Hope you all enjoy this story, it has taken me a long time to rewrite it. Believe me, there were plenty of spelling and grammar mistakes in this when I first wrote it a few years back. But here it is, hopefully with no more mistakes. As per usual, I unfortunately do not own Zacky or Avenged Sevenfold, if I did, I wouldn't be here writing about them, but I do own my OC's Callie and Jared. Enjoy.
"Why are you doing this?" Callie raged as she hit his chest over and over again. Zacky was hurting, not physically but emotionally, he wanted to cry seeing her like this, so much anger and hurt being pounded into his chest from her clenched fists, it surprised him that she wasn't crying she was close, fighting back her own tears. He wanted to kiss her, tell her he doesn't really want to break up, that everything will be fine, but he was helpless, this was to protect her so he just stood in front of her accepting her hits without retaliation, pretending that she doesn't matter to him.
"You said you would never leave me, that no matter the problem we would talk it through. I don't mind the problems you're going through, I want to be there with you, to help you through."
"I'm sorry Callie." Zacky muttered, looking down as she began to pound his chest harder.
"Sorry? You're sorry? Sorry is not good enough Zacky, why are we breaking up?" Callie sobbed as she looked up at him with so much anger in her expression. Zacky had never seen her like this before, her presence demanded his attention and an answer, but he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.
"It, it just wasn't meant to be" he replied with sorrow, it took so much to muster up those six words into a sentence, a lie.
"Look at me. Won't you please just look at me?" she begged, she needed to see his eyes, those stunning emerald eyes that always told her everything, how he was feeling, what he was thinking, if he was lying. He sighed as he held each of her wrists while she continued to hit him, not to restrain her, but to follow her movements. He knew looking at her would be the most difficult part of this process. It took a couple minutes of him silently arguing in his head of his decision, then he looked at her, their eyes connecting, her usually perfect hazel eyes were tired and red, but they shone from the tears fighting to fall.
Callie searched Zackys' eyes, but she couldn't read them, for the first time since they met she couldn't understand his eyes. Was it pain, regret, remorse, sorrow, did he feel sorry for her, did he think she was making a fool of herself, was it really over? She was angry, both at Zacky and herself. She pounded on his chest, knowing it wouldn't do a thing to hurt him, she couldn't hurt him because she loved him too much. Ultimately they both grew silent. Callie became weak and stopped her painless attack, collapsing into his arms, releasing the tears she fought so hard to keep concealed, at that moment Zacky knew she had accepted it and knew he made the right decision to let her go. He pulled her into a hug, allowing her sobs to muffle into his chest, blocking her from seeing his own tears as they escaped, holding her in his arms for the last time.
That scene played through Zackys' mind every night, like a nightmare, it was almost a year ago, another girl now linked to his arm. He saw her walk past, she was holding another guys hand, both full of laughter, him then pulling her in for a kiss. She was happy, so he was happy. He glanced to the blonde that was taking up his whole arm, her identity changing as her straight hair changed to gentle waves before his eyes, then changing to a light shade of brown, her blue eyes becoming hazel. Zacky convinced himself he was going crazy, shaking his head then looking at the girl on his arm once more, she was no longer Callie. He regretted what he had done and wasn't the same since Callie left, he was empty inside, escaping his loneliness with random girls every other night, grabbing onto the girl he continued walking.
Callie stopped and looked around, she saw Zacky walking, his arm wrapped around another girl. A little piece of her fell away, he was over her, period. Looking up at her boyfriend she saw nothing but Zacky, she shook the image from her mind and convinced herself that she was over him, she was over him and happy, just like he was over her.
Callie sat down on the couch with Jared's hands in hers, they had been together for little over five months now and she finally had the courage to break it off, another man owned her heart, she could no longer lie to Jared. She looked into his mesmerising blue eyes which looked into her hazels, it was obvious he was devastated, he had sensed this day coming for a while now but it still shocked him, it was like waiting for the toaster to pop, he knew it was coming but still got startled. Jared loved Callie; there was no doubt about it, but he knew that she didn't share those feelings, she did love him, but not to the extent of his love. For little over a month, whenever she looked into his eyes, she didn't see Jared.
"I love you, you know." Callie diverted her gaze, no longer able to look him in the eyes. Jared shook his head.
"Don't say I love you anymore, we both know how much it will kill me." Jared replied, hurt coating each word. Callie responded by simply nodding her head.
"Do me a favour?" Jared asked, looking down at their still entwined hands.
"Anything." Callie replied earnestly.
"Tell him he's a lucky guy." Jared said to the surprise of Callie, a small smile etched his lips.
"Who?" Callie questioned confused, now looking at him.
"The guy who holds your heart, and tell him not to break it again."
"What are you talking about Jared?" her expression growing more confused.
"The guy you really love. Come on Callie, we both know you belong to someone else. I was your false sense of security, the bubble wrap around your heart so it wouldn't hurt anymore. I was just someone to occupy your mind and heart to help take the pain away." He countered, kissing her hands then standing up to kiss her forehead. Callie watched as he walked away, not moving from the couch, speechless. Every word Jared had just said was speaking the truth, and she knew it, but this was the first time she allowed herself to hear it.
She took the next couple days to herself, thinking things through, had she made the right decision. It wasn't fair to lie to Gareth for so long, she knew she was only with him for protection, knowing he could never break her heart, she needed that reassurance after breaking up with Zacky. As she walked into her flat after work her mobile rang, she knew the number, it was the same number she had dialled numerous times in the past year but was always too scared to hit the call button.
It is funny how everything can change in a year, this time last year Callie was a wreck, her whole world had been turned upside down and her heart shattered into a million and one pieces. The once fun loving, free spirit lost the purpose of life and love. It took months to re-enter the real world again, but when she did she met Jared, he brought fun back into her life, and although she didn't truly love him, he showed her what it was like to be loved again, he showed her that love wasn't just an abstract word used more as a comfort rather than a feeling. Her relationship with him was clouded by a false sense of love, on her part, because of her loneliness, she thought she loved him, but that changed for her when she saw Zacky walking down the street with another girl. All the pain she once had returned because of a glance. However, with all the pain came all the fond memories.
"Hello?" Callie answered before the voicemail could cut in.
"Cal? Callie! I didn't think you would answer." Came the voice on the other line.
"I didn't think I would either." She responded uneasily.
"Oh, well… um… do you want to meet up… err… for lunch tomorrow, at one?" He stuttered, unsure of how she would respond.
"Um… I'm not…"
"If you can't, it's okay." he replied disheartened.
"No, no Zacky, I can go. Where?"
"Starlight. Do you remember where it is?"
"How can I forget?" Callie answered in little more than a whisper, trying to sound happy about the place.
"Okay, great. I'll see you tomorrow." Zacky said cheerfully, then hung up. Old wounds were surely going to be opened up, meeting each other face to face, and at their usual restaurant, why would he want to meet there of all places Callie thought to herself.
The next morning came and she prepared herself, running a bubble bath of one of her favourite scents – lavender. As she scrubbed herself she let the smell infuse her mind, memories of her relationship with Zacky came back to her. Climbing out she wrapped a thick fluffy towel around her frame to dry herself, she let her hair dry naturally, gaining the gentle brunette waves she always loved. Callie never used much makeup, just enough to touch up her natural features, she applied a thin black line to her top and bottom eyelid, keeping steady for it to be perfect. After little more than an hour she found the outfit she would wear, a short sleeved pale blue tea dress with a light floral design for the top half, it accentuated her femininity and petite figure perfectly. Satisfied with her look she went over to her side table, pulling a framed picture which was taken just over a year ago from the drawer. Holding it up she examined herself in the mirror, she wondered if he would like the way she now looked.
Zacky requested the table near the window, it was always her favourite place to sit. He hadn't been there for a long time but was glad to see that things hadn't changed much. He had brought her a bouquet of pink roses and carefully arranged them in front of her seat. As the clock ticked to twelve fifty-five he began to get anxious, how was she going to treat him after all this time? The last time they saw and spoke to each other did not exactly end on good terms. He started to think back to the last time he saw her, it was little over a month ago, she seemed happy. What was he trying to accomplish by asking her to meet him.
"Goddamn it, where is she?" Zacky mumbled to himself as he saw the time tick by, five past one, to his memory she was never late, was she standing him up? Impatiently he tapped on the table, anxiously watching the second hand stammer around the clock perched upon the wall. He looked up to the restaurants entrance, ready to make his leave, there he saw her, she was more beautiful than he remembered. She stood in the doorway looking around for him, the light entering from the doorway crafted a silhouette around her and illuminated her body, she was an angel and took his breath away.
Callie knew where he was sitting, she saw him through the window as she was walking along the street just before one o'clock. When she saw him she was taken aback, he was gorgeous and she got scared, she began questioning why she was there and turned to walk in the opposite direction. She only decided to turn back when she noticed a dear stranger post-it note stuck to a lamppost which simply stated 'what if.' That was the exact question which would haunt her if she didn't go, so she turned on her heels and began her walk back to the restaurant.
"Wow, Callie. You're beautiful." Zacky exclaimed standing and handing her the roses.
"Thank you." She softly smiled, accepting the roses. They awkwardly exchanged kisses to each other's cheeks before taking their seats.
"You didn't have to get me these." Callie's smile grew as she looked at the roses, admiring them.
"But I wanted to." He smiled back. A couple of minutes passed in silence.
"So, how have you been Zacky?" Callie asked, diverting her gaze to around the restaurant.
"Okay, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh don't say that Zacky. There are great things that happen in your life every day, you should answer nothing short of great." She smiled. He loved her insights on life, love and everything in between. He saw a completely different world when they were together.
"Okay, I've been great thanks Callie, and your beautiful self?" She blushed at how he described her.
"I've been great too thanks." Callie smiled, she wasn't about to tell him that she had recently broken up with her boyfriend.
"Great. What will you order? The usual?" He asked pondering the menu. Callie looked at him surprised.
"You remember my usual?" She slyly asked.
"Let's see, a turkey breast sandwich, no mayo, and a side of garden salad. With whichever fizzy drink you fancy today, always with no ice. Oh, and with a straw." He laughed, Callie smiled at the fact he remembered. It was as though they had never been apart, aside from the awkward tension in the air. They both ordered and made small talk as they ate, both uncomfortable, but they didn't know what else to say, on the inside they were both wanting to scream I love you. Instead of speaking their minds, they talked about the little things in the past year; how Zacky returned to California to visit family not too long ago, of Callie moving into a new apartment, and things that had no relation to relationships. Lunch ended with Callie leaving half of her food, Zacky eating all of his, both of them disheartened with their conversation.
"Want to go somewhere?" Zacky asked as he paid the bill.
"Sure." Callie smiled, though she felt somewhat uneasy. A silence fell upon them as they drove in Zacky's car, each opening their mouth to say something, but for both no words came out. Zacky pulled up into an exquisite estate, it belonged to one of his band mates and he had already planned to bring her here. Once he parked he got out and made his way to Callie's door, opening it for her to exit, extending his hand to assist.
"So very chivalrous." She giggled, taking his hand to step out.
"As always." He bowed, looking up at her and winking with a mischievous smile. No one would believe the gentleman he was, seeing his tattoos and piercings, people would assume he was a thug, but he was always a gentleman with her. They both laughed as he escorted her to the gardens, their arms linked together.
"Wow." Callie exclaimed. The gardens were beautiful, a vast array of colours met her gaze, all perfectly arranged so each flower complemented the next. A pond in the far corner of the garden was surrounded by small bushes and a mass willow tree overhung to provide shade.
"I thought you'd like it here." He smiled watching Callie examine her surroundings.
"Whose is it?" she asked casually looking back at him, running her hand through some of the flowers.
"My mates." He replied simply. There Callie noticed a labyrinth, she playfully skipped in making Zacky follow in after her. When he entered she was out of sight, he took turn after turn in his search for her, he became scared without a reason to be, but he was, mostly impart because he didn't want to lose her again, instead he wanted to take her within his arms and hold her until the end of time. Another turn, there she was. She was kneeling in front of a stone bench located in front of a large patch of daisies. She brushed her fingertips along the engraved writing as she read. 'For my love, my life, my darling, my innocence… the only daisies in the whole garden, here to serve the purpose of a symbol of you. As long as they grow, so will my love. Here with this stone bench in hopes of your return. So that when you do return, you can rest here and smile upon such a magnificent creation that reflects your beauty. I will always be waiting…' The words were so meaningful, she was stunned. Was this a sign? Had he brought her here to see this? He knew daisies were her favourite flower. Zacky came up behind her and read the inscription also, he wondered if she ever did return to the author, and if Callie would return to him. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees, Zacky offered her a seat on the bench before sitting beside her.
"I called you yesterday for a reason." Zacky said looking down at his feet, unsure how to continue or how she would react. So many thoughts competed through Callie's head, what was he going to say? Her heart racing faster than a cheetah chasing down its lunch.
"Oh, why's that?" she asked coolly, also looking down at her feet.
"I wanted to say sorry." He replied as he gently cupped his hands over hers, she was startled by both actions.
"What for?" Callie averred, now looking and her hands encased within his, welcome memories flooding back.
"For hurting you like I did. My sister's boyfriend just dumped her without a reason and she is a wreck, I just wanted to apologise if I made you feel like that. I never wanted to hurt you Callie, and I never wanted to leave you." He explained, Callie was speechless. She removed her hands from his, not wanting him to touch her, she was speechless yet had so many things pounding at her chest wanting to be said.
"It's okay. Like you said, it just wasn't meant to be." She struggled to say those words, words which stung like a bee in his heart. Was this the response she was giving him? He didn't know what to expect but he wanted more. Callie was surprised herself, she wanted to ask him why he'd done that in the first place if he never wanted to, she wanted to ask if he ever really loved her, and she wanted to tell him how she felt.
Callie stood from her seat on the bench and began to exit the labyrinth, Zacky quickly followed behind, he wasn't going to lose sight of her in here again, trailing behind her as she made her way back up the gardens towards his car. They drove in silence once again. When they arrived at her flat she let herself out without saying a word, Zacky also climbed out and followed her up to her door. Just as she was about to close the door Zacky placed his foot in the way, holding it partly open.
"Can we meet again, tomorrow? I'll pick you up at twelve for lunch." He asked as he removed his foot from the doorway. Callie smiled softly and nodded, she didn't want to, she was too angry to face him again, but something in his eyes mesmerised her, and wouldn't let her say no.
The next day Zacky picked Callie up at twelve as planned, her hair now straightened but her layers gave it volume, she was wearing a baby blue fall dress. He opened the car door for her as a gentleman would, she gave him a weak smile to say thanks, her hazel eyes looked disheartened.
"I'm glad you're here." Zacky broke the silence.
"You asked me to come." She replied with innocently, looking out the passenger side window.
"You could have said no though."
"Would you have wanted me to say no?" Callie blurted, but not rudely. Zacky remained silent, instead shaking his head.
"So I came. You never know what you might miss when you pass up an opportunity." She spoke. He missed her insights; her views on live and living were so much calmer than his, it was impossible to stress over the little things with her. They pulled up to the estates gardens, once again he opened the door for Callie, but this time she exited in silence. Zacky then went to the boot of the vehicle and pulled out a wicker picnic basket, setting up next to the pond they both sat upon the red and black plaid blanket. They ate in silence, admiring the beauty around them. Once they had finished eating Zacky packed away the uneaten food, they then remained seated in silence.
"So, I have to admit." Zacky broke the silence once again as he looked down, watching the blades of grass move with his hand.
"I've been thinking about you for a while now." He continued, looking up at Callie.
"Really?" Callie asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I, err, I saw you a few weeks ago. Walking through the park, with your boyfriend… He seems nice. I'm glad you're happy." Zacky answered, convincing himself more than her.
"Oh yeah, I saw you too. With your girlfriend." Callie picked up some dirt then allowed to fall back to the ground.
"She's not my girlfriend, more of a date." Zacky chuckled and Callie let out a small sigh of relief.
"And that guy, is now my ex." Callie insisted, they both laughed at their assumptions. They chatted for hours before noticing some black clouds hovering above them, they both packed up the remains of the picnic and headed back to the car together, the rain started as they were halfway through the gardens, their stroll turning into a run. Not wanting to wait for her door to be opened, despite Zacky insisting, she let herself in. He drove her to his house, when they arrived he led her to the wrap around sheltered porch, then bringing out a couple of blankets and two mugs filled with steaming hot tea. Callie sat herself down on the bench as Zacky wrapped the blanket around her then passing her the drink before sitting next to her with his own blanket and drink. They sat quietly watching the sun discolour the clouds as it began to set for the evening and the rain started to settle. She focused her attention to the drops of water splattering against the unsheltered part of the porch, silent tears fell into her tea making it salty.
"Why did you do it?" Callie asked sternly.
"Do what?" Zacky asked unsure of what she was talking about.
"Break up with me. Why did you hurt me like that? I loved you with all my heart and I thought you felt the same." Callie responded raising her head, allowing Zacky to see the steady stream of water that flowed from her eyes, seeing them broke him up inside, every tear that fell was like a knife ploughing into his heart.
"I wanted to save you, from myself." He answered with his head lowered.
"I was headed down a path that I didn't want to put you through. I didn't want to hurt you."
"No, you broke up with me because you were a coward. I knew your ways, and I knew you could, would change." Callie spat outraged.
"Waiting for me to change would have been the biggest mistake of your life, and mine if I let you. Could you really have dealt with the drunken nights? You never saw me when I became violent, I was scared I would hurt you. I wasn't being a coward, letting you go was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, and I only done it to protect you."
"But I promised to stay by your side! I never would have left you! I wanted to help you. You were just afraid, that's the real reason, you were afraid of letting someone in, of becoming attached and letting me see your weak side. You'd rather hurt me than realise that you had something special that would always be there for you, something that was better than being pissed drunk at six in the morning. Rather than letting someone love you, and you loving them back, you ran. You ran from all your problems, and you took my heart with you. I haven't been happy since you left, I've thought about you every single day. Unlike you, I never stopped loving you." Callie broke down, the stream of tears increasing into a river.
"How can you say I never loved you?! I let you go so you could live a full life other than wondering if I'd be coming home that night! So you could find someone who would take care of you and give you what you deserve, more than just the material things, someone that would love you and respect you. Irrelevant of how much pain it caused me!" Zacky shouted back as he firmly gripped Callie's wrist, leading her to his bedroom.
"Look around! Open your eyes! I loved you and I never stopped. Does this look like I've let go? I hurt every goddamn day you're not by my side, but I get through it with the hope that you are living a better life than I could have ever given you." Callie looked around the room, all the memoirs of their relationship were still visible; every letter, card, picture and gift, it was all there. All the memories flashed before her, she was at a loss for words and cried ever harder. She turned around to say something, but Zacky was gone, she heard the front door slam shut, it would have been useless to chase after him, he had a car.
Callie tilted her head back and let the memories flood her mind, everything was so overwhelming. She touched everything, each item bringing her further into the past, she was shaking from crying so much. She picked up a shirt which was laying on the bed, smelling it she let his aroma calm her, crawling onto his bed she curled into a ball, clutching the shirt. She lay there for about an hour, thinking about everything, even today's events. She stopped crying after a while but remained curled up. Hearing his car pull back into the driveway Callie turned to face the wall and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.
Zacky walked up the stairs to find Callie asleep on the bed, he turned on a lamp which dimly lit the room, bright enough so he could see but not to wake her up. He took a seat next to her on the bed, watching her back rise and fall with each gentle breath she took. He softly stroked her hair as he began to whisper in her ear.
"You're right. I was a coward. It was a mistake to let you go, probably the biggest mistake of my life. But I didn't want to hurt you. I was afraid, afraid of letting you know that you held my heart. You still do. I'm yours until the end of time. Just like the bench in the garden, you are my life, my love, my darling, my innocence. You are the truth and the light, you are my saviour and hero. Please don't leave me." Callie let a tear slip from her eyes. Her once rhythmic breathing was now uneven with sobs. She turned around and looked at him through her red, puffy eyes. She could see the tears rolling down Zacky's face.
"I'm not going anywhere" She whispered as she wiped his tears away. Zacky scooped her up and carried her in his arms. They stayed in that position for hours. Talking through the beating of their hearts, screaming their love for each other, eventually falling asleep on the bed in each other's arms.
"So, this guy is really lucky. The guy who has your heart." He said with a heavy heart. Callie was taken back a little, surprised he would say such a thing after the whole ordeal.
"It's you." She smiled as her hazel eyes softly melted into his green eyes, then burying her head into his chest, he held her tightly as a couple tears fell down his cheeks. They rocked back in forth a little while until Callie lifted her head and looked at him. They both began to laugh.
"Why are we like this?" Zacky chuckled as he wiped her face. Callie gingerly placed her hands upon his cheeks and brushed her thumbs on his face.
"When you love someone, truly love someone. No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't let go. And when you find that one who feels the same, you want to make them yours forever." She explained and reached up to kiss his forehead, lowering back down to the passionately kiss him on the lips, remaining in each other's arms.
"I promised this before, but I'll say it again: I'm yours until the world stops turning and then some."
"I promise you that I will never make the mistake of letting you go again." He replied as he carefully began to stand. He took her hands in his and led her up a small hill at the back of his house. As they reached the peak, the sun greeted them with a warm smile of rekindled love.
"Dance with me." Zacky bowed before Callie before he whisked her into his arms and began to sway to the silence, Callie lightly laughed due to there being no music, but matched his sway nonetheless.
"Will you marry me?" Zacky asked, a huge smile upon his face as they continued to dance within each other's arms. Judging from the smile matched on Callie's face, no words were needed to answer, she embraced him tighter in response.
"Absolutely" she finally worded, snuggling into his chest, as birds began to sing, giving them a song to dance to.
Am debating on if I should make a sequal? Let me know if you are happy with how it is or if you would like more.