The next morning...

"How did you get that one?" Zak asked taking hold of my right ankle and tracing the small scar on the inside of it. I bit my lip as he kissed it gently before crashing back onto his pillow beside me.

"Oh no, that's an embarrassing one." I mumbled trying to hide my face as he laughed softly.

"How did you?"

We had been laying in bed for almost an hour talking rubbish and telling the stories of our scars. Mine were embarrassing...

"Tell me." He urged, his eyes working their way at luring the answer from me.

"I stood on a plastic tub, to reach a glass from the top shelf, but I didn't know it was split already, so as I stood on it, my foot went through and I had the tub attached to my ankle."

He stifled a laugh before it came out.

"Shortness is a disadvantage." I added pouting as he began grinning like The Cheshire Cat.

"Not in my eyes." He responded.

"And how is that?"

"It means you need my help, I can pick you up and I can carry you."

"How convenient for you. Me? Not so much."

"I'm 6foot 1." He informed me.

I gave him a playful scowl "Now that's been greedy with height."

"I'm a big man."

The teasing tone in his voice made me giggle "Hell yeah you are.... What about this one?" I asked touching the faint scar on his eyebrow with my forefinger gently.

"I got that as a child. I fell through a glass table." He answered casually as my eyes almost bulged out my head.

"Oh my god. Did you get hurt bad?"

He shook his head.

"Poor baby." I cooed soothing my thumb over it.

"It's cute that you worried."

I looked at his other eyebrow and spotted a faint line again "Did you get the other scar from table too?"

His laugh came out rich, making my own lips pull into a smile as warmness flooded my body. "No, no. This is my embarrassing one." He pointed to it.

"Worse than mine?"

"Oh yeah." He chuckled.

"I'm all ears."

"Well, it started off with nasty and spiteful...."

"Child? Dog? Cat? Oh my god don't tell me you got hit by a car?!"

"Shh. No, it was a nasty and spiteful.....hammock."

I paused, my lips parted and I was about to speak when I had the sudden vision of Zak spinning in a hammock yelling with his long legs going everywhere. My lips quivered.

"Don't..." He warned.

I pinched them together so hard, but the vision kept appearing and before he could say no again, I burst out laughing. "No way! Are you kidding?!"

"Hell no I'm not! Those things are vicious! Of course everyone couldn't help but laugh, I was all tangled up in the damn thing!" He replied.

"Oh baby!" I laughed holding his face in my hands and kissing him.

"So me and hammocks don't get along and I shall never attempt one again." He sulked.

I giggled continuously and kissed his eyebrows. "Did you get the hammock arrested?"

"Shut up and come here." He grumbled pulling me onto his chest. His hands trailed up and down my bare back, causing a growl to vibrate his as my chest was sandwiched against his. "I like this." He commented making me cock my head slightly.

"I wonder why. Are you a boob man, Mr Bagans?"

"Boob, ass." He shrugs "I'm a you man. God you're just..." He shakes his head making me give a shy smile.

"Annoying? Heavy? A bed hogger? A kicker? Snorer? Don't tell me I'm a snorer..."

"Beautiful." He decided wrapping his arms round my frame, giving me a gentle squeeze.

I sighed softly at the weight of his arms and the warmness of his body against mine. I laid my head on his chest listening to his heart as his hands began moving again. Drawing hopeless patterns on skin, luring me in like a fish on a hook. It was so peaceful, the soft thuds beating against my ear, the breeze coming through the bi-folding doors which Zak had opened up early this morning, us together and the world. All working as one, in perfect harmony.

Zak's hand snaked up my back and went into my hair, playing with the ends gently. "Do you know what I love about you?"

My eyes shot open at the L word..

I stayed silent and listened carefully. "I love the softness of your hair and I love how I can smell the sun on your skin."

"Like burning flesh or bacon?"

He laughed gently making me bob up and down at the movement. "No, it's the smell of coconut, like you bathed in coconut oil. Every inch of you is soft and I mean every inch."

What did I love about him? God, did I even mean that word? That slippery sucker of a word that can make a relationship whole or destroy it in one syllable. We shouldn't live to hear that word, but we do. We all do. We thrive to hear the person we care about the most tell us that they love us. At any time on any day. Whether it's shouted, cried, laughed, hiccuped, coughed or even whispered. The effect is still the same, that bundle of energy and nerves in the centre of your chest that flushed through your veins and makes you feel invincible.

Just by one word. Four letters, beginning with L.

"Have I just made this weird?" He asks making me look up to see his face.

"What? No. No. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"About you. What I love about you."

He scoffed "Jesus if you've got to think that hard then there can't be much."

I shook my head "Quiet the opposite. There's a lot and I don't want to weird you out with it."

"So, name just two." He challenged.

"Your kind heart and beautiful soul." I answered almost instantly.

The amused look vanished from his face, instantly making me feel bad. I've said something wrong..

"Better get up and start the day." He sighed brushing off the moment and acting as if it didn't happen.

I frowned slightly as he shifted me off his body and got up. "First I better give Gracie her kibble and th—

"Zak."

"Then ring Bacon and f—"

"Zak!" I snapped making him pause and look over at me. "What did I say?"

"Huh? Oh nothing."

"Clearly I did. What did I say wrong?" I asked getting up and pulling the sheet around me.

"Wrong? No umm. It's nothing. I gotta get ready."

"Zak." I urged slipping off the bed and walking over to him. I lifted my hand to touch him but he moved back as if I had scolded him. "I..-"

"It wasn't you.. It wasn't what you said, it was me.."

I frowned. "I don't get it."

"I wasn't expecting you to say that. I've never had anyone say that about me.. My looks, my body, yeah.. But not that."

"Was it a bad thing that I said that then? Should I have just said that instead? Cause I like those things, I do. But I appreciate you more than just your looks and body."

His eyes wouldn't connect with mine and with an exasperated sigh, I backed away. "I knew I should have just objectified you. Now you're all weird about this." I tried to walk away when he pulled me back and into his chest.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You just took me off guard. But I'm not upset or annoyed about it. Just shocked. Can we just forget about this? Go back to how we were before?"

Did I want to go back on it? Forget that he said he loved parts of me? 

"Of course." I mumbled giving in to his request to make him happy. Even if it made me slightly unhappy too.

..........

Now things were weird between us, we avoided all means of that chat and spent the entire day split between the museum and his home.

Watching him work made me feel guilty for not doing my bit. So I decided to take on the duty of cleaning and making us food. That way then, I was still contributing and taking care of him... kind of.

We had just finished off dinner and were in light conversation with taking Gracie out for her nightly walk when Bacon barrelled through the kitchen.

"I got it!" He exclaimed before freezing seeing me stood at the sink.

I glanced at Zak whose eyes shifted off me to his friend, before he slowly rose to his feet. "It's about the museum pieces. I was bidding on something. I'll be in my office." He explained before ushering Bacon out the kitchen.

Shrugging it off, I cleaned the plates and set them on a rinse cycle before going through the house primping things. I changed my sliders for my trainers before fastening them up and grabbing Gracie's leash.

I figured if Zak was working now, I could let him know I was taking Gracie out. Sprinting up the stairs, I walked along the landing and to the office door when I spotted it open and heard hushed voices.

"..... are you absolutely sure?" Zak asked quietly.

"Dude. Positive. I met the guy..."

"What's he like?"

"Is that really important? I told you something was up.... That proves it."

I frowned and backed away from the door, deciding to leave a note on the side table instead. Leashing Gracie on was pretty simple with her calm nature and eagerness to go out. We left the house and headed off around the private community in the cooler night air. Street lights illuminating our path whilst Gracie sniffed at the grass and inspected stones, fire hydrants, lamp posts and the occasional stone.

I sighed deeply, enjoying the peace and wondering if there was anything I could do to make Bacon like me. It wasn't that I strived for his approval, but I think me getting along with him would help Zak. The last thing I want to do is come between two friends who clearly have each other's back.

Doing the full circuit, I walked back towards the house when I spotted a car had slowed down. Glancing at the driver, I realised it was Bacon. Giving me a scowl, he revved the engine and took off down the road making me cough at the fumes left by his car.

"Come on Gray, he's clearly got the hump again."

Feeling fresh and revitalised, I made my way back into the house and let Gracie off her leash to get herself a drink. Kicking off my shoes, I padded down to the lounge where Zak was sat, zoned out.

"Everything alright?" I ask rounding the couch and sitting down beside him.

He wet his lips and scratched at the regrowing scruff on his face. "I don't know..."

"Bacon kicked off again? Look Zak, about that, I want to know what I can do, you know to make him accept me? He's a good friend of yours, clearly and I don't want you both argui—"

"I thought we told each other everything?"

I frowned "I don't understand."

He laughed "I said the same... We tell each other everything, don't we? I mean, we confide in each other. Right?"

"Yes."

"And we are completely honest?"

"Obviously." I deadpanned.

"So... When Cody was at yours. What did you speak about?"

"I- I don't know. A bit of everything. We were talking about the old times."

"Happily reminiscing?"

"What? No. It was..." I struggled to find the right word because no matter what, it would never be over. "Closure, resolution."

"Closure, about each other?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Just about each other?"

"Yes. Zak what's going on?"

He scoffed and shook his head. Sitting back, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on the coffee table between us. "Go on."

I reached out and took the paper, unfolding it carefully. As the last fold gave way, I froze looking down at the familiar black and white photo.

"Not closure over losing a baby together then?"

••••••••••••••••••••

Posted now because I couldn't wait!

None of y'all thought it was suspicious about Zak taking those dog tags & him using his phone? 🕵🏻

Does he have the right to be annoyed over this?

How is he going to react?

How will Leah react to know that Zak used Bacon to go digging for information?

Fun fact: Zak does in fact have those scars in his eyebrows and from those incidents.. Yes the Crazy Hammock won.
😅

Ps.. There's a twist on the horizon.