Zack felt like a complete asshole. He'd been working so hard to get Brooke to see him as more than her adorable friend and when she finally did, he had to blow her off. It wasn't his fault - Rian called him around eight o'clock, losing his mind, begging Zack to come help him fold laundry and wash dishes. Zack couldn't understand, for the life of him, why Rian didn't start preparing for Cassadee's visit at least a week in advance, or even why he let Jack trash the house as often as he did. Still, Zack couldn't just leave Rian hanging, so he thought he'd be able to tackle both tasks in one morning. He may have gotten a little too tied up in conversation with Rian as they washed and dried the dishes together that, by the time he realized it was after ten, Brooklyn wasn't answering her phone.


It's no wonder that Zack apologized over and over again when she did finally call him back, somewhere around one o'clock. Brooklyn explained to him that she went to Alex's apartment looking for him (since she only knew where he lived) and Alex took her shopping for a dress. He tried his best to sound like he was happy that she got to know Alex a little better, but in reality, there was a pang of jealousy in his gut. Alex wasn't supposed to buy her an expensive dress and lunch - that was his job. Now she probably thinks Alex is more of a man than he is.


He didn't even feel comforted when Brooklyn gushed about how kind he was to help Rian clean up for the arrival of his girlfriend, not even when she ranted on and on about how she wants a guy sweet enough to do that for her. Wasn't he that sweet? When they finally hung up the phone, it left Zack with just enough time to shower and change before he had to head the club, where everyone had agreed to meet, including Brooklyn. It broke his heart that she hadn't even asked him to pick her up like she normally would.


When Zack arrived at the club, he pushed his way through the sea of bodies until he found his crew sitting at a table in the back. It was a little quieter back here so they could hear each other, but the lights were dim and there were colored strobes flashing all around them. Zack forced a smile to his lips and slid into the booth, locking one of his strong arms around Cassadee's waist. She let out a giggle in his ear and planted a big kiss on his cheek.


"Zack-y! I've missed you, boy!"


"I've missed you too, Cass!"


They spent a few minutes catching up and Rian excused himself to call Alex and see where the frontman was. Zack tried to hide it from his long lost friend, but he was nervous by the fact that neither Alex or Brooke had shown up yet. He could only hope that the day she spent with his friend didn't make her realize what a loser he was.


"So Alex said he was going to swing by and pick up Brooklyn then they'd be on their way," Rian smiled, sliding a beer over to Zack. "Wait till you meet her, Cass, you'll love her."


"I certainly hope so. I bet Alex is sweet talking her right into your arms, buddy."


Zack smiled softly as Cass playfully punched him in the arm. All he could do was trust Brooklyn's judgment and trust Alex not to stab him in the back. Honestly, he could have spent the entire night lost in his thoughts, but Cass nudging him in the side brought him back to Earth. Walking towards their table was Alex and Brooke. He looked a little more spiffy than he usually does and she was wearing a gorgeous, red dress. He could feel his mouth fall slightly ajar.


"Brooke, you look.." He let out a breath. "Gorgeous."


"Thank you, Zack," she batted her eyelashes with a smile. "Oh! You must be the famous Cassadee!"


Everyone slid out of the booth and Zack could see Brooke and Cass bonding, but he was so fixed on Brooklyn and her beauty that he couldn't make out a word they were saying. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her right then and there, declare his love for her and never look back.


"Uh, Zack?" Jack shook a hand in front of Zack's face, a goofy grin on his lips. "These ladies want to dance!"


Zack blinked a few times, realizing that Brooklyn was waiting for him to take her hand and lead him to the dancefloor. He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded his head, sliding out of the booth to pull the woman of his dreams into his arms. Following behind them were Rian and Cassadee, Jack dancing by himself like a crazy person.


Alex lingered behind, for obvious reasons. He noticed the way Brooklyn's eyes lit up when she saw Zack, but he also noticed how she kept glancing back to flash him a smile. He definitely had one foot in the door, now all he had to do was pull Brooklyn out with him.

Notes

Can we get some more love for this story?
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