Chapter 21: Round 2..winner is…

POV: Gabby

October 28, 2007

Austin, Texas had been nice and sweet but I was glad for another break. Whomever had coordinated this tour had done a bad job at consistent shows, especially here toward the end because shows were spread out with breaks between. We were headed back home again for another week. Taylor was happy because Stella’s birthday was Halloween and he was excited to be spending it with her. I was glad once the trailer was loaded.

Max really hadn’t responded much the last four days and I had checked Simon’s schedule, they were in Canada for the next two weeks, so I was confident in staying there alone. Hopefully I didn’t have an eviction notice waiting. Most everyone crashed the moment we were loaded and on the road, we weren’t far from home really. Yet, Zac settled in for a marathon of gaming time and I decided I would read a bit. But, I was worried about where I’d stay and if Max was pissed off.

“You’ve been quiet for a few days.” He said.

“Tired.”

“No, it’s not that you seem down. Almost like Abby yelled at you.”

“Wasn’t Abby.”

“Surely you didn’t have a fight with Max over me.”

“Eh, something close.”

“Gabriella.”

“Well, I told him he needed to back off of you. He doesn’t need to be telling you or anyone else to leave me alone or that I deserve better than them. Especially when he didn’t find me worthy enough for himself. He can’t judge someone as being good enough or better or whatever. Anyway, I probably pissed him off.”

“Probably?”

“He never replied and I haven’t spoken to him at all.”

“Is he supposed to be home?”

“He comes in Monday night.”

“I’m sure he’ll be okay Gabby. You are right, he shouldn’t but he’s also your friend and he wants you to be happy. Obviously Simon was a major mistake.”

“He didn’t care in 1999 to save me, he shouldn’t now.”

“Did you need saving then?”

“Always did. Anyway, worst case scenario he kicks me out.”

“I don’t think he’d do that.”

I wasn’t entirely sure Maxwell was above doing that, just depended on how pissed off he was. When the controller landed in my lap I looked up at him.

“10 races, winner gets 48 hours. Let’s be real here, we know the 48 hours won’t have any distractions.”

“Are you wanting to do my laundry again?”

“No, what I want is 48 hours for you to do mine.”

“That’s not what you want Zachary.”

“Give me some credit here.”

“You’re going to lose, what more credit do you want?”

He just went to the challenges and chose a different one; clearly he wanted to wash my clothes again.

“Does that whole anything goes apply here?”

“Of course.”

I looked at the control, I was pretty certain his anything wouldn’t be laundry but I’d stomped his ass before, no reason to think I won’t this time. I turned the reader off and laid it down and got the controller and he just smiled. First four races I easily beat him.

“Damn Zac, at least pretend you want to win one race; it’s going to be unfair if I win all ten.”

He just glanced at me and hit X on the controller, the next four he pretty much left me at the start line. That was odd for him, as he’d been drifting well! When he won the fifth race he looked at me.

“Better?”

The tenth race was curvy as fuck and my dumbass self tried to take a short cut even though I was way ahead of everyone, seventeen seconds to be exact and I crashed. By the time I got the car back on the road he was sitting at the finish line waiting on me. I sat there stunned, I’d just lost. That didn’t happen! I didn’t lose races I knew well!

When he restarted the race I wondered why though. “You won, what are you doing?”

“Feeling generous? It was partially the games fault for resetting you and letting us all pass. You lose this time, I won’t feel generous.”

I thought the first crash was bad, sure it reset me and took forever but I was behind him and we were about 80% into the race, I was right there behind him but couldn’t pass him to win the last one, coming in just a mere millisecond behind.

“Crashing felt better.”

Fuck! I was going to be stuck for 48 hours, this time he’d be telling me what to do and I was pretty certain at what he’d want. When he moved and pretty much crawled the two feet to my feet I was confused, surely he wasn’t starting right now! Not that I was really minding the way he was looking at me. His hands slid between my knees and very little pressure moved them outward where he moved in, placing hands on either side of me. I’d never felt so vulnerable or excited or whatever this feeling was in my life. His lips landed on my forehead and he smiled.

“Don’t worry Gabriella. I won’t be asking you for sex, I know where you stand and unless you want too, I’m not going to make you. Even if you did agree to anything.”

There was one huge problem with that, fuck did I want too. The way he was sitting here, so close. The backlight from the TV and the position.

“Then what do you want?” I asked.

He moved his lips to the right side of my head, landing kisses on my temple, then my cheek, then down onto my neck and I kind of wanted to melt. Yet, I could hear Max practically talking right to my ear, telling me this was all part of the game, seduction because I said no before.

“Halloween.”

“You want Halloween? Um, it’s a national holiday; pretty sure you can have it.”

He giggled. “No, I want you on Halloween. I’ll call my 48 hours in, Taylor is doing a birthday dinner with Stella and then there attending a huge Halloween party. Come with me, you can be anything you want to be.”

“What? You want the kitty cat me?”

“If that’s what you want to be.”

Again his lips made contact with my neck. “What will you be?”

I felt the teeth sink into my neck. “I’ll be going as a vampire this year.”

I was very close to falling right off that cliff, giving in and just forgetting everything. I was close to pushing him back onto the bean bag chair and giving him exactly what he wanted. Then my phone began to ring and he moved, fuck, why did he move?!

“It’s your roommate, you need to answer that.”

“Now?” I asked.

“Yep.”

He handed me the phone and then moved completely away and back to the bean bag chair, what the fucking hell was going on?

“Max?”

“Gabby? Why do you sound out of breathe?”

“Had to run to get my phone.”

Zac just smiled as he picked another race, bastard knew damn well he was the reason I couldn’t breathe! Also knew damn well that I could have called Max back!

“Please tell me you aren’t falling for whatever he’s doing?”

“I told you why.”

“You’re on a 72 foot bus you couldn’t have gone very far. What will it take for you to get the picture Gabby? He has found you to be a challenge because you said no. He’ll do anything he can to get you to cave and then he’s walking away. He’ll do like me, he’ll do like Newton and like Simon.”

“Is that the only reason you called?”

“No. I called to say I should be home very late Monday, not to wait up.”

“That’s fine; Abby’s suppose to meet me Monday afternoon anyway.”

“Abby’s not going to make it Monday, she’s got finals. It’s another reason I called.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?”

“She knew you were looking forward to it. She’ll be home Wednesday though. We’ve been invited to a big party and I think she wanted to go with you as cheerleaders or something.”

I started to tell him that I was going with Zac, I couldn’t back out but I knew he’d just blow up and get pissed off again, so I just said okay. He then went on like everything was fine. Let me know the exterminators had been by and that he was certain nothing was at the house. I just watched Zac play.

Truthfully Max had a point, but then again Zac was doing nothing that I hadn’t done to him. But, he was fully aware that I wanted real and not just random. Why pursue someone you know won’t say yes? I finally hung-up.

“Play again?”

“I’m okay.”

“Funny, you seemed okay before you talked to him.”

“Bummed that Abby can’t shop with me, she’s not meeting me until Wednesday apparently for lunch, I can’t wait that long. Especially if you’re serious about this party.”

“Oh, the party I am serious about. So much, I’ll be picking you up at 5.”

“You already have a time? Damn, were you that confident you’d win?”

“I planned either way. The party is downtown at Cain’s ballroom. Taylor told me last week, had to find some way to get you to go!”

“Could have just asked.”

“Too easy. Any ideas on what you’ll be wearing?”

“Not a single idea. Why, do you?”

“You’re asking me what you should wear?”

“You have to have ideas.”

“A towel would be fine with me, come on you know what my answer would be.”

“A towel? Wanna suggest a ripped up sheet?”

“That works too.”

“So helpful.”

I went back to reading and wondering why I felt different with him, Taylor came in about 5:45 am.

“Did either of you sleep?”

“Nope. I plan to sleep in my own bed which won’t be moving.”

“Good plan.”

He flopped down on the couch and propped his feet up on the back of the bean bag chair.

“Seriously Tay? I don’t want your feet in my hair.”

“Deal little bro.”

“So, Zac..about this costume...”

“Costume?” Taylor asked.

“She’s going with me Wednesday night.”

“Like…a date?” Taylor asked.

“I guess it could be a date.”

“Are you sick Zac?”

“No.”

“I assure you Taylor it wasn’t from sickness. I lost the game and he won, that’s what he wants for his end of the bargain.”

“That makes more sense. Do you not have a costume?”

“No idea and I guess I was going with Abby but she backed out.”

“Stella is going Tuesday; I can see if she would mind you tagging along, she seemed to like you.”

“She met me once Tay for like 10 minutes.”

“Doesn’t matter. You don’t have too but she did ask about you a lot when we talked. I think she’d be delighted to have someone go with her.”

Zac turned to him. “Doesn’t Stella make you wear a matching costume last year? Cheerleaders if I remember correctly.”

“Zombie cheerleaders smart ass. What? You afraid she’ll find Gabby some outfit that covers everything?”

“You know that’s it.” I said.

“Haha, I don’t care what you wear.”

“If she’s willing to let me tag along then I’ll go with her. Might do me some good to hang out with someone else.”

“Maybe, you and Abby got along well but new friends are always nice.”

Zac kept playing and by the time we made it home Stella was picking me up at 10:45 and we were having lunch and then shopping for our costumes for Wednesday. I still had no idea what to even wear or how I even felt really. I wasn’t looking forward to telling either of them he was taking me out either. I was positive what their reaction would be.

Home was nice though. I got unpacked and then got to sleep for hours in a bed that didn’t vibrate, rock, sway or otherwise move. It was such a nice nap but it was Abby’s tone that woke me up at 3.

“Hey, whatcha doing?”

“I was sleeping; we didn’t get home until like 9.”

“Damn, Max said he let you know I couldn’t make it.”

“He did tell me, I thought you’d be home this week or close anyway.”

“Finals, stupid ass tests! I hate them but they are required. Can we do Wednesday for lunch?”

“Yeah, but I need to be back by 3.”

“To get ready for the party? Max said you were going.”

“I never really answered that, where is it?”

“Cain’s ballroom.”

Oh, I’d be there but not with them apparently. “I uh will be there.”

“Gabriella…”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good. Are you finding your costume before Wednesday?”

“Yeah, um Taylor’s girlfriend is taking me tomorrow. She didn’t want to go alone and I needed to find something before then.”

“Deal, I think Max is going as the Phantom of the opera.”

“I have no idea.”

“Okay. Well, go back to sleep and I’ll call you tomorrow night with a time.”

“Deal.”

I hung-up and seen messages from Simon, same shit so I deleted them but there were ten from Zac, all pictures and he’d sent ‘ideas’ because he was bored. I looked at them, playboy bunny, nurse, pirate but they were all super short and barely there. I hit reply.

Ha Ha Ha. Really? These are your ideas? Come on Zac, you can do better!

I was half asleep! Still am actually.

Abby woke me up and I saw your messages.

Glad they at least humored you some.

Who knows, one maybe what I choose. I’m going back to bed.

What are you wearing in your bed? Please, not those footie pajamas!

I really didn’t want to answer that, but what the hell, he was across town and clearly not able to drive.

I’m wearing your shirt.

What else?

That’s all I’m wearing, just your shirt. Now...I am going back to sleep!

That’s a really…picture?

I’m not sending you a picture!

Please? I’ll send you one…whatever you want.

Really now? Do you often send nudes to women?

No. But, I would you.

I laid there a bit confused, I really didn’t think he would so I told him to send one. I’d gotten a devilish emoji in return and then five minutes later I got the one he said he’d send, he’d taken it of himself, not hard which shocked me, but still it was a nude and it was him. I could tell he was also in bed. Max and Abby would tell me not too but fuck it. It wasn’t hard to angle the camera above my head to include as much of myself as possible, without being nude and then I sent it.

mmm…you can do better.

Hey – I never promised nudes, you asked for a picture.

You can do better; you apparently love driving me insane, too tired to do that right now?

I adjusted and undid some buttons, covered still but showing more of the cleavage area. I sent the picture and waited.

That is the Gabby I know. Sleep well.

I stared at the messages before I finally laid the phone down. Weeks of touring and lack of sleep knocked me out and I didn’t even wake up the rest of the day.