Zed takes her up the forbidden stairway, down a hallway she didn't realize existed, until they stop at the door at the end. She stands there, watching him fumble with the knob for a long moment before finally pushing the door open. He slips inside, dragging Addison in with him. She can't help but giggle as she stumbles behind him. It's like they're in a drunken escapade! Except she's the only one drunk, and as much as she wants to kiss him until she forgets her name, she's pretty sure he isn't thinking anything like that.

"Are you sure we're allowed back here?" she asks.

"Yup!" He closes the door, leaning back against it and sighing heavily. Addison stands in front of him, still a little wobbly on her feet. "Owner's super chill, ya know?"

"You know the owner?"

Zed purses his lips, but his eyes sparkle with amusement. He nods, a hand raking through his hair. "I am the owner. The owner is me."

She stares for a long moment, the words taking longer than usual to process. Then, "No way!"

Zed chuckles but nods, grinning sheepishly as if that was the coolest thing he's ever said. "Yeah. Pride and joy."

She had a feeling he was well-off. He dresses nicer than most people, even at a club. It's a little weird, but she can understand always needing to look professional. She understands a little too well, if she's being honest.

"You own a nightclub. You own a nightclub! That's so cool!"

"Yeah?"

Addison nods. "You own an awesome nightclub. All my friends always come here, without me, but still!"

"Well, you don't like clubbing," Zed points out.

"Neither do you, and yet you own a nightclub."

Zed shrugs a shoulder. She has a point.

He leans over, flicking a switch. A soft yellow light floods the room, not bright enough to make her squint, but enough she can make out all the cute features of Zed's face. And actually see the room. That part's important too.

But also he's really cute, with his long nose and his soft smile and high cheekbones that accentuate his jawline while still making him look young and full of life.

His soft smile spreads into a big one. "Hey there! Haven't seen you in a bit," he teases.

Addison giggles. Zed pushes off the wall, stepping closer and sending her heart rate up. He reaches toward her, his hand brushing her hair behind her ear. "I really like your hair," he says softly.

His touch lingers at her jaw. Heat floods her cheeks at the close contact.

"T-thank you," she says, her voice just as quiet as his. "I just wanted a change, you know?"

Zed nods. "I feel you." He pulls his hand from her face, much to her disappointment, moving around her. "Let's sit."

He holds out a hand and she slowly slips her own in his, feeling the warmth of his calloused palm against her much smaller hand.

He leads her over to a wide leather sectional against the far wall. Zed sits on a cushion in the middle and Addison plops down next to him, their hands still linked, though now rested on Zed's thigh closest to her. She tucks her legs under her butt, slightly kneeling while leaning next to him.

"So, Mr. Bigshot Nightclub Owner."

Zed chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm still the same old Zed, Addison."

"I don't know 'same-old Zed,' I don't know anything about you!"

Zed smiles, another dazzling, bright smile. "Ask me anything. I'm just a regular guy."

"In Zegna Bespoke."

Zed raises an eyebrow. "You knew that off the top of your head? Impressive."

"I know expensive when I see it, what can I say." Addison dramatically flips her hair, making him laugh. "It looks good on you, though."

Zed chuckles again, although she doesn't miss the blush that dusts his cheeks.

"The nightclub brings in enough money for you to walk around all day in custom suits?"

Zed shrugs. "Here and there."

Addison nods, partway understanding. "It's a cool place. I can't tell if I'm still pretty drunk, or I just don't understand the whole 'zombie' thing."

"What?"

"You know, the name, the theme. It's cool and all, but there's a ton of drinks and food and stuff…what's that all about?"

Zed chuckles. "We're in the heart of Zombietown. Gotta pay homage to the greatest place on earth." He spread his hands, making her giggle.

"You live in Zombietown?"

"Born and raised."

"I lived in the suburbs growing up. But I'm not too far from here now, actually."

"You know most people want to leave Zombietown, not come."

Living in Zombietown is much cheaper than living in most places in Seabrook.

"I like the vibe," she says simply, shrugging. "Plus, me and my friend Bree moved there as broke nineteen year olds. The shit by SCC was too fucking expensive."

Zed nods.

"So you live in Zombietown?"

He chews his lip thoughtfully. "Kinda."

"Kinda?"

He nods, but doesn't elaborate. His phone rings loudly in his pocket, stealing his attention, but Addison has an inkling to think he just wants to avoid the topic, and the phone ringing was a happy coincidence.

He whips it out of his pocket, bringing it to his ear without looking at the caller ID. Crazy. It must be a customized ringtone, because Zed answers like he knows who it is, his whole demeanor shifting. Whether unconsciously or not, she isn't sure, but he sits up straighter, shoulders tensing and a slight scowl falling on his lips.

"Yo." She can't hear the other person on the line. Or, she can't focus much on it. Her head's still fuzzy from the copious amounts of alcohol in her system.

"Tonight," Zed says. He glances at Addison for a moment, chewing his lip thoughtfully before adding, "There won't be any eyes out there." He pauses again, pursing his lips. But he doesn't add anything else, instead ends the call with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. His head falls back against the couch, his whole body slouching down.

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Is everything…okay?"

Zed breathes deeply, then nods. He sits up and looks at her. "Just stupid work stuff."

It can't be for the night club. For one, he's currently at the nightclub, so any sane person would just walk up to him with a problem. Plus, it sounded more like something going on outside of…the realm of reality, if she's being honest.

"Not club stuff?"

Zed shakes his head. "Other stuff."

Mysterious.

"What do you do for work? Outside of the club?"

Zed makes a face.

"You know what I do! It's only fair."

He shrugs, but says, "Family business type stuff. Mostly real estate, some import and export stuff."

Addison nods. Her grandfather was into real estate. Done right, it was a pretty good money maker. Especially considering it was a long lasting type of business. No wonder Zed's loaded. And, well, trust-fund baby.

Zed snickers. "Excuse me?" he asks, amused. "Did you just call me a trust-fund baby?"

Oh shit. She said that out loud.

"I-uh—yes?"

Zed laughs. He leans toward her, poking her knee. "I work hard, I swear," he jokes. Or rather, whines. He's whiny, but a really cute whiny.

"This is a very nice club," she noted thoughtfully,

Zed sits up, grinning widely. "You really think so? My dad used to give me so much shit for wanting to open it, but I just wanted a cool place for my friends to hang out where we wouldn't get judged or harassed or anything. All the clubs by SCC are really sleezy, and Uptown clubs don't want us zombies around. And I had the means to give us our own place to feel like we…like, belong somewhere."

That's…really sweet. And his eyes lit up in the most beautiful way when he was talking. Genuine, and excited, and really freaking cute. She wants to hear him talk about all his passions, everything he does to make himself and others happy and proud.

"Wait, did you just refer to yourself as a zombie?"

Zed's eyes go wide, red dusting his cheeks before he chuckles nervously. "Sorry, it's…it's a stupid inside joke. Just, uh, slipped out."

Addison wants to push, but Zed looks away, twiddling his thumbs. It doesn't seem like he wants to talk about that. Not now, at least. She backtracks to all the stuff he said before.

She scoots closer to him, placing a hand gently on his arm. He tenses momentarily, then looks up at her with his big, brown eyes that sparkle despite the lowlight of the room. He leans closer, whether on purpose or not, she's not sure. "I don't know many rich people who live in Zombietown, but what you did sounds really sweet," she says softly.

Zed breathes out a laugh through his nose, though his eyes never leave hers. They're close, really close. A lot closer than they started, that's for sure, "I'm an honorary part of Zombietown," he says quietly.

Addison hums. Fuck it, she's gonna do it. "That's nice." She leans closer, their noses touching briefly. Her eyes flicker down to his lips, soft and inviting. It'd be so easy to close the space, kiss him sweetly, savor his taste. Finally calm the swimming in her head that's brought her here: to the club, the dance floor, hell, even to him. And do it over and over and over again, until she's drunk not from alcohol but from Zed.

She can't remember the last time she wanted to get drunk on a guy's kisses.

She looks back at his eyes, still focused on her, though the brown is quickly being swallowed up but his pupils. He's into it, he's so into it, into her, this, everything and some.

And then the door opens, and Zed jumps back, putting a decent amount of space between them. Addison takes a little longer to fake a sense of normalcy, like she wasn't just about to let this handsome sin of a man ruin her life.

"Addison! There you are!"

Addison looks and watches Bonzo rush into the room with Bree on his heels, although the latter moved much slower and sloppier.

"We've been looking everywhere for you! We thought—" Bonzo stops midway in his rant, his eyes falling on Zed. They bounce between her and Zed, then the small space between the two of them, then back to her and Zed. "What are you doing up here?" Bonzo finally asks, although this time he directs the statement to Zed.

Zed shrugs. He's leaned back against the couch, not fazed in the slightest. And if he is, he doesn't give it away. "Chatting with Addison. Making new friends."

"Just chatting?" Bonzo probes.

Addison nods her head. "Y-yeah! We were just escaping the crowd…you know?"

Bonzo looks at her with a raised brow, but it's Bree, standing behind him, still visibly drunk yet very uncomfortable and upset, that worries Addison. Bree warned her to stay away from Zed, and now walked in on Addison with Zed! At least they weren't doing anything…though Addison wishes they were (she really wants to know how good of a kisser he is).

"Come on, I'm taking you home," Bonzo says.

Addison deflates. She really wants to stay and spend more time with Zed. But Bree will be so upset with her if she does — more upset than she already is.

Zed was super nice, at least to her! And he's funny and charming and sweet, all the opposite of what Addison would describe as trouble. It sucked that she had to leave just because of an ominous warning from her best friend.

Then again.

Addison could ignore the warning. It worked out so far! Zed didn't try anything with her! He took her drinks and hung out with her, talking instead of pushing her towards something more extreme. He was kind of a gentleman. Aka, the opposite as the creepy warning from Bree, that came with zero context!

"No," Addison states. "I-I wanna stay a little longer. Hang out." She turns and looks at Zed, an almost shy smile pulling at her lips. "I mean if that's okay with you."

"Y-yeah! Of course, Addison. I can drop you home whenever you're ready, no problem."

"Addy, don't be crazy," Bree says.

"I'm nearly sober, so no crazy here," Addison says. "Text me when you get home, okay?"

Bree looks at her in disbelief, but doesn't protest further. She turns around, mumbling to Bonzo, "Whatever, let's go."

Bonzo huffs. "Let me know when you're home, and not a second later," he tells Addison.

She nods, watching them leave with rising excitement. Not only does she still get to hang out with Zed, but it felt awesome standing up for what she wants! Is this how other people feel all the time? No wonder Willa and Wyatt always seem so stress free: being confident and fighting for your wants is incredible!

Addison turns back to Zed, grinning. He grins too, although his is more of a mirror of her excitement, rather than his own excitement. He honestly looks a little confused.

"What was that all about?" Zed asks.

Addison shrugs. "Who cares!" She stands, turning back and pulling him to his feet. "Let's go do something interesting."

Zed chuckles. "What? Talking in the secret upstairs of a club isn't interesting enough for you?"

"Nope! Let's go!"

Zed laughs, letting her pull him out of the room.

Zed drives a jaguar.

Like, a brand new jaguar, with dark windows and leather seats. It's insane.

The engine purrs to life and Addison's eyes fly open. She buckles her seatbelt extra tight, her chest fluttering with both excitement and fear.

Zed looks at her with a wild grin. "Where to, Addison?"

She shrugs. She hadn't thought that far ahead when she ditched Bree, then dragged him out here. She also didn't know very many fun places within the city, or nearby cities. Plus, it's after midnight! Not many places were open outside of clubs and bars, one of which they just left.

Zed nods, as if she'd answered him. He must have an idea of where to take her, but instead of sharing he asks, "Radio? Bluetooth? Silence?" He comically lifts his brows.

Addison giggles. "Gimme your worst."

Zed smirks at her devilishly, whipping out his phone and scrolling until he finds what he was looking for. His guilty pleasure playlist.

A loud rock song with a base that rattles the entire vehicle fills the space. Zed revs the engine, peeling off into the empty Seabrook streets. A shriek bursts free from Addison's lips, her hands gripping the door-rest and the center console.

Zed turns and looks at her, grinning like a madman. She grins too. Her chest pounding with adrenaline, although she thinks her gut might've been left behind at Zombie Mash. Zed drives wildly, weaving in and out of the minimal traffic. It's enough to make a girl scream, though Addison settles to hold on for dear life.

Within minutes, Zed is driving down an empty stretch of road parallel to the coastline. The music shifts to an old Ke$ha song, of all things. She turns and looks at him, getting a simple grin in return.

"You ready?" he calls over the music.

She raises an eyebrow. Zed rolls down the windows. Salty air hits her nose instantly; Zed cranks up the volume, screaming along with the lyrics. Zed turns his head and shouts, "Woo!" Addison shrieks a laugh, shouting with him.

This is the amazing rush she's been craving all day. Heart pounding, hair flying in the wind.

Zed grabs her hand closest to him, and the two of them sing along to the old 2000s song as they race down the Seabrook coast. A man she's only met yesterday, who she'd only gotten to talk to a few hours ago. But now, cruising down the highway with this man feels so natural, so completely perfect.

And he's holding her hand!

He pulls her hand forward, flicking down the volume with a finger. "See that? Up ahead?" he asks.

Addison squints, seeing the brightly illuminated sign that reads in big, blue neon, 'FROYO.' She can't make out the words above or below, but they don't matter much. She looks back at Zed and nods. "Late-night froyo run?" he asks.

"Sure!"

Zed cheers, speeding up. Addison shrieks, gripping his hand tighter.

They pull into a space at the corner of the lot, Zed whipping the wheel around until the car is backwards in the spot. He cuts off the engine and grins at her.

"Have fun?"

"That was incredible!" she exclaims. "I wanna drive next!"

"Absolutely not!" Zed laughs. "Maybe another time, though." He winks and the butterflies finally come back to life in her chest.

There'll be another time! They were basically on a date right now, even if it was unplanned and spontaneous. A not-date, date, where you meet up randomly halfway through the night and spend the rest of your time together, singing horribly in the car

Zed lets go of her hand and climbs out of his car. Addison follows him, meeting him at the driver's side. He bites back a grin the second he sees her.

"Your hair looks great, by the way."

She frowns, turning and looking in the side view mirror. Her hair sticks up all around her head, and although it's now short, she still looks more than insane. She squeaks, rushing to smooth it out.

Zed laughs. Addison almost blushes in embarrassment, almost. But Zed reaches out and runs his fingers through her hair, helping settle the wind-blown mess, and her heart flutters again, heat racing up her neck for a different kind of embarrassment.

"There! Now you look even better," Zed says with a smile.

Addison giggles, looking down at the ground. She never imagined she'd have this much fun at midnight on a not-date. Zed nods to the froyo, leading the way to the entrance. He runs his fingers through his own hair, smoothing it out.

"I always forget how insane the wind is down here," he says. "It doesn't bother me much, but usually when I drive my sister around she gets so mad." He laughs to himself.

"It did look funny," Addison muses. "Maybe you'll have to drive me around more so I can maintain my killer windswept look."

Zed smiles down at her. "I'll do it everyday if you ask, Addison."

He grabs the door handle and holds it open, letting her step inside before he follows. He comes up to her side, his arm slinking over her shoulders casually.

The entire shop is empty. There's no one behind the counter of froyo, and the topping station is completely clean. Nothing is ever this clean, especially so late in the day. The walls are pure white with pink and green garnishing and simple decorations. It reminds her of Uptown.

"Hey, Coach!" Zed calls out into the emptiness.

A short and burly black man springs up from behind the counter, making Addison jump. His eyes are wide and wild, but he instantly breaks into a grin at the sight of them.

"He-ey! There's my favorite customer!" the man, Coach, calls out.

Zed leads them over to the counter. Coach looks at Addison, his grin morphing into a mischievous smile. "Who's this?"

"Oh, I'm Addison," she says.

Coach smiles, reaching over the sneeze guard and extending his hand. "Well it is very nice to meet you, Addison."

She shakes his hand, not noticing the unsubtle look he gives Zed.

"Had to take her to the best froyo place in town," Zed says.

"Aw, Zed, you are too kind to me," Coach says with a chuckle. "The usual?"

Addison tilts her head up at Zed. "What's the usual?"

Instead of answering, Zed asks her, "What do you like, Adds?" Which is the second time he's called her nickname. Not that she's counting.

"Well usually I just get vanilla and go crazy with toppings." If going crazy meant some fruit here and there, maybe graham crackers if she was feeling wild.

Zed grins and says, "Two large vanillas!"

Addison giggles to herself. She is pretty curious as to what he usually gets, but if it isn't the cutest thing seeing him get her favorite flavor, despite most people thinking it's boring.

Coach slides them the two cups of vanilla swirl, over the couch. "I'll put it on your account, Z," he says.

The two of them grab their cups, Zed saying, "Thanks." They walk toward the topping station, Zed removing his arm from around her shoulders. "Go nuts, Addy, toppings are fully included."

She grins, running off to explore the topping bar. She sticks to more of the fruits, crackers, and crisps, while Zed hangs out around the chocolate sweets and sauces. They meet in the middle, both reaching for the mini marshmallows.

"After you!"

Addison giggles, sprinkling a spoonful onto her cup. She scoops another, reaching over and covering Zed's cup with marshmallows. Zed giggles, elbowing her gently. She elbows him back, giggling.

"You all set or you want some of the fantabulous chocolate drops?" Zed asks.

"That's not a word," she points out.

His eyes shine with mischief. "Chocolate?" he teases.

Addison rolls her eyes and smiles. She turns away, walking toward the door with Zed close behind her. She pushes it open with her back, calling out a thanks to Coach as they leave. Zed, now ahead of her, walks back to his car in the corner of the lot. Instead of unlocking it, he climbs onto the hood with ease, turning back and grinning at Addison.

"Come on up!"

Zed extends a hand that Addison graciously accepts, letting him pull her up next to him. "Ready to have your life changed?" he asks, almost too seriously.

She giggles at his antics. She scoops a generous mix of froyo and toppings, then turns toward him. "Cheers!"

Zed laughs, 'clinking' his spoon with hers.

To say the froyo is heaven on a spoon is an understatement. She didn't realize different shops had variations in their froyo, but now she doesn't think she can go anywhere but here. She even moans out loud, much to the amusement of Zed.

"See! I told you!" Zed exclaims. "Best froyo in the world."

Addison scoops more out of her cup, nodding along with him. No time to talk, only time to eat froyo.

Once she's halfway through her cup and had two full-body shudders related to a brain freeze, she slows down.

Zed grins at her. "Was it good?"

"I don't know if it's the alcohol or what, but this is the best thing I've ever had in my life," Addison says. "How did you find this place?"

"Oh, well, he's my old football coach from high school. And he used to run a froyo cart during the off season. So after the success of the night club, my dad gave me more wiggle room and I went and helped Coach start this place."

"Wait, you own the froyo shop too?" Addison asks in disbelief.

Zed's cheeks dust red but he nods shyly. "Y-yeah. Only partially, Coach does his own thing and he knows what he's doing. He just needed a little boost and I love the guy so…"

Addison smiles softly, bumping his shoulder. "That's really sweet, Zed."

Zed shrugs like it's nothing. She takes another spoonful of froyo and shivers as it goes down; the mixture of frozen dessert and mid-autumn chill is really starting to set it.

"Mm, are you cold?" Zed doesn't wait for a response, hopping off the hood and running around the car.

Addison watches him with mild curiosity until he pops the trunk and obstructs her view. She can only assume what he's doing though, and is soon confirmed when he closes his trunk and comes back holding a large, grey sweater.

"Here, I'll hold your froyo," he says. They trade items, Addison pulling the hoodie on over her head. It's surprisingly warm and smells intensely of sea salt and a woody undertone. She likes the smell.

She takes back her froyo and he takes the seat next to her.

"So, do you take all your girls here?" she teases.

Zed grins, though it's neither mischievous nor teasing. Just a big smile, one that warms her even more than his sweater does. "Only you, Addy."

She giggles, ducking her head down toward her cup. "Well, I appreciate the gesture," she muses. "And the froyo. Thank you."

Zed bumps her shoulder, and she bumps his right back. She looks up at him through her lashes, memorizing the way his face crinkles with his smile. She's going to think of his smile all night, all day, always. He's cuter and sweeter than anyone she's ever met, especially in Seabrook.

After froyo, they get back in his car, Addison blinking heavily as she fights off sleep. Zed chuckles, switching his playlist to a calmer vibe, one with strong instrumentation just with slower beats.

"You ready to go home?" Zed asks.

Despite how much she wants to spend the entire night with him, visit other places he likes around town and get to know more of this mysterious man, she knows she needs to sleep. "Yeah…"

She takes his phone when offered, typing in her address, then relaxing back to the soothing tunes and warm, slow drive back into Zombietown.

Addison and Zed walk side by side until she stops at her door – 27. "This is me," Addison shrugs a shoulder, turning back to Zed. "Thanks for walking me up."

Zed smiles, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Yeah, of course."

As much as she doesn't want the night to end, she can't ignore the heaviness in her eyes and the growing fuzziness of her brain. She wants to hang out with him more, in much more romantic settings.

"Um." Here goes nothing. "This was the best 'not-date' I've ever been on, so thanks for that too."

Zed grins, raising an eyebrow. "Not-date?"

"Well you never asked me out, but I had a lot of fun, so…'not-date.'" She shrugs halfheartedly, hoping he picks up on her hint. Not that she'd mind asking him out herself. She just doesn't want to risk a hard rejection from a super hot (and super rich) guy.

But, "If you want," he says slowly, "I can take you on a real date."

She perks up. Part of her fears he only said it because of her hints, but when she looks at his face she knows he wants to ask her out, for real. It's in his eyes, in his smile, in the nervous shift of his hands in his pockets and the small shuffle of his feet.

"Yeah?" she asks.

"Yeah. You and me, tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, yeah! That'd be…amazing." She grins, mostly to herself, fantasizing what other magical adventures Zed could take her on.

"Can I get your number?" Zed asks.

"Oh, yeah!"

She fumbles, pulling her phone from her pocket, then hands it to him. He quickly types and she watches, barely containing her excitement. He passes it back to her with a smile.

"I'll text you in the morning with the details," Zed says.

"Okay!" She grins, bouncing on her heels. "I should…" She gestures to her door, and he nods in agreement. She unlocks her door, stepping inside.

At the last second she turns back, stepping close to him. Just one more brave moment, while she can still blame the small amount of alcohol in her bloodstream. She places a hand on his shoulder and stands on her toes, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.

She pulls back and smiles shyly at his stunned expression. "Goodnight, Zed."