"I hate you!" Zac yelled as he looked at Taylor, crossing his arms. "I hate you for what you did to me," he spoke as he shook his head. "I hate that you made me choose between you and my wife."
Taylor laughed at Zac's words as he looked down, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah well I hate you didn't pick me," he answered as he finally looked back up. "I gave you the ultimatum in Cancun on choosing me or choosing her and you chose her. You didn't even attend my fucking after party."
Zac just huffed, "I wasn't ready to tell her," he said as he stood from the couch he had been sitting on in the studio. "Or anyone. It may have been easy for you to come out but it's not for me. It's not easy for me and I just..I hate it all."
"You don't hate it all," Taylor corrected as he shook his head. "That would mean hating Shepherd, Junia, and Abe and I know you don't hate them."
Going silent, Zac looked down knowing Taylor had him there. Feeling a lump form in his throat he looked at his brother, "Can you promise me something?" he asked his voice cracking slightly.
Taylor gave Zac a smile and nodded, "Anything."
"Don't date anyone, not yet," Zac pleaded as he locked eyes with Taylor. "Just don't think I can take it if you moved on."
"When can I date again?" Taylor asked as he reached out trying to touch Zac but Zac moved away from his grasp.
Zac closed his eyes briefly as he thought over his question, "Never. In case I want you back," he answered before opening his eyes and giving Taylor one last glance. Once he had, he turned and walked away from Taylor, heading outside of the studio and into the crisp January air that Tulsa had.
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Chewing his lip as he stood outside on his parents porch Zac crossed his arms as he looked at his younger sister Jessica. "Just spill what you know Jessie?" he asked his tone harsh. "Are Taylor and Isaac a thing or not?"
Jessica sighed at Zac's question and Zac swore he could see a hesitance in her eyes, "Maybe you'd know if you actually came to the studio more," she replied. "You guys ended in January and it's now April. You haven't been to the studio once since you guys officially broke up and I heard Fools Banquet was strained too."
"Of course you heard," Zac snapped at his sister. "Your husband was there and he told you all the gory details. Maybe I should ask him if Taylor and Isaac are fucking around."
"He doesn't even know that you and Taylor were together Zac," Jessica said her voice coming out slightly annoyed. "I never even told him and why would I? Who wants to admit that they knew their brothers were sleeping together when it's morally wrong," she said shaking her head as she looked away from Zac. "I never even wanted to know myself but I happened to walk in on you two and then after that you always came to me to rant over every little thing when stuff went wrong."
Zac listened to Jessica go off and he frowned slightly knowing that maybe she had been put in an awful situation, "I'm sorry you were put in that position," he apologized as he felt sad when she stayed looking away from his gaze. "I trusted you though and I still do trust you and that's the only reason I ever started to confide in you once you knew."
Jessica stayed silent at Zac's words but when she finally looked at him he gave her a smile, "But can you please tell me if Taylor and Isaac are a thing?"
"I don't know Zac," Jessica answered though she looked down when she did so. "I really don't," she said as she stood from the porch swing she had been sitting on. "Why don't you ask them yourselves?" she asked before walking away from Zac and going back into the house.
After Jessica left, Zac collapsed down on the porch swing and felt a lump form in his throat because he was sure he already knew his answer from Jessica's run around and then the fact that Isaac and Taylor seemed to be doing everything together now days. They were dating when Taylor had promised him he wouldn't date anyone else.
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Zac who had been at the bar for the past hour turned his head and looked out onto the dance floor and he was sure he could feel his heart breaking as he did so because there dancing provocatively was Taylor and Isaac and Zac swore he wanted to be sick or go over and punch Isaac, even if this was the confirmation of what he had asked Jessica on the porch two months ago.
But how was Zac to know when he showed up here tonight at this little bar a few hours away from Tulsa that Taylor would show up. Yeah, Taylor had found this place and brought him here so they could go somewhere where no one knew them and have dates but he hadn't expected Taylor to still come here but apparently he did especially since he now had a new brother he was fucking secretly.
Closing his eyes as he downed the beer on his table, Zac was glad that Taylor and Isaac hadn't noticed him because he wasn't sure what he'd do if they did. He'd probably lash out and make good on wanting to punch Isaac but he knew he didn't have room to do that. He had after all been the one to let Taylor go even if he had made Taylor promise not to date anyone else.
Zac knew it was silly but he thought Taylor had loved him enough to wait, loved him enough to not move on and especially not with Isaac but Zac had been wrong and he really hadn't needed this tonight, not when just earlier today he had served Kate with divorce papers after admitting to her that he was gay.
It was like the world was out to play some trick on him and Zac almost felt as if the walls were closing in on him. The walls of this bar and the walls of life in general and he wasn't sure he could take it.
Standing from where he had been seated, Zac soon headed outside and got into his truck. As he started it and drove off he was glad to see he had a full tank of gasoline though because as he drove he knew he wasn't going home. No, he was just going to drive somewhere where no one knew him or knew of the band or his brothers.
He knew deep down he was running from his issues but if there was one thing Zac was good at, it was being a coward.
"I hate you," he whispered as he looked at himself in the rear view mirror.
Taylor laughed at Zac's words as he looked down, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah well I hate you didn't pick me," he answered as he finally looked back up. "I gave you the ultimatum in Cancun on choosing me or choosing her and you chose her. You didn't even attend my fucking after party."
Zac just huffed, "I wasn't ready to tell her," he said as he stood from the couch he had been sitting on in the studio. "Or anyone. It may have been easy for you to come out but it's not for me. It's not easy for me and I just..I hate it all."
"You don't hate it all," Taylor corrected as he shook his head. "That would mean hating Shepherd, Junia, and Abe and I know you don't hate them."
Going silent, Zac looked down knowing Taylor had him there. Feeling a lump form in his throat he looked at his brother, "Can you promise me something?" he asked his voice cracking slightly.
Taylor gave Zac a smile and nodded, "Anything."
"Don't date anyone, not yet," Zac pleaded as he locked eyes with Taylor. "Just don't think I can take it if you moved on."
"When can I date again?" Taylor asked as he reached out trying to touch Zac but Zac moved away from his grasp.
Zac closed his eyes briefly as he thought over his question, "Never. In case I want you back," he answered before opening his eyes and giving Taylor one last glance. Once he had, he turned and walked away from Taylor, heading outside of the studio and into the crisp January air that Tulsa had.
______________________________________________________________________________
Chewing his lip as he stood outside on his parents porch Zac crossed his arms as he looked at his younger sister Jessica. "Just spill what you know Jessie?" he asked his tone harsh. "Are Taylor and Isaac a thing or not?"
Jessica sighed at Zac's question and Zac swore he could see a hesitance in her eyes, "Maybe you'd know if you actually came to the studio more," she replied. "You guys ended in January and it's now April. You haven't been to the studio once since you guys officially broke up and I heard Fools Banquet was strained too."
"Of course you heard," Zac snapped at his sister. "Your husband was there and he told you all the gory details. Maybe I should ask him if Taylor and Isaac are fucking around."
"He doesn't even know that you and Taylor were together Zac," Jessica said her voice coming out slightly annoyed. "I never even told him and why would I? Who wants to admit that they knew their brothers were sleeping together when it's morally wrong," she said shaking her head as she looked away from Zac. "I never even wanted to know myself but I happened to walk in on you two and then after that you always came to me to rant over every little thing when stuff went wrong."
Zac listened to Jessica go off and he frowned slightly knowing that maybe she had been put in an awful situation, "I'm sorry you were put in that position," he apologized as he felt sad when she stayed looking away from his gaze. "I trusted you though and I still do trust you and that's the only reason I ever started to confide in you once you knew."
Jessica stayed silent at Zac's words but when she finally looked at him he gave her a smile, "But can you please tell me if Taylor and Isaac are a thing?"
"I don't know Zac," Jessica answered though she looked down when she did so. "I really don't," she said as she stood from the porch swing she had been sitting on. "Why don't you ask them yourselves?" she asked before walking away from Zac and going back into the house.
After Jessica left, Zac collapsed down on the porch swing and felt a lump form in his throat because he was sure he already knew his answer from Jessica's run around and then the fact that Isaac and Taylor seemed to be doing everything together now days. They were dating when Taylor had promised him he wouldn't date anyone else.
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Zac who had been at the bar for the past hour turned his head and looked out onto the dance floor and he was sure he could feel his heart breaking as he did so because there dancing provocatively was Taylor and Isaac and Zac swore he wanted to be sick or go over and punch Isaac, even if this was the confirmation of what he had asked Jessica on the porch two months ago.
But how was Zac to know when he showed up here tonight at this little bar a few hours away from Tulsa that Taylor would show up. Yeah, Taylor had found this place and brought him here so they could go somewhere where no one knew them and have dates but he hadn't expected Taylor to still come here but apparently he did especially since he now had a new brother he was fucking secretly.
Closing his eyes as he downed the beer on his table, Zac was glad that Taylor and Isaac hadn't noticed him because he wasn't sure what he'd do if they did. He'd probably lash out and make good on wanting to punch Isaac but he knew he didn't have room to do that. He had after all been the one to let Taylor go even if he had made Taylor promise not to date anyone else.
Zac knew it was silly but he thought Taylor had loved him enough to wait, loved him enough to not move on and especially not with Isaac but Zac had been wrong and he really hadn't needed this tonight, not when just earlier today he had served Kate with divorce papers after admitting to her that he was gay.
It was like the world was out to play some trick on him and Zac almost felt as if the walls were closing in on him. The walls of this bar and the walls of life in general and he wasn't sure he could take it.
Standing from where he had been seated, Zac soon headed outside and got into his truck. As he started it and drove off he was glad to see he had a full tank of gasoline though because as he drove he knew he wasn't going home. No, he was just going to drive somewhere where no one knew him or knew of the band or his brothers.
He knew deep down he was running from his issues but if there was one thing Zac was good at, it was being a coward.
"I hate you," he whispered as he looked at himself in the rear view mirror.