Holy hell. I get a closer look and now I can see the resemblance. Suddenly I realize that I’ve made a complete ass of myself.
“What?” I shout. “Why didn’t either of you say anything last night?
“I thought you introduced yourself before I got home,” she says, pinching Zack on the arm.
“Ow. I did,” he exclaims, rubbing his arm. “I mean, I didn’t say I was your brother. I guess I just assumed you told her I was coming to visit.”
Is this really happening? I seriously want to die right now.
I look at Zack who’s still laughing. Oh my gosh, I was so rude to him.
“Zack, I’m so sorry I was so rude last night,” I apologize.
Layla gets up and puts her coffee cup in the sink. “I have to get to my meeting,” she says, still giggling. “You two can talk this out.”
I put my face in my hands and shake my head. Suddenly, I remember I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet. When I look up, Zack is still smiling at me.
“Please don’t look at me right now.”
He snorts. “I think you look kind of cute. Your hair’s a little crazy but I understand. You were trying to save your roommate from making a big mistake. And what a mistake it would have been.”
Before he says another word, I sprint to the bathroom. Sure enough, my hair is all matted on the left side, I have all that sleep junk in the corner of my eyes, and I have smeared mascara under my right eye. Ugh. This just continues to get worse by the minute.
I quickly brush my teeth and try to clean myself up as best I can. At least I feel a huge sense of relief knowing that I’m not attracted to Layla’s boyfriend.
All of a sudden, I smell something amazing. Zack must be cooking again.
When I return to the kitchen, he’s standing at the stove making something. I just noticed he’s wearing a snug Under Armour T-shirt, track pants, and flip-flops. Now I’m convinced he got better looking overnight, or maybe the fact that he’s not Layla’s man makes him more attractive.
“Sorry. I had to brush my teeth.”
He turns around and smiles. “How about some French toast?
I love French toast, and after Zack’s delicious dinner last night, I’d be crazy to turn down a home-cooked breakfast.
“Sure. Breakfast is my favorite.”
“Really?” he asks. “It’s mine, too. And just wait until you try my French toast.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee. “Is it better than your chicken marsala?”
He purses his lips. “Ooohhh, that’s a tough one.”
I grab my laptop while Zack whips up what smells like the most wonderful French toast ever. I’m trying not to be distracted by the overpowering aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg and the gorgeous man who’s cooking for me again.
I gasp when I see an email from Liv. She’s asked me to give her a call this afternoon. My heart is practically beating out of my chest. Every bit of courage I had last night has faded away, and now I wish I never said anything.
I groan. “Liv wants me to call her today. How am I supposed to tell her that I can’t stand her partner? This isn’t going to go over well at all.”
Zack is sprinkling powdered sugar over the top of the toast. He sets a plate down in front of me and I stare at the plate of three pieces of French toast, with a side of mixed berries. Suddenly, I feel like I’m in some fine dining restaurant instead of my tiny apartment.
“Wow,” I exclaim.
He sits down in the chair next to me. “So, tell me why is it you dislike her partner so much.”
I really don’t want to have to get into this. And I especially don’t want to talk about Trevor.
“Like I said last night, we have lot of history. And because of this, I’m just not sure how we’ll be able to work together.”
I take a bite of my toast. I close my eyes as it literally melts in my mouth.
When I open my eyes, I see that Zack is watching me.
“I’m sorry,” I say after I swallow my bite of toast. “Ever since I met you last night I’ve been whining about my problems. And then after you’re kind enough to cook me dinner and give me advice, I kick you out of my room because I thought you were a complete dog.”
He snorts. “Are you kidding? Why did you think that?”
I shake my head. “I thought you and Layla were dating, and then you were trying to . . .” I stop before I say something else that’s completely ridiculous. I don’t know that he came in my room to make a move . . . maybe he just wanted to talk?
“I went to your room because I really enjoyed hanging out last night. You seemed upset and . . . well, I get it now.”
I smile. “I enjoyed hanging out with you. That’s why I felt so guilty. Now I just feel stupid.”
He folds his hands and leans his chin on them.
“It’s over now, and hey, it will make a good story someday.”
A good story for whom? I wonder. Personally, I’m planning on taking this to the grave. I mean, I might tell Georgie but I’ll make her take it to the grave, too.
“So, when does this new job start?” he asks, interrupting my thought.
I grimace. “Probably as soon as I sign that contract. I guess I need to decide if I’m going to actually go through with it.”
~*~*~
I can’t remember the last time I felt this good. After my breakfast with Zack, I happily get ready for work. I only have three lessons today, so it’s a short day for me. My plan is to work on my own music this afternoon, but let’s see if I follow through on that. I’m in such a good mood I even consider calling Cassie and apologizing. I still don’t think I did anything wrong, but I could suck it up and be the better person . . . maybe.
As nervous as I am to talk to Liv, I feel so much better knowing that I made a decision and I’m ready to move forward.
It turns out Zack is only in the city through tomorrow evening. Neither of us mentions our mutual attraction, but he did ask me what time I would be arriving home tonight. I have a feeling he’s making dinner again, and if he is I have no complaints. I haven’t eaten this well in . . . well, maybe ever.
I still can’t believe I thought he and Layla were dating? I cringe every time I think about it. At the same time, finding out that Zack is not dating my roommate and assuming he’s single has definitely made me excited. The past several months I’ve been so caught up in this on-again, off-again, weird, sort-of love triangle with Kyle and Trevor. I haven’t had the time or any interest in dating or even meeting any new men. Now that it’s very clear that Kyle and I are strictly in the friend zone that makes for one less situation complicating my life. Of course, Trevor is a whole different story.
I know I need to talk to Kyle and be honest with him, especially after the last visit we had. It’s time to finally put that part of my life in the past.
When I arrive at work, I’m preparing for my morning lesson when Selena knocks on my door.
“Morning.”
“Good morning to you,” I say cheerfully.
She stands in the doorway and gives me a curious look.
“There’s something different about you this morning.”
I shrug my shoulders. Is it that obvious? And what makes it even worse is now I’m wondering how I normally act. I guess I never really thought about it.
“Just in a good mood I guess.”
“Well, I’m about to make your mood even better,” she says excitedly. It could be my imagination but I think she dances into my office, which makes me completely intrigued.
“I’ve been working on something big. I haven’t said anything because I didn’t know if anything was going to come of it.”
I’m practically on the edge of my seat.
“I just found out that Selena and Company may be making an appearance in an off-Broadway production.”
It’s possible I may have lost consciousness for a few seconds after hearing her news.
“Are you kidding?” I scream, practically jumping out of my
chair to give Selena hug.
She gives me all the details that she knows and my head is completely spinning. Apparently, this show is in need of a choir to make an appearance in a few of their shows and they’ve been reaching out to local studios. The production may be off-Broadway, but it’s one step closer than I am now.
“So, tell me how you really feel,” she says with a giggle. “Remember, it’s not a definite yet but I am working on it and I need all of our instructors to be in agreement.”
“Yes, of course,” I shout.
After Selena leaves, I think about what to do with this new information. I’m supposed to have that conversation with Liv this afternoon. I was all set to tell her about my concerns. Now, this bit of new information definitely throws another wrench into my plans. This is why I came to New York (well, sort of) and this new development makes a difficult decision even more difficult. How am I supposed to talk to Liv now? I’m so confused.
I decide to write up a script for my conversation starting with how much I want to take the job. Next, I explain my concerns about working with Ash again. Lastly, I write down why I’m worried about having to answer to Giselle. I even include details of our history with Trevor. I read it over and over again, trying to make it sound as sincere and heartfelt as possible. I don’t want to come off as bitchy and difficult to work with, but I really feel like I have legitimate reasons for my hesitation.
Before I finish, I want to include how much I love my students and working for Selena. And, of course, now there is the potential of getting some exposure in this production. After reading over it about twenty times, I’m ready to make the call.
My heart is beating so loudly as I search for Liv’s number. Each time it rings, I take some deep breaths.
When her voicemail picks up, I feel the tiniest bit relieved.
“Hi, Liv. This is Maris Forrester following up on my email. Feel free to call me back at your earliest convenience. Thank you.”
I did it, and now it’s time for the anxiety of waiting for her return call.
Chapter 16
Liv still hasn’t gotten back to me. I know it’s only been a few hours but still. I spend the remainder of my afternoon in the office working on my music. This does distract me from worrying about everything else in my life. I could go home, but as I’ve said before, I love my office. I love it more than anyone should love an office, but whatever. I could probably fit three of my bedrooms in here. So honestly, the more time I can spend in here the better.
I finally head home several hours later, and as soon as I walk off the elevator, I smell something divine coming from inside my apartment, which means Zack is cooking. My pulse picks up and I quickly pull out my mirror to check my makeup. When I walk inside, the smell completely engulfs me. I could get used to this.
As soon as I enter the kitchen, I’m completely shocked at what I see . . . or rather who I see. There sitting at the table drinking a beer is Kyle. No, no, no. What is he doing here? Zack is standing over the stove surrounded by what looks like another scene from something on the Food Network. I wonder if he’s ever thought about being on one of those shows? After trying two of his meals, I think he would totally win.
“Kyle, what are you doing here?” I exclaim, louder than I intended.
“Hey there,” he says, getting up from the table. He comes over and kisses me on the cheek.
“I stopped in to surprise you,” he says. “I’ve just been hanging out with Zack here.”
I glance at Zack who’s obviously trying to look busy. Holy crap, this is a disaster. Now I’m going to have to explain Kyle. Thank goodness I didn’t give a whole lot of detail about Trevor. What’s that saying about too many cooks in the kitchen? I guess in my situation it would be too many men in the kitchen.
“I’m definitely surprised,” I say with a nervous laugh.
“Yeah, Zack said it was okay for me to just hang out and wait for you.”
Did he? Not only has Zack made himself at home in my kitchen, it appears he’s made himself at home in my entire apartment.
“By the way, did you know you have a mouse in here?”
I’m barely paying attention to what he’s saying because all I’m thinking about is what Kyle told Zack about our friendship or relationship. Ugh, I don’t even know how to describe what we are. I haven’t had the chance to talk to Kyle about us being only friends so I can only imagine what he had to say.
“You know they make traps for those things.”
What? Traps, right. Oh, he’s still talking about Mickey the mouse.
“Yeah, I guess I’m just used to him now,” I reply absently. “My former roommates named him Mickey. But Layla certainly hasn’t gotten used to him yet.”
Zack snorts from where he’s preparing some kind of pasta dish. “That’s not a surprise. Layla has never really liked animals, and I’m sure rodents aren’t going to help change her mind.”
I smile at him. I can’t believe he’s leaving tomorrow and now I have to entertain Kyle when what I really want is to spend more time with Zack.
“What are you making?” I ask, as I walk to the sink to wash my hands and get a better look at his entrée.
“Manicotti. It’s a family recipe.”
I give him a skeptical look. “A family recipe? You’re not Italian.”
Neither Zack nor Layla look Italian, well, except for their skin tone. Both of them have beautiful natural tans.
“My mother’s family is, last name Resimini.” He pauses and holds up a spoon. “Try this gravy and tell me what you think.
“That’s not gravy,” I say flatly.
He laughs as he feeds me a spoonful of tomato sauce.
Okay, so I think I’ve just died and gone to food heaven. This sauce (or gravy) is excellent.
“My nonna called it gravy. So in our family, that’s what it is, you didn’t ever question Nonna.”
I give Zack a confused look. “Who?”
“Nonna means grandmother in Italian,” Kyle interjects from where he’s still sitting at the table. I admit I almost forgot he was still here. Obviously, he’s been watching Zack and me interacting with each other. Which means he just saw him feed me, and I have no doubt he caught my reaction.
“Yes, it does,” Zack says in agreement.
He raises his eyebrows at me before going back to stuffing manicotti shells.
I excuse myself so I can change my clothes, leaving the men alone again. When I get to my room, I grab a pillow and scream into it. This mess is totally my fault. I’ve known for a while that I don’t feel the same way I used to feel for Kyle. I should have been honest a long time ago. After I change my clothes, I take my time returning to the kitchen.
When I return, they’re both in the same spots I left them in. Kyle is on his phone and Zack is still preparing dinner. It could be my imagination but it feels like the tension in the room has increased.
Kyle whistles as soon as he sees me, which makes me blush. Honestly, considering I’m wearing a blue tank top and yoga pants, I will take that as a compliment.
“What time is Layla due home tonight?” I ask Zack, purposely ignoring Kyle’s flirting.
He shrugs. “She didn’t say.”
Oh my gosh. What if Zack told Layla to stay out late so we could have dinner alone together? He did ask me what time I would be getting home. And now here we are with a surprise visit from my ex-boyfriend.
“What are your dinner plans?” Kyle asks me.
I look at Zack and back to Kyle.
“Um, I was just going to hang here tonight,” I say casually.
“How about we go out and grab something?”
I glance back at Zack who is still completely ignoring us.
I hesitate. “I don’t think tonight is good. It’s been a really long week. I was going to work on some music tonight.”
Kyle’s face falls.
“You two should just have dinner here,” Zack interrupts. “There’s going to be plenty of food.”
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No. What’s he doing?
I watch him put two trays of manicotti in the oven.
Kyle looks at me, but I don’t say anything.
There goes my last opportunity to spend some more time with Zack. Unfortunately, I wasted all that time thinking he was Layla’s man. Every time I think about it I feel sick to my stomach.
“Sure . . . that sounds great,” Kyle says. “Maris, is that cool with you?”
I force a smile and nod.
See You Later Broadway (Broadway Series Book 2) Page 10
