In two weeks everything was settled. Zac started work as a producer for Columbia and by Wednesday he had already started working with a group on their first major label record. He sent out Gwen with a credit card to get furniture and in two weekends, just about everything was done.
"Can we go sight-seeing now?" Gwen asked around noon on Sunday. Zac and Gwen were sitting on their new couch in their furnished living room. Gwen had spent a little more money than he had wanted, but he had expected that.
"Ugh, Gwen�are you ever going to stop asking?" Zac asked. He had his head propped up against his fist, his elbow on the armrest of the couch, his eyes focused on the television. He was exhausted. Working on somebody else's album was harder than he'd thought. He'd lucked out, of course, and was a huge fan on this cycle's music. Upon finding out he was to be working with Feeling Left Out, he almost died he was so excited.
"Ugh, Zac�maybe I'll stop when you actually take me out. You haven't been home all week! I go to sleep, you're still at work, I wake up, you're gone�It's like you don't even come home at all!"
"It's just these few weeks, Gwen," Zac explained. "It's just because I'm starting out with a new band and a new record. Next week it'll be less busy, and the week after that I'll have normal hours. And if you didn't sleep until noon, maybe you would see me when I got up in the morning."
"Shut up, I don't sleep until noon," Gwen said. "I woke up at ten o'clock today." Zac shook his head. "What time do you leave in the morning?"
"Um�six-thirty."
"Oh my God! When do you get home?"
"Around midnight." Her surprised look made him laugh. "It's just for these two weeks, sweetie. Once everything's settled in and everything, it'll be a regular nine to five job. Of course there will be times I have to work late and everything, but that's not an uncommon thing." She was still surprised. "Oh, come on Gwen, this is a million times more stable than the work I've done in the past. Yeah, my hours are fucked up sometimes, but at least I'm not traveling the world anymore. I think working late for a few days is better than going to Europe for six months."
"That is true."
He stood up. "Come on, I'll take you sight seeing."
"Yay!"
She got up and ran into the bedroom for her shoes. Zac took the moment to look around the apartment. He had to admit Gwen did an awesome job with decorating. She said she took it from Charlotte's apartment on Sex and the City, and although he'd never seen the show before, it if it looked this nice then that Charlotte had damn good taste. Gwen went to the downtown library and borrowed all of the paintings they had hanging up in the various rooms, which saved a lot of money. His parents used to do that, when they wanted some stylish portraits in their house and didn't want to spend money on cheap knock-offs; they would just go down to the library and rent them for a few weeks, then either re-rent them or take out other ones. It reminded him of home and made the apartment feel better.
"Okay, I'm ready," Gwen said. She'd managed to change her clothes as well, to something that suited the early November weather in still sunny California. He could tell how excited she was to live out here, especially since she'd spent most of her time (when she wasn't decorating) out on the beach.
"Good. Where do you want to go first?"
"I don't know. What's here?"
"Geez, Gwen, you'd think you had no idea where you were," Zac said, rolling his eyes. He opened the door and let her walk out first. They went into the elevator and went down to the parking garage where they got into Zac's car. As soon as they got into the car, Zac's cell phone rang. "Ugh. Hello?"
"Zac! Hi, it's Peter." Zac glanced at Gwen. Peter was his boss down at the studio, although Peter wasn't entirely a boss. Zac had such freedom that it seemed like he was more of his own boss than anything else. Peter had made an effort to make sure Zac felt that way.
"Hey Peter. What's up?"
"Well I was just speaking with some people and apparently we're already hearing who's presenting for the Grammy's in February."
"So?" Zac asked. He started the car and began to pull out of the parking garage.
"Well, they want you to present an award." Zac paused, looking at Gwen again, who was clueless.
"Why?"
"People have been getting wind of your leave from Hanson and your new job here, and it's really upped your position. Everyone wants to hear from you. I've even heard something to the effect that people want you to go solo."
"Pfft," Zac said. "Like I'd ever do that. I like what I'm doing right now."
"Well, I thought you'd like to know. You don't have to make a decision right now or anytime soon, but they want you. Everybody wants you."
"Eh�all right. I have nothing better to do," Zac said, a smile on his face. "It wouldn't hurt. You know I refuse to answer any questions about leaving the band."
"I know. So you'll do it?"
"Yeah."
"Great."
When Zac hung up the phone, Gwen looked at him expectantly. "What was that about?" she finally asked as Zac was driving.
"Oh," Zac said, waving if off, "apparently I'm wanted as a presenter at the Grammy's in February."
"Zac!"
"What?"
"That's a big deal!" Gwen said. Zac groaned.
"No it's not. It's not like I've never done it before," Zac said.
"You've never done it by yourself before," Gwen told him. "Everybody's going to be wondering about you and you're not going to answer any questions about it? This is going to be a big deal. Big, big deal."
"Whatever�" Zac said. "So, do you want to go with me?"
"What?!"
"Do you want to go with me? They're going to expect me to bring someone and I can't think of anybody better than you."
"Are you serious?" Zac nodded. "Oh my God, of course I'll go! That'll be even bigger for you, though. Everybody's talking about you and Ginger and suddenly you bring this massively hot chick with you? They're going to wonder�" Zac shook his head. Gwen was always full of self-confidence.
"It doesn't matter, Gwen. Imagine if I show up and I don't have a massively hot chick with me. They'll speculate and think I'm devastated over my break up with Ginger."
"Are you?" Gwen asked. Zac didn't answer.
When Zac and Gwen returned from a day full of sightseeing, Zac was exhausted. He hadn't had much sleep the past week and Gwen took him walking around the entire city. He was getting too old for this. Gwen went straight to the bedroom and started her routine for bed while Zac went to the kitchen to check the messages. Normally he didn't have messages; whoever needed him could call him on his cell phone and usually the only people who called him were from the studio. He was anticipating a change. After all, he'd only been in town for two weeks.
"Hi Zac, it's Peter. I'll call your cell, so disregard this message," Peter said hastily. Zac smiled. The next message clicked when Zac turned to the refrigerator to get himself a drink.
"Hi honey, it's your mother." Zac paused and looked back at the answering machine. He'd given his mother his number as soon as he got it and this was the first time she called. "I just wanted to call and check up on you. Is everything settled? I hope you're not sleeping on a blanket on a floor at this point. If you are call me and I'll come decorate for you. Are you eating healthy? Make sure you cook yourself full meals�none of this fast food stuff every night. Don't order take-out too often. Eat your vegetables! Call me if you need anything and even if you don't. We're all very anxious to hear from you."
"Let me talk, Mom!" Taylor's voice said in the background.
"I'm not sure he wants to hear from you, honey. Shoo," Diana said. "Anyway, Zac, call me when you get a chance. I want to talk about Thanksgiving. I love you, dear! Goodbye." Zac looked at the time. It would be too late in Tulsa to call back now. He turned and Gwen was standing in the doorway in her pajamas.
"Hey babe," Zac said.
"That was priceless, Zac," Gwen said, nodding towards the answering machine. "I never imagined your mom to be so�mom-like."
"Why wouldn't she be?" Gwen shrugged.
"I don't know. What's that about Thanksgiving?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm sure she either wants me home for Thanksgiving or she wants to come out here. It's probably the latter because I know she's dying to critique this place."
"You know if she comes out here, I'm going to meet her."
"Yes, I'm aware of that." Zac walked towards the bedroom, his drink still in his hands.
"Don't you think she's going to say something about me?" He turned to look at her, questioningly. "Well, Zac, you've been eighteen for two weeks and we're living together. We share a bed! If she stays, she'll stay for a few days and she's bound to notice when we go into the same room together at night."
"That doesn't matter, Gwen. She has no say in anything anymore and I intend to keep it that way. If she doesn't like the fact that we're sleeping together then, tough, she can stay at a hotel and pretend that I'm still a child."
"Do you have to work tomorrow?" Gwen asked. She passed by Zac and walked into the bedroom. Zac sat his drink down on the desk (using the coaster that Gwen insisted they have).
"Yeah," he said. He peeled off his shirt and threw it in the hamper, then walked into the bathroom. "But I don't have to be in until nine, so I can sleep in."
"Oh, yeah, sleep in to the late hour of eight o'clock," Gwen said, sitting down on the bed.
"Seven. Traffic is a bitch in the morning."
"I wouldn't know," Gwen said. "I don't commute in the morning."
"You're not even conscious in the morning," Zac said. He turned on the water at the sink and began to brush his teeth. The bathroom was one of Zac's favorite rooms in the apartment. It had two of everything; two sinks, two showers, and two walk in closets. He'd never thought of having the closet in his bathroom, but the room was big enough for just about anything. His favorite part was probably the massive bathtub on the other side of the room. Now that his hours were regulating he could finally have that bubble bath with Gwen that she had been just dying to have since she first laid eyes on the tub. Apparently she'd been having a bath just about every day to start out her busy schedule.
"I hope your mother does come out here. I'd really like to meet her," Gwen said from the bedroom. Zac shut off the water and walked to the doorway.
"You realize if she's coming over for Thanksgiving, they're all coming over," Zac said. "My mother, my father, probably all my little sisters and my little brother."
"No Taylor?"
"Taylor's not even allowed in the same city as I am anymore," Zac said. "There's no way in hell they're going to bring him. Isaac won't come�he's been kind of isolated since he moved out of the house and he's not speaking to me anymore anyway, so Taylor would most likely stay with him."
"Why isn't Isaac speaking to you?" Gwen asked. Zac took off his pants and climbed into the bed.
"Because I left the band. He has every reason not to."
"That isn't good, Zac," Gwen said. "That's two of your brothers you're not speaking to. You don't get along with your mother and as far as I know your father doesn't even exist! What's next for you?"
"Listen, Gwen," Zac said, looking over at her, "They're just not as important as they used to be, all right?" She sighed. "Are you going to wake up a decent hour tomorrow so you can actually see me before I leave for work?"
"We'll see," Gwen said. "When do you come home?"
"I should leave the studio at five, so if all goes well I'll be home at six. Maybe six-thirty, depending on how bad traffic is. It should be pretty bad but the studio isn't all that far away." Gwen nodded.
"Okay. I'll make dinner."
"That'll be the day." She gave him a look but kissed him. They both went to sleep.