Second Time Around

"I have to admit, you're pretty good at surprises yourself." Zac smiled at me while we waited in line to buy tickets.

"Thanks." I had to admit I had surprised myself as well, after receiving rejection from Tay on the phone. In order to show Zac no hard feelings from the first date, I'd summed up my lack of courage and offered to treat him to a movie. There was a particular foreign film I'd been itching to see myself, and as much fun Saturdays nights are playing Parcheesi with your parents sound, they really aren't.

"Two please," he told the girl behind the ticket booth, opening his wallet to pay.

"Hey, I said it was my treat." I firmly set a twenty dollar bill on the counter in front of the ticket girl, making a face at Zac.

"Ok, ok." he held up his hands defensively, a smile lingering on his lips.

"Thanks," I said as the girl pushed my change and the ticket stubs towards me.

"I hope this is good - for a foreign film." I asked Zac as we ventured further into the old movie house. It was a nice place to go if you didn't want the glamour and commotion of brand new cinemas, with five hundred acne-faced high school kids selling junk food all at over-priced amounts, all of which weren't very kosher with me. An added bonus was the fact that it didn't matter what I was wearing because the environment was dark; jeans and a sweater would serve more than sufficient here.

"For a foreign film," he repeated, making a face at the selection.

"What? At least I didn't make you pay." I punched him lightly in the arm.

"What's with you and money, Maggie?" he asked in a half serious tone. I couldn't read the other half.

"I just like to pay my own weight, that's all." I explained quietly, defending myself. Noting the time, I followed Zac's gestures to go into the theatre.

"It wasn't.. all that bad." I said meekly as we gathered our coats to leave.

"Not that bad?" I received a strange look from Zac. "Maybe it would've been better if I spoke Italian."

"I thought there might've been subtitles. I guess that means we just don't go out anymore, huh?" I spun around on my heel and marched towards the exit. Zac jogged to catch up with me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was just teasing."

"That's ok. It was a pretty crummy movie." I could admit to that.

"So.. what do you want to do now?" He held the door open for me.

"Do now?" I asked as I brushed past him.

I thought we were done. He'd gotten his movie, we'd talked (somewhat); isn't it over?

"Yeah.. can we go somewhere? You know," he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"To talk."

Talking bad, was my initial response; my mind reminded me of the last one-on-one 'conversation' between us. Having not eaten during the movie, I didn't have any reasons to spontaneously get indigestion this time. Brilliant getaway plans like that take a considerable amount of planning and practicing prior to execution, i.e., I was all tapped out of lies.

Why am I cursed with being a terrible liar? Instead, I replied,

"Sure.. where to?"

"How about a surprise?" he grinned at me.

"No! No more surprises. I can't take any more of them." I returned the grin.

"Maggie, you're so pretty when you smile like that." Zac tried to take my hand. I blushed slightly and swallowed. He certainly wasn't going to go any easier on me the second time around.

"Zac, why do you say things like that?" I asked, dropping his hand. I couldn't bring myself to look in his charming face, so I examined his shoes instead, watching how his laces intertwined each other.

"Maggie.. why do you have to make this so hard?" He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me until I faced him. Slipping his hand under my chin, he guided my face up so I'd look into his eyes. Those warm, caring eyes stared deep into mine. I didn't know where the shivers down my spine came from, but I could barely contain them. It was a dangerous feeling.

"I'm scared." I whispered the truth. My answer nearly blew me away: I'd never said that before to anyone. But at least Zac seemed to understand.

"Don't be," he said softly, leaning in and kissing me gently. It was so tender and short I wasn't sure if his lips had even touched mine.

"I thought we were just going to talk," I pulled away with a smile.

"God, you're so frustrating," Zac took hold of my hand and walked me back to the car. This time I didn't take it back.

"All part of my charm."

"Something like that." I laughed at his muttering.

"How come you're so hard on me?" he pretended to be hurt as he unlocked and opened my car door.

"Because you deserve it." I grinned as I sat down.

"I don't know about you."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Maybe this would work out..

"Do we have to come back here?" I asked as we pulled up to his house. I shifted uncomfortably in the passenger's seat.

"Yes." Zac repeated. "I told you, I have something for you."

"Can't you just give it to me tomorrow at the health club?" Yes, I was that averse to seeing a certain member of the Hanson family again.

"No, don't be silly. Come on." He opened my door and offered his hand to me. Clutching it, I walked up to the front door with him. This time someone had left the front porch light on.

"Hello?" Zac called into the house. The quiet buzz of the living room television told me at least one person was home. Fortunately, it wasn't Taylor this time (although I'll admit not seeing him in his boxers again is disheartening), as he turned his blondish-brown haired head towards our direction, I realized it was-

"Isaac!" He looked exactly the same, although a few inches taller.

"Maggie?" I walked over and gave him a small hug. He grinned before saying,

"I heard you might be stopping by tonight."

"Yup. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting for the weekend, laundry, the usual.. but I choose to wear more clothes when doing my laundry than other nameless people." His knowing wink lead me to believe he'd heard what had happened.

"You look great." He really did. Older, more mature.. yet still a little on the goofy side.

"Thanks, so do you." he replied. Patting the sofa cushion next to him, he said.

"Sit down. Let's chat for awhile."

"I'll be right back, Maggie." Zac disappeared, off in the direction of his bedroom I guessed.

"So what's new?" I asked, sitting down next to Ike in the indicated spot.

"Not much. How've you been holding up these past years?"

"Way to make me feel old Isaac." I grinned at him.

"Just remember who's two years your senior." He hunched over his lean frame and coughed like he needed an artificial lung.

"Thanks, I feel so much better." I giggled, relaxing against the sofa back. "So how's school going for you?"

"Great, except I don't like being away from here." His face fell. "I really miss the family."

"Yeah, look how they drown you with adoration and attention when you come home to visit." I opened my arms to the empty house.

"Well, at least Tay's here right now," he grinned at me.

"Umm.. he is? Ok, it's been real fun but I think I need to leave now." I pretended to stand up and put on my coat.

"Not so fast, I'm only kidding." Isaac's grin widened. "He's out."

"So you heard what happened?" I smiled nervously.

"Yup."

".. Ike? Just between the two of us, how much does Tay hate me right now?" I sighed softly and sank back down on the couch next to him.

"He doesn't hate you."

"He doesn't?" News to me. Headline reports, to be more specific. I eyed him warily.

".. Nope. He just doesn't like you very much at the moment." He finished, chuckling.

"Well, you've got it worse." I retorted quickly, not taking his joke with the lightness he'd intended. "Instead of waiting around for you, Sarah went off, moved in with her boyfriend, got pregnant, and now they're engaged."

The look on his face was pure shock.

Oops.

"What?" he managed to whisper. The poor guy deflated like a balloon. Ok, one step way too far.. where was Zac at the moment?

"Yeah. I.. I'm sorry you had to find out this way." I took my wallet from my back jeans pocket and searched for one of her senior pictures. Finding a decent looking one, I handed it over to him.

"Here."

"She's still beautiful.. and pregnant too? Wow.. that's just.." he stared at the picture.

"Unbelievable. I know." I felt really guilty now. "I'm sorry."

"Well, what's with you and Zac?" Ike spoke like it was an implausible situation. He gave me a strange look, raising on eyebrow and turning the corners of his mouth down, before he handed the picture back to me.

"Here it is. Sorry it took me so long. Here you go." Before I could answer Isaac, Zac handed me a single red rose wrapped in white tissue paper. I gasped softly.

"A single rose? We drove all the way back here just so you could give me this?" I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck. He rested his hands gently around my waist, returning the hug.

"I thought you'd like it."

What a sweetie.

So why did I feel like crying? Why did my eyes travel over to the wall near the stairs, only to gaze at a picture of the three older Hanson brothers? My eyes focused in on Taylor's bright smiling face and I couldn't help but wish that face was smiling down at me this moment.

Damn, what the hell is wrong with me? Why do I feel so confused? I felt a (real) headache coming on.

"Zac, I think it's time for me to go." God, did I ever hate being in that house.