Hey guys! Long time, no see... I was taking a hiatus from all things FF during exam season (A-levels are extremely important to get into uni and highly stressful times in the uk haha) but jokes on me because coronavirus means that they have officially been cancelled this year and i have no idea what to do with myself now. It also means I'm going to be stuck in my house majority of the day, so what better time to make a return. Hope you guys liked this chapter, expect another one in 2 days max I promise! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy xxxxxx

I looked up from my homework and peered over the stack of books in front of me. A loud shuffling of movement from the back door, that only staff and Zach knew, alerted me to someone's arrival. Lizzie's voice rang through the bookstore.

"Well? Did you ask him?"

I ducked back behind the books in front of me. I'd been avoiding her and Bex all weekend purely so that I didn't have to discuss the date with Zach. It was a great night, and I'd enjoyed every moment of it. That was the problem. I had enjoyed our fake date more than I should have. Zach made it too easy to forget that we were only pretending to be together and I was beginning to feel scared at the feelings that he unconsciously aroused whenever we were with one another.

"Where are you, Cammie?" She called out again, sounding closer. I couldn't keep hiding. She'd see me eventually.

"Here." I sat up straighter so she could see me. Her eyes lit up, and an excited smile crossed her face.

"Well?"

"Hey, Cams. How are you? I'm great, thanks for asking. You?" I asked sarcastically. She just looked at me, completely unimpressed. "No, I haven't asked him since Friday night." I had also been avoiding him all weekend. I was relying too much on him and how he made me feel- feelings that I torturously didn't know what to do with. We were pretending, and it seemed better to keep our distance outside school before the lines started to blur completely…

"You haven't spoken to your boyfriend all weekend? Why? Did something happen?" She slid down beside me with her eyebrows raised waiting for a response.

"For one, he's not my boyfriend. And, two…" I trailed off absentmindedly. Yes, something had happened. We'd kissed for hours like a pair of horny teenagers in a loving relationship. Horny teenagers we were, in a loving relationship we were not. Then I'd also told Josh how I really felt and that I was happy because of Zach, which was actually the most empowering thing I've ever done. The flip side to that, was that for some reason I clearly freaked out after thinking about what my actions had meant and decided to become a hermit for the remainder of the weekend. Even I don't know what's wrong with me.

I felt as though I'd crossed some fake-relationship line or something, and I didn't know what to say to him. There was no reason for either of us to act like that, even if Josh was watching our every move. Zach and I had no reason to kiss that passionately for that long and on top of that I had no idea what to make of the comment about what I was doing to him and what he wanted to see me looking like if Josh hadn't interrupted us. He was a flirt. I knew that. But it still felt all too real for a relationship that was supposed to be fake, and it was confusing the hell out of me.

Zach and I being together was beginning to feel like second nature- as if we didn't even need to act anymore. It was like we really were in a relationship but without any romantic feelings. Only chemistry. Lots and…lots of chemistry. I'd never felt that physically attracted to anyone before. Not even Josh. I'd never had the world fade away when a boy looked at me. I'd never had anyone make me feel so confident and happy in myself. What was I going to do?

"And two, nothing happened. We've just been busy." I decided not to tell her about it since I was not prepared to have a 3-hour long conversation about my deepest darkest thoughts and feelings.

Lizzie looked at me with her eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "Cam, I know you well enough now to know when you're lying to me. And that was the biggest load of bullshit, if I've ever heard some."

I sighed loudly and dropped my head into my hands. "Liz, I don't know what to do. It was one of the most passionate, intense, most amazing nights of my life. For real, as well! I'm not even saying that as his fake girlfriend and I'm going out of my mind trying to make sense of these feelings I keep having."

"Oh, Cammie, what have you got yourself into?" She said, smiling at me warmly before wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders. "Why is it such a bad thing that you're having these feelings? I know Zach and trust me when I say that the way that boy looks at you isn't like someone who's just pretending to be in a relationship. I really think you should talk to him."

I stared at her incredulously. Did he really look at me differently? "I don't know, Liz, I don't want to jeopardise what we-"

My words were cut off by the sound of the front doorbell ringing. All of a sudden the pair of tanned British legs I had come to know so well, were stood in front towering above us.

"I thought I might find you two here… You know Cameron, if it weren't for Lizzie's top-notch hacking skills to track your location, one might've thought that you were some sort of pavement artist working for the CIA or something. You can really hide when you don't want to be found." She announced exasperatedly. "Sorry, did I interrupt a moment between you guys? I can go stand outside if you want."

I chuckled at Bex, "No, no, don't worry, Lizzie was just interrogating me about Friday night which I'm sure you're about to do anyway."

"Good, cuz I wasn't planning on leaving either way. Now spill all the details, please." She replied in earnest, plopping herself down next to us.

"I don't even know where to start…" I began, before relaying the entire night's events to my two best friends in full detail.

"And you two haven't spoken since?" Lizzie asked, creasing her forehead like she did when she was trying to work out some impossible maths equation.

"No. He texted a few times but when I bumped into Grant the other day at Pop's diner (A/N little Riverdale reference because I'm currently binging it sorry!) he told me Zach had taken off for a few days." I explained.

"Well, call him now and ask him, why don't you?" Bex insisted.

"What's the rush?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. "Wait a minute, call who? Grant or Zach?" I raised my eyebrow, seeing right through my sassy friend who was now blushing a deep red.

"Preston's a jerk, and I hate him, and I want to move on."

"What did he do this time?" Liz asked, biting her lip in anticipation.

Preston was Bex's long time crush and lived down the street from her. He was two years above (a sophomore in college), gorgeous, and he knew it. He'd always been Bex's knight in shining armour and looked out for her. Naturally, she developed a sort of infatuation with him, which started long before I moved to Roseville.

"He's got a date with Kim Lee this weekend. Kim Lee of all people and in the same year as us! I always thought that he never went for it with me because I was too young for him, but then one girl he meets at the library comes along and all that goes out the window." She vented in frustration. "Why can't he like me?"

"I'm sorry, Bex. I am. But maybe it's because he's known you for so long. You're his best mate's little sister after all-"

"I'm not that little! I'm Bex Baxter. I'm a badass bitch who could handle pretty much anyone so I don't know what he's thinking."

"We know that, but he probably can't get past the fact you're his best friend's younger sibling. So, who cares about him? There're plenty of other fish in the sea and you deserve better, honestly!" Lizzie added reassuringly.

Bex shook her head as if to rid herself of all her thoughts and wiped her eyes readily. "I know, and that's why I need a date. A boyfriend. Anything. Can you please introduce me to this Grant guy? And for your own sake, as well as mine, call Zach."

"I think he's.."

"I don't care. Call him. If anyone can interrupt him, it's you." She stared at me sternly.

I sighed. I wasn't so sure he'd want me to disturb him, but I pulled out my phone, searching for Zach's number before putting it to my ear.

"Hello, Gallagher Girl." He answered quickly, surprising me. My heart fluttered at the use of his nickname for me.

"Uh, hi," I said, caught off guard that he was acting like normal. Maybe I had read too much into things since Friday night. Maybe he didn't notice his effect on me. And maybe he was even better at acting than I thought.

"Miss me already?" I could hear the smirk in his voice. I looked up at Bex and Lizzie to see if they were listening in on our conversation, but luckily they were engrossed in their own little bubble of boys and prom.

I ignored his question. "Anyway, Bex is here, and she has been bugging me all weekend about-"

"Meeting Grant?" Zach interrupted.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I mentioned her to him yesterday at practice, which you missed by the way, and he's been pissing me off all weekend too. Actually, the same goes for Jonas, the friend I was going to set lizzie up with? He's a lot more conservative and geeky compared to Grant but the fact he's asked me more than once about her is a sign that he's interested. Bring them to that party, and I'll do the same," he said, reminding me that there was a huge event at Josh's that the whole year was invited to. Personally, I hated parties.

"Oh. I wasn't planning on going to that."

"Of course you were. You're my girlfriend. And it is at Jimmy's, after all."

"But after Friday, I don't really-"

"It will be fine. A way to piss him off even more."

Internally, I groaned at the fact he still didn't realise it wasn't about getting back at Josh anymore, but I accepted under the conditions that I would get to spend more time with Zach and figure out what was really going on inside our heads. "Okay, fine. I'll bring them. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. See you tomorrow, yeah?" I asked hopefully. I heard the bell above the door of the bookstore ring and finally noticed that Bex and Lizzie had gone off to make tea in the back room. "Zach?"

"Yeah?" The phone hung up, but I heard his voice loud and clear. Turning my head, I saw him sauntering through the shelves towards me with a grin on his face. He was actually here. In front of me.

"Wh..What?" He stopped me from talking by leaning over the counter and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. My hands instantly threaded their way into his hair, causing him to groan and allowing me to deepen the kiss. I needed to show him I was sorry for ignoring him all weekend. I felt him smile into the kiss before he eventually pulled away.

"I missed you too, Gallagher Girl." He whispered with his forehead resting on mine.

A loud grunt interrupted the moment and we turned to see Bex and Lizzie gawking at us like fish.

"Ladies. Your fairy godmother listened to your wishes and both your dates are coming to Josh Abrams party, where you can finally meet them!" He brushed his hands through his hair, trying to keep it out of his face, but it didn't help. His curls fell back down across his face immediately.

"That's two weeks away," Bex whined whilst Liz smiled to herself nervously. "Hold up. You guys are going to Josh's? Why?" She sounded shocked.

"It's meant to be the party of the year, although I highly doubt it, but why not?" Zach leant on the counter that we were previously resting against, still trying to push the hair out of his face.

"I just thought because of everything that's happened, you guys would want to avoid it," she said, looking confused. "And I don't think you were invited according to what Tina said."

"No one was invited. It's an open invitation. But either way we're going." Zach shrugged. "No one will expect us to. He needs to see that Cammie's moved on and is happier with me, right?" He looked at me with a mixture of hopefulness and apology. Happier with him? Did that mean he wasn't worried that I told Josh I was happier with him?

"Of course." I smiled and hoped it didn't look too forced or real because the truth was, I was happier now, and it was because of Zach and his little plan to get back at Josh for something I was yet to understand.

"Good." He leant over the counter and pecked me on the lips quickly before pulling back and thoughtfully looking at my hair.

"Can I borrow this?" He reached up and slid the elastic out of my hair before grabbing his locks and pulling it back into a small ponytail at the top of his head.

"Uhm…" I cleared my throat. Lizzie's eyes went wide as she stared at Zach before turning to Bex, to which both girls mouthed the words "wow" behind his back. I stifled a laugh at the expression on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Zach asked as he ran his fingers through my hair, working out the kinks that had formed.

"Um, well, nothing. You just stole my hair tie, that's all." I replied lamely, trying not to gawk at how incredible he looked with his hair tied up like that. No guy should look that sexy with a ponytail.

"Sorry, it was just driving me crazy. I need to cut it off."

"No!" Liz, Bex and I shouted at the same time, making us laugh, and Zach step back, looking at us like we were both crazy. Maybe we were, but I liked his hair tied up.

"It's just, well…you look good with longer hair. I like it." I could feel my cheeks heart up, no doubt reddening too. The other two nodded in agreement, and Zach's face split into a huge grin.

"And that ponytail…" Lizzie stared incredulously.

"No guy should ever look that good with a ponytail, but you manage to make it look extremely attractive," Bex interrupted, echoing my exact thoughts. I stared at her, hardly believing she had just admitted that to him.

"Cammie, do you like my ponytail too?" He turned to me with a smirk. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Was that even a question?

"Yes." I nodded, and he leant close bringing his lips to my ear, making me shiver as his warm breath skidded across my neck.

"Does it turn you on?" he whispered, his voice sounding deep and husky. I gasped and pulled away from him with wide eyes. What was he doing to me? I couldn't admit that yeah it did, and if you combined that with the way his voice just sounded in my ear, then yes it definitely did. But I was beginning to think everything that boy did or said or wore was enough to turn me on. What was wrong with me?

"Gallagher Girl, I asked you a question." He straightened up and stood back trying to hide the smile on his face. He just liked making me feel uncomfortable. He actually enjoyed it. In that moment, I decided I wasn't going to let him force me to feel like that anymore. Looking at Bex and Lizzie, I saw they were now engrossed in an intense conversation about what to wear when they meet Zach's friends, not paying attention to what Zach and I were talking about.

I stood up straight and squared my shoulders. Looking him directly in the eyes, I answered as calmly as I could. "Oh yeah, big time." I winked at him and walked away from the counter feeling my insides turn to jelly. But at the same time, I felt a rush of adrenaline surge through me from being so bold and honest.

"Cammie." I heard him hiss. "Cammie, get back here." He called out as I opened the door to the back kitchen to grab a glass of water. I needed to cool down. I heard footsteps behind me and turned expecting to see Zach, but it was Lizzie and Bex.

"We're gonna head out now. Leave you two love birds alone to sort out your 'feelings'. See you tomorrow." Bex grinned, pulling a winking Lizzie behind her.

"See you two!" I waved at them and turned the sink on, filling up my glass with water before draining it in a couple of mouthfuls. I was thirsty. Just as I was about to walk back out into the store, the kitchen door swung open again, revealing Zach. He was standing there with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth, staring at me. The look on his face and in his eyes stopped me in my tracks.

I took a step back instinctively, trying to move away from him. He crossed the threshold and closed the distance between us in three long strides. I backed up another step, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to him, causing me to slam into his chest. I looked up at him in shock and was met by a heated gaze, but before I could figure out whether it was fury or desire burning in his green eyes, his mouth was on mine and his tongue was pushing its way between my lips.

Desire instantly flooded my body and I found myself clutching at his shirt, trying to pull him closer. One of his hands snaked around my lower back, holding me firmly against his body, while the other cupped my face. His tongue was strong and forceful in my mouth, and I could feel his fingers digging into my back like he was also trying to pull me as close as possible. Somehow, I ended up backed against the wall with nowhere to move. Any distance between us was completely removed when Zach's hands slid down and gripped my thighs, lifting me up so that I had to wrap my legs tightly around his waist. Zach ripped his mouth away from mine and began kissing along my jaw to my ear.

"Zach." His name came out sounding like a moan when I felt his teeth tugging on my earlobe. My eyes rolled backwards. His soft lips made their way down my neck as I threw my head back. My insides once again turned to jelly, and my heart beat out of my chest, but in the best way.

"Cammie." He breathed my name when he placed a kiss in the hollow at the bottom of my throat. My heart beat faster and heat began to pool in the bottom of my stomach.

"You can't say that to me and just walk off." His voice was deep and husky again. I nodded my head so he knew I understood what he was saying. He took a step back and I had to wrap my arms around his neck so I didn't fall backwards. Suddenly I felt the soft cushions from the small sofa in the corner of the kitchen at my back with Zach hovering above me waiting for my reaction.

I didn't even know how I felt about it. I couldn't think when he was that close to me. He clouded my judgement. My brain stopped working, and despite my protests, he seemed to take over my senses completely. When he was around, he was all I felt and saw. His touch had a power over me that I would never understand. He made me feel calm whenever I was scared or nervous. He made me feel safe and wanted. He made me want, well more specifically, want him. And I didn't know what to do about it. I shouldn't want him, because it was all pretend. But there was this magnetic pull towards him that I couldn't explain or resist. I'd never felt it before with anyone.

Ah hell, you only live once. I reached up and dragged my nails through his hair, pulling the elastic out and letting the curls fall around his face. Tugging on his silky locks, I pulled his face down to mine again, but this time I did what I'd wanted to do for weeks. I gently bit his bottom lip into my mouth, letting my teeth graze and tug at it slightly, making Zach moan. He lowered his weight on to me and kissed me in a way that had me gasping for breath as I continued running my fingers through his hair, pulling gently at the ends. My legs were wrapped around his hips, pushing him down to me further. One of his hands supported his weight above me while the other slid under my shirt, tickling along my hips and up to my ribs before brushing along the bottom of my bra. He'd never ventured under my clothes before, and I didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, I was quite ready to sit up and strip the damn shirt off if he didn't do it himself soon enough. That was just the effect he had on me. More and more.

Before his hand could creep any higher, I heard it. The sound of the bell above the front door. Crap! I had completely forgotten where we were. Zach reluctantly pulled away, both of us breathing heavily as I heard Joe call out for me.

"This is not over," Zach growled, sitting up and pulling me with him. I quickly climbed off the couch, straightened my hair and shirt, and was just putting the kettle on to make a cup of tea when Joe walked in. I was sure I looked all flustered and bothered, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Camster. Here you are." Joey greeted me with a hug as he walked in. "Hello, son," he said, turning towards Zach.

"Afternoon, Mr. S." Zach replied, smiling casually. I turned to find him looking as relaxed as possible, lying back on the sofa. I shook my head because I was barely in control of my breathing, but Zach looked unfazed that we were almost caught doing whatever it was we were doing. What that was, I have no idea, but why wasn't he as affected by the moment as me?

"Would you like a hot drink?" I offered Joey, trying to clear my thoughts. "We were just having a break. It's been a slow day."

"That would be amazing." He smiled at me warmly and sat down at the small round table. I placed some biscuits on top of the surface for everyone to share and set about making the tea.

"This is delicious tea, Cams. From your mother?" asked Joe as he took another sip.

"Yes. One of her creations."

"Creations?" Zach sat up an picked up his teacup.

"She likes to make things, to de-stress from her work." I cringed at the thought of how long it took her to get something right. Cooking being one of the skills she failed miserably at.

"Wow, that's impressive." Zach looked surprised.

"It's-" I was cut off by the sound of the bell over the front door and stood up from my seat. "Break's over."

I walked out into the shop and immediately wished that Joe had gone out instead. Standing there in the middle of the store was Dee Dee. I didn't say anything to her. I had nothing to say. I just crossed my arms over my chest and waited.

"I know what you're doing." She sneered, taking a step towards me. I lifted my eyebrow and waited for her to continue. She knew nothing.

"You are only with Zach to make Josh jealous. And it won't work you know. It's really kind of pathetic. Josh doesn't want you. He loves me. So back off or…" I couldn't help but laugh. She was trying to scare and intimidate me because she felt insecure about Josh.

"I'm happy with Zach." I stepped towards her and smiled when she faltered. "I don't want Josh and I am not trying to make him jealous. If he's having second thoughts about dumping me for you, then that's something you have to work out. Not my problem. Like I told him the other night, go screw yourself, Dee Dee, or him. Whatever, because I don't care." I turned and walked back out into the kitchen, leaving her standing there in shock.