Playing Games // a Zach Herron fanfic // Finished ✨

part 17 // plot twist

I was working in the back of the restaurant. It was a very calm day and I was doing the dishes while singing along to the songs playing on the radio until my boss walked up to me.
I stopped singing and smiled at her.
"Hey"
She smiled back "hey Audrey.. I know that you told me that you didn't want to go out there and be a waiter but Harlee just got a bad headache and no one else is here so I was wondering if you could take over?"
With my now 5 months pregnant bumb, I'd rather avoid being around people that didn't know about it. So I talked about it with my boss, Erin, and she said it'll be fine if I just work in the back of the restaurant.
Except for today apparently.
"Sure.." I said. What could go wrong anyway? I wasn't really showing thAt much except for my little growing bumb. But no one would notice right?
I followed Erin. She gave me a notebook and sent me to take orders from costumers.
Again, it wasn't really busy.
I took some orders and brought some people their drinks.

Suddenly my eyes fell on a way too familair face.
Hé was sitting there, laughing about something the person in front of him said. His cheeks adorably red as always, his smile wide. And his eyes completely focused on the blonde haired girl, who was sitting across him with the back of her head facing me.. I couldn't see her face but I knew who it was.
My jaw dropped when he leaned in to peck her lips and I almost dropped the plate with orders on it as well as I saw the look in his eyes he once used to gave me.
Zach and Sarah.. apparently back together. Although in the back of my head I always knew this could happen, it came as a huge shock. And it hurted.. it hurted so much.
Immediately I felt the baby kick in my stomach and without realising I pulled my free arm around it.
But then I pulled it back. What if Zach would notice me standing here like this?
In a rush I brought the orders to the right people, trying so hard not to look his way. But on my way back to the back of the restaurant, where I planned to hide until they would have left, hoping Erin wouldn't be mad, I accidentally crossed eyes with him. He dropped his jaw and stared at me for a second or 3.
I quickly looked at the floor and made my way back to the kitchen not knowing he stood up to run after me.
I dropped on the floor and leaned my back to the kitchen cabinet. My arms wrapped around my body.
Why.. why did I always have such bad luck. Now when I finally thought I had my life back together, he had to show up again.
Couldn't this just be over?
I wiped some tears away and pulled myself up again.
And right after I did that, I looked straight in the face of the boy I once thought I could to call mine.
My knees weakened and I had to grab the kitchen counter to make sure I wouldn't faint.
Now that he was standing so close to me, I looked straight into his hazelnut eyes.
He looked even more handsome than I could remember. He had this worried and broken look in his eyes.
I could tell he didn't like seeing me like this.. well his bad. Did he forget he was the cause of everything that I've been throught the past 5 months?
He tried grabbing my arm but I pulled it away before he even had the chance.
"What are you doing here Zach?" I looked in his eyes, trying to look confident with myself but I had to look away in less than 5 seconds. It hurted too bad.
"I- I saw you running away a- and I thought-.."
I sighed. It was too late for him to think. If he would have done that 5 months ago we wouldn't even be here.
"Go away Zach.."
He didn't listen. Instead he stayed where he was, awkwardly looking at the floor and fidgeting with his hands.
I tried so much not to put my hands on my stomach as I now felt the baby kicking and turning like never before. I guess it felt my pain..
After 2 minute-ish of awkward silence Zach opened his mouth again.
"I am so sorry.." He scratched the back of his neck while he kept facing the floor. "I messed up big time."
Again, I sighed.
I wanted to yell at him.
To scream.
Yes you did! You broke me! You don't even have a clue about how much you actually messed up. You don't know how many sleepless I spent crying on my own. You don't know know how you gave me even more of a trust issue than I already had!
But let me tell you, there is something else you don't know. There is a little plot twist growing in my belly right now and it's going to have to grow up without a father. And you wouldn't even know!
I held back all of that.
Instead I shook my head and looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears that were appearing in my eyes.
"How long has it been? 5 months? And now you expect me to accept your apology as if it wasn't anything at all? Like I didn't see how fast you can move on and forget about it all.. But trust me, it's all fine."
He slowly nodded as if he waited for something more to happen.
I rolled my eyes and turned my back towards him.
"Get out of the kitchen now please.. your girlfriend is probably waiting for you."
I could imagine his face turning into a blank frown. In the back of my head I hoped that he felt even a little bit of the pain that I felt in my heart right now.
"I was already over you anyway.." I lied.
I forced myself to hold back my tears as I heard his footsteps fade away behind my back.
As soon as the door to the restaurant closed, I couldn't have it anymore.
I dropped on the ground, curled up into a ball with my arms wrapped around my stomach.
I bawled my eyes out until there were no tears left, and even then I stayed on the ground.
Why does it still hurt so much while I kept telling myself and others that I didn't care about him anymore?
I guess I am not over him at all..