With the new year came Zac's new style (sculpted perfectly by Gwen), the finish of the Feeling Left Out album, the official start of Zac's solo project, and the Grammy awards. It leaked out that Zac was planning something; Peter made the mistake of, in a recent press conference said that the country would be "seeing a lot more of Zac Hanson in the following years." Zac almost ripped up the contract when Peter begged for him to stay. It was so pathetic Zac stayed. That statement only fueled the mysterious fire under Zac. Everybody knew Zac was up to something, but nobody knew what. It made the buzz around him bigger and on the day of the Grammy's, people were waiting just for him.
Zac was dressed his Armani suit, a clicker in his hand watching television as he waited for Gwen to get dressed. She'd been out all morning getting her hair and makeup done, bringing him along with her. She made him get his hair done by a professional, although it looked exactly the same as when he did it.
"Are you ready yet?" Zac yelled. "It seems like I'm always waiting for her."
"Just a minute," he heard from the bedroom. He still hadn't seen her dress, although he was sure that it suited Gwen just fine. "All right, I'm ready. Is the limo here yet?" Zac looked over and his mouth dropped.
"Oh my God," he said.
"What?" Gwen looked down, a smile on her face. She knew this was coming. Her dress was nothing less than scandalous. The slightly off-maroon color forced everything to look at her. The dress had a halter top, separating into two pieces over her breasts, with a dip in the center down to mid-stomach. It was long, with slits up the sides, practically to her hip.
"Where is the rest of your dress?" Zac asked, getting up.
"Oh, come on Zac!" Gwen said, rolling her eyes.
"There is no way you're going dressed like that, Gwen," he said, walking over to her. "I mean, how does that even stay on? There could be a gust of wind and that fabric that doesn't even cover your tits is going to fly off!"
"No it's not," Gwen said. "Don't be like that. I have double sided type on, my tits aren't going anywhere." She shook her shoulders and he immediately stopped her.
"Don't do that!"
"Zac, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just go." She turned and walked ahead of him and he saw the back of her dress for the first time.
"Holy shit, Gwen!! How could you do this to me, baby?" he asked, running up to her and walking directly behind her. The dress was completely empty over her back, dipping down as low as it could without creating the plumber look.
"Zac�"
"You're going to send me into an early grave, sweetheart," Zac said. She took his hand and pulled him next to her. "I just love you, that's all."
"I know you do. But this dress is going to turn heads, and you need all the attention you can get." They went into the elevator and went down the stairs. The limo was already there, waiting for them. The driver was leaning up against the limo.
"Good afternoon," he said. He opened the door for Gwen, his eyes locking on her for longer than Zac appreciated. Zac cleared his throat. "I apologize."
"Do it again and you're not getting paid," Zac said. Zac sat next to Gwen inside the limo and sighed. Already this was looking like a disaster.
"Oh, baby," she said, "Don't get all hung up on this. Tonight's going to be fantastic. I promise." She kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too, baby. You're just good at turning heads. You look absolutely gorgeous." She smiled.
"Thank you," she said.
"So you're obviously not wearing a bra," he said, glancing at her chest. "What else aren't you wearing?"
"I'm definitely going commando. You can't wear anything with this dress; it's too tight. You'd see the lines."
"Geez, Gwen�" he said. She gave him a look. "So that isn't going anywhere? I'm not going to look over and you've popped out of that, am I?"
"No, baby, you're not." She jiggled her chest. "They're not going anywhere." He sat back. "Are you excited?"
"Probably not as excited as you are," he said. "I've done this before. You do remember everything I told you, right?"
"Yes, Zac," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not saying anything about what you're doing, in fact I have no idea what you're doing. We don't talk about the band, we don't talk about Ginger, and�"
"And?" he asked.
"I forgot."
"I'm still producing with Columbia. Apparently someone started a rumor that I left. When we're on the red carpet, answer truthfully, but if we get to a question you don't know how to answer or you don't want to answer, squeeze my hand and I'll answer it for you."
"Okay, I got it."
When they arrived, the limo pulled up on the opposite side than at Zac's apartment, so Gwen got out first. That didn't hurt, because by the time Zac got out of the car, cameras were already snapping. He took Gwen's hand immediately and waved at the people who were screaming. As they began walking, Zac was sure for the first time that no one was looking at him.
"Zac! Zac, over here!" Zac looked over and his first interview began. "Who is this?" the man immediately asked, looking at Gwen.
"This is my girlfriend, Gwendolyn Garcia," Zac said, pulling Gwen next to him.
"What happened to Ginger?" he asked and Zac laughed.
"Who?" Zac said, a smile on his face. "Bye, buddy." Zac moved on before he could get asked any more questions. He looked at Gwen, who was so nervous her hand in his was shaking, but her face remained a plastic, Hollywood smile that every camera was taking advantage of whenever she looked up.
Surprisingly, the only interview that went the wrong way was the first one. Everybody else was so stunned by Gwen's dress that the band, Ginger, and any of Zac's future plans all faded away. He kept her hand in his the entire time, every squeeze calming her a bit until she saw another camera flash. In a lull between interviews, Zac leaned into Gwen. "I love you, baby," he whispered, and kissed her cheek, near her ear. She smiled.
After the endless number of interviews, Zac and Gwen settled down inside and waited for the show to begin. Gwen, to Zac's surprise, was a massive hit with everyone. She brought a lot of attention, like she said, and Zac was happy for it.
Zac and Gwen sat through part of the show until Zac's cue to go backstage. "I have to go," he said, giving her a kiss. "I'll be back."
"Okay," she said. "Do good. Don't screw it up."
"Thanks for your support."
"I love you." Zac got up and left quickly to go backstage. Once back there, he sat down and people started coming up to him. The first one was Alicia Keys, the person Zac was presenting the award with.
"Hey Zac," she said, sitting down in the director's chair next to him. She looked at herself in the mirror then looked up. People began to fix her makeup. "Who was the girl you were with?"
"That's my girlfriend," Zac said. "Gwen."
"She's beautiful. Is she a model?"
"No, she's just a girl from home."
"Oh," Alicia said. "She should be a model. That's some dress."
"Yeah," Zac said. "I didn't even get to see it until this afternoon. She sure surprised the hell out of me." Alicia smiled. "You look wonderful."
"So do you," she said. "I never knew you were so attractive, Zac. You were always hidden behind your brothers." Zac shrugged. "Can I ask�?" Zac shook his head. "Why not?"
"I just don't want to comment," Zac said. "I think if I do, it'll get twisted the wrong way and frankly, I don't want that to happen."
"Completely understandable."
Zac waited until he and Alicia were ready to present. The previous evening at rehearsal was the first time he met her and she was a nice girl. She was up for a few awards, and her obvious nervousness made Zac nostalgic. He missed being up for awards at these shows. Well, that's why he was making another album.
Walking onto stage with Alicia, Zac couldn't help but smile. There were so many people in the audience, and he hadn't been on stage in a long, long time. He looked for Gwen immediately and found her clapping with everyone else, and looking directly at him. It was the reason she was there; he made her feel at home.
He stepped up to the microphone and waited for the clapping to stop. "Will someone�" A loud yell made him laugh a bit, and he started over. "Will someone please tell me what I'm doing here?" he asked, smiling. "Honestly�what am I doing here? I'm not in a band�I don't have an album�I haven't done anything public in months and I'm not exactly planning anything�I've just kind of been sitting on my ass for months."
"I think it has something to do with all the mysterious buzz around you, Zac," Alicia said. "Mysterious is sexy."
"Sexy, eh?" Zac asked.
"Yes, very sexy." Zac smiled.
"Well, I try," he said.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What are you planning for the future?" Zac laughed.
"The nominees for best alternative duo or group�" Zac said, and gave a wink in Gwen's direction. He saw her smile back at him as he continued to speak, completely ignoring Alicia's question. Everyone else continued to wonder.
"Gwen, turn that shit off," Zac said the next day. Gwen was watching Access Hollywood and they were talking about Zac.
"But they're talking about us, Zac!" she said, smiling. "I'm on TV!" Zac sighed and sat down next to her. It seems everybody had a copy of Zac's very brief first interview as soon as he got out of the limo with Gwen and that was the only thing they were playing. They continued to speak about his relationship with Ginger, speculate about why he quit the band, and make unconvincing, completely wrong shots at what Zac was doing in the future.
"Last night's Grammy awards was a night of highs and lows. Alicia Keys made it out great with four of the prized trophies, and presented an award with Zac Hanson. Speaking of Zac, everyone thought that last night's appearance would clarify some of rumors about Zac's life�his brief relationship with actress Ginger Stevens, his recent departure from his band, what he'll be doing in the future, and who he's seeing now. The only thing that he would discuss is the new love in his life, Gwendolyn Garcia. The two showed up, holding hands and bringing a lot of attention to themselves. Gwen's barely there outfit drew attention and is most decidedly the most notorious dress since the 2000 Grammy's."
"See, I told you," Gwen said.
"Shut up."
"The eighteen-year-old former member of Hanson refused to answer any questions about his ex-girlfriend, his relationship with his brothers, Isaac and Taylor Hanson, or what his plans for the future are." They showed a few clips of Zac obviously avoiding questions with a smiling Gwen by his side. Zac could only shake his head as he got up and walked out of the room. The phone rang and Zac was almost afraid to answer it.
"Baby, will you get that?" Gwen yelled from the living room. Zac sighed and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Is this Zac Hanson?" Zac almost groaned. He thought he'd gotten away from these phone calls when he moved. It was a woman on the phone and he wondered how exactly he was going to deal with this.
"Yes, it is," Zac said. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, yes, I'm looking for Gwendolyn Garcia." Zac paused.
"�Okay. Let me get her." He put his hand over the speaker and walked back into the living room where Gwen was still watching television, still obviously excited at how many times her picture came on the screen. "Gwen, it's for you." She held out her hand and he gave her the phone.
"Hello?" she asked. Zac walked out of the room. He walked into the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. He was halfway through it when Gwen came running into the room, the phone in her hand. "Um, Zac?"
"Yeah?"
"This chick on the phone is offering me a modeling contract."
"Are you serious?" She nodded. She was nearly crying she was so excited. "What's the catch?" Gwen shrugged.
"I don't know. Could you talk to her and make sure I'm not getting screwed over?" she asked. Zac smiled.
"Sure. Let's go into the study and I'll get on the extension so the three of us can talk about this." Gwen nodded and followed Zac into the studio where he picked up the phone. "What's her name?" he asked, away from the phone.
"Susana Shepard."
"Oh!" Zac said. "Why didn't you say so? Hello, Susi, why didn't you say it was you?"
"Well I was sent on a mission to make sure I got Gwendolyn to sign a contract, and I didn't exactly have time to catch up on old times," Susi said. Gwen was confused. "I'd love it if she could come down today to meet with us."
"Today?" Zac asked. "I don't know, we have to make sure you don't screw us over or anything."
"Zac, this is me," Susi said. "Have I ever screwed anybody over?"
"I'm not even going to answer that," Zac said, laughing. "Anyway, Susi, I can't guarantee anything. We'll still have to talk this over."
"Well, we'll be waiting down here for you. You still remember where we are, don't you?" Susana asked.
"Yeah, I do. When do you close today?"
"Eight," Susana said. Zac looked at the clock. It was three.
"All right, we'll try to get down there before eight. See you later." Zac hung up the phone and nodded to Gwen, who did the same.
"How do you know her?" Gwen asked.
"She used to date Taylor," Zac said. "Way back when he was interested in a modeling career. They offered him one but he ended up changing his mind and he didn't take it."
"How long did they date?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, I think�a week and a half?" he guessed. "It was one of his longer relationships. Anyway, the relationship lasted longer than Taylor's interest in modeling, so you see how committed he was. Susi was a great person and she and I were friends for a while, but then I just kind of stopped talking to her."
"Okay," Gwen said. "So, what's there to talk over?"
"If you want to do this, then nothing. I just don't want them to know that you're eager to do this. If they think you want to do it, then they'll give you a half-assed deal and you'll end up getting screwed over. But if they really want you, they'll give you whatever you want them to give you. And, babe, I know Susi and she really, really wants you."
"Really?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah."
"Oh my God I'm going to be a model!" Gwen yelled and threw her arms around Zac. He smiled.