The Stand In

Chapter 18

My intentions of extending the olive branch to Zak had be waylaid.

By waylaid, I mean that I travelled home instead of to his house. I took a long bath and spent an obscene amount of time shaving my legs for the sole purpose of none. I moisturised every single inch of my skin, possibly cell and I had gone through an entire wardrobe before flunking down on my bed, declaring to myself that I have no clothes.

Eventually, I decided on a pair of knee high boots and worked my way from there. Adding jeans, and a black and white plaid shirt.  I accessed myself in the mirror, deciding that I looked cute.

Ok, so maybe I has some clothes..

The rest was pretty easy, I dried and styled my hair before giving myself light make up. After that, I sat in my lounge, wondering where to go from there, would he be at home? Or the museum?

Like with everyone, Zak had updated his social media, which is how I was able to track him down to the museum.

'Come on Elle.' I chided myself, realising I was stalling yet again.

But still something held me back, maybe it was my self conscious or maybe it was my sheer stubbornness.

"Right." I spoke to myself, opening my purse and getting a quarter out. "Heads I go. Tails I stay."

Laying the quarter on the top of my thumb, I took a breath before flicking it up into the air and watching it descend until it hit the carpet between my feet.

********

Despite the time of night, the line to the museum was long and it took forever to get to the gates. I thought it might have been a sign for me to turn back, but the quarter had decided.

Fate had decided.

Checking my phone, it showed that Zak was within the museum, filming the puppets which had only built up the excitement for everyone else in the line.

I felt like an intruder, queuing up amongst them. They had waited to see this museum, to experience it, whilst I was here, queuing up to speak to the owner in a hope that I could... Be reasonable.

"I hope Zak is here!" A woman beams excitedly beside me says. It causes her friend to bounce up and down too.

"I know! I've been here a few times now and he has came out! I got star struck and couldn't speak! I really want a photo with him this time!"

Turning, I got the same from another pair of women and ended up staring ahead, unable to look around without getting absorbed into conversation that I would rather not be in..

These women were his type, thin, beautiful, figure clinging clothes and face full of make up.

And here I was.. Irony.

I turn my eyes up to the security camera, wondering if he is sat in front of the monitors watching this new form of torture for me. I was between the Zak groupies, grating me raw with their hysterical obsession with being plucked out the crowd by him.

Had that even happened?

Part of me considered texting him, to let him know that I was here and waiting to speak. But with how I left things this morning, I had no doubt he would ignore me, hell he might even leave.

No, I would wait and try my best to slip the tour guide..

By the time I reached the front doors and herded inside with the groupies, I was ready to take my mug shot so that it could be added to the wall of serial killers he has in the museums jail.