Chapter 3

Chapter 3

JOLEY
"Zac where have you been?" I asked him as he walked through the door around six thirty.

"Who are you my mother?" he snapped at me.

Oh no, he better not be starting with me now. I know that he was up since that nightmare last night, but so was I so he better not jump down my throat. "What the hell?" I couldn't even think of what to say to him.

"I walk through the god-damn door and the first thing I get is 'where the fuck have you been?' I don't need your shit Joley..." I could tell by the tone of his voice and the look in his eye that he was trying to pick a fight and that means he has probably already been in on with one of his brothers.

I had a pretty good idea which one. "First of all I did not say fuck, so don't put words in my mouth and second of all I only asked you where you had been because it six thirty at night and your never this late! I was worried about you, sorry next time I want give a damn if your alive or dead!" I yelled walking into the kitchen to make myself dinner.

He didn't say anything for a while and neither did I. The only sounds throughout the whole place were my over exaggerated banging of pots and pans. I hate when he gets like this. He just hates the world sometimes for one thing or one person and sometimes he takes it out on me. "So what's for dinner?" he asked me standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I don't know," I stated quietly, "Make something for yourself. I'm not your Mommy." I knew it was a jab, but I had to say it.

"I guess I deserved that..." he said still in the same spot.

"Yeah you did. I asked you a question Zac and suddenly your down my throat like I did something horrible to you. I hate you when your like that." I had turned to look at him after my last statement and could tell that the word hate seemed to have bothered him, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said hate because I could never hate you, but, well, it really tick me off when you do those things to me."

"I know babe. I'm sorry. I just had a huge fight with Taylor again today over stupid shit and I just get so worked up," when was the last time they weren't fighting.

"I don't understand it Zac, I have known you since we were like what six and you and Taylor were always so close. What could make you change your feeling so much towards him?"

"Taylor and me have been fighting like this for years."

"Yeah but lately it's just been heightened everyday in and out. He makes one comment and you just freak out. You were once so close, I just don't understand." I looked him in the eye as I do every time we have this conversation and every time he does the same thing.

He lowers his head and avoids me. All I can do is sigh. "You wouldn't understand." he barely spoke above a whisper.

"Try me," There was silence and I knew what that meant.

The conversation was over. He wasn't gonna say anything till a change of subject. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, this was so frustrating, "So what do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you were gonna make is fine."

"Well, I was just gonna make eggs. I don't know if you want that," I snickered, "You want something else?"

"Yeah actually I could really go for some pizza. Lets go to the cute little restaurant we always go to on the corner. That is if you'll go with me?"

"Are you asking me on a date Zac Hanson?" It was cute how sometimes he would still ask me out as if I wouldn't go with him.

"Maybe..." he gave me that smile.

The smile that even after fourteen years still takes my breath away. He reached up and grabbed my butt making me squeak loudly out of surprise, pulling me closer to him. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be such dick to you."

"I know you didn't, but just try to think of this the next time you are in a pissy mood." I was leaning my head down as he sat on the chair at the kitchen table.

Our foreheads were resting on each others. "But you know what you could do to make this up to me?"

"What's that Jo Bear?"

"Take me to get food because I'm friggin' starving." I said totally ruining the mood.

"Fine whatever, if you don't want to sit and be close to me." he wanted to kiss and make up he always does after we have little quarrels.

"Zac we have all night for that, right now my stomach is growling and if you want to have any chance of getting any I need energy." I teased.

"Oh, ok. Let's go east then!" I had bever seen him move do fast.

I new that got him excited. He moved me back a little and got up slowly, "Let me take a leak and put some deodorant on." I just laughed and walked to get my things together.

Just as I walked out of the kitchen and grabbed my purse the phone rang. "I'll get it Zac... Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Hi, is Taylor there?" a sweet familiar female voice said on the other end.

"No he isn't home yet, can I take a message for him?" I asked as I grabbed a pen and paper.

"Ughhh yeah... is this Joley?" she asked me.

"Yeah... Genna?"

"Yeah,” I missed her she was really a sweet girl.

It was nice having another woman around on an everyday basis, plus I loved having that little baby in the house. "How are you doing? Zac and I really miss you..." I knew I probably shouldn't have said that so I quickly keep going, "How’s Jason?"

"I'm ok. The baby is doing good. He's getting really big."

"Oh I hope I get to see him soon..."

"You might actually. I talk to Taylor today and he asked me to come down for awhile. I thought about it and I think I'm gonna come either next week or the week after." she told me sounding a little happier about that news.

"Oh that's so awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing you," Just then Zac came out of the bedroom looking ready to go, "But I'll leave this for Taylor to call you back. Zac staring at me cause were going to dinner and I think he's a little hungry."

"Oh ok thanks. Tell everyone I said hi."

"I will, bye." and I hung up the line.

I wrote the quick note for Taylor and we walked out the door.

********
"Yeah can I have three plane slices, one sicilion and one ziti slice." Zac told the guy at the pizza place.

"Jesus Zac!" I said staring at my boyfriend in shock.

"Hey, I got you two slices." he got defensive when I mentioned him eating a lot.

"You know I'll never finish both those slices." "Well, I can force it down if you don't eat it." I just shock my head, what a beast.

"Ok anything to drink sir?"

"Uh yeah can I have your big drink," the guy held up a rhino sized cup, "Yeah that one a Dr. Pepper. Cool thanks." I looked at him with just bewilderment. "What?"

"You know I don’t really like Dr. Pepper."

"Yeah, but you never drink a whole drink and a large one is never enough for me when I have all this pizza besides you'll drink Dr. Pepper for me cause you love me." he gave me that little boy smile and I just sighed cause he knew how to work me over.

He told me about the fight over dinner and I told him about my conversation with Genna. It was always nice to go to this quiet little place and have diner. It made you feel like you were in a small town again and not in the biggest city in the world. It reminded me of Tulsa and the place we used to love to go when we first started dating. "What are you thinking about?" he asked me when the dialogue had died off.

"Just how much this reminds me of Tulsa."

"Do you miss it Jo Bear?" he asked me seriously.

"Sometimes I do, but I love it here and I want to stay in New York. I miss that little restaurant though. You know, the one you took me to on our first actual date when we were fourteen." he laughed.

"Yeah I remember that."

"You even ate like a beast then!" I told him.

He had finished all three of his slices and actually got up and got a half a calzone when they weren't enough for his crazy appetite. "I didn't eat that much!" I just shook my head.

Good thing he could afford it cause he would eat himself into a whole, "you know what though?"

"What?">

"That first night, I knew I loved you. Even at fourteen, I knew that I wanted to be with you till eternity." he could be so romantic sometimes.

"Oh baby..." I whined.

"I love you Jo Bear." he leaned in.

"I love you Zaccy," he kissed me really quick and then pulled away staring at me as I laughed.

"You know I hate that!"

"So?" I teased.

I loved messing with him. "Just for that, I want to foul around when we get home," we got up to throw our stuff away.

"Maybe, if your lucky." I told him as he put my jacket on me and held the door open.

"Oh, but I always am." He kissed me and took my hand as we walked our way back to our apartment.

ISAAC
Rachel and I walked into my apartment and I immediately took her coat like the gentlemen I try to be. "Mmm something smells good," she said breathing in the soft aroma that filled my apartment.

"Yeah something does," I smiled at her as I hung up her coat in the closet.

"Did you order food in for me Isaac," she joked.

She always made jokes that I never coked anything. "No, as a matter of fact I did not order any food in." she laughed and gave me a look like she wasn't really sure if she believe me, "I'm serious Rey!"

"Then what is that delicious smell? Is it a candle scent burning?"

"No, it's a surprise," I told her as I took her bag from the floor and went to put it in my room.

"So what is the surprise?" she yelled slightly so I could hear her.

"You'll find out in a little bit. Don't go in the kitchen!"

"The kitchen? Hmm what's in the kitchen?" I came out of the bedroom and walked into the dining room area.

"Don't you worry about what's in the kitchen?" I told her grabbing her playfully away from the kitchen door where she was trying to sneak a look.

"Ahhh," she yelled as I squeezed her sides causing her to laugh.

I knew that was her ticklish area. She smacked my hands impishly. "You know I hate being tickled," she said but had a smile all across her face.

"And I hate you wearing cloths, but we all have to deal with things we don't like." There was about Rachel that made me want to be intimate with her all the time.

She just drove me crazy. "Yeah and your gonna have to deal with that all week-end."

"Oh yeah? Well were gonna see about that!" I said wrapping my arms around her and throwing her down on the couch in the living room area.

I kissed her passionately as I laid on top of her. We kissed for a while, but that's all we did. This wasn't a kiss that was gonna lead to other things, this was just a make out kiss. After a couple of hot minutes, I pulled away and looked down at her. "So seriously, what is in the kitchen?" she asked.

"All right come on. I'll show you." I got up and took her hand, helping her up with me.

I took her over to the small little table I set up right in front of the fire place. It was cold, really cold tonight and the fire place being so close during dinner would keep it both warm and romantic, "Sit down and wait here."

I walked into the kitchen and picked up the bowl of salad, the bowl of bread sticks and small tray of lasagna I had made for us today. After what had happened with Taylor and Zac I realized there really wasn't any reason for me to be staying at the studio. I came home and made her a dinner. I was gonna ask her tonight. The question that I have been wanting to ask her for a while and I was hoping this special treat would help lean her decision in my favor. "Dinner is served my beauty," I said to her.

"Oh my god Isaac, this looks so amazing," she was saying as she stared down at the food I placed down. "It smells absolutely amazing. Where did you get this from?" she asked me as I walked back into the kitchen to grab the white wine I had bought for us.

"Where did I get it?" I laughed placing the wine and glasses in front of us.

"Rey, I made this. All of this."

"No, you didn't," she said in disbelief. "But you never cook. You hate to cook! Why would you do this?"

"For you. I wanted to do something really special just for you," she looked like she was about to cry.

"Isaac, you are so sweet. This really means a lot to me," I laughed and put some salad in a bowl for her. "No, really. You did something that you hate to do, just to make me happy," she touched my hand, "That shows me that you really care for me."

"You should know that any."

"I do but, when you did this without me even asking you or anything that's just undescribable. Its not what you did, it's the reasons you did that make it wonderful." She was making me blush.

She really appreciated what I did for her and it made my hard work even that more satisfying.

We clinked glasses and ate next to the fire as the cold November air blew around outside.

********
Rachel shivered next to me. It wasn't that cold, but this weather wasn't something your body would be used to this early in the season. We were huddled up in a blanket next to the fire, talking and drinking wine. This felt so right. It was a moment you felt you waited your whole life and finally your there. I pulled the blanket tighter on her and hugged her closer. "Your amazing," she said catching my glare.

"No, you're the amazing one. I'm just lucky." I told her caressing the side of her face that was glowing in the fire light.

"Lucky?" she asked me confused.

"Yeah, I'm so lucky to be with someone like you."

"Your not lucky Isaac. Your charming and sophisticated and your just so damn cute." she told me sincerely.

I just pulled her in and kissed her so gently that it was as if we weren't even touching. When we pulled away an instant later she looked like she was having trouble breathing.

She finally opened her eyes and looked over me out the window. "Oh my god Isaac, it's snowing." she said pointing to the window. I turned around quickly, "It never snows this early." she added.

"Wow, I love the snow though. I just love the cold and the feeling in the air. I get so creative," I told her sighing at the beauty of the white falling from the sky.

"Isaac, can we go outside?" she asked me jumping up from lying in my arms.

"What?"

"Please, can we go on the balcony? I have never been in the city during the first snowfall of the season. I want to see how beautiful it looks glistening in the lights. Oh please?" she begged.

She looked like Zoey does on Christmas morning when my parents tell her to wait a few minutes before going down to open gifts. I laughed at her enthusiasm, "Ok, of course we can." She took my hand and pulled me up.

She ran towards the balcony and opened the doors. She walked out on to and looked all the way around. "Oh Isaac. This is so amazing, come on, come see it with me," she said turning her head, but not her eyes in my direction.

She was shivering, but she didn't seem to care. I walked out onto the balcony carrying the blanket that has been keeping us warm. "Wow, it is beautiful," I told her as I got close to her.

I could see her visibly shaking, "Rey your freezing! Come here," she came close to me as she contributed to stare out into the night.

I wrapped the blanket around us and ran my hands up down on her arms trying to make sure the blood was still flowing. "Listen to it Isaac. It's so quiet, even in New York it's quiet." she was in awe of it all, "That's what I love about snow, everything seems to become so silent, so still. It's just so magical. I have never seen anything as beautiful as this. With the lights and the sounds of the city surrounding the snow. I wish I could just stay here, forever." I stop at the statement she had made.

"Maybe, you should," I said quietly as I hugged her cloths.

God damn it was so cold out here. "Should what?" she asked.

"Stay, you know, here."

"Well, I am. I'm staying here all week-end you know that," she looked up at me.

"No, Rachel, I mean," I stopped.

I wasn't quite sure how to say this, if I should even being saying it. I knew I wanted to though. This had been what I had been planning to ask her for a long time and the right moment was here and I just needed to go for it. "What I'm trying to say is, I was thinking maybe you could come stay with me for a while, you know, like an extended period of time." She hesitated for a while before diving any further into what I was trying to say.

"Isaac, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Well, yeah I am," she didn't say anything for a long time.

The silence and the cold probably made it seem longer. "I can't Isaac, you know that." What the hell, 'I know that'? No actually I didn't know anything.

"No, I don't know that, why can't you come live with me?" I really thought she would have said yes.

"Isaac, I have responsibilities at home. Things that I just can't pick up and leave." she pleaded as she pulled away from me.

"Rachel, you're a hair dresser at your fathers salon. So, don't tell me that you couldn't take as much time as you needed off." she looked annoyed, but it was only the truth.

"Hey, I might work in my family's business, but I work for what I have. I have a lot of clients that look for me and need me to services for them. I'm not just gonna turn my back on them."

"So, your saying that your never leaving that job, that if I want to be with you I have to make all the compromise and come to you?" I was trying to remain calm.

She was getting a little hott, cause I could see it in her eyes. I did not want this to turn into an argument. "No, I'm saying that I would leave if I was in a relationship that had some stability and I knew might actually be more then just someone to have sex with," her words really stung me.

How could she say that to me? She knew how I felt, she knew that I cared deeply for her. I was so angry I really had nothing else to say to her. "I'm gonna clean up dinner and then hang out and watch movies. If you want me I'll be inside." I said quietly as I walked off the balcony.

I was really hurt. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, don't worry about," I said walking into the kitchen to put the dishes away.

She followed me obviously looking for an answer. "I'm not saying anything Rachel, cause I don't want to say something I will regret," I told her honestly, "Just leave me alone to cool down." I told her and she just stared at me in amazement, but I was not saying anything.

I didn't know what I was gonna do or say to her all I knew was that threw talking to her tonight.




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