My mother was standing in the front yard talking to Mrs. Gibbons, our elderly neighbour, when Zach pulled into the driveway. Dammit. I had been hoping she'd be in her studio working on a new routine or something and id be able to sneak in without her noticing. No such luck. Her head whipped around in our direction as Zach shut off the rumbling engine. I watched as she quickly said goodbye to Mrs. Gibbons and walked toward us, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Not a look I got to see too often on her features. I knew what she was thinking. She thought I had stayed at Bex's last night after prom. We'd planned a girls' night afterwards, to try and take my mind off things. Honestly. Until a certain someone showed up and changed everything.
I was late. Very late. And I was going to be in so much trouble. Yes, I knew my mother was kind of laid back and open-minded, and I was beyond lucky to have her, but she still liked to be informed of what I was doing, when I was doing it, where I was doing it, and who I was doing it with. I hadn't let her know that I'd be late home that day because I was spending it with Zach. In my defence, I hadn't expected any of that to occur. At all. Ever. Just thinking about what we were doing the night before right there in this car was enough to cause my cheeks to heat up.
"You should go." I said to Zach as I opened the door and got out. "I'll see you later."
"Cammie, wait for a-" But it was too late. I had cut him off by slamming the door shut. The last thing I needed right then was him telling my mom what had happened or telling me that it should never have happened. I straightened up and turned to face my mother.
"Cameron." She raised a questioning eyebrow at me and glanced over my shoulder. "Zach, it's lovely to see you again. Glad you're back."
"Glad to be back, Mrs. Morgan." I was surprised to hear Zach's voice right behind me. Before I could turn to look at him, I felt his hand on my waist. "Sorry to bring Cammie home so late. I wanted to surprise her, and we, uhm, just lost track of time," he explained, pinching my waist slightly and making me squirm.
"Yes, I assumed as much when I realized she was with you and not at Bex's." My mother smiled at him and glared at me. Uh-oh. "Would you like to come in, Zach? I am just about to start dinner." I silently prayed that he'd say no.
It wasn't that I didn't want him around. I did. But I needed to process things. I didn't know what this meant for us. Everything about the previous night was perfect. He was perfect. But now that the excitement and relief at seeing him again had dimmed, I was beginning to second-guess it all. Maybe we were just too caught up in the moment. Him coming home, the dance, being crowned king and queen. I mean, it had been two months since we'd seen each other. What if he regretted it now?
"I'd love to." Zach smiled as he nudged me towards the house.
"So, when did you get back?" My mother enquired as we followed her into the kitchen. I tried to suppress a cough and ended up choking, a blush creeping onto my cheeks again. I couldn't answer the question.
"You okay, Gallagher Girl?" Zach whispered in my ear, lips brushing against my neck as he soothingly rubbed my back. I shivered and felt him smile.
"Yep, all right," I said quickly. "Just need some water."
I jumped up from my stool, avoiding the strange look my mother was shooting in my direction, and filled a glass of water.
"So, you were telling me when you got home," My mom said when I sat back down on the stood next to Zach. I took another mouthful of water to prolong the inevitable and choked on that too. Would she believe that he surprised me at prom, left me at Bex's for the night, and then picked me up this morning instead of me knocking on Bex's door at seven a.m. after sleeping in Zach's car all night in the sticks and demanding clothes to wear for the day?
"Kiddo, are you sure you're all right? You look very flustered," She asked, concern etching her face. She reached a hand across the counter and felt my head for a fever. I swatted her away and leant back.
"I'm all right." I smiled at her and risked a glance at Zach, who had a massive smirk on his face. He leant forward and rested an elbow on the countertop, his other hand wrapping around my back.
"Got back last night. I surprised Cammie at the dance." Damn it…he admitted the truth.
"Uh-huh." My mom gave me a look. I just tried to smile and pretend I hadn't done anything wrong. "I thought Cammie was staying with Bex last night."
"I did." I answered too fast. Her eyebrows shot up, and she looked at Zach.
"She did. I picked her up for breakfast, and we just spent the day together." Lying came so easily to him. He could charm the pants off the queen. The real queen, not the prom queen…well, me too. "We were just driving and talking, catching up. Time kinda got away from us for a little bit there." Zach continued with such ease I briefly wondered how many times he had been in this situation previously but quickly shook the thought from my head. It would only depress me.
Zach shifted in his stool and angled his body toward me slightly. I jumped when I felt his hand slip under my shirt and begin tracing patterns on my lower back. I wriggled forward trying to get him to stop, but he didn't. I could see a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. He was enjoying this too much. He was pulling this stunt again?
"Oh well, that's good. Glad you got to spend some quality time together. Cammie, dear, are you really sure you're all right?" My mother asked again while Zach's fingers slowly moved higher up my back. My cheeks were burning hotter than ever before.
"You look a little hot." She tilted her head to the side and examined my face carefully. I tried to keep it impassive, but it was kind of hard when I had one of Zach's hands tickling up my back toward my bra strap and the other hand now massaging my thigh. I was just thankful that my mother couldn't see Zach's hands for the huge breakfast bar.
"You're right. I do feel a little warm," I admitted and used that as an excuse to stand up and take off my jacket. Zach wouldn't be able to touch me then because it would be much more noticeable without the coverage of my coat. I slowly shrugged my jacket off and placed it on the counter in front of me before sitting back down again.
"Better?" Zach asked.
"Much." I smiled at him and leant forward to watch my mother prepare dinner. Zach's hands were fidgeting in his lap now. I tried not to giggle at him. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and pulled his lip into his mouth- something that had suddenly become a thousand times hotter than before.
"Cammie, please tell me you didn't wear your shirt inside out all day today, did you?" My mother's voice tore my gaze from Zach's shirt, and sure enough, it was inside out. Shoot. I'd dressed in such a hurry at Bex's that I hadn't noticed.
"Uhm, well…" I looked at the boy next to me with wide eyes when I heard his sharp intake of breath and a choking noise coming from him. I shoved my glass of water in his direction and glared at him for a moment while he tried to compose himself. He failed and ended up laughing, which he then attempted to cover with another cough.
"You two are acting very strange." My mother's eyes darted between the two of us. Uh-oh. "Cammie, why is your top inside out?"
"Ah. I dressed in the dark…" I said quickly, hoping she would believe me. I was a terrible liar.
"Hmmm," She responded before she turned back to the vegetables she was preparing.
Zach had finally calmed down. He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it beeped with a text message. A frown appeared on his face as he quickly typed out a response.
"Everything okay?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"Uhm, no." With his eyebrows pulled together, he grabbed my hand in his and apologised. "I've got to go. I'm so sorry." He stood up and apologised to my mother for bailing on dinner and headed toward the door with me following.
"Can I help with anything?" I asked when we reached his car. The look on his face worried me. He looked sad and pissed off at the same time.
"No. It's just stuff I was dealing with while I was away." I felt his lips press on my forehead. Something was off. "I'll pick you up in the morning."
"I thought you'd dealt with everything," I blurted out as he began to get in the car, stopping him midway. That was why he'd come back. He said he'd sorted everything out, yet now he was telling me there was more he had to deal with. Why him? Why now?
"Not enough. I can't explain now. But I will soon. I swear." I nodded, knowing I wouldn't get any more of an explanation from him then, and turned around to walk back inside, wondering what was going through his mind. I had so many questions and couldn't ask them because I knew he wouldn't tell me.
Why was he so reluctant to tell me what was going on? Was it because he didn't trust me? Was it that I didn't mean anything to him? Was he worried whatever it was would hurt me? Had he done something he knew would hurt me and he was trying to keep it quiet?
"Cammie," Zach called out to me when I reached the first step. I slowly turned to face him. He ran the four steps it took to close the distance between us and grabbed my face in his hands before slamming his mouth on mine. It took me a second to respond, but when I finally did, I felt both his body and mine relax into each other. My hands gripped at his shirt, trying to pull him closer. One of his hands trailed down my back while the other fisted into my hair, tugging slightly. When Zach pulled away, we were both breathless. My heart was beating erratically. I rested my forehead against his and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his arms around me.
"I really did miss you, you know?" He whispered. "The last two months have been hell."
I nodded in agreement, an all-too-familiar fluttery feeling arising in my stomach at his words. "Tell me about it. I'm glad you're back." I smiled at him before softly pressing my lips to his again.
"I have to go now before I do something to you that is entirely inappropriate…" He suggested with a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Zach." I gasped, smacking his chest at the same time. He just laughed and walked away.
"See you in the a.m., Gallagher Girl," He called as he drove away, leaving me standing there staring after him like an idiot. I couldn't help but feel happy, though. That little comment and that kiss were enough to reassure me that I at least meant something to him. I just hadn't quite worked out what yet.
"So?" My mother raised a questioning eyebrow at me when I walked back into the kitchen. I coughed again and lunged for the glass of water still resting on the breakfast bar. "Zach's back."
"Yes," I deadpanned. I didn't want to give anything away.
"You were awfully late home."
"Sorry. Time just got away from us." I smiled, hoping I looked apologetic.
"Uh-huh." She tilted her head and eyed me carefully. "I'm not stupid, Cammie."
"Never said you were." I gulped down the last of the water. She knew, and she was waiting for me to admit it. It wasn't going to happen, though. As laid back as she was and as close as we were, I was not telling her about my sex life. That would just be way too weird.
"Okay, just as long as you're okay with everything and you're happy, then I am too. You're eighteen and a grown up, but just don't rush anything, okay? I've seen the way you two are together. It's intense. I don't want you to get hurt." She gripped my hand briefly, and I simply nodded, not knowing what to say. "Now, go and put Bex's top back on properly." She laughed and turned back to the stove.
A/N: I had some technical issues yesterday so sorry about that! All fixed now :) This was a shorter chapter, but you should prepare yourself from here on out. These next few chapters are JUICY...and i know you've been wanting a chapter in Zach's POV *hint hint* so stay tuned! I will be posting it sometime next week :)
REVIEWS: Thank you to anyone who reviewed/favourited/followed, I appreciate the love so much and it inspires me to write! (Starting from Ch15 at the top, to most recent at bottom)
Zammie4ever/shark2/HobiSunchine5672/Tkdgirl/Lilac/Bball101/me/reginaaa/Guest(s): THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the support. I'm sorry I took a hiatus for so long but I really am going to regularly update and i will absolutely finish this story. There's not actually too much left... Lots of love xxx
covertoperative456: I love the energy you bring to my reviews, it's infectious bitchh and i adore you for it. You are too flattering about my writing haha. But yeah, Bad boy zach has some dark secrets he's hiding, but i think it's obvious that cammie has a positive effect on him... i only hope they can stay in paradise when truth comes to light! UPDATE Perilous asap xxx
SHADOW1999: Eeek im so glad you're enjoying it. As such a loyal reviewer, your opinion means so much to me! Ooh, what haircut did you get? I'm in dire need, and seriously considering dyeing my hair a completely different colour once lockdown is over gah. Also, you are too kind and I can only dream of being a published writer one day haha, still got a lot of work to do though! Hope you enjoy the juicy content in the next few chapters xxx
BugheadHastings: Hey gal! i hope you're still around and reading, i've missed seeing your reviews. Zach is a switchy guy, borderline bipolar, but i think when you realise the root behind the anger you'll begin to understand. But glad you liked the ending, i do love to leave things on a cheeky cliffie! I hope the exams/finals went well for you, and that you made the most of summer 2020. And as for Macey and her connection to Josh, you will have to wait and see love xxx
Alecks454: First off, you're such a consistent reviewer and i appreciate you so much! Thank you for reading and sticking with it, I know i've been useless. Zach is TERRIBLE at expressing feelings, and i've always seen him as the quietly broken, conflicted guy who finds emotions hard, but i do apologise for his bi-polariness, it can get kind of confusing! All your questions will be answered soon my friend and Josh is just the most annoying person on the planet i srsly despise him. The boys conflict with Josh is a side plot that I added, so i really hope it works, but it will all make sense in the end xxx
Duchess12: Hey chica, haven't seen you around much either but hope you're okay and still reading :) hahha if i could physically get in a fight with Dee Dee and Josh myself, i would seriously do damage. If you thought there was juice then, PREPARE YOURSELF for what's coming xxx
Smiles180: Girl, i hope you're doing good these days! There's a lot more of Zach being vulnerable to come, and everything will be revealed soon . But also the cutest Zammie moment is to come eek xxx
gymnast1150: I'm so glad you like the storyline, you are seriously one of my favourite GG writers and the length of your review is so aesthetically pleasing. Your feeling may be right...or it may not, i guess you'll just have to wait and see teehee. Zach is majorly horny hahah, he just can't get enough of Cammie's lips. The Josh and Zach dynamic is a complicated one and Macey is a sore subject, perhaps because of how close she is to the two of them...or used to be. All will be revealed soon! I'm glad you like the Zammie smut, cuz sometimes when i'm writing it, as much as i love it, it also makes me feel so exposed if that makes any sense ahah. I'm going to be consistent with updating from now on so stay tuned love xxx
CammieAMorgan: Ahh, I'm so glad you like the story! Yours is 100X better though and i NEED AN UPDATE xxx
Em03590/Operative CG16/DRHCute: Sorry for leaving you so abruptly, I hope the chapters have been worth the wait so far! xxx
GallagherGirlsEmbassyRowFan: I think your weird feeling might be along the right lines, but you didn't hear that from me. I can't wait for you to see the secrets come out! xxx