On The Edge Of Falling

Mel

3 Months Later

"No, don't put that there! Come on, you guys we're open for business now, we have to make this place look perfect!" Zak demanded, as his employees rushed around the Haunted Museum, making it look as amazing as Zak always pictured it. "Billy!"
"What?" Billy yelled back, as he held the large ladder above his head.
"Would you please stop swinging that damn thing around? You break one of those dolls, you'll be cursed for life." Zak yelled. Billy huffed and lowered the ladder.
            "At this point, I'd welcome that." Billy grunted, as Aaron walked past him.
            "Bro!" Aaron yelled to Zak.
            "What's up?"
            "Me and Jay just made Bacon eat a huge ass beetle for a hundred bucks." Aaron laughed, as Jay and Bacon walked up behind him. Bacon flashed the one hundred dollar bill to Zak.
            "Totally worth it, dawg." Bacon smiled.
            "You guys, I don't give a shit about Bacon eating bugs. Are you here to help me, or not?" Zak sighed. They all nodded, assuring that they would get back to work. "Fucking go then! Do something!" Zak yelled, as he pushed through them and walked outside.
            As the sun beat down on Zak's face, he went to his car to retrieve his cap and shades. He turned and sighed, when he saw fellow maintenance men standing around, enjoying a smoke break in the side yard. "What the hell are you doing?" Zak yelled. They all quickly threw the butts to the ground and stomped them out before they ran back inside. "Did I say anyone could have a cigarette break?" Zak walked to the lawn and curled his lip at the sight of the pile of cigarette filters stuck in the grass.
            "Um, sir?" Zak's assistant approached him from behind and gave him a sweet smile, with Gracie wagging her tail beside her. "I'm finished with Gracie's walk. Would you like me to do anything else?"
            "Yeah, could you pick up these cigarettes and throw them in the trash, please. The outside dumpster, not the trash inside. I don't want the entire place smelling like smoke." Zak demanded, as she knelt down in the grass and started picking the butts up one by one. "Oh, and by the way, I know you're new here, but do not call me sir."
            "Can I ask why?"
            "Makes me feel old." Zak said, before he turned to walk with Gracie.
"Okay, so Mr. Bagans then?" She asked. Zak stopped dead in his tracks and for the first time that day, he let a smile stretch across his face. Remembering when he had forced Addy to call him that when he first hired her. Zak slowly turned around and smiled at his new assistant.
"No, um, just call me Zak." Zak suddenly felt terrible for the way he was treating her. She had only been working for him for a few days, he made sure to pick someone that was already married, so there would be no chance of him falling for her. Zak reached for her hand and pulled her off the grass. "Hey, um, how bout you go work on washing some of the windows, I can do this dirty work." She smiled back at him and walked inside.
A few hours later, Zak sat inside the puppet room. Organizing the dark and creepy dolls and marionettes hanging from the ceiling. Even though, he knew he had chosen them himself, the clowns that stared back at him still made him feel shaky in the pit of his stomach. Zak let out a deep breath, before Billy let himself into the room. "Hey, man, I know you want it to go well tomorrow, but it's late. The place looks perfect. Maybe, you call it a day?"
"Everything on my list done?"
"Yeah, I sent everyone home and your assistant took Gracie back to your house. She said she would hang out there til you got home."
"Alright. I guess we can go. You and the guys still here?"
"Just me and Aaron. Bacon and Jay split. We're hungry. Wanted to go to AquaKnox for dinner, you want to join us?"
"Yeah, if you guys want to head out I'll meet you there." Zak said, as he moved another puppet back to its original case. Billy left Zak alone, and walked out to the parking lot to join Aaron in his car. Suddenly his phone rang. There was no number. Just unknown on the screen. Regardless, Billy answered.
"Hello?" No one replied. He heard slight breathing on the other end. "Hello? Anyone?" Still no reply. Billy shook his head with a laugh. "Alright, nice talking to you, bye." Just as Billy went to hang up, he heard a soft voice on the other end.
"Billy." I said softly. Billy's heart stopped, as he heard the voice he hadn't heard in almost a year.
"Addy?"
"Yeah...it's me." I smiled.
"Oh, my god..."
"How are you?"
"I'm...um, a little confused, honestly."
"I can imagine." I giggled, as Billy stayed quiet. "Please, talk to me."
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know. I just missed you. I missed your voice."
"Why did you leave me?"
"I..."
"You left me with a letter. You disconnected your phone. You don't do shit like that, not to someone you claim to love."
"I'm so sorry, Billy."
"Do you still love me?"
"Yes." Billy smiled when he heard my answer. "Do you still love me?"
"I haven't been with any other woman since you left. Does that answer your question?"
"You're still waiting for me?"
"Til the day I die." Billy replied. I smiled, knowing that this man really did love me more than life itself.
"You won't have to wait that long."
"Wait what does that mean?"
"I'm coming back for you."
"When?" Billy panicked when he didn't receive an answer. "Addy...Addy!" The line went dead. "God damnit!" Billy yelled, just as Zak was walking out towards the car.
"Hey, I thought you guys would've been gone already. You okay?" Zak asked, when he saw the redness covering Billy's face.
"It was Addy."
"Oh, my god. What did she say?"
"Oh, same old shit. She loves me. She's coming back for me. Blah, blah."
"Billy, you haven't heard from her since the letter, this is huge."
"No, it's not, Zak! I'm done with this shit. She can't keep doing this to me!"
"Just be patient, man."
"Fuck that. She either loves me and is here with me, or she's fucking not. I can't handle this anymore."
"She's coming back."
"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see her." Billy scoffed and climbed in the back seat. Zak sighed frustrated and climbed into the passenger seat next to Aaron.
The three of them sat at the restaurant, full after their heavy meal. Billy finished the rest of his beer, drinking was something he said he never wanted to do again since his last incident, so the guys were pretty surprised to see him ordering one after the other. Although, he wasn't nearly as intoxicated as the last time. Zak wasn't looking up from his phone and he had a strange smile on his face. "Billy, why are you drinking so much?" Aaron asked.
"Because I'm a grown man, and I had to be bossed around by this douchebag all day." Billy replied. Zak still didn't look up from his cell, or wipe the grin off his face.
"Are you going to wait for Addy?"
"No."
"Then why don't we pick out another lovely lady that you can take home?"
"Because I don't want another lady."
"So, you still want Addy?"
"Yes."
"So, you are going to wait for her?"
"Yes."
"You're fucking confusing me. Stop drinking." Aaron demanded as he lowered the cold mug of beer in Billy's hand. "And you, get off your phone." Aaron demanded, as he looked at Zak, who was still ignoring them. Aaron grew unbelievably frustrated and snatched the phone out of Zak's hand. He saw the picture of the girl Zak was looking at and rolled his eyes. "Of course, another chick. Do you ever learn?" Aaron sighed, as Zak snatched his cell back.
"You're just pissed cause you haven't gotten laid in forever." Zak laughed.
"Shut up, neither have I." Billy sighed.
"I'm glad I'm not a whore. I'm more than happy to wait for the perfect woman." Aaron stood up from his chair. "I'm going home. You got the bill right?" Aaron laughed and left the restaurant.
"Damn, she's gorgeous." Zak smiled. Catching Billy's attention.
"Who are you looking at anyway?"
"This girl. She tweeted me. She's from Detroit."
"Let me guess, our next investigation will be in Detroit?"
"No." Zak laughed. "She said she's coming here actually. To see the museum. I'm going to retweet her." Zak bit his bottom lip and shared the tweet.
"Congratulations, another woman for you, while mine is god knows where and I'm here dying alone." Billy raised his glass again and finished the rest of his now warm brew.
"Dude, look at her." Zak said, as he held his screen up to Billy, showing a selfie of a pretty woman.
"Nice. She's hot, bro."
"I like her eyes." Zak smiled. Billy narrowed his brows and let out a chuckle.
"Well, look at Zak, getting all worked up over a girl. I haven't seen that since you met...ugh, never mind. Waiter, another beer, please."
"Nah, this girl is different."
"Dude, you haven't even met her."
"I don't care. I can tell."
"Yeah, right. What's her name, anyways?"
"Mel." Zak smiled.

The End.

*Please, read the next part! 🖤*