“Hey Zach,” Amber said, smiling.
“Where’s Al?” Zach asked, assuming her dad was gone if she was walking about in her underwear.
“Believe it or not, he ran into an old Marine buddy. They haven’t seen each other since Vietnam, so they went out for a drink, which of course means several drinks. He probably won’t be back until late tonight,” replied Amber. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yeah, sure,” Zach said as he stepped inside and Amber closed and locked the door behind him. His feet followed hers into the living room but his eyes followed her petite derrière.
“So how do you and Abby like your new home?” Amber asked, leaning against the wall next to the window.
“It’s…literally indescribable,” he replied as he half-sat on the back of the couch, within arm’s reach of Amber. “She looks so happy to be here.”
“She really does. You’re a great father to her, and you’ve done so much for her.”
“Thanks,” Zach said. A short silence followed, but then, almost as an afterthought, Zach said, “I got these for you, by the way.”
He produced the earrings out of his pocket and held them out to Amber. She smiled and laughed and said, “Well, now I know where Abby gets her directness from. Thank you so much, they’re beautiful!” She took them and held them up to the light, studying their brilliant luster.
“I saw them today and they reminded me of you, since blue is your favorite color,” Zach said, attempting to use the advice that Abby had given him earlier.
“Did Abby tell you that?” Amber asked with a sly smile.
Zach feigned confusion and said, “No, you told me that once.”
“Pretty sure I told Abby, not you,” Amber said, laughing. “But it doesn’t matter. This was very sweet of you, thank you.” She leaned forward and kissed Zach. Her lips stayed on his for a little longer than Zach had expected, and once they parted, they stayed close to each other, saying nothing, staring into each other’s eyes.
Before the moment could pass him by, Zach put his hand behind Amber’s head and slipped his other arm around her waist, bringing her tight against his body and kissing her again, more intensely and intimately than before. Amber was surprised by the sudden burst of passion from a man usually so stoic, but it was a pleasant and most welcome surprise indeed.
Zach had even surprised himself, but he realized that he craved this level of intimacy with Amber. Once he had lost his wife, he learned to bottle up such romantic emotions and desires. That had all changed when he met Amber. She did not just open the bottle, she broke it completely. And for better or for worse, Zach’s heart was entirely lost to her.
Not that Amber was not as strongly interested in companionship. She too had felt lonely and deprived of affection ever since her husband had deserted her so long ago. It took years for her heart to heal from such a grievous wound, and even now it still hurt her once in a while. But when Zach stepped into her life, that old pain had been banished.
Everything between the two of them was happening so fast, and both of them were astonished at where they found themselves at this moment. But being here in this oasis of happiness and normalcy in a desert of sorrow and insanity had overwhelmed them. And now, here in this small room, alone and in love, their emotions were bursting out of them in a whirlwind of unbridled passion.
They continued kissing and touching and groping as they leaned into each other, and before he realized it, Zach was carrying Amber back into her room. He laid her down on her bed before pulling his shirt off and helping her get hers off. Zach was lost in passion and could not resist Amber’s body, his hands moving up and down, feeling the softness of her skin against his. It seemed to go by in a blur, and yet it felt like an eternity of love-making for both Zach and Amber. And later that night, though he was not sure how much later, Zach found himself holding Amber in his arms, still in her bed.
“It’s been so long since someone has made me feel like that,” Amber whispered dreamily.
“Yeah. Far too long,” Zach replied.
“But you should probably get going. Dad likes you, but I don’t think he’d be too happy to find us like this,” Amber said with a giggle.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Zach said with a frustrated sigh. He kissed Amber one more time and gently squeezed her breast before rolling over and getting out of bed. Amber sat up a bit, laying on her side and leaning on her elbow as she watched Zach get dressed.
“Black boxer briefs, black jeans, grey shirt. Abby was right, your wardrobe could use some color,” she said.
“You won’t change me, woman,” Zach replied with a wink.
Amber waved goodbye to him as he left. She heard the front door close and then rolled over and tried to get some sleep, but restful slumber was far from her. Mr. Sandman had indeed brought her a dream, but had forgotten to first put her to sleep.
Meanwhile, Zach opened the door to his apartment to find all the lights turned off. He checked his watch and saw that it was just after 10:00 PM. He had been with Amber for almost three hours. Zach was sure that Abby was asleep as he quietly closed and locked the door. He walked across the living room towards his bedroom but stopped at Abby’s first.
He pushed the door open a crack and it creaked slightly on its hinges. He peaked inside and saw Abby laying on her stomach in her bed, the sheets pulled up to her waist. Her eyes were closed and her back was rising and falling steadily as she slept soundly, but her arm was hanging off the side of the bed. Zach tip-toed over to her, gently lifted her arm, and laid it down next to her head. He was almost out of her room again when he heard Abby’s sleepy voice.
“That took a little longer than planned, huh?” she said slowly, her eyes still closed.
“Uh, yeah. We just got to talking and lost track of time,” Zach replied.
“Mhm, talking. Right.”
“Hush, you. Get some sleep,” Zach said as he started to close Abby’s door, but then he said, “And don’t mention this to Al, check?”
“Check. Night, Zach.”
“Sleep tight, Abby.”
Zach closed the door and then went into his bedroom. Exhausted, he pulled off his shirt and jeans, laid down on his bed, and fell asleep almost instantly.
Zach could hardly believe that his wedding day had finally come. He was standing next to the church altar, next to the preacher, looking tall and proud in his Marine Corps uniform. Their families and friends had all come to witness this long-anticipated event, and they filled all the pews in the church, anxiously awaiting the bride.
Suddenly the organ began to play. Zach straightened up as all the guests rose from their seats and the back doors opened to reveal the gorgeous bride. She wore a stunning dress that flowed elegantly behind her, making her look like a fairytale princess. Her brown hair was styled beautifully and hung just below her shoulders. She was all smiles as her father escorted her down the aisle. Zach leaned over to the preacher and whispered, “I can’t believe I’m about to marry that angel.”
When they reached the foot of the church’s dais where Zach and the rest of the wedding retinue stood, the bride’s father relinquished her arm and she kissed him on the cheek before ascending the two small stairs and standing across from Zach. The music stopped and everybody sat down as the preacher began the ceremony, but Zach was hardly listening. He was lost in the beauty of the woman who was to be his wife. He loved her with all his heart and soul, and she loved him even more.
Zach felt like the ceremony would never end, but finally they were able to exchange their vows. He choked up once, but it was quiet and nobody but the bride noticed. She just smiled at him and giggled to herself. Then came the ‘I do’ from both of them. The preacher bade Zach kiss the bride and seal their marriage, and he did so, as passionately as would be appropriate in a church and in front of so many people. When their lips separated, the guests applauded and stood up again as the newly wedded couple walked back up the aisle and then exited the church.
The
reception was held in a smaller building next to the church that served as a multi-purpose building. There was plenty of food and drinks, and everyone was having a great time. At one point during the meal, Zach excused himself from the table, taking his wife with him as he retreated to a corner that hid them from most of the room.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I just wanted to look at you some more and tell you how much I love you,” Zach replied.
She blushed and said, “I love you, too.”
“Also this,” Zach said and then he gently tapped her nose with his finger. She closed her eyes and quietly laughed along with her husband as they shared their inside joke. Zach thought he heard a camera click, but wasn’t sure. He wasn’t paying attention to anything but his dear wife.
Chapter Eleven
Zach awoke slowly the next morning, Sunday morning, but lay in bed for a while, tangled in his bed sheets. He thought about the previous night and smiled as he recalled how sweet the love with Amber had been. After several minutes, he finally forced himself out of bed and got dressed. He opened his bedroom door and headed towards the bathroom but stopped when he saw a note on the floor outside of Abby’s bedroom.
Zach, I’m having brunch with Amber. I’ll probably be there until ten o’clock or so if you want to join us.
Love, Bug
Zach checked his watch: 9:30 AM. “Might as well head over there,” he thought. Meanwhile, Abby had been with Amber since 8:30 that morning. Amber had come by to see Zach, but Abby told her that he was still sleeping. So Amber invited her over for a brunch. “Just us girls,” she said with a smile. Abby liked the idea, and so she left a note for Zach before going across the hall with Amber.
They were having a simple meal. Amber made omelets for the two of them, teaching Abby how to cook them at the same time. She poured orange juice into two glasses and then both of them sat down to eat at the table.
“So where’s your dad?” Abby asked.
“Same place as yours: in bed. I guess he stayed out drinking for a bit too long,” she replied with a laugh.
“Yeah, Zach seemed pretty exhausted too when he came back in last night,” Abby said with the slightest trace of a grin.
“Well, they’ve both done so much for their daughters, I think we can cut them a little slack for once,” said Amber.
“So how are things between you and Zach?”
“It’s going good. We’re both very happy to be in this wonderful place,” Amber said, avoiding mentioning her night of passion with Zach. She did not know if Abby knew (though what she had said moments ago seemed to be a type of hint), nor did she know how Abby might react if she did know. Abby and Zach had been together for so long and loved each other very much, so Amber did not want to be like an elephant barging in on their relationship, worried that Abby might resent that.
“He can be a confusing guy sometimes, though,” Amber continued.
“How so?”
“Well, sometimes he’s very forward with his desires and can even be romantic. Like last night, he just showed up at my door with earrings. But other times, he’s more distant.”
“You don’t need to worry. It’s like I said: he just needs to do things at his own speed. He’s still getting used to being in a relationship, you know. Just give him some space during those times when he seems distant and he’ll appreciate that. The last thing you want to do is make him think you’re forcing him into anything. But after living here for a few weeks, I’m sure Zach will figure out exactly what he wants and will be more consistent.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” said Amber. She and Abby continued to talk for a while about Zach, themselves, and how they liked the town so far until they heard a knock on the door at about 9:30. Amber answered the door and said, “Hi Zach!”
“Hey Amber,” Zach replied, then he saw Abby and said, “Morning, Bug.”
“Morning, Zach!” Abby replied.
Amber looked like she wanted a morning kiss from Zach and was a little disappointed when it did not come. But she remembered what Abby had said and so did not think too much of it. Zach went over to the table and sat down next to Abby as Amber sat back down in her seat.
“Zach, want me to make you an omelet? Amber showed me how,” Abby asked.
“Yeah, sure. That sounds great,” Zach replied. Abby jumped up and quickly made Zach his breakfast, and he made sure to compliment her on it. They all sat at the table and talked amongst each other for about half an hour, then Zach and Abby helped Amber clean up after their meal before leaving. It was Sunday, which meant that there was not much to do, so Zach and Abby had decided to go for a walk around town to learn where everything was.
“So things are good between you and Amber?” Abby asked.
“Yeah, I guess so. I really like her, but…I don’t know. It feels like it’s going too fast.”
“Do you not want it to go fast?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, we’ve only known each other for a month or so and we’ve already…you know. I never would have done that with a girl so soon before.”
“Things are different now, though. Not to be morbid, but we never know what the future holds for us anymore. We aren’t even guaranteed to see tomorrow. Sure, it’s always been that way, but with zombies and gangs running around, it’s become much more likely and much more horrid. So now we all kind of act with that thought as motivation. It’s really not surprising that you two may be acting faster than you may have before.”
“That makes sense.”
“If you still want to slow it down though, just talk to Amber. She’ll understand.”
“Speaking of that, were you two talking about me this morning before I came in?”
“A little, yeah. You always come up in our conversations. She thinks the world of you, you know.”
“That’s good, because I think the world of her too.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve always told her,” Abby said with a smile. Inwardly, she thought it was a little funny how Zach, a grown man, was coming to her, a teenage girl, for relationship advice. Honestly, Abby felt like the best she could do was tell Zach what she would think or feel in Amber’s shoes. But as far as she knew, he had only ever had one long-term relationship in his entire life, and that one turned into marriage. “I guess I can’t blame him for not having a whole lot of dating experience,” she thought.
They spent the better part of the morning walking around town before heading back home. Later in the afternoon, they had dinner with Amber, Al, Ross, and Diane. Diane had made delicious lasagna for dinner as well as breadsticks. They all chatted merrily in Ross and Diane’s apartment, bringing up funny stories form their past or expressing their hopes for the future. Zach noticed that Amber was wearing the earrings he had got her, and they shared several private smiles throughout the dinner.
After dinner, when the sun was just starting to go down, Zach asked Amber if she would go for a short walk with him. “Of course,” she replied with a smile. They excused themselves from the rest of the group, went downstairs, and then walked down the road with no real destination in mind. After a few minutes of small talk, Zach brought up the real reason he had asked Amber to walk with him.
“I wanted to talk to you about last night,” he said slowly.
“What about it?” Amber asked with a note of concern in her voice.
“Well, to get right to the point, I kind of think that things are going a bit fast between us. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks and we’ve already had sex.”
“Yeah, but…you kinda started it. Last night.”
“I know, and I’m not saying that I regret it, because I don’t. Not at all. I just don’t know how comfortable I feel with the pace we’re setting. I’ve never gotten that intimate with someone that quickly before.”
“Well, to be honest, neither have I. But I don’t want to push you too hard, Zach. I like you, and the last thing I want to do is make you feel like I’m forcing you into anything.
I want you to go at whatever pace makes you comfortable.”
“Here, let me rephrase myself: I don’t feel uncomfortable, just…I don’t know. Surprised? Caught off guard? I just don’t want to rush into anything too quickly and end up spoiling what could be a great thing. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I understand what you mean. And you’re right, maybe we have gotten off to a fast start here. If you want a little space, I can give you that.”
“Just a little. I just think that, at least for now, we should hold off on doing anything…sexual.”
“I can live with that. And not to degrade what went down last night-”
“You mean me?” Zach interrupted with a wink and a sly grin, unable to resist the chance for a joke.
Amber smiled back, blushing, and said, “I definitely wouldn’t degrade that. But seriously, what happened last night…if we’re gonna be honest with ourselves, I think that both of us just really needed that release, both physically and emotionally. Both of us have some really rough stuff in our past, and I think that all of those pent-up emotions just came out all together last night.”
“Yeah, I can agree with that. And that’s why I think we need to tap the brakes a little bit.”
“That’s fair,” Amber said.
Zach swatted at a fly that was buzzing around his head, and Amber took advantage of this pause in the conversation to say, “I don’t mean to pry too far into your past, Zach, but…will you tell me about your wife? I mean, I don’t even know her name.”
Zach did not respond immediately. He took a quiet breath and glanced at Amber. He wanted to be honest with her. He wanted to be an open book to her and allow her to see into the very core of his heart. But he still could not do it. The subject of his wife still caused him too much pain to talk about. Those memories he had long ago pushed into the basement of his heart, and he was afraid to open that door. He knew what kind of monsters lurked down there in the dark, and he did not want them to ever see the light of day.
His Name Was Zach Page 21
