody behind," Zac said. "I'm never here anyway and Gwen hasn't even decided if she's going. For all we know she might say no and stay here." Gwen walked into the kitchen where the three had ended up.
"Oh, Linds, Jarren! You're here," she said, giving both of them a hug. "I didn't even hear the doorbell."
"Gwendolyn, you can't go to LA!" Lindsay said immediately. Zac rolled his eyes. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out some drinks.
"Zac! What did you tell them?"
"All I said was that you considered coming to LA with me. I never said she was going." The doorbell rang again. "I'll get it." As Zac walked out to the front door he heard Lindsay pleading with Gwen not to leave. He could understand Lindsay's point. He was never around, so a move wouldn't affect everybody very much, but Gwen was always there. She never went anywhere, and her entire group of friends had planned most of the rest of their lives together in Tulsa. If Gwen left, all of those plans would be thwarted.
He opened the door and groaned. "What are you doing here, Vinnie?" he asked.
"Gwen invited me," Vinnie said.
"I knew she would, but why did you actually show up?" Vinnie didn't answer and Zac sighed. "It's good to see you, man."
"You too." They embraced a moment before Gwen spotted them.
"Vinnie!" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "You made it! I didn't think you would come, what with the last time we saw each other we didn't part on good terms."
"Yeah, well," Vinnie said, taking the beer Gwen was holding out for him, "I had to see Zac. Who knows if I'll see him again before he leaves. Forever. Over something stupid."
"Taylor sleeping with his old girlfriend is hardly stupid," Gwen said.
"You cheated on him with this kid right here," Vinnie said, pointing to Jarren. "And what do you know? Zac's back together with you. Maybe if Taylor had tits Zac would be able to forgive him easier."
"Vinnie, ew," Zac said. "And furthermore�wait, you cheated on me with Jarren?" Zac looked at Gwen and she looked to the ground. "Jarren??"
"Hey, what's wrong with Jarren?" Jarren asked. Zac gave him a look and he left the room quickly, dragging Lindsay along with him. Zac groaned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Gwen and Vinnie to fend for themselves. Gwen was about to follow when the doorbell rang again. Gwen went to answer it and Zac got himself a beer from the fridge. A couple more friends entered and the party was just beginning.
In the living room, Zac put on a movie and everybody gathered around to watch. Gwen's television set was massive, probably the largest Zac had seen in a while, and her sound system was even better. He'd put in Mallrats. At Jarren's house the night before they'd seen Clerks and there was no better way to have a party than watch a good Kevin Smith movie. The entire bunch of them were Kevin Smith fans, and Zac had the honor of meeting him, which all of his friends envied. When Zac came back to Tulsa and announced he'd met and had a brief conversation with Kevin Smith his friends didn't speak to him for a week and he could only smile and gloat.
Zac sat with his arm around Gwen on the sofa next to Brandy and Matt. Vinnie was chatting with Lindsay on the floor and Jarren sat with Jessi across the room. They were still expecting a few other people, who wouldn't be coming for another hour or so.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Zac asked as the credits opened. "The time I met Kevin Smith." Everybody groaned and suddenly Zac was dodging pillows, which all hit Gwen.
"Hey, hey! I didn't meet him!" Gwen said. She grabbed a pillow and hit Zac in the face with it for everybody in the room who had missed. Instead of hitting her back, Zac grabbed Gwen and kissed her.
"You know," Vinnie said. "Although I've really been objecting to everything you've been doing lately, Zac, it's kind of nice to see you and Gwen back together again."
"Yeah," Lindsay seconded.
"She's a lot better than that Ginger chick you were dating," Matt said. "I didn't like her. She's too Hollywood for you, Zac."
"Yeah," Gwen said, looking up at him. The movie started and everybody looked to it.
"I love you," Zac whispered. She smiled. "Come with me to LA?"
"Of course, baby." He kissed her again and everybody threw more pillows to make them stop.