The first week of the summer blew by for everyone. They all were working hard in the mornings at practice and all kept busy at their jobs the rest of the day. So busy in fact that even Addison and Zed only saw each other when walking to school in the mornings and walking back to her house when they got the chance. Zed had even joked that he wanted school to be back already so they could at least eat lunch together again. Too bad the one area of town Coach had him avoiding was near Cheery on Top. They may have been the competition, but Coach didn't want to outright steal their customers, even though Zed was sure they easily could if they really tried.
Now it was Saturday and Addison knew both her and Zed had a day off today, so midmorning she dialed her phone and waited for him to answer.
"Hello?" Zed's voice sounded in her ear, she was also pretty sure she could hear the TV playing in the background.
"Hey Z! What are you doing today?"
"Pops has some errands to run so I'm in charge of Zoey for the day. So I'll just be home all day."
"Mind if I come over?"
"I would never mind that, but I better check with Zoey. Hey Zoey do you want Addison to come over?"
"YES, of course I do!" Addison could hear Zed let out an oof noise, presumably because Zoey had just jumped on him to reach the phone as her voice was then even more loud and clear.
"Addison, can you please come over? We always have so much fun together."
"And you don't have fun with me?" Addison now heard Zed's voice in the background.
"I'll be right there in a little bit Zoey. Have any new cheers or moves you've been working on?"
"Yeah! I can't wait to show them to you. Bye Addison!"
"Bye Zoey, tell Zed I'll be right over."
"OK. Addison said she would come right now." Addison heard Zoey say before she hung up the phone.
She walked downstairs, pulled on her shoes, and told her parents she was headed to Zed's house to help babysit and then walked out the door, enjoying the pleasant morning weather before the day really heated up. A few minutes later she walked through the unification gate and into Zombietown, in the daylight she could see more and more walls going up at the cheer pavilion construction site. She smiled at the memories of what was hidden down below.
She walked up Zed's porch and knocked on the door. She could hear an excited bark come from inside, quickly followed by the patter of tiny, excited feet.
Addison looked down when Zoey opened the door with a grin on her face.
"Hi Addison, you're here! Come in!"
"Thank you Zoey." Addison beamed down at her as she walked through the door, once she was inside she knelt down to receive one of Zoey's adorably cute hugs before standing up again. "Where's your brother?" she asked, also reaching down to give Puppy a scratch behind his ears.
"Right here Addison," Zed walked down from upstairs, "seems like Zoey beat me to the door. It's great to see you." Zed reached out to pull her into a hug.
"It's good to see you too. Remember when we thought summer would be a time to relax?"
"Oh, I know it." Zed laughed.
"So Zoey, what do you want to do first?"
"Can I show you my new cheers? Since I've got my Z-band off, I've been practicing and I'm better than ever!"
"You are, have you been using your zombie powers to cheer?"
"Yeah, it's so awesome, I can't wait until Kinzley and the rest of my friends can get their moonstones."
"OK, but how about we head outside to the backyard if we're using zombie powers?" Zed suggested, "I doubt Pops wants to come home to a demolished house."
"Hey, you can control yourselves, both of you."
"I know that, but I think especially if we're cheering we'd end up getting carried away. Let's go Zoey."
"OK. Come on Addison." Zoey grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Zed through the kitchen and out the back door.
Addison sat down on the porch steps where Zed joined her right by her side, Puppy following them out and making a beeline for one his toys, which he brought back to Zed to start playing fetch with while Zoey got ready to perform.
"So Zoey, show us what you've been working on." Addison smiled at her.
"OK, watch this." Zoey ran to one side of the yard and then sprinted about five yards and then did three cartwheels one after another before standing up again. "Ta-da!"
"That is so amazing Zoey! How long have you been able to do that?" Addison asked while giving her an enthusiastic round of applause.
"Since this week. I've never been able to do more than one cartwheel before. Willow, Kinzley, and I have been trying everything we can think of. And we'll be even better when Kinzley gets her moonstone, she says she's getting hers in two weeks."
"Sounds great Zoey, I can't wait to see everything your Mini Shrimp Squad can do either. Do you have any new cheers you've come up with?"
"Actually yeah, this one will be for football season next year since Wynter and the other wolves are going to be on the team."
Zoey grabbed her pom poms and stood front and center. She took a deep breath and then gave her brother and Addison her best cheerleader smile. "B-I-T and E! What does that spell? Bite Bite Bite! Speak no words we'll cause a fright! Turn that bark into a bite! Awooo!" Zoey howled out while shaking her pom poms enthusiastically, then jumping up to land in splits.
"Wow, Zoey, that sounds so amazing." Zed and Addison both clapped for her, Zoey stood up and gave a little bow in acceptance.
"That cheer was great Zoey! I know that will get the crowd fired up, especially all the werewolves."
"I know, Kinzley, Willow, and I have come up with a ton of cheers just like it."
"I hope you don't mind if we borrow it some time to use at games?"
"Yes, absolutely you can use it. I want everyone to hear my cheers if they can help make them happy like they make me happy."
"I'm sure they will Zoey. Got any more?"
"Yeah, of course I do. You've seen nothing yet!"
Zoey continued to show off her cheers and eventually, Addison joined in and tested out a few of the new cheers she and Bree had been thinking of trying next year. Zoey approved of all of them and even offered to help demonstrate them when Addison and Bree showed them to the rest of the squad.
When it neared lunchtime, Zed headed inside with Puppy to start making lunch. He joked to Addison that she could finally see what he could do when he cooked.
"So Zoey, do you have any big plans for this summer?"
"I don't know, so far every day my friends and I just hang out around Zombietown looking for stuff to do, we practice our cheering a lot, and Willow has invited us to explore the forest a few times, but usually whoever's mom or dad is watching us says no to that. Willow comes nearly every day with Wyatt when he goes to Containment. I can't wait for cheer camp though."
"I bet, so you and Willow are really good friends?"
"Yeah, she's the best, and Kinzley loves playing with her too. I only wish we could see the human kids in our class more since they don't come to Zombietown as much, and we can't leave unless we have an adult with us. Which I think is unfair, we'll all be in second grade next year. I think we're old enough to do stuff on our own, don't you?"
"At your age, I think it's still best to always have a grown-up nearby Zoey. I know Zombietown and Seabrook are both super safe, but no one wants anything bad to happen. Maybe next summer you'll have a little more independence."
"I hope so." Zoey's frown turned into a smile. "So have you done anything fun with Zed lately?"
"Yeah, I always have fun with Zed. There's no one in the world I'd rather spend my time with."
"I bet. Do you want to know something funny?"
"Sure, what is it, Zoey?"
Zoey looked around suspiciously, making sure Zed wasn't about to come out of the house. "Sometimes I can hear Zed singing about you in the shower." Zoey giggled.
"Really? What does he sing?" Addison stifled her own laughter but her curiosity was piqued.
"I'm pretty sure he just makes it up, but he sings a lot about being someday a lot, or he'll just sing about everything he loves about you. I don't think he knows how loud he is." Zoey kept giggling.
"Thanks for the info Zoey. I'll have to ask him about it sometime."
"But you won't tell him I told you will you?"
"No, your secret is safe with me. Besides I can't give away my spy. Always feel free to tell me any cute or funny things about your brother."
"Cute? Zed's my brother. I'm cute, you're cute. Zed is not cute." Zoey crossed her arms and dramatically pouted.
"Of course, you're the cutest zombie in the world." Addison ruffled her green hair. "But I have to disagree with you, Zed is definitely cute."
"Nooo! Zed's my brother though."
"So how would you describe him?"
"He's Zed, I don't know, that's all that matters."
"Yeah, it is. But he is the second cutest zombie in the whole world, right after you."
"Ouch." They both heard Zed's voice so they turned their heads to see him standing in the backdoor behind them.
"Ha Ha Zed. Addison said I'm cuter than you!"
"Oh, I am hurt, I am very much hurt." Zed grabbed his chest dramatically. "I don't know how I will ever recover from this betrayal."
"I have nothing to apologize for," Addison stood up. "But I think I know how to make you feel better." Addison stood up with a smile and walked over to place a quick peck on his cheek. "Does that feel better, for me bashing your manly pride?"
"Of course, your kisses are always the best medicine." Zed put his hand on her waist and leaned in closer.
"Hello! I'm still here!" Zoey shouted out, making Zed and Addison both freeze, but also smile.
"And that's supposed to stop me?" Zed grinned down at her.
"Unless you want me to tell Daddy…or Addison's dad." Zoey threatened him.
"Oh no, anything but that." Zed dramatically put some distance between them. "Not cool Zoey, you wouldn't really rat me out to the Z-Patrol would you? Your only brother?"
"I'll do what I have to." Zoey crossed her arms.
"Fine, you win. Come on in for lunch then."
"Alright, but I'm watching you Zed." Zoey pointed at her eyes and then back to him.
"Why just me? What about Addison?"
"Because Addison's the best!" Zoey cheered before heading inside.
Addison was about to follow her until Zed tugged on her arm and pulled her back.
"What?"
"You didn't think you could get away that easily, could you?"
"What about Zoey? She seems pretty determined we keep our PDA to a minimum."
"You're at my house, this isn't in public, and what she can't see she can't tell Pops, or worse yet, your dad."
"You really think either of them would be surprised at this point to know we kiss each other?"
"Probably not, but I don't want to take chances. Well, too many chances." Zed leaned down to give Addison's cheek a quick kiss in return. "Now let's go eat, I think you'll be impressed."
"Of course Chef Zed." Addison giggled, finally entering the house.
Addison sat down at the dining room table where Zoey was already eagerly waiting, legs swinging from her chair.
Zed brought over the dishes. "For your dining pleasure, today we'll be having…spaghetti and brains," Zed said as he sat down a dish of spaghetti, and another dish that sort of looked like meatballs.
"Don't worry Addison, it's only cauliflower, but I promise, this will not taste like sweaty gym sneakers."
"Alright, I trust you." Addison smiled at him.
Zed reached over to fill up Zoey's plate and then let Addison fill her own. After which he took a portion for himself that dwarfed both of their dishes put together.
"Hungry Zed?" Addison asked him in a teasing voice.
"When am I not hungry?" Zed shot back. After Addison had taken her first few bites, Zed asked a bit nervously, "Do you like it? I can find you something else if you don't."
"No Zed, it's delicious. Besides the brain balls being a bit chewy it's just like spaghetti and meatballs. Especially the sauce is so good. Did you make that yourself too?"
"Of course, all homemade. Not to brag or anything, but am I a master chef or what?"
"What." Zoey giggled at him.
"Zoey, are you saying your big brother isn't the greatest chef in the world?" Zed acted a bit scandalized.
"Nope. Daddy is. But your food is good too Zed. "Zoey twirled some spaghetti on her fork and chewed pointedly. "Mmm Delizious."
"I'm glad you like it Zoe."
"Well call me impressed Zed. Maybe you should even cook dinner for me and my parents sometime."
"I hate to break it to you, but I don't think I can anything without cauliflower in it. Unless it's like dessert or something, then I promise, no cauliflower."
"I would hope not. Do some zombies put cauliflower in desserts?"
"Other than caulibrain pie no. We're not crazy, we wouldn't ruin the tasty food we get with caulibrains. Not that I would mind having dinner with everyone, I'm sure they would run for the hills if I or my dad cooked."
"I don't know, I remember they were enjoying the snacks at the open house a few weeks ago."
"Fair point. But I still doubt it, I know they've accepted us and zombies and werewolves more than I ever could have dreamed, but I can't imagine anyone would choose our diet if they didn't have to."
"I would."
"Well, yeah, you're Addison, and in addition to being the greatest and cutest cheerleader and girlfriend ever, you are never afraid of the other side of things."
"That's because the other side is usually just as beautiful."
"Are you guys still talking about food? Because reminder I'm eating here!" Zoey interrupted them again, still with a smile on her face.
"OK, OK Zoey. We'll try not to gross you out…too much." Zed conceded.
"Did you make dessert too Zed?" Zoey asked.
"I don't know," Zed shrugged his shoulders, "Clean your plate first and maybe you'll find out."
"OK, Zed." Zoey went back to eating her spaghetti.
They all resumed eating and making light conversation around the table. Enjoying their time together until they all cleared their plates, Zed stood up to head back to the kitchen. A few moments later, he returned holding a plate with something on it high above his head so that neither Addison nor Zoey could see it.
"What is it? What is it Zed?" Zoey asked excitedly.
"This," Zed said with a flourish and a dramatic spin without dropping the plate. "Is the last part of my birthday present, that I am now sharing with my two favorite people in the whole entire world."
"What?" Zoey asked, confused.
Zed set the plate down on the table to reveal three frosted Christmas trees covered in green sprinkles.
"I thought you said they would all be gone in twenty-four hours?" Addison laughed, grabbing a cookie after Zoey practically pounced on hers.
"Well, thanks to Zoey's enhanced zombie senses, she could smell them like two seconds after I opened the box in my room and made me give her half."
"No, you chose to give them to me because I'm the best sister ever, and you're the best brother ever!"
"Sure, we'll go with that, but I saved some to have as another special treat someday. And someday turned into today."
"Do you have any more hidden away?" Zoey asked suspiciously, glancing around the dining room like more could be hidden in every corner.
"I swear Zoey these were the last three, or now two." Zed finally picked his up and took a massive bite. "So now we'll have to wait until next Christmas."
"And you don't have any more at your house?" Zoey turned to Addison now.
"Afraid not Zoey, I saved one batch for Zed's birthday. I'm all out too."
"OK then." Zoey sighed, but her smile soon returned. "Addison do you want to go up to see my room again? There's a bunch of new pictures I've drawn that I haven't shown you yet."
"Sounds like a blast Zoey. I'm in." Addison stood up and Zoey quickly ran around the table to grab her hand and start pulling her toward the stairs.
"What about me?" Zed asked, he stood up and started stacking up all the plates to go clean up in the kitchen.
"No boys allowed!" Zoey shouted, sounding delighted.
"Yeah Zed, no boys allowed," Addison repeated with a teasing grin.
"No boys allowed huh, then I guess it will just be me down here, all alone, cleaning up the kitchen, by myself, with no one to help me out."
"Yep, see you later Zed! Come on Puppy! Zoey called out, pulling Addison up the stairs and laughing out loud while Puppy followed two steps behind them.
Zed heard Zoey's door slam shut upstairs and he just chuckled to himself. He would love to be up there, but he knew he had his own job to do. But even if he wasn't allowed to be with them, at least his two favorite girls were having fun together. It still meant so much to him that Zoey loved Addison, and Addison loved Zoey just as much he loved both of them. As he began scrubbing the pots, pans, and plates, he could hear their giggling upstairs and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't wipe away his grin.
Upstairs, after getting a quick tour of Zoey's room, and seeing all her artwork, Addison suggested they could draw some stuff together. Zoey suggested that each draw their best portrait of Puppy. Zoey told Puppy to sit and stay on her bed, while she sat down in a chair and Addison kneeled by the small table she had in her room, covered in scratches and countless stripes and spots from years of markers, pencils, and crayons decorating its surface.
So they started their portraits. Addison still couldn't believe how well-behaved Puppy always was with Zoey. She definitely had a way with him. Except for a few turns of his head between the two of them, he was sitting just as perfectly still as Zander was sitting on Zoey's pillow behind him.
Now Addison was far from the best artist in the world, and when her friends included Bonzo and Zoey, the bar was set that much higher. They chatted about random things while they worked, mostly cheer stuff or more about summer plans, other than work/play dates and cheer camp neither had any definite plans yet.
When they finished, they each turned their picture over to hide against their chests out of sight from the other, even though Addison had clearly been able to see most of Zoey's creative design process.
"On the count of three, we show each other OK?"
"You got it Zoey."
"One, two, three!"
They flipped their papers over to reveal their drawings. As usual, Zoey's drawings were extremely impressive for being drawn in crayon. She had drawn Puppy look like he was smiling with his tongue hanging out and surrounded by a faded green background that almost perfectly matched the wallpaper decorating her room. She had even included the several cheer posters that had been gifts from Addison over the past few months in the back, plus Zander hiding behind Puppy, just barely peeking out, but he was drawn perfectly too.
Addison's picture was still good, at least she thought it did, and you could tell it was supposed to be a dog. Simply outlined with pencil and colored in with crayon. Her version was a bit more understated, compared to Zoey's flashy, and she awaited the expert's judgment.
"Wow Addison, yours is so cool. And you perfectly captured his eyes. He looks so cute, almost as cute as real life! Don't worry boy," Zoey reached over to pet Puppy on his head. "No one could ever capture how cute you are in real life."
"Thanks so much Zoey, that means a lot coming from you. Your picture is amazing, are you sure Bonzo hasn't been teaching you? When I was your age the only animal I could draw were hand turkeys."
"Yeah, Bonzo has shown me how to do some things, like shading and how to break down a picture and focus on little parts of it and stuff like that. But what's a hand turkey?"
"You've never made a hand turkey?"
"No? Should I?"
"Oh, I guess not." Addison's excitement dimmed for a moment. "You've never had turkey for Thanksgiving have you?"
"No, why would we? We have plenty of other food that I bet is even more delicious."
"I'm sure you're right."
"So what is a hand turkey?"
"I'll show you." Addison grabbed a new blank sheet of paper and spread her left hand over it.
"So first you trace around your hand," Addison said, moving her pencil around her paper as she did. Zoey eagerly followed along, eyes darting between her own pencil and Addison's paper.
"Then you lift up your hand and close off where the rest of your arm meets your wrist."
"OK, I did it, now what?"
"Then you give your turkey some little feet. And then you can add a beak and an eye and you have a turkey. See how your fingers make the head and the tail feathers."
"Wow!" Zoey looked at her paper in awe, "that is so cool!"
"It sure is, now we can color them in however we want, although, I think two sparkly cheerleaders like us need more than a turkey."
"What do you mean?"
"I think we should make our turkeys peacocks so that way they can be just as colorful and bright and flashy as the Mighty Shrimp are, don't you agree?"
"Yes absolutely! Let's do it!"
They got hard to work once again. Addison's peacock was colored mostly blue, but with alternating pink and green feathers, while Zoey's was a veritable rainbow of colors added haphazardly around her drawing, which made it even more beautiful. After her first one, Zoey started getting on a roll tracing her hand again and again, and she even asked Addison to trace her own hand that she could color in later, or share with her friends. Addison of course disagreed without any hesitation.
They kept coloring for a while until they heard a loud knock on the door. "It's open! But it's still no boys allowed Zed!" Zoey shouted.
Zed opened the door with a pout on his face. "Is that any way to treat your favorite brother?"
"You're my only brother, I don't have a choice." Zoey smiled cheekily at him.
"So I'm your favorite by process of elimination huh? Well, I'll take it, But I think I have news that will earn back my title without any doubts."
"What is it Zed?" Addison smiled at him.
Zed stepped aside and Zoey's friend Kinzley poked her head around the doorway. "Hi Zoey."
"Kinzley!" Zoey jumped up and ran over to wrap her up in one of her infamous hugs that Kinzley returned just as strongly. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to know if you wanted to come to my house and play for a while?"
"I would love to, but Addison's here."
"Don't worry Zoey, I don't mind. I know Zed will be happy to keep me company. You two go have fun."
"OK, but don't go home until I come back to say goodbye."
"Alright, I promise I won't leave without saying goodbye Zoey." Addison smiled. "Now you two go have fun."
"We will. Bye Addison! Bye Zed! Bye Puppy!" Zoey ran down the stairs with Kinzley on her heels, and less than a minute later they heard the front door open and shut down below before Zed and Addison had time to do anything else.
"So what do you want to do now?" Zed was about to step through the threshold when Addison held up her hand.
"No boys allowed." She teased him.
"Come on, you know Zoey doesn't really mean that, she loves me. Plus Puppy's in there with you."
"But he's a good boy."
"Ruff, Ruff. I'm a good boy." Zed barked in response.
"In that case." Addison reached out to ruffle Zed's hair. "I suppose we can spend some alone time together downstairs."
"Sounds great to me." Zed back away from the doorway.
"Oh, I didn't mean you." Addison stood up and walked over to Puppy who was sniffing around on the floor and picked him up in her arms. "I was talking to this cutie pie."
"Oh, I see how it is, once either of you has Puppy with you I'm replaceable."
"Hey, I would much rather have your kisses than Puppy's so you have that in your favor, plus while he's cute, you are much more handsome." Addison laughed as she walked down the stairs with Zed following her. "Does that heal your pride?"
"I suppose," Zed smiled, "but I wouldn't mind you making it up to me?"
"And just how should I do that?" Addison asked, walking over to Puppy's kennel in the corner of the living room and leading him inside. "There, now all my attention is on you again. Happy now?"
"Of course I am." Zed took her hand and gently led her over to the couch. He sat down and Addison sat right beside him, gently resting her head against his shoulder. "Want to watch TV or anything?"
"No, all I need is you."
"All I need is you too." Zed reached around her back to tug her even closer to him, and Addison didn't need any encouragement to move over. She resettled herself so she could hear the slow, yet powerful rhythm of his heartbeat and she felt a new sense of calm wash over her. Besides Zed's voice, it was one of her favorite sounds in the world, and it always acted as a reminder that his heart was all hers, if hearing him made her feel that way, she had a question she wanted to ask.
"Zed?"
"What is it Addie?"
"I know whenever we practiced using the moonstones, you always said hearing my heartbeat helps you focus and stay in control. Have you always been able to hear it using your zombie powers?"
"Not always when I had the Z-band. It put enough of a damper on everything that I couldn't hear any heartbeats before I took it off. I remember when I first heard your heartbeat though."
"When was that?" Addison glanced up to meet his eyes, curiosity in her gaze.
"At the pep rally. When my Z-band glitched, I could hear the entire crowd around me, but I also heard yours, stronger and more beautiful than anyone else's. Then when I realized you were about to fall I didn't even think, I just did. Then moments later I heard your terrified heart beating inches away from me, and it was the most beautiful music I ever heard, but then my Z-band started working again, and then I couldn't hear you anymore."
"But you can hear it now?"
"Yes. One of the best parts of the moonstone is that I can always hear you. Even though the moonstone keeps me calm, nothing makes me feel happier, safer, and better than when I can hear you close to me. Because I know that beautiful song and that beautiful girl are all mine." Zed bent down to gently kiss her temple.
"I feel the exact same way. I obviously can't hear yours like you can, but whenever we're like this, I feel like nothing can ever go wrong as long as you're with me."
"I couldn't agree more. Knowing instinctively from listening to your heart that you are never scared of me when I'm full zom."
"You know I'll never be scared of you."
"I know."
They squeezed each other tighter and enjoyed their time together in companionable silence. Calmly cuddling, running their hands along the other's sides, arms and legs, playing with the other's hair. Every touch sending sparks flying through both of them. Right now they didn't need words, every touch telling them everything they needed to know.
As they continued, Addison eventually ended up sitting across Zed's lap, Zed's arm wrapped around her back to hold her securely while she held on around the back of Zed's neck. After that, it didn't take too long for the soft, chaste kisses to turn into something more. Every time they just kept holding on for longer and longer, still communicating without words, all they needed to know they could read in each other's eyes, and hear in their beating hearts.
"Gar Gar Gaza Addison."
"Gar Gar Gaza Zed."
They once again drifted into loving, tender silence and just enjoyed the feeling of being together. Until finally after an unknown amount of time passed they heard the door slam open and Zoey came running in. "Is Addison still here?" She asked.
"I'm right here Zoey. Addison smiled, glancing over Zed's shoulder behind the couch."
Zoey quickly ran over to stand in front of them. "So what did you two do while I was at Kinzley's?"
"Oh, just sat here and relaxed." Addison smiled.
"I'm sure," Zoey smirked at them. "Zed and Addison kissing on the couch. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes-"
"OK Zoey I think that's enough," Zed said hurriedly covering her mouth before things got even more awkward. He could see Addison blushing scarlet and if he could, he knew he would be too. "What makes you think we were kissing?"
"Because you're you two. Plus Eliza says that's all you two do when you're alone."
"We don't spend all our time alone kissing." Zed insisted. "You know Eliza isn't right about everything."
"Can I tell her you said that?"
"No, absolutely not I'll never hear the end of it."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Alright Zoey, what can I say, I like kissing your brother. Plus he's really fun to cuddle up with." Addison hugged him tighter to demonstrate.
"I knew it!"
"Congratulations, so what are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to go play with Puppy in the backyard, there's a new trick me and Kinzley were talking about teaching him. Addison, do you want to help?"
Addison glanced at her watch. "Sorry Zoey, but it's almost dinner time and my parents probably expect me back home soon."
"Do you have to leave already?" Zed and Zoey asked in unison, then they looked at each other before laughing out loud.
"Yeah, I think I do. My mom texted me a while ago to be back for dinner."
"I understand. Bye Addison!" Zoey jumped up into Addison's lap to hug her.
"Bye Zoey. I'll see you soon."
Zoey then got Puppy out of his kennel and ran off to the backyard once more.
"I see what you did there. Getting us some more alone time right?"
"No, I'm afraid I really do have to go." Addison stood up from the couch, still holding onto Zed's hand so she helped pull him up too.
"Pops would love to have you stay for dinner."
"I know, but Mom did specifically tell me to be home soon. I have to go."
"Want me to walk you home?"
"I'll be fine, plus don't you have to stay here to watch Zoey?"
"Yeah, I guess. I'll just miss you two seconds after you're out that door."
"I'll see you soon, if not tomorrow then on Monday for sure. And I'll call you tonight, like always. I love you Zed."
"I love you too." Zed smiled and leaned down to kiss her.
"Hah! I knew that's all you two do!" Zoey shouted from the kitchen doorway. "Zed and Addison sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S…"
"Zoey!" Zed shot Addison a grin and then started chasing Zoey around the house while she kept on singing. Addison laughed at the sight while she turned to walk out the door. Let people think what they wanted, all that mattered was that she and Zed always did what they wanted, and they never let anything get in their way from showing exactly how they felt about each other. Well besides trying to tone it down around parents and Zoey. Addison smiled to herself as she walked back home. She would do anything for more days like this.