Cam POV

So far Zach and I had tried several different dishes; from pulled pork burgers and sweet potato fries to aromatic duck wrapped in surprised me the most, was that Zach insisted on paying for everything, he even took the money out of my hand and shoved it into my jeans pocket to stop me from paying.

'Let me treat you, Gallagher girl' He said

'You don't need to treat me, it's not like we're on a date' I wanted to swallow those words back up. Zach smirked and leant closer to whisper in my ear.

'If we were on a date, you'd know about it' His voice was husky and send shivers down my spine

'How...how so?' my voice didn't sound like my own. I turned my head to look at Zach. His eyes were vibrant in the dark. I could feel his breath on my cheek.

'Looking the way you do right now…' He moved a stray bit of hair out of my face but left his hand cupping my cheek 'I'd kiss you' Once again his gaze flickered down to my lips, he licked his own.

'Zach…' I whispered. Zach snapped his eyes back to meet mine. This was it. If it was going to happen, it was going to be now. Sadly, it wasn't.

'CAMMIE!' Liz calling my name broke whatever trance Zach and I were in. I glanced over my shoulder to see my blonde friend bouncing over to us.

'Finally! We've been looking for you both for the last hour!' She exclaimed. I looked down at my watch to realise that, indeed Zach and I had slipped away from the others for a whole hour. Honestly, it didn't feel that long.

'We're all going to go on the Ferris wheel' she grabbed my hand, 'Come on!' Liz pulled me away. I glanced back at Zach who was smirking mischievously.

'There you are!' Macey called once we were all together 'What took you both so bloody long?'

'I..um-' I stuttered

'Cammie was really hungry' Zach said. When Zach came to join us, he'd stood the furthest he's been away from me all day. I looked at him curiously but he avoided my gaze.

'We have to go in pairs for this' Bex said.

'So who's going with who?' I asked looking at everyone.

'Bex and Grant, Liz and me' Jonas said

'I'm going with cutie over there' Macey pointed behind her to the guy at the cotton candy stall that couldn't stop staring at her.

'Do you even know him?' I asked. Macey flipped her hair.

'No, but I will do' She winked at me. After working out who was with who...that left…

'Looks like it's just you and me, Gallagher Girl' Zach said. I swallowed nervously. Why am I nervous? I've been alone with Zach many times...but now it seems as though feelings are involved. Feelings I don't know how to properly deal with.

...

Bex looped her arm through mine as we walked through the muddy ground.

'So…' She looked at me knowingly

'So what?' I asked

'You and Zach' She wiggled her eyebrows 'You were both gone for a while'

'We were just getting food, Bex' I told her

'Did you pay for anything?'

'Well...no…' I said 'What has that got to do with anything?'

'Nothing' She said lightly, but she was smirking.

'Bex…' I warned

'Zach is old fashioned with romance and chivalry. On the first dates, he always pays'

'It wasn't a date!' I hissed. Then something twigged 'Wait, he's done this before?' I asked. The thought of him paying for another girl made it seem less special to me in a weird, selfish way. Bex shrugged.

'There's been a couple of girls. None of them lasted more than a month' She squeezed my arm 'Don't worry about it'

We were slowly moving in the line for the Ferris wheel. Bex and Grant were taking photos getting us all as a group.

'This is so cute!' Bex squealed at the pictures. 'I'll give you all a copy of these'

'Make sure Cam gets a big print out so she can start her own Grant Shrine which I know you ladies already have' Grant winked. We all laughed it off.

We made our way to the front. Grant & Bex went first, then Liz & Jonas. Macey had somehow convinced the cotton candy guy to come with her. Then it was our turn. The little red cage arrived. The male employee offered me his hand to get on. He winked at me. I smiled back politely.

'Here' Zach stepped to my side and offered to help me in. Here I was, standing in a muddy field with two very cute guys offering to help me. I had a mini momentary panic attack and decided to take Zach's hand quickly. Zach climbed in next to me as the grated door closed.

We stood in silence in the little pod as we began to move higher.

'This reminds me of Love, Simon' I said.

'The film was much better than the book' Zach said. I turned to face him.

'Are you the type of person to read the book and then watch the film, or do it the other way round?' I wondered

'Ah, see I think these deep physiological questions shouldn't be asked on the first date' He smirked

'We're on a date?' I asked. Zach stepped closer

'Do you want us to be?' His voice was husky and damn right sexy.

'I...uh…'

'Because, as I told you earlier, if we were on a date, you'd know about it'

'H-how?' I asked, my voice small and unlike my own. Zach took his time with his movements. Everything was calculated. He stepped even closer. Without breaking eye contact, his left hand fell to my waist whilst his right hand cupped my face. His thumb hooked underneath my chin whilst his fingers were splayed across my cheek. I bit my lip, Zach's gaze followed that action and then flickered back up to my eyes. Zach licked his own lips.

'By doing this' His breath fanned my face as he angled his own to meet my lips. I jumped a little when his lips first connected. Zach withdrew barely an inch, his eyes searching mine. He smirked and closed the remaining gap between us. His mouth pressed back against mine. There was nervousness on both our parts, but as the kiss grew, we became more confident. My hands slowly made their way up his chest and wound around his neck. His tongue traced the seam of my lips; my whole body quivered in joy. I moaned ever so slightly causing Zach to smile. I pulled back as the Ferris wheel stopped. We weren't finished, nor were we at the highest point, it was just the fact that somebody needed a little help getting in one of the other cages.

Zach still had his hands on my face and hip.

'I have a question for you, Gallagher Girl' He whispered. I opened my mouth and closed it again. That kiss had taken my breath and words away.

'Will you go on a second date with me?' He asked. I smiled sheepishly, nodding. Zach's returning smile was wide. He pulled me closer and kissed me quickly with as much passion as our last kiss.

'Are you happy?' He asked moving a stray bit of hair from my face.

'Yeah' I whispered. 'The happiest I've been since moving'

'Really?'

'Yep,' I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Zach wound both his arms around me pulling me into a hug. We stood in content silence enjoying the rest of the journey. Just before we got to the end, Zach kissed my forehead and let me go.

...

Once reunited with everyone else, we decided to find a prime location to watch the fireworks. Grant was giving Bex a piggyback. Liz and Jonas were walking merrily together holding hands. Zach and I were strolling close together but not too close (it was very hard not to smile).

'I think I need a mint' Macey came up next to me and wound her arm through mine.

'That bad, huh?' I raised my eyebrow

'He went from a 7 to a 2 in the first twenty seconds' She gave a shiver 'He was very handsy'

'Gross'

'Anyway, how are you? I thought it would be hard for you to come here tonight' The softness of her voice made me stop.

'Why woul-' I began...Then it hit me like a tonne of bricks. The weight was so strong that it knocked my breath away. Everyone else continued apart from Zach and Macey.

'Cam?' Zach asked

'I forgot' I began to shake, my heart racing, the tears stinging.

'Cammie, you need to breathe' Macey placed her hands on my shoulders

'I forgot, Macey!' I cried out, my hands gripping her arms.

'I know Cammie, but you-'

'How could I forget?' I whimpered. The fracture in my heart opening again. One of the fondest memories I had with my dad was going to the fair, going on as many rides as possible and eating as many sweets as we should fit into our mouths then going onto the Ferris wheel multiple times watching the fireworks fill the sky before returning home, back to reality and the realisation that come morning, my dad would be deployed again. And I'd forgotten about it. Macey remembered. Macey who has been there for me through everything.

I let out a gasp of a breath followed by a flood of tears. Macey engulfed me into her arms. One hand ran through my hair as her soothing voice told me that everything was going to be okay and that she was sorry for bringing it up.

'What's going on?' Zach's voice felt very distant.

'Not now, Zach' Macey whispered 'Cam needs us right now'

I heard a sigh and I wondered if Zach had wandered off, but then I felt an extra body being added to the hug.

'You'll be fine, Gallagher Girl' Zach whispered in my ear 'You'll be okay'

'Is everything alright? Bex's voice drifted closer. I could feel Zach shaking his head. Then once again, more bodied joined this huddle around me. My heart was breaking so much that I thought I'd drown on my tears. After ten minutes, and lots of kind words from my friends, I was able to breathe better. Slowly, we peeled away from each other. Zach wasn't letting me go, his arms remained on my shoulders.

'Sorry' I wiped my eyes probably looking like a mess

'Are you okay, Cam?' Liz asked

'Yeah, you really scared us' Grant said. I bit my lip and shook my head trying to stop the tears from falling again. Zach's grip on my shoulders tightened slightly. Reassuring me.

'Um...the truth is…' I closed my eyes and took a deep breath

'Cam' Bex began. I opened my eyes. 'You don't have to'

'It's fine' I gave a weak smile 'It's about time everyone knows' I took another deep breath 'My dad's dead. He was killed in action last year. After he died, I spiralled into a really dark place and I've come out the other side stronger. But I still have my demons to fight. I've never experienced this kind of grief that comes in waves or gets triggered by some random moment, and I don't think I'll be okay for a while. And I'm sorry that you guys have accepted me without really knowing me. I'm just a girl with a shit load of secrets and baggage. I've been hurt by the people I love most and have hurt them back just as much. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you all sooner, it's just...not the easiest thing to mention. I haven't fully processed it myself; I'm more for compartmentalising and moving on'

'Oh, Cammie!' Liz threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. 'I'm so sorry' She muttered

'It's fine' I smiled at her 'He was a great dad'

'Did he take you to the fair?' Grant asked. I nodded.

'We ate so many sweets, my puke was the colour of the rainbow'

'Cam's dad was awesome' Macey added 'He never judged, he was always there to listen; even to a brat like me' She laughed lightly 'I'll never forget how big his heart was. That's something you've inherited Cam, whether you realise or not'

'Thanks' I choked out. My throat feeling tight with emotion.

'A toast' Grant rose his hand in the air as if he was holding a glass 'To Cammie's dad. The rooftop rescuer'

'The service man' Bex said

'The grease monkey' Jonas quipped

'The chocolate sauce lover' Liz joined in

'The listener' Macey said

'The dog tag owner' Zach added

'The believer' I raised my hand joining in. These individuals haven't been in my life for that long, yet I can no longer imagine life without them. They've all just seen me at my lowest point, and instead of running away, they came and surrounded me, comforting me, making sure that I was safe. This is a comfort I did not experience in D.C., my problems were just shoved under a rug and forgotten about. Locked away until I cracked and damaged myself. I will not let that happen again...for the first time in a long time...I feel hope.

Author's note: Sorry for the delay in uploads, I promised that I'd be better but I wasn't this week, sorry again! Anyyy way, this is the long-awaited chapter of Cammie and Zach getting together! THEY KISSED! And then Cammie had a little breakdown after remembering about her dad and the fair. She's getting better but still so broken. See you all next time xxx

GallagherGirlsEmbassyRowFan: Zammie are together and better than ever. Who do you think will come back? Thank you so much xxx

ALLY CARTER 4 EVER: Matthew is not alive. That's one of the trauma's that Cammie is trying to overcome xxx

Thankunext121: Aww thank you so much! It seems that as soon as Cammie begins to open up to people, there's someone from her past that brings her crashing back down to walk. I'm glad that Bex & Cammie are getting closer xxx

Guest: I'm trying to update more regularly but my coursework sadly takes priority xxx

Smiles180: Zammie took a VERY big step tonight. When love is in the air...but will it remain that way? xxx

Zachgoodet: Aww very glad that you're enjoying this xxx

abbyskates: Thank you so much xxx

gymnast1150: Zach has a crush and now he's acted in on it. Your wish is my command, lol, what did you think of that Zammie kiss? There's plenty more flirt left in for Zammie. But will people come in and ruin it? Have you like predicted my story? You just know me so well! Josh will come back...and Deedee...and Dillion...and a whole lot of drama. Thank you so much! *Glad you updated too!* xxx