Missing You Again

We Were More Than Friends

Wine sprayed from my mouth and covered the table. Oh well, better on the table I suppose than upsetting my stomach ulcer. "Fuck," I muttered as I brushed droplets from my bare legs. Zacky's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter but his lips were pressed together in a thin line as he held back his mirth. I shot him a filthy look.

Zacky jumped up and disappeared inside before returning with a dishcloth. I snatched it from him and mopped up the table as I grumbled, "This is all your fault you know for saying inappropriate things."

"Yeah but it broke the tension right?" he shrugged.

"Break this tension," I said and threw the wet dishcloth at him. He managed to catch it just before it nailed him square in the face.

"Ha fucking ha," he smirked.

I grinned back at him. He was right; he had broken the tension and the ugly knot of unease swirling in my stomach calmed.

"So whose idea was it?" Zacky raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yours apparently according to Sean," I answered and as Zacky opened his mouth in protest I raised a hand indicating he should stop and let me finish, "You so sold Sean on how amazing Huntington Beach is that he just couldn't help himself. He ran my plans for San Francisco through the shredder and made an executive decision to base us here. Last time I spoke with him he was avidly perusing on line ads for wetsuits."

"Sean surfs?" Zacky couldn't hide his surprise and I couldn't suppress my giggle.

"No but Wes did as a teenager and Sean saw a picture of him in a wetsuit and wants to recreate the moment."

Zacky rubbed a finger under his eye; god knows Sean's antics had made my eye twitch on more than one occasion. "Jesus...Okay then. Syn surfs maybe he could take him out."

If I'd had pearls I'd have clutched them. "They are never going to meet!" I hissed in what was, even to my own ears, a dramatic undertone.

Zacky snorted, "You're kidding right? I thought you knew him."

"Who Brian? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked confused.

Zacky laughed out loud, "No you idiot, not Brian, Sean. That guy seems to be a formidable meddler. Maybe you held him off from your friends and family before because they were on the other side of the world but now? You're all in the same town baby. He's going to be so far up in your business you're gonna' need lube."

That imagery made me gag a little. "Thanks a fucking bunch."

"You're welcome." His lips curled up with a cheeky little twist.

"Hey guys. What did I miss?" Steph reappeared in the doorway with a giggling Baby Haner in her arms.

"Oh not much, just the way K-Wow here can't hold her drink," Zacky said leaning back nonchalantly into his seat.

"You're an ass," I responded without heat.

"How great is it that Kelly's going to be living here for a while!" Steph bounced on her toes in that unconscious way people did when they were holding a baby.

"You're going to be living here?" Zacky pointed to the floor indicating here as in Steph and Brian's place.

"I've got a house," I answered quickly shuddering just a little bit at the idea of having to share an abode even part time with a baby.

"Well I guess there's a housewarming party coming up at yours then." Zacky stood up. "Steph where's Gates? He wanted to discuss something with me."