"So what shall we do?" Zac asked, looking over at Katie. It was only ten thirty, and the news had just ended.
"Well, we should put the little ones in bed, that's for sure." Katie said, walking to the family room to gather her siblings. Fifteen minutes later, Zac and Katie had managed to get Kristen, ben, Madison, Melissa, and Krista into bed. Zac had made sure everyone brushed thier teeth while Katie made sure they got into bed and that night lights were turned on. They went back into Katie's room, and flopped on her bed, both on their backs.
"Gosh, I never realized what Judy had to go through." She said with a grin.
"Yeah, parents have a tough job."
"Yeah."
"I love kids."
"I do too."
Zac thought a moment. "Well, we almost have to, since we live with so many."
"Yeah, but I love all my sisters and ben so much. I don't know what to do without them." She said.
Zac looked over at her from his position on the bed. "You'll make a good mommy someday."
"Zac..." She said with a laugh. "I'm fourteen."
Zac smiled. "Well, hopefully that day won't be anyday soon...." He trailed off.
"Yeah."
He smiled and looked at her. They gazed into each other's eyes a moment before Zac leaned over and kissed her, and reached over to gently touch her cheek. Katie closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his touch, so soft, so gentle. He kissed her a few more times before sliding his tongue in her mouth. She let hers mingle with his, then brush his lips. They were just beggining to have fun when her phone ran.
Katie groaned in disappointment.
"Who's calling you at this hour?" Zac asked, seeing that it was nearly eleven.
"I have no idea." She said, and reached over to her nightstand to pick up her phone.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Hello?" This time she didn't hear anything on the other line. She frowned and shrugged her shoulders at Zac. He motioned for her to give him the phone. She handed it to him.
"Hello?" He asked indignantly. He frowned.
"Hello?" He repeated, growing more angry. "Who is this?"
No one answered. "Knock it off." he growled, slamming the phone down.
Katie sat beside him for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"That bothers me." He said.
"Me too."
"You say that's the third one you've gotten?"
"Third or fourth." She said. "Yeah."
"I really don't like that."
"Neither do I." She said, looking at him, her face drawn of all color. Zac looked over at her. He saw the scared look on her face and his expression softened.
"I'm just a little worried, that's all." He said, putting an arm around her.
"I am too."
"Well I'm not going anywhere." He said.
"Good." Katie said. "I really don't want you to." She leaned closer, pecking Zac on the mouth. She pulled awawy quickly and sneezed.
"Oh my gosh, you little sneak!" She exclaimed, grabbing a tissue.
"What?"
"You gave my your cold!"
Zac laughed. "I did not."
"Whatever." She said, nudging him in the side. Zac squirmed and flipped on the radio near her bed.
"Ohhh!" katie exclaimed a few minutes later. "It's our song! Listen!" She said, turning up the radio.
Zac listened for a few moments, then turned up the volume a bit to hear the song. He smiled when he heard the familliar words.
"Don't stray, don't ever go away
I should be much too smart for this;
somtimes when you and i collide
i fall into an ocean of you
pull me out of time."
They both smiled at the song's lyrics. They almost described their relationship so far to a perfect T. The song had been played during one of the last dances at the homecoming dance, and Zac had played it at their special anninversay dinner he had prepared himself. They had nicknamed it 'their song' after hearing it at several special occasions. It was called 'sway', by Bic Runga* and they both loved it. Silently, Zac got up and offered his hand to Katie.
"Don't let me drown, let me down
i say it's all because of you.
And here I go, losing my control
I'm practicing your name so i can
say it to your face
It doesn't seem right to look you in
the eye, let all the things you mean to me
come tumbling out my mouth."
She got up, and he led her to the center of her dark room, and he placed his arms around her waist, and she rested against his chest as they silently swayed to the soft music.
"Indeed it's time to tell you why
I say it's infinitely true.
say you'll sway, don't come and go
like you do
sway my way, yeah i need to know
all about you
And there's no cure
no way to be sure
why everything's turned inside out
instilling so much doubt
it makes me so tired
i feel so uninspired
my head is battling with my heart
my logic has been torn apart
and now it all turns sour
come sweeten every afternoon"
Zac and Katie swayed away to Bic's soothing voice, and they both thought about their relationship, and how the song perfectly described their relationship, the ins and outs and ups and downs.
"It's all because of you;
It's all because of you
say you'll stay
don't ever go away;
it's all because of you."
Zac stroked Katie's hair as the last lines of the song faded. The radio turned on another song, and Katie leaned over to switch it off. She returned to Zac, and he squeezed her into a hug. She sighed as she felt his lips brush the top of her head.
They must have just stood in the middle of her room, just embracing for ten or fifteen minutes, taking each other in, before Katie yawned.
"You tired?" he asked sleepily, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Yeah." She said through another yawn.
"Me too." He said, walking over to her bed.
"I'd better get a sleeping bag."
Zac gave her a hurt look through his sleepy eyes.
"In case Judy comes home early and found us. I don't think she would be too happy if she came home and found you in my bed, although I know you wouldn't do anything." She said, opening her closet. "Besides, I'll sleep on the floor."
"You don't have to."
"No, it's okay, I'd almost prefer it."
Zac frowned and got up. He went into the bathroom to use some mouthwash and take some more Nyquill. When he emerged, Katie had put a quilt on the floor under her sleeping bag on the floor for padding. He sat on her bed and watched as she got Morgan's sleeping bag to go over her and arranged it next to her bed. She took a pillow off her bed, and placed it at the head of her new bed for the night.
"There." She said. She pulled back the covers to her bed for Zac.
"Thanks." he said, crawling in. He sat up and peeled off his shirt. Katie watched him closely as he pulled the elastic band out of his hair. He looked up to see Katie watching him.
"What?"
"Nothing." She said. Katie went into her bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas. She smiled to herself in the mirror. She secretly liked seeing Zac without his shirt on; he was cute, with his little squishy stomach and all. She smiled again and spat toothpaste into the sink. She emerged and stopped to glance out the window, where the snow was still falling steadily.
"How much do you think we've gotten?" Zac asked her, leaning back on his pillow. He folded his arms underneath his head.
"Six inches? Seven? Eight?" Katie said, looking at the surrounding areas near the window. It was pitch black outside, but the snow held the light, giving the entire neighborhood an eerie, white glow.
"I'm ready for bed." Katie said.
"yeah." Zac said. She flipped out the light next to her bed, opting to leave the strand of Christmas lights that lined the ceiling to her room on. They hadn't been laying there for a minute when the phone rang. Katie froze.
"Pick it up." She heard Zac softly say.
Katie reached over to her nighstand to pick up the phone. Zac moved down onto the floor so sit beside her. She picked up the phone and listened. She could only hear light breathing. She got scared and handed it to Zac.
"Hello?....Hello?" he slammed the phone down for the second time that night.
"Zac....what happened?" She asked.
"Nothing." he said, getting back into bed. "I swear, if that's Ian being a dick...I've beaten him once, I'll do it again." Zac said, and Katie could hear the anger in his voice.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"It's not your fault." He said into the darkness. Katie sighed and lay back down. She was just starting to fall asleep when the phone ran again. It only rang once before Zac got out of the bed and over to her wall where he yanked the cord out of the jack.
"This is rediculous." he said, letting the cord fall to the floor. He clenched his fists, and he sounded mad to Katie. "Sorry." he added, climbing back into Katie's bed.
"It's okay." She said, snuggling down into her sleepingbag. She thought of how all the windows were locked, and everything in the basement was locked up, and the door to the basement was locked too, and how they had double checked that the garage door, the kitchen door, and the front door were all locked. She let her mind wander to thoughts of strange, scary men lurking around her house, and she thought of other things too. Suddenly being down on the floor wasn't too appealing.
"Zac?" She called out softly a few minutes later.
"Hmmm?" he hadn't been asleep. He was to upset to sleep.
"I'm scared." She said, sitting up.
Zac sighed. "Don't be." He said, propping himself up on an elbow. He looked at her for a moment, and he could see throught the darkness her bottom lip begin to tremble, a surefire way to tell that Katie was about to cry.
"Come here." he said, lifting up the covers to invite her in.
She disgaurded her sleeping bag and moved over to the bed, where Zac was still holding up the covers for her to join him. She climbed in, and he lowered the covers, tucking them in around them. She snuggled up to him, feeling much safer as she felt the familliar feeling of Zac's arms around her. She felt a shiver go down her spine at the feeling of his warm skin against hers.
"How's that?" He murmured.
"Much better." She replied. And it was.
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