On The Edge Of Falling

The Thunder Rolls

            Billy's fist pounded on Zak's door, until he lost all feeling in his hand. After I had called him hysterically crying, his inner big brother decided to pay Zak a friendly visit. I don't think Zak realized how protective Billy was over me. I never had any brothers growing up, so seeing the way he reacted when someone hurt me was satisfying. But this was worse, he wasn't protecting me from just some random guy, who ditched me at the school dance. He was protecting me from his best friend. Which, might throw a little uncomfortable drama in the mix. "Zak, open the damn door!" Billy yelled, as he continued to pound on the door. Finally, Zak swung the door open, giving Billy a annoyed glare.
            "Billy, what the fuck?" Zak sighed. Billy saw that Zak was still soaking wet from standing outside the studio in the storm.
            "I told you to wait!" Billy yelled, as he pushed past Zak, and welcomed himself in the house. "Why couldn't you just wait?"
            "I had to tell her how I felt, Billy. I had to apologize."
            "And did she accept your apology?" Billy placed his hands in his pockets, as he shrugged. He wore a cocky smirk, he already knew what the answer was. Without giving an answer, Zak rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
            "You don't understand, bro."
            "I do, actually. It's about Zak. It's always about Zak. Everyone has to go by your rules, on your schedule. You don't give a shit about anyone else's feelings, but your own."
            "Okay, hold on. Let's backtrack, shall we? I was the nice guy. I wanted to be with her and I told her that, many times. She was the one who told me no!"
            "No, we're not talking about that, Zak. She was responsible, and respectful when you started dating Lindsey, and then she tried to defend you and you fired her! That's what this is all about."
            "Yeah, and I apologized."
            "You said some harsh shit, Zak. Do you think one apology is just going to erase all that?"
            "Okay, I get it. You like her."
            "Don't even, Zak. I care about her as a friend, and I'll always defend my friends."
            "I'm your friend!" Zak yelled. Billy stepped back, after seeing the pain in Zak's eyes. He knew Zak was hurting deep down. The hurt that one of his best friends would rather help me, than him was weighing down on him.
            "I'm sorry, man. I know this isn't easy, but I'm telling you, you need to back off, or you're just going to make this worse. She needs time to think about what she wants."
            "I'm not backing off, Billy."
            "Bro, don't make me choose sides."
            "You do what you want, man, but I'm not giving up on her." Zak stood firm with his strong arms crossed over his puffed out chest. Billy looked him up and down, and let out a humorous chuckle. "What's so funny?"
            "You think your flexing is going to intimidate me?"
            "Is it working?"
            "No." Billy laughed, causing Zak to laugh with him. Finally, Zak felt as if the tension was lifted and he had a friend again. "So, are you ready to talk about the lockdown?"
            "Yeah, man. Maybe, some time away will do me some good." Zak sighed. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, but before Zak could answer, Jay and Aaron had invited themselves in. Zak laughed, as Aaron, of course, had dried paint all over his hands. Making it look like he had ran out of new canvases and decided to turn himself into a masterpiece. Jay looked like a pilot, or a police officer, with his sleek aviators lifted on the top of his head. Zak smiled at his friends, as they greeted each other. He inhaled deeply, as if he was physically taking in each moment. Zak was starting to feel like his old self again. The only thing missing was that love. He was craving my touch more than ever. Maybe, fighting hard for someone was an exciting challenge, and Zak wasn't about to give up this fight.
            The guys went to one of their usual spots to enjoy some grub, while they discussed the details of their investigation, which was only days away. Zak was relieved to finally get back to it. Maybe, being locked down in the darkness, would help him fight the demons locked away in his own mind. Zak couldn't keep himself from looking across the street and watching me through the open windows of my studio. Before, it was cloudy and dark, now the sun had emerged and was shining a beautiful glow on the building. Billy finally caught on to what Zak was so focused on. "Damn, maybe, we should've picked a different place." Billy sighed. "I'm sorry, man."
            "No, it's okay. I like watching her, actually." Zak said, with a smile. Aaron frowned, but then let out a laugh.
            "Wow, stalker status." Aaron joked.
            "Shut up. So, when is it opening?"
            "Tomorrow, actually." Billy said.
            "That's amazing. I'm happy for her." Zak said. Unexpectedly, Zak's phone started to ring. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Joshua, their current photographer for the show. Zak tapped the green button and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hey, Josh. What's up?"
            "Hey, boss, I have some bad news."
            "What's going on?"
            "I won't be able to do the photos for this lockdown. I had a death in the family, I gotta fly back to New York this week."
            "Shit, man. I'm really sorry." Zak paused, and the crew looked up concerned. "No, it's alright, man, don't worry about it. Take all the time you need." Zak said, before he hung up. The guys sipped their water, and patiently waited for an explanation. "Well, we don't have a photographer."
            "What? What happened to Josh?" Jay asked. The waitress came over and placed their plates on the table in front of them. Zak inhaled the aroma of fresh lobster, and snow crab on his plate, and lost himself in the moment. The guys were still waiting on an answer, but Zak was focused more on his growling stomach. "Zak!" Jay exclaimed, winning back his attention.
           "Oh, sorry. I haven't eaten this good in a while. There was a death in the family, he had to go home." The guys sighed in disappointment, they were upset for their coworker, but were also faced with a big dilemma. Zak took another look at the studio, and a curious grin stretched across his face.
"What are you smiling about?" Billy asked. Zak dunked his chunk of lobster meat into the hot dish of melted butter, and continued to smile through his chomps. Billy narrowed his brows and ultimately caught up with Zak's thoughts. "No, Zak, not going to happen."
"Dude, she's a photographer. An amazing photographer."
"Yeah, I know, and I would love to ask her, but there is no way in hell she would ever be around you."
"Oh, come on, she can't put aside our differences for a few days? This isn't just for me, this is about us. Our show. She loves the rest of you guys, she would do anything to help you guys out."
"In this case, I don't think she would."
"Come on, Billy. It wouldn't hurt to try." Aaron added. "I mean, do we really want to work with another stranger that the channel assigns to us?" Billy was overcome with frustration, because deep down he knew that the environment was always better with people they were close with.
"Fine, I'll ask her, but I highly doubt she's going to go for it."
The storm came back that night. My body floated on the cool water in the pool, watching as the dark clouds rolled in. I should've fled into the house, but I stayed. As the soft rain drops landed on my body, I felt a sense of tranquility. Something I haven't experienced in a long time. A moment of pure peace, and I smiled, as I gently closed my eyes. My ears were submerged in the water, and the raindrops sounded like a strong drum beat, as they splashed against the surface. Although, my state of relaxation was quickly interrupted by the loud thunder roaring above me. Once I opened my eyes, and saw the lighting flash through the clouds, I decided it was time to call it a night.
I walked downstairs after my shower, to find Billy sitting on the couch, watching a news broadcast that interrupted his usual program. I listened intently, as the weatherman spoke of heavy winds, and rain that would continue through the night. I wasn't worried. Being a Midwest girl, I was used to heavy storms, and tornados, but I sat beside Billy, as he seemed to be a little shaken up. To my surprise, his unsteady nerves weren't caused from the warnings on the news. "Are you okay?" I asked, with a comforting grin.
"Yeah, of course."
            "Aww, are you scared, Billy?" I asked, as I popped my bottom lip out. Billy's lack of laughter, or even a smile, concerned me. "Hey, what's bothering you?"
            "I just have something to ask you, but I don't know how exactly."
            "Okay, well, you can ask me anything. You know that." I took Billy's hand, and gripped tight. I felt a slight tremble through his fingers, and didn't know if it was the question, or the pounding thunder we just heard. "Come on, ask me."
            "Alright, but you have to promise you won't get mad at me."
            "Oh, Jesus, that's never good."
            "Keep in mind, this was not my idea. We are leaving for an investigation on Tuesday, and our photographer won't be able to join us."
            "Okay, and?"
            "And the crew was wondering if you could possibly fill in for him?"
            "So, you want me to do the photography for your lockdown?" Billy slowly nodded his head, and I quickly released his hand, and stood. "No." I scoffed, as I walked into the kitchen. Billy sighed, as he heard me pushing through all the food in the refrigerator to get to my leftover Chinese. He walked in just as I slammed the door.
            "Addy..."
            "No, no, no. Not gonna happen."
            "Hey, you're an amazing photographer, and this would be an awesome opportunity for you."
            "I will not be in the same area as that man." I slammed the drawer shut, after I retrieved a fork. I wasted no time scooping out a big heaping mouthful of chicken fried rice.
            "Come on, Addy, can you just push aside your hate for him for a few days? He already said he'd keep his distance. He would be respectful, and professional. You won't even have to talk to him! Just take the photos, get a nice paycheck, and you can come back home and pretend nothing happened." Billy was getting closer, and closer to convincing me, and he could tell by the way I was tapping my foot against the tile.
            "I don't know, Billy."
            "Please, Addy, it would mean a lot."
            "So, I'd be like riding in the RV with you guys, and staying at the same hotel, and everything?"
            "If you want, yes."
            "And he will keep his distance?"
            "If he even breathes near you, I'll give him a swift kick to the testies." Billy laughed.
            "Well, what about my studio? I'm supposed to open tomorrow."
            "You'll have to push it to next week, but the extra money will help us get your website up and running." Billy added, and gave me a big smile, knowing that I was on the verge of agreeing.
            "Fine. I'll do it." Billy jumped up, and cheered, before he gave me a gripping bear hug. The sight of his happiness truly made me happy, but the other half of me felt utterly nauseous at the thought of being on the road with Zak.
            I rested my head on my pillow, and tried to relax, even through the rumbling of the storm on the other side of my window. The storm raged on. Knocking down power lines, pulling trees out of the ground, but nothing that persisted outside, could compare to the anxious, rolling thunder in my heart.