Chapter 10: The Moment They'd All Been Waiting For

Monday October 19, 2015

A few days later, Zack Martin had just returned from a short afternoon of work at New Beginnings and shopping for dinner. It was only the day after his last game so he hadn't scheduled a practice yet. However, he had opened the basketball court for everyone this week so he could spot new talent amongst the underprivileged children who frequented New Beginnings. But today there weren't many children out playing basketball; they were probably busier with their homework at this time of the week. It didn't really matter though; he was pretty sure more kids would show up eventually.

Although he had to admit, his team didn't really need new players: they had a pretty good team already. Of course, the more kids he could make happy with basketball the better, but that wasn't the only reason he was spending so much time scouting for new possible players. He needed this because he had to have something to think about, something that wasn't the Boston Tipton hotel or the interview he did there. He never admitted it to Cody but waiting for them to call him made him very nervous. If he would have told his brother this he probably would have made it even worse.

But his plan was working: whenever he was at New Beginnings working on his team, he wasn't thinking about the Tipton at all. It never even crossed his mind. However, when he got home he thought about the job the whole time.

At home, he decided to try out one of his twin brother's famous pasta recipes that he had written down for him. Zack had never liked cooking, but since he was back to living alone he had been cooking for himself a lot. After all, he couldn't keep bothering Max and Cody every day for dinner. Luckily, his brother was a good cook and a great support for him so he had provided him with lots of recipes, and had written their instructions out very clearly so he couldn't really fail in following them.

Today he was making Tagliatelle with some green sauce he couldn't remember the name of but smelled pretty good. Most likely thanks to the basil his twin had given him with the advice to take good care of it because it could make any dish taste much better.

But before he could add any other ingredient to the dish, his phone rang in his pocket. Expecting it to be his twin brother with yet another piece of advice for him, he fished his phone out of his pants.

"Yeah, Cody?"

"I am speaking with Zack Martin, aren't I?" the other voice asked.

"Yes, this is him."

"Ah good, you're speaking with Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez, manager of the Boston Tipton."

"Esteban?" he realized this had to be the moment he had been waiting for. Yet he didn't ask for that right away, but instead he asked, "Do you always tell your whole name when you're calling someone for work?"

"What? Of course! People need to know who I am when I call them," the Tipton manager replied in his typical accent.

"Wow, your phone calls must take hours. Won't be good for your phone bill," he joked.

"We do have a huge bill every month yes, but that's not what I'm calling you for, Zack."

Zack took a deep breath. This was it. Now he would know if he indeed got the job at the Tipton and would be able to make a new start in his working life. And by doing that, woo Bailey again. Yes, there was really a lot depending on what his old friend Esteban was about to say now.

"So, why are you calling?"

"It's about the application you did here last week. We have interviewed all the candidates, looked over their profiles and Mr. Moseby and I have come to a decision," Esteban explained.

Before the manager could say who they had chosen, Zack interrupted him and said, "Don't worry about me, Esteban. I've been rejected at many jobs before. I can take the bad news."

"Bad news? But little blond people, there is no bad news. I'm calling you to tell you personally you get the job."

"That's okay, Esteban, I knew I wouldn't be…" he started to say until he suddenly realized the manager hadn't said what he thought he would. "Wait, what? I get the job? Really? You're not kidding, are you?"

"No Zack, I'm not kidding. You were by far the best candidate to apply for the job," his future boss said. "You can start here next Monday with a short training so you'll learn everything about your tasks at the Tipton. I think your training won't take too long because we really need someone new at the check-in desk as soon as possible."

"This is so awesome, Esteban! I honestly never expected to make it but I'll be there next Monday. This is so awesome, I gotta tell Cody, and Bailey, and Max, and…" Zack was clearly very overwhelmed by the news. Even in his wildest dreams he wouldn't have dreamt of being the one picked for this job. It felt quite good to know he had been the best at something; maybe this was what his brother-in-law had felt too with his wizard competition. "So, when do I need to sign a contract?"

"Well, I cleared out my schedule tomorrow morning between ten and eleven. So if that suits you, we can sign your contract then and go over other practical issues we need to address before you can start at the Tipton. That works for you?" With this Esteban's tone had drastically changed from that of a good friend to a correct boss. It made Zack realize that working with the former bellhop as his new boss might be at least slightly awkward.

"No, won't be a problem. I'll be there at ten," he replied.

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Zack."

"Bye Esteban, and thanks again," he said as he finished the phone call that maybe meant the start of a new part in his life.

He still had a hard time realizing that he had managed to be the best out of all those other candidates. Even though he thought he had totally screwed up his bizarre job interview. Or that Moseby would refuse to hire him due to all his childhood mishaps.

But that didn't matter anymore. He could go back to work soon, and to a serious job. One that the people around him would have liked him to take on much sooner. Now all he could do was try to do his very best at his work so he could stay there for a longer time. And of course, he was hoping Bailey would consider going out with him. But even if she said yes they probably wouldn't go back to dating soon, as he had understood from their last discussion that Bailey wanted to take it easy this time.

Nevertheless, he really had to call her now; he just had to let her know about this fantastic news! However, it seemed his former girlfriend's mobile phone wasn't switched on at the moment (or perhaps her battery had died) because he ended up hearing her answering machine telling him she wasn't available at the moment and that he should leave her a message after the beep-tone.

"Hey Bailey, it's Zack here. I just wanted to let you know I'll be starting at the Tipton next week; I'll be working at the check-in desk. It's, um, a more serious adult job, and I promise I won't be quitting this one—or at least not anytime soon. And, um, that's about all I think. I mean, I wanted to ask you out on a date or something but you're probably gonna say no anyway, so why bother? Oh, maybe you could come to the big basketball game on Saturday? I know you don't really like sports like that but you could come with Cody; it would really mean a lot to me, Bailey. Hmm, I guess that's all. Hope to see you there next Saturday. Bye!"

When Zack put down his phone he wasn't really satisfied with the message he had left on Bailey's answering machine. There was so much more he'd wanted to say but hadn't been able to because he had chickened out when he wanted to ask for more. Before his call he had been certain his former girlfriend would give him a second chance, but as soon as he had heard her voice he suddenly had known she wouldn't.

But at least he hoped she would take his offer and be there for the big match on Saturday. That would be his last chance to woo her again. After all, he had done almost everything his little brother and his brother-in-law had advised him to do. If all of this wasn't enough to convince her that he wasn't the same person she left then he was probably better off letting Bailey go and forgetting about her.

But now there should be other things on his mind. He had only recently learned he'd gotten the job at the Tipton; he should be telling this news to everyone he knew. His mother, Cody, Max or even Coach Mike, who had told him about this in the first place: they all needed to know!

There was a small problem with telling Coach Mike though. He hadn't been seen in weeks. Zack had assumed his old mentor might have been on a well-deserved vacation but even after a while he was still nowhere to be found. And the weirdest thing was that nobody at New Beginnings or his neighbours had seen Coach Mike for a long time. It was like the old man had suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth. So no matter how bad he wanted to think him, there was no way for him to do so...except by maybe going outside, looking up at the sky and shouting a "thank you." Maybe his message could reach him that way.

He thought about calling his mom first but she would have been preparing for her show (or even performing her show) right about then. Definitely not the best time to disturb her, even when his news was this good. The next one on his list of people to tell was his brother, followed by Max since it had been their advice—or rather, their fight—that had caused him to make the final decision about this job.

He shortly considered calling his twin brother but decided against that because he figured telling him in person might just be more fun. Zack definitely couldn't wait to see his brother's and Max's faces when he told them the news. It would be so much better than a phone call!

So he quickly finished making his dinner, ate it, and then left for his brother's place.

Saturday October 24, 2015

Just like many other weekends lately, Cody Martin was to be found watching the basketball game his brother's team was playing. Since basketball was pretty popular there were always many kids present, and Cody thought it would be nice to be there for the children, even while it wasn't his volunteering shift.

There were two people there who usually got his special attention: the first one was his brother Zack. It still amazed him when he saw how happy Zack was when he was coaching the New Beginnings Wolves. And to think he didn't even want to do it in the first place. It was amazing how his volunteer work here made him so full of joy, and more importantly, he had a very decent job at the Tipton hotel coming. Things were finally working out for his brother; now the only thing left for him to do was impress Bailey. So far, she'd proven not to be convinced of Zack's sincerity in changing himself so easily. Although she did come to Zack's again, so maybe there was still a little bit of hope.

The second one he was paying more attention too was the little boy Ryan. During the past weeks he and Ryan had become closer. Cody was no longer only helping the boy with his schoolwork, but was also trying to be a friend and mentor for him since the six-year-old had lost his dad not too long ago. He had decided that today Max should meet Ryan. His boyfriend had been very anxious to meet the little boy he had been telling him so much about.

So after the game Bailey left for Zack right away while Cody and Max went to seek Ryan out somewhere in the public. Like many times, he found the young boy close to where Mr. Winters and his son had been watching the game. Obviously Ryan had been watching Mr. Winters and Liam interact, which, like always, resulted in a very sad young boy who really missed his daddy. And just like always, Cody would be there to comfort his young friend.

"Hey there, Ryan! How are you?" he said when they had located and approached the young boy.

"Hey Cody, I'm alright," the young boy replied while he glanced for a last time in Liam's and his father's direction. "You want to hang out again?"

"Sure thing, little buddy," Cody responded. "But first there is someone I wanted you to meet."

"Really? Who?"

"This guy here," he said as he pulled Max closer. "This is Max. He's a very good friend of me. I told him a lot about you and he really wanted to finally meet you in person."

"Did you tell him everything?" Ryan asked with a concerned voice.

Cody immediately understood what his young friend was thinking about. Like every boy, or guy, Ryan had been a bit embarrassed about crying so much and now he was afraid of being seen as a cry baby. But before Cody could answer this he got interrupted by his boyfriend.

"Well, Cody told me you were a very cool little guy, and a very brave one too. He even said you're the greatest kid he's ever met." That made little Ryan actually blush a little. "So, did you like the game, Ryan?"

"A bit. We lost, Mr. Max," the young boy said with a sad face.

"Yeah, I saw that. But I think the team did pretty well," Cody's partner mentioned. "And don't call me 'Mr. Max' please; Max would be enough. After all, you're very good friends with my bo… I mean, best friend."

Cody sent a quick but evil glare in Max's direction to make clear he knew he should be more careful with certain information here.

"Anyway Ryan, do you like to play basketball too?" The six year old nodded. "So, what you think of a little one-on-one against me? And Cody can play with you if you want."

"Yeah, that would be fun!"

Cody was a little astonished from the scene he was witnessing here. His Max seemed to have a way with kids—a side he hadn't shown until now. Maybe children for them wouldn't be as far away as he thought. Certainly not if Professor Crumbs' plans worked out and Wizard Law allowed them to adopt. And they probably would; he had never seen the old professor so determined before. At least one good thing had come from that determination already: their house-ghost Ralph had disappeared after Max had told him about Professor Crumbs' plans. It seemed he had finally been able to go to rest. Cody wouldn't admit it but he was relieved there was no ghost in their house anymore. Not only because Ralph was now happy, but also because he still kept giving him the creeps every time he saw him.

They had fun with their little game of basketball… although it quickly became painfully clear that even little Ryan surpassed Cody when it came to athletic skills. No wonder he always got benched as a teen; he really sucked. But his little buddy seemed to enjoy this game with him and Max, and that was the important thing.

Suddenly, he spotted his brother on the other side of the basketball court. To his surprise—or maybe not—he saw him talking with Bailey. And apparently not only talking, as it seemed like Bailey was leaning in for his twin brother's lips!

Yes, the moment Zack Martin had been waiting for since he had left his ex-girlfriend the message on her answer machine had finally arrived. Now they would be able to talk, and Bailey would see he had grown up and was ready to be the boyfriend she wanted to have. No, the boyfriend she deserved to have.

"Hey Bailey, I'm glad you could come today," he began.

"That's okay; it's always nice to see you coaching. You're real passionate about this, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I love doing this," he replied. "Anyway, um, Bailey, did you know I'll start working at the Tipton hotel tomorrow? And I'm being a pretty good coach, and helping out underprivileged children at the same time. See, I'm taking responsibility now, just li…"

Before he could finish his ultimate plea, Bailey had come closer and put a finger on his lips to make him stop babbling.

"Don't say anything, Zack," she whispered. "I've always known you could do this. The only thing you needed to learn was to believe in yourself, to take yourself more seriously."

Zack was speechless. Did Bailey believe in him? Did she still love him, and want him back? Could this be true?

After a full minute of gazing into each other's eyes, he got his answer. Bailey leaned in to him for a passionate reunion kiss. And of course, he gave in right away; this was the moment he'd been dreaming of for weeks and it felt damn good! Nothing could bring him down now. He felt like he was truly on top of the world while passionately kissing the girl he loved so much.

"Max, do you see the same thing I see?" Cody Martin asked after poking his boyfriend.

"Um, that depends on what you mean by that?"

"Well, there." Cody pointed to the spot where his brother and his almost new girlfriend were kissing passionately. "Don't you see it? Zack and Bailey are standing there together."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, they seem to be getting along pretty well," his partner added with a wink. "I think I'll go there too; there's something I have to give Zack."

Cody was a bit confused at what his boyfriend just said. What could he need to give Zack? And why now? It was pretty obvious this wasn't the right moment to disturb his twin brother. This seemed to be the moment they all had been waiting for. This was all Zack had been working for these last few weeks. And seeing his older brother this happy again with Bailey made him feel really happy too.

"Um, Cody, can we play some more?" Ryan interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Oh, of course, buddy," he replied while he grabbed the ball and attempted a shot at the ring. "You know, Ryan, I never knew you were this good. Maybe in the future you can try out for Zack's team too," he suggested after his shot totally missed the basket.

"Honestly, Cody, you stink at this sport," his boyfriend remarked, suddenly appearing behind him.

"I know… I've never been good at basketball."

"Oh, really?" Max smirked. "Is there any sport you are good at?"

"Ha, very funny, Maxie," he mumbled. "Now tell me, what did you give Zack that was so important?"

"Nothing major, just a key," Max answered. "A key to a space designed to spend a perfect date together. It's something I just created," his boyfriend explained, showing him a small part of his wand. The part he showed him was small enough not to make Ryan suspicious but also large enough to make Cody understand what Max had done.

"Why? I thought you didn't want to do this?"

"I know. He asked me the same thing. I told him since he managed to woo Bailey again without my help, he deserved a small reward." His boyfriend paused for a second and looked into his eyes. "And there was another reason for doing this: I kind of owed it to you."

"Oh Maxie, you're really the best!" Cody exclaimed, and immediately he regretted not being able hug and kiss his partner because what he just did was so sweet. It made him totally forget about the fight they'd had earlier.

"Cody?" a small voice suddenly asked.

"Yes?"

"Why is Mr. Zack kissing that girl over there for so long? Doesn't he need to breathe?"

"That's because she's his new girlfriend, buddy. They love each other," Cody laughed and patted the young boy on his shoulder.

Author's Notes: And with this we reach the end of the third story in this series. There will be one last part to complete the story about Max and Cody's life that started long ago at the SS Tipton. Like always I won't be promising when the story will be written but it will be sometime in the future. So be on the lookout for that!

Of course I absolutely have to thank two amazing persons who helped me a lot with this story by betareading or editing my chapters. Thank you so much, Elianna22 and the-lovely-anomaly! Couldn't have done it without you both

Lastly I want to refer to tiger002's awards show, Suite Life Awards 2010. So I'd say: take a look at the show and why not vote for the stories you think deserve an award? It so happens I've been nominated a few times there as well. ;)