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chaoticgeminate · 2 years ago

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You're So Classic (vi)

Summary: When you own a diner there are a variety of people that come to get a seat, Zach has become familiar with the constant and changing guests that come in through those doors. The good, the bad, and the ugly all with their own stories and their own lives. He’s witnessed first dates, last dates, engagements, anniversaries, job gains or losses, and birthdays galore.

Enter Nanette Dougherty.

Former pageant child, debutante, and swimsuit model fresh off a bad date and needing to be somewhere that her roommates and agent won’t try to find her. Where better than a diner full of things she’s never allowed to eat? What Nanette never counted on was the handsome diner owner to change her life.

Pairing: Zach Wellison x Nanette Rose Dougherty [ofc]

Rating: Explicit (Blog is 18+ regardless but this is going to be a bit of a heavy story)

Notes and Warnings: Series will involve some heavy topics including but not limited to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, body acceptance, PTSD, anger problems, toxic narcissistic parents, and abusive relationships both platonic and romantic. This installment features toxic level parenting, bad relationships with Christianity, and corrupt authority. Beta read by the beautiful, lovely, amazing @leslie-lyman 💙

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BLT (k)

Zach wasn’t usually the type to buy style magazines, he hardly ever saw the need before, but now there was definitely a small stack he kept at home. All of them shared one thing, Nanette was featured in the spread somewhere, and his initial idea was to make a cut-out collage as a sort of time capsule for the growth of her career. Something tangible she could keep since the fashion world was so cutthroat, designers rose and fell in the same day even, but then he’d seen the pictures.

Beautiful, of course, there was no denying that she looked stunning. But Zach could see where the photos had been edited, where the few freckles she had were hidden with make-up and digital touch-ups, her waist was far too narrow here than what he knew it really was. But keeping these around felt like it might be a bad thing, taking into consideration her reaction to waking up bloated, he’d never forget that haunted look he’d caught so briefly on her face as she panicked about it and tried to hide it from him.

Instead he kept the magazines on his bookshelf, he knew that Nanette was aware of them since she’d giggled when she saw the first one earn its place on his side table, but she herself never looked through them so he had opted to put them up. He wasn’t going to assume the worst about what she might be going through since that wasn’t his place, but he kept those concerns in his back pocket for now until he felt they were valid or if she addressed it first.

Ramirez had seen the narrow magazine spines on his bookshelf when he’d shown up but he wasn’t willing to ask questions yet, Zach knew the other man had plenty of them but there was a lot of respect for privacy between the two of them. He’d let Ramirez disappear for two weeks, no questions asked, and just told everyone else it was a vacation when Zach knew it was much more severe than that; he didn’t know the specifics but it hadn’t been his business, and he refused to let the man go jobless because of whatever it was. Since then they’d been close, the other man had plenty of opportunities to leave and just hadn’t, and Zach knew that he had someone in his corner who would go to bat for him at the drop of a dime.

“Miso butter roasted potatoes. What do you think?” He was recipe testing with Ramirez, the other vet was not only his head chef but one of his best friends, and once a month they would spend a day or two off together to tweak the menu here and there. Ramirez hummed as he took a bite of the lightly crispy outside, fluffy inside, potato and the other man nodded in approval. Zach tried it and hummed too, putting a check onto the recipe card and dropping it into the box for approved recipes, and then Ramirez was handing him a ramekin with fish pie inside.

It was a European thing, he was sure, maybe even a specifically British thing but he didn’t know quite yet and would have to look it up later; the soft mashed potatoes and creamy filling were good, it wasn’t necessarily his taste but he couldn’t deny that it was worthy of popping up on the specials board. His diner definitely was known for American classics but LA was a food melting pot and the occasional times he offered something more international always earned new diners coming to check it out.

“This is kind of heavy but it isn’t bad, like a shepherds pie but with fish.”

“That’s what I was thinking, I put a little more mustard than what the recipe suggested to try and brighten it up a little bit. I think we should play with the filling flavor a little because we’re working with US ingredients compared to UK stuff which is bound to have even a little different flavor profiles, but I think this one works.”

Zach watched Ramirez go back to the pie filling and smiled, moving on to the next recipe on the list, and he smiled at the general peace involved with the routine of it all. A knock on the door made him exhale a little, patting Ramirez on the back after washing his hands, and Zach nearly froze at the sight of a police officer on his doorstep.

“Are you Zachary Wellison?”

“Yes, Officer. Is something wrong?”

“I need you to get down on your knees and keep your hands where I can see them. You’re being detained for questioning based on reports of assault.“

Zach found himself blindsided as he was handcuffed, though the officer did allow him to at the very least slide into his slip-on sneakers so that he wasn’t marched barefoot to the squad car, and the officer’s partner was reading off his Miranda rights. Ramirez was talking with the initial officer about options for bail if it led to an arrest.

None of Zach’s neighbors were home at least. Maybe it was stupid but he didn’t want them to think he had actually done what he was being accused of. It was harder to prove yourself innocent than it should be in this day and age.

He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t speak up, because he knew that he needed to get a lawyer stat, but he was genuinely confused. From the wording it sounded like he was a suspect, not that it was a hard accusation, but he had no idea who would even accuse him of something like that. When he did go out to bars with others he never allowed himself to get drunk, he never allowed himself to have more than a few beers or drinks in general because he knew that he was sloppy, but even then he’d never been an aggressive drunk.

The squad car moved through the traffic with ease, finally arriving at the station, and Zach was led into a room with a metal chair and cheap table. As he took his seat the officer took off the cuffs, allowing him to rub his wrists slightly, before someone who could only be a police detective entered the room and sat down across from him.

“Hello Zachary, I’ve got a couple of questions for you.”

“I’d like a lawyer first, please.”

“Of course, there’s one on their way. I don’t want to keep you here longer than I need to, son.”

“I understand that, sir, however I will not be answering any questions until a lawyer is present as is my right.”

The detective leaned back in his seat and nodded, leaving Zach to stare at the table in silence as they waited, the ticking of the clock and the low hum of the fluorescent lights filling the void of the room with background noise. He didn’t know if it had been hours, or days, before the detective got up when a low buzz sounded and someone else walked in. The woman was professional, her salt and pepper hair in a loose bob that fell to her collar bones, and her eyes were sharp.

“Hello Zachary, my name is Margaret McCall. I am your state-provided legal representative.”

“Hello ma’am, thank you for coming.”

“Of course, young man, I appreciate your manners. Now I understand you’re being detained due to accusations of assault?”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s all I know at the moment as I refused to speak with the detective until I had a lawyer.”

Margaret nodded her head in approval before looking at the glass mirror, the detective returning and sitting down his his folder once again.

“Zachary, where were you three nights ago?”

“At work, sir, I own The Chow Hall. The diner on-“

“Ah, yes, the diner for veterans. So you’re a veteran then, thank you for your service.”

His jaw tightened as he gritted out a ‘thank you for your support’ despite wanting to be silent, the cops always seemed to think that just because he was ex-military that he bled blue, and the detective pulled out the photograph of a young woman.

“Do you recognize this woman, Zachary?”

“She comes into the diner after a night out drinking with her friends, it’s a pretty common event, usually weekly. But I only help on the floor when the servers need me, usually I’m in the office or the kitchen.”

“That’s the only place you know her from? You don’t go out partying in her circles?”

“No sir, I only know her from the diner.”

The detective put the photograph away and crossed his arms on the table.

“You have proof that you were at work, son? The whole shift?”

“Yes, sir, we have security cameras. I can access the feed and records from my phone, if you want that proof immediately.”

“Give me a few minutes, son. Let me check with the tech team.”

After he left the room Margaret hummed, scribbling something in her notebook, and Zach glanced at her as she closed the front page.

“The good news is that they have nothing to hold you here, especially with security footage proof on your end as to where you were, so you shouldn’t be detained much longer. In the event that they find something, do you have the name and number of friends or family I could call to confirm details of your week?”

“I do, would you like me to write them for you?”

“Yes, please, Mr. Wellison.”

He scribbled down the information for Ramirez and after only a moment’s hesitation for Nanette as well, though he did make sure to leave a note that she was currently visiting family in Texas and would only be available via video call if they needed to see her face for any reason. He looked up as the door opened and the detective sat down, empty handed this time, before Zach was handed his cellphone.

“If you could access those cameras for me, son, while I can watch you do it I would be appreciative. We’ll need you to send us a copy of the records from 20:00 to 03:30, unaltered. If they’re tampered with we will know.”

Zach made sure to keep his phone tilted so that the cameras in the corner could pick up what he was doing as he accessed the camera app, opening the video feed from three nights ago and creating the clipped segment that he sent to the detective’s e-mail. Once it was received, after the details were confirmed, Zach locked his phone again and handed it back. Margaret waited until the detective left to scoff.

“While I know you’re just looking to prove your innocence, they do require a warrant to request information from your personal devices.”

“I know, ma’am, I just want to go home.”

It felt like hours had passed as Margaret gave him her information, on the chance that they tried to pursue this case further, and the legal protections he had if they tried to disrupt his life over currently unconfirmed charges. He appreciated that she spoke as if he were innocent, because he was, but still with the reality that sometimes innocent people were convicted despite evidence he felt respected.

“You’re free to leave, son, your security footage is clear. Apologies for disrupting your day, thank you for your cooperation.” Zach took his phone back and Margaret led him out, making sure he had her information, and she slipped a piece of paper into his hand behind her business card as she shooed him away. Zach waited until he was in the car with Ramirez, who came to pick him up, to look at it.

Check your phone case for tracking and listening devices.

Zach hadn’t thought about that possibility and held up his finger to silence Ramirez when the other vet went to ask him what he was doing, and the man went on talking about the other recipes he’d gone over while Zach had been in the station instead. Zach found a small device tucked in the back of his case, barely the size of the top of his thumb, and he could see the microphone hole easily. There was even some sort of location tag tracker on it, no doubt they’d be trying to get it back, and he grinned as Ramirez pulled over at the gas station so Zach could drop it in the trash.

Only after he was sure his phone was safe did they head back, sharing a disgusted rant about the LA cops as Ramirez theorized someone had paid the woman to make the accusation against him, and Zach was willing to dismiss the idea. He didn’t have anyone out there who disliked him that badly, at least he hoped not, and the only thing that made sense would be someone who didn’t like that he was a veteran or that his diner was doing well.

Cassie’s nose was busted up but the proud smile on her face had Nanette grinning too, fussing with a rag to clean the blood off as her little sister cradled her trophy, and she could hear Paul’s nerves about facing her mother with Cassie this busted up. It had been right after the last game of the season ended that the goalie from the other school team had gone after one of Cassie’s smaller teammates, who had managed to get a shot past into the net, and Nanette’s sister had jumped in the second she realized Heather was going to get punched and pulled the smaller girl out of the way in exchange for a bloody nose.

“No matter what Paul or mother have to say, Cassie, I’m so proud of you.” Nanette ignored the look Paul shot her in the rear-view mirror, she’d chosen to sit in the back with her sister on the drive home, and focused solely on Cassie’s smile as the teen held the rag in place now.

“Thanks, Nana. Means a lot to me.”

“I’m serious, you’re killing it out there, I have the coolest little sister.” Watching Cassie’s smile turn shy made Nanette glance at her step-father, who was pulling into the neighborhood, and Paul scowled deeper when he realized she was watching him. He knew as well as Nanette did that her mother was going to lose it, the two of them had already been fighting over Paul allowing Cassie to pursue sports instead of pageants and débutante events, and Nanette knew it was in part because her mother didn’t want any other kids and Paul felt slighted that he’d only had one that was his to raise.

The two of them were just selfish and Cassie was being caught in the middle; Paul would always let her get the brunt of their mother’s temper for choosing sports over pageants.

Paul looked even more alarmed when Nanette’s phone rang, since he knew she wouldn’t take a personal or work call inside, and Cassie began heading in with her season MVP trophy. He knew as well as she did that without her going inside beside him that he couldn’t slip away while Nanette dealt with her mother’s anger on the subject of Cassie’s nose. Nanette answered the call and watched Paul skulk inside, hearing her mother’s shrill outrage even from out here, but she ignored it in favor of the call.

“Hi Delaney, is something wrong?”

“Do you remember Francesca’s friend, Lillian?”

“Lillian Hunt? Yes, she wanted to model but refused to follow the calorie restrictions and now she’s looking into acting right?”

“Correct, I called to warn you. Lillian went out three nights ago to celebrate getting a role in a commercial; Cheyenne called me because she showed up to film with bruises all over her and claimed that a stranger assaulted her. The man she described sounds like your boyfriend.”

For a moment Nanette felt that slither of surprise work its way through her, because that was definitely a surprise, but it turned into anger quickly.

“Delaney, first and foremost Zach would never put his hands on anyone like that and I’m insulted you would even believe that of him. Secondly, he was at work at the diner three days ago for a night shift, if the cops were called to the diner it would have been all over social media.” The Chow Hall wasn’t some massive Michelin Star restaurant but it was a very widely known place in LA being so focused on veteran hiring and rehabilitation to civilian life, the countless articles and travel blog posts about it had made it into an internet famous diner.

“As I said, I was just concerned. Please be careful trusting him.”

“Delaney, you are being ridiculous, Zach didn’t do anything like that. Now I have to go, my mother is not patient when it comes to disrupting family time. I’ll see you in a few days when I get back.”

“Of course, Nanette.”

As she ended the call Nanette sent a text to Zach first, asking him if he was okay, and when she didn’t get an answer she simply tucked her phone away. He was recipe testing with Hector today so there was a chance his phone was on silent, it wasn’t a huge deal, and her mother scowled when Nanette stepped inside.

“Was that your agent?”

“Yes, mother, that was Delaney.”

“Are you going to break up with that boy now that he’s proven he’ll run around and hurt people?”

Nanette stared at her mother in disbelief and realized that Delaney had called her already, likely during the game when she hadn’t been answering her phone, and that anger from before returned even as she fought to keep her tone level.

“Mother, Zach didn’t do anything like that and he would never do anything like that, he’s not a man that would go around hurting people. He was at work the night of the incident, if you must know, and the woman who made the accusation simply described someone that looked like him and everyone is up in arms for no reason. Do you know how many guys in LA have close cut brown hair and wear flannels? The answer is, a lot of them.” Nanette kept her tone as dismissive as possible, wanting to just cut this conversation off before it could lengthen, and a part of her felt guilty because the second she did her mother would just start in about Cassie’s nose without a care for how the injury happened.

Watching her mother’s perfectly shaped eyebrow raise and those pale pink colored lips curl into a disappointed expression had Nanette instantly on the defensive. The relationship they had was nothing like when she’d been a child now that she was living on her own and able to see how terrible the woman was. But any time she made the move of cutting her out entirely Nanette would panic and break within days. Her mother had always pushed her to do better and want more for herself, the idea of giving up her family like that was terrifying and she wasn’t brave enough to do it. Nanette’s mother wasn’t a good person but that was her mother, the woman who loved her and raised her, so instead she was as vocal as she could be trying to change her mother’s beliefs.

“Nanette Rose, I understand that you think you love him. I do, honey, I was there once too remember? But the fact that you’re willing to settle for a man that owns some diner in LA when you’re so much better than that feels like a slap in the face for everything I’ve ever done for you. I don’t mean to make you feel like I’m attacking you or your choice, God knows you’re like me and have to learn things the hard way, but I just don’t want to see you hurt or ruin your entire career over him.” The resigned tone of her mother’s voice felt like whiplash when compared against her expression, making Nanette back down since it was pretty obvious that her mother was not going to listen.

“He’s a good man, and a great partner, I hope that soon you get to see that for yourself.” Honestly she missed him, a lot, maybe it was the honeymoon phase or whatever but she really wished he was here; his comfort and care was something she could use right now. It was true that she’d begun spending a lot of time with him but Zach brought calm to her life that she hadn’t even known she’d been missing, and his consideration for her work was unparalleled. He respected her even though she was a model, not once had she heard him make any remarks about her intelligence the way others often did, and he even helped her learn about field hockey so she could talk with Cassie about it with no judgment.

Zach was nothing like some of the male authority figures she’d had in her life, who tried to talk down to her because she was a woman or act like her doing pageants and débutante events made her stupid by default.

“Alright, if you say so, just remember that you can always call if you need help okay? Now, please tell me you understand why I hate this sports thing your sister is doing, or are you delighted that her nose is leaking blood all over?” Nanette couldn’t help it, her eyes rolled and she let out the softest laugh.

“Mother, Cassie is having fun and she’s great at the sport, you have a daughter who has pursued modeling and fame. Let her live her life, please? Sometimes it seems like all you want to do is live through us.” The swat to the side of her head with a rolled up magazine was to be expected and her mother looked absolutely thunderous, the sting was just present enough to be annoying, and Nanette scowled right back.

“Don’t imply that I’m some washed up crone, I don’t live through either one of you, I only want what is best for you both. If I hadn’t taken you in after the divorce your father would have put you in an early grave with his drinking habit, all I ever did was give you opportunities.” Nanette’s ire faded as she was reminded, yet again, just how ugly the divorce had been for her mother; she’d talked to her dad who had confessed at the time he had a drinking problem. He’d told her that he didn’t know if he would have been able to step up and be the dad she needed at that point in her life.

“I’m sorry, mother. I know it wasn’t easy for you, Dad even admitted he didn’t know if he could have stepped up back then, but there was a lot of stress I was under trying to live up to your expectations that I couldn’t tell you about because I never wanted to disappoint you. Please don’t put Cassie in that position, let her play field hockey and be who she is, just let her be a kid while she still can.” Her mother’s annoyance softened to a resigned look as she shrugged, nodding and waving her hand to dismiss the conversation, it was a relief and slightly irritating that her mother would just end conversations she was tired of without a resolution but there wasn’t much Nanette could do without risking her mother getting angrier.

Cassie was sitting in bed, nose patched up and changed, when Nanette walked into the room; the three-bedroom house had one room converted into an office, for Paul, so the ‘guest’ space was the bunk bed in Cassie’s room. It was a twin over double style, so whenever there were guests usually Cassie was relegated to the top bunk, but Nanette was more than okay with her baby sister cuddling up to her so they shared happily and talked most of the night.

“Is mom really mad still?” Seeing the very worried expression on her sister’s face made Nanette immediately exhale softly and sit down, pulling her sister into a side hug gently.

“Not as mad but she’s still pretty heated about it, I’m sorry I can’t do more to help you.” It was hard to navigate standing up for her sister, and herself, while still showing her mother respect.

“I don’t blame you, Nettie, you had it worse than I did with all those pageants and stuff. I don’t know how you put up with it.”

“You’re braver than I was back then, I just wanted to make mother proud. I started to like it more as I got older but that isn’t me telling you to give up what makes you happy. You are Cassandra Dougherty, not Nanette or Marcelline Dougherty, you have to make your own way in life; as long as you’re true to who you are then I’ll always be proud.” The two of them switched to sitting on the floor so Cassie could tell her about the different plays, and how she was excited that she was set to be the Captain at twelve if she kept doing what she was doing, and Nanette helped her sister come up with easier ways to memorize the plays so that she had a better chance at achieving that spot.

If she finished out middle school as the field hockey captain for two years then it would make her more likely to get a good spot on the high school team, since Cassie was having a good time so far Nanette wanted to make sure her sister was able to do the things she aspired for. They were discussing teammates and who was cooperative for extra practice when her little sister got quiet, looking very shy, and Nanette waited for her to broach whatever topic it was she had on her mind.

“Nettie? What does it feel like to have a crush on someone?” Nanette’s brows raised a little and she felt her heart stop only momentarily, trying not to recall the days of her own youth when her mother would take her on dates with boys when she didn’t really want to. This wasn’t that situation at all.

“They make your face feel warm, your chest feels like it's exploding with butterflies, and when they’re telling you about something they really like -even if you don’t understand it- you always want to listen because seeing them happy makes you happy.” Nanette thought about Zach, about how infectious his own happiness was, and Cassie’s brow furrowed.

“Is it… is it normal to feel that way with… with another girl?”

“Absolutely, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. People around here think it’s against the word of God, that it's immoral and disgusting, but it’s not.” Nanette’s chest was tight with concern, outrage on behalf of her sister who hadn’t even figured out life but was already questioning it and would likely be mistreated for it because of how it was around here, and Cassie must have sensed it as she fiddled with her tee shirt hem.

“I don’t know if that’s what it is but I’m scared, I know that Harry’s mom kicked Mason out as soon as he was eighteen because he said he liked boys -she told the whole team all about it because she was really upset about losing her brother like that- and I think I like Nora but I don’t know.”

“Cassie, you’re eleven, you don’t need to know all the answers to everything. Did you know there are people mother’s age who realize that they’re actually gay or lesbian, that they’re trans or bi or anything people would consider ‘not normal’ in our community? You don’t need a label if you don’t want one, and there’s no rush at all to try and find one. Just be careful with who you talk to about this, okay? There’s only so much I can do from LA. Harriet seems like she’d be able to keep your secret, from the sound of it, even if it’s total nonsense that you need to keep it a secret to begin with.”

Cassie’s eyes welled up and Nanette crawled over to hug her, letting her little sister work through whatever she was feeling and glancing at her phone when it chimed. Zach had confirmed he was okay, a relief since she wanted to focus on her sister right now.

Zach glanced at Nanette as she read through articles on her tablet, ever since she’d come home she mentioned needing to do some heavy reading and he’d told her to come to his place since Francesca was doing line reads with other peers at theirs, and he had his music on very low so he didn’t disturb her. He trusted her to tell him what, if anything, was wrong when she was ready to do so and for now he focused on finishing up dinner for them both. He’d just gotten the bacon fried up when he felt Nanette’s forehead come to rest against his back, the light grip she had on his flannel making him smile, and Zach set things aside to turn around and pull her into a hug.

“Need to talk or do you just want me to hold you, pretty girl?” Nanette’s lips curled into a smile against his shirt, the very light giggle that escaped her at the pet name proved her mood wasn’t the worst it could be, and Zach wouldn’t ever be able to describe the warmth in his chest when she hummed thoughtfully since it always came with an explanation. He felt honored to have her trust him enough to share what was on her mind, good or bad, to be her safe place to just voice all the things bothering her.

“My sister thinks she might have a crush on her friend from field hockey, Nora, and I can’t begin to tell you how badly that would go over with the people in my hometown. Much less our mother and her father. I want to help her but shy of convincing mother to let her live with me, meaning I’d have to find a place to stay, there isn’t much I can do except tell her to be mindful of who she tells that she’s even questioning it.” He was floored for a moment, digesting this information, but Zach could hardly believe just how wonderful Nanette was sometimes.

“I think telling her to be cautious about who she opens up to about her feelings is the best given the circumstances, she’s really lucky to have a supportive older sister you know. I would hope that maybe your parents might think differently since it’s their little girl but you know them better than I do so I will not try to challenge what you foresee happening here.” Zach felt Nanette nod lightly, felt the way she was holding all sorts of tension over this, and made her sit at one of the tall bar stools so he could finish making dinner.

“Are you okay with telling me more about your parents? Why they’ll go nuclear about this?” Nanette looked surprised for a second and then offered a small, embarrassed, expression.

“Of course, I thought I’d told you about them already. My mother, Marcelline Dougherty, is also a former pageant champion but she never got into modeling; she became a cosmetologist and pageant coach, as soon as I was old enough to compete I was in kiddie pageants too. My step-father, Paul McReynolds, has been her husband since I was six but he wasn’t really a father to me since my dad kept shared custody and I lived with him two weeks out of the month. He lived nearby up until I was going into Middle School when he confessed to me how he wanted to move a little bit away, I gave him the green light because I just wanted him happy, so he moved to a different town in the city that was far enough that he wouldn’t see mother all the time.” He didn’t voice how odd it was to him that she used the title mother but also the title dad, all that told him was who she was closer to in terms of her parents. Zach held up an avocado after slicing up the tomato and earned a nod.

“Mother and Paul are both very religious, if I wasn’t at my dad’s house or doing pageants I was usually at church or bible studies, they don’t see their bigotry as anything but following the word of God -even if they do cherry pick what they follow and what they’re lenient about- and there are plenty of people who have straight up cut ties with their children because they ended up coming out. Cassie is terrified, and unfortunately she should be, so I’m just trying to figure out how to help her.” Zach set Nanette’s sandwich down in front of her along with a small plate of kale chips for them to share, he’d looked into some alternatives for chips and he didn’t mind these so much, but he could tell it was bothering her.

“Would you be able to get a place on your own? Or are you contracted to live where you are? If you got a house of your own, I mean, couldn’t you just tell your parents you want Cassie to get out of the local area and become a temporary guardian until she’s eighteen?” Nanette chewed on her lower lip for a second and shrugged, looking more than a little lost, and he had no doubt that her parents were the nosy type given the way she was addressing this.

“Mother probably wouldn’t care but Paul wouldn’t like it, Cassie is his daughter -his only kid since mother refuses to go through childbirth again- and he’s the reason she’s even allowed to do field hockey instead of pageants. Even if he won’t actually have her back when she needs him, which is frustrating.” Zach found himself nodding, already disliking the man for putting his daughter -and step daughter- in this position at all since it sounded like Marcelline was the worst kind of bossy Southern woman.

“Well, I can help you go over your employment contract to look at your clause for residency, if you need me to, or I can help figure out what you’d need to put down on a place. I can also just mind my business and let you handle this, I don’t want to overstep.”

“I think I’m going to just learn what I can do to support her for now and if I need to take her in I absolutely will, I don’t want to rush her into thinking she needs to come out with some sort of label right away either, Cassie is only eleven so I’m just trying to be mindful of allowing her to start making her own choices.” Zach nodded and unlocked his tablet, to flip on a video to watch while they ate at the table, before he found himself with another question. He’d left the tablet on his messages application, which had Nanette’s question if he was okay from the day of his almost arrest.

“Hey, uh, that day you messaged me? Why did you ask if I was okay? You never said.” He had confirmed he was fine and sent her a question mark in reply. Nanette blinked and swallowed the mouthful of food with her hand covering her face as she tried to eat quicker. It was a cute habit of hers, to cover her mouth before speaking if she was eating during a meal.

“Delaney called me being super annoying about a false accusation, one of Francesca’s friends named Lillian apparently described someone like you as her assailant when she went out drinking and Lillian’s agent called him so he was all worried about me. I reassured him that she was wrong and you’d been misidentified, but it’s still really annoying. He was so upset about it he called my mother while we were at Cassie’s field hockey game, I mean come on really? I knew you didn’t do what they tried to accuse you of, not only were you at work that night but you’d never do anything like that.” Zach felt torn between relief that Nanette so firmly believed in him and immediate confusion that her agent knew about the incident. He didn’t think it was totally left field for the two agents to know what another, but it didn’t sit right with him.

“Is that a normal thing, those two talking?” Nanette hummed as she looked up from the video before rolling her shoulders in a shrug.

“Kind of? Cheyenne -Lillian and Francesca’s agent- takes a lot of aspiring models that refuse to do the calorie restrictions to try and get them minor film roles. I couldn’t imagine why she’d bring it up unless Lillian’s condition is worse than what I’ve been told, and according to Francesca you wouldn’t even know she’d been hurt looking at her. I kind of think she faked it for attention, wouldn’t be the first time and her boyfriend is a make-up artist.” The food he’d eaten sank like a rock in his gut and Zach excused himself, hating what he was doing as he stood in the bathroom and messaged some of his old contacts. He’d been willing to let it go until Nanette mentioned Lillian’s condition and that she’d faked things like this before.

A confirmation and a promise to dig into it from an old commanding officer of his sent him back to the table and he hoped, against all his doubts, that maybe he was wrong.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here

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You're so Classic Only: @green-socks @whataperfectwasteoftime @harriedandharassed

#zach wellison x ofc #zach wellison x nanette dougherty ofc #brothers and sisters fanfic #zach wellison #model ofc #tw eating disorders #tw food #tw ed #tw abuse mention #tw bdd #tw toxic family #chaoticwrites

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practicalghost · 2 years ago

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The way Nanette and Zach are so gentle and kind to each other is really beautiful. They both have that negative voice in their heads telling them awful things when in reality they’re both incredibly sweet people and deserve someone good.

Also Zach making her the bouquet of silk flowers so she can keep them forever is such a romantic gesture I love him.

You're so Classic (iii)

Enter Nanette Dougherty.

Pairing: Zach Wellison x Nanette Rose Dougherty [ofc]

Rating: Explicit (Blog is 18+ regardless but this is going to be a bit of a heavy story)

Notes and Warnings: Series will involve some heavy topics including but not limited to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, body acceptance, PTSD, anger problems, toxic narcissistic parents, and abusive relationships both platonic and romantic. This installment features mild smut, sex aversion, and themes of implied peer pressure. Beta read by the beautiful, lovely, amazing @leslie-lyman 💙

Chapter Art Done by @daddydindjarin 💙 Click Here

Last Chapter | Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

Blueberry Cobbler (10.9k)

“Turn.”

Nanette shifted her pose, bringing her arms up more to push out her chest as the photographers snapped pictures of her profile, making sure to arch her back just so as the scene coordinator gave an approving thumbs up from the sidelines, and despite the chill of the cold air she was having a good time on this shoot. Camille was posing at another area of the coast, just near enough that they could share the trailer for warmth between changes, and Nanette was eager to tell her friend about Zach.

After their incredible first date she’d invited him to a private photography gallery for date number two, it was a former intern she’d worked with in the past named Kaleigh who managed to get the funding she needed to host her own gallery, and Zach had proven he was no slouch in the semi-formal department when he’d shown up. Pale blue button down with the top two buttons undone, black blazer paired with charcoal slacks, and his work shoes polished up? Nanette had seen the eyes on him as she walked with him at her side the entire night, unable to fight the pride and feeling of victory burning in her blood.

He’d taken her home and kissed her again, just as chaste as the first date, and her cheeks had been flush right up until she went to bed. Zach was honestly so much different than she expected, he was considerate and kind in a way that she hadn’t really experienced before, and she knew that he probably had read all the public available articles of the modeling world so his lack of questions was… both concerning and refreshing.

“Darling, you’re distracted.” Harrison’s voice made her look up at the photographer as he smiled, fondly at least, and Nanette couldn’t help but feel like an idiot for letting it distract her at work.

“Sorry Harrison, it won’t happen again.” The snickering from a few other models nearby was ignored but Nanette knew that they’d tattle to Delaney, she wasn’t a stranger to the constant attempts at one-upping each other wherever possible, but given the fact that she wasn’t the type to allow for distractions she knew that he’d probably just check in to see if she was okay at most. For the rest of the shoot Nanette kept her focus on work, that way it would look like a hiccup at best, and as expected her agent just asked if she was okay and then excused her when the client called the shoot.

“So, you’re almost never distracted here on set, what’s going on Nettie?” Camille’s question made Nanette smile fondly, the two slipping out of their showcase swimsuits in the thin changing tents. Out of all the people she’d met after leaving home it was Camille who had been by her side the longest, they’d gone to their first trial photo shoot together after applying to work with Delaney at the same time. If there was anyone she trusted most it’d be Camille.

“I had a second date.”

“With the guy from the club?”

The reminder of Owen made her skin crawl but Nanette shook that away, that wasn’t a problem anymore, she had a reason to deny hooking up with people now that she had a more valid reason that wasn’t just a flimsy no. Having a steady ‘almost boyfriend’ would be seen as an acceptable reason to turn down the advances of others.

“No actually, his name is Zach and he owns a diner called The Chow Hall. He’s really sweet, Cam, and I really like him.” The confession earned a long look from Camille as she shimmied into her jean shorts but Nanette kept her focus on making sure the bikini she’d been modeling was hung up correctly, her attire for the day was a simple sundress so it hadn’t taken much effort to change at all.

“When did you meet this guy?” Camille’s tone was light but there was skepticism to it that Nanette didn’t like, as if her best friend thought her judgment wasn’t good enough, but rather than calling her out on it she kept her worries tucked away.

Camille only cared about her, she hadn’t been there for the meet up with Zach like she had been with Leon or Owen.

“The night Leon dumped me I stopped by his diner, I wanted something to eat so I didn’t look like a worse loser going home you know? He was kind, and he’s hot, so I couldn’t really stop noticing him and decided to go back again.” It was impossible to keep the smile out of her words, to not get a little bit soft when she thought of her first time meeting Zach even thought it wasn’t even that long ago. Camille led her out of the tents and toward her car now that they were both dressed, the Southern California weather was nice even if it was a little warm, and Camille waited until they were in the car to continue the conversation.

Both of them knew that Delaney was pretty weird about them dating, no doubt he’d go ballistic if he knew that Nanette was seeing someone who owned a diner regardless of it being a place for veterans to begin readapting to civilian life, and Camille’s discretion was something Nanette always appreciated. Their agent really didn’t have a right to stop them from dating, seeing people, or controlling who they were with but he’d used his position of booking them for shoots to punish them when they did things he didn’t like.

Nanette had a list of other agencies she could apply to if Delaney did go nuclear, she’d lawyered up before signing her contract with his agency to ensure they couldn’t throw in any sort of ‘no competition’ clause to prevent her from staying in the industry at her step-father’s suggestion. Which, realistically, was a good idea since he’d already done that to two models who were now waiting tables doing as many film auditions and music auditions that they could find.

“Can we go there, so I can meet him? Or are you, uh, not that sure about him yet?” Camille’s request ripped her out of her rampaging thoughts, making Nanette look up as her friend waited in a long line of traffic, and after a moment’s thought she decided there was no harm in it. Especially since she knew Zach was a good man and that, once they met, Camille would lose the slight wariness in her voice.

“Sure, I can have a small salad since I skipped a heavy meal yesterday and the day before.” After being a little too close to her maximum allotted weight per her contract she’d severely cut back on everything she was eating or drinking, keeping to her room when she was home since Francesca was still on a deficit and their two tempers mixed as well as oil and water on a good day.

Camille parked and Nanette wasn’t surprised to see the diner had plenty of people inside already, most of them talking and laughing while some were drinking coffee with a book, and she decided not to say anything as her best friend took in the decor visible from the outside. The two walked in and Nanette waved at Akenlolu, the woman was using her cane today but she was here, and the server grabbed two menus with a smile.

“I’ll let the boss know you’re here, he should probably take his lunch break anyway. Water with lemon?” Nanette nodded and Camille did too, the veteran leaving them be as they sat at a booth today, but it was pretty obvious when her friend saw Zach for the first time since her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise.

“Holy shit he’s hot.” Camille’s remark made Nanette giggle with a nod, simply turning her head a little to see him weaving through the tables, and she scooted over closer to the window as Zach set their drinks down with one of his own. He was wearing a short sleeve button down today with his black trousers, the buttons mostly done up to her mild dissatisfaction, but he looked so good.

“Nanette, hi, how are you doing?” He kissed her cheek, gentle and affectionate without being too much, and it made her face warm as Camille’s eyes began to absolutely sparkle.

“I’m good, Zach, just got out of a photo shoot and my best friend Camille wanted to come meet you. So I figured we could split a salad.” He looked over at the currently silent observer and offered his hand.

“Camille? It’s nice to meet you, I’m Zach Wellison.”

“I’m afraid Nanette’s been keeping you quite the secret, I bet she knew I’d interrogate you when we met. I’m Camille D’Agostino, and you’re quite lucky I’m the one you met first since our other friends Melinda and Shaye are a lot nosier than I am.” Zach chuckled but Nanette laughed, covering her mouth to soften the sound, and Camille pouted but she broke into a soft laugh of her own.

“You’re also a model, then?”

“Yep, Nanette and I have modeled for the same agency since we started doing it.” Zach was grinning at least and after Akenlolu came to take orders Nanette found herself relaxing the more that the pair beside her talked, Camille was telling him about growing up on the East Coast and it was nice to know that her friend trusted him enough to tell him where she was really from, and knowing that she basically had Camille’s approval meant a lot to her.

“So what are your intentions with Nettie? I’ll have you know she’s very amazing and she’s my best friend so you need to answer this very carefully.”

“Oh Cam, seriously?”

“Yeah seriously.” Cam sniffed and tipped her nose up at Nanette when she tried to intervene, the interaction making Zach chuckle, and Nanette glanced at him with a roll of her eyes.

“You don’t have to answer her, she’s being ridiculous.”

“I know. But my intentions are simply to take care of Nanette and do whatever is in my power to keep her happy and safe.” His answer earned a nod from Camille but for Nanette her face warmed again since he’d looked right at her when he said it even if he was answering Camille. It felt extraordinarily intimate since his voice was so soft, his eyes keeping hers locked on him, and Nanette squirmed in her seat before she could really stop herself. When the shiver of heat began to run down her spine, sending chills down her arms, she felt a small stab of panic but kept her face as clear and relaxed as she could. Still dealing with the aftermath of what she went through with Owen, emotionally, she didn’t know if she was ready to lie to Zach about enjoying being in bed with him.

It’s fine, she was fine, it was okay to have the guy she wanted to date turn her on.

If Zach or Camille noticed the shift in her behavior neither one of them said anything and Nanette managed to keep her bodily reactions under control, spending the rest of lunch laughing and sharing stories about some of the models they’d worked with in the past or how some of the security for the shoots had looked silly falling into the sand when people passing by tried to come get a closer look and the employees had moved to intervene.

By the time she got back to her place Francesca was thankfully still on set filming for her minor role in an art film, leaving Nanette the rest of the afternoon to tidy up the living room and clean up the bathroom before she retreated when she heard her roommate’s loud car pull into the driveway. Francesca slammed the front closed before stomping to her room and slamming that door too as Nanette exhaled, waiting just in case the aspiring actress decided to come try and pick a fight, and the knocking on her door moments later made Nanette plaster a pleasant look on her face.

All she had to do was be polite and she could get Francesca to leave her be. If she was polite then any problems that came from this couldn’t be pinned on her.

“Hey Frannie. How was filming.” Watching Francesca’s lips tighten into a flat line made it pretty clear to Nanette that this wasn’t supposed to be a casual talk.

“It was fucking awful, don’t pretend like you don’t already know that. What did you do with my moisturizer?” Nanette kept her smile as soft as she could even as her own mood plummeted into anger and annoyance, still reeling from the confusing burst of emotions from lunch.

“It’s in your cosmetic’s drawer, Frannie, I just wanted to wipe the sink counter down so I put it with the rest of your makeup.” The ‘where it belongs’ was unspoken but Nanette should have known better than to think that her roommate, who was already in a worked up mood, would let the issue rest there.

“I use it every day, which is why I keep it on the counter, don’t accuse me of being a slob.”

“Frannie, please don’t put words in my mouth.”

“It’s pretty fucking clear that you think I’m a slob otherwise you would have put it back on the counter top when you were done instead of under the sink. Whatever, thank you for cleaning a little bit.” Francesca’s temper wasn’t gone but she wasn’t as loud or sharp toned anymore, which Nanette would count as a win, and the model inhaled heavily as soon as she closed the door before letting her back rest against it. The sharp, aggressive, tones made her shiver as she fought against the rising panic.

She was fine, she was perfectly okay. Francesca was in a pissy mood but it was fine, it was nothing like her mother and Dad used to be.

Once her breathing was back under control she found herself choosing to collapse in bed, dreading the nightmares she’d no doubt be plagued by after today, but she didn’t have the energy to do anything else today.

Gentle fingers pressed into the curve of her waist, mouth moving languidly against his as she perched in his lap, and Nanette’s own hands were playing with the hair at the base of his neck as Zach held her like she was something precious. His strength went beyond the physical aspects, how he’d easily picked her up and carried her from the doorway of the apartment all the way to her bedroom, the sheer presence of him was making her heart race but not out of discomfort.

“So beautiful.” Zach’s voice was rough with desire against her lips, the flush on her skin luring his mouth to trail open mouth kisses down her neck as she squirmed against his lap and allowed her head to drop back. His breath was heating her already warm skin and the touch of his tongue against her was making her hands shake with how badly she wanted him, teeth setting hard in her lower lip to contain the sounds threatening to spill out of her.

“Let me hear you, pretty girl.” One of the hands on her waist had lifted to tug at her lower lip, his thumb resting against the plush skin right as a whimper bubbled out of her when he suckled at the area between her collar bones. As soon as his teeth nipped, just hard enough to make her gasp, Zach groaned loudly into the open room and moved his hand to grip her hip instead of her waist.

The chills down her spine made her shiver and Nanette felt the touch of his fingers move to her thigh before his hand was sliding up her leg under her skirt. The string of whispered pleas for him to keep going made Zach shiver too and Nanette drew his thumb into her mouth and sucked right as his own thumb brushed over her dripping center on her underwear. The feather light brush of his fingertips was like a spark to kindling with how worked up she was, her hips rocking down for more and her back bowing at the way it felt.

“Look at you.” The drag of fingertips along her covered slit made her whine but when he caught her clit and pressed Nanette’s eyes slammed closed as she writhed from the touch.

“Give it to me, Nanette, let me see you come.” His plea was followed by the touch of bare fingers against her wet lips as he moved her underwear to the side and the thumb in her mouth was pressing against her tongue as she rocked her hips harder before she broke.

Slick wetness between her legs and the aftershocks were the first things to register when Nanette woke up, gasping and breathing like she’d just run a marathon, her eyes wide as she stared at her ceiling. The sensation of fingers pressing into her waist and hips were still there, phantoms of her imagination lingering just out of reach, and the morbid realization of what just happened to her made Nanette’s chest tighten. There was no way, at all, that she could have ever dreamed up something so perfect and so painful.

She wanted to fit in, that was why her mind was trying to trick her into enjoying it, it was just a dream.

But Nanette couldn’t stop herself from crying, mourning something that would never happen that way, feeling bitter that she’d been allowed to create such a perfect scene when she knew the reality was going to hurt her so deeply instead and now this would be haunting her. Silent tears streaked down her face as she escaped to the bathroom and climbed in the shower, washing away the evidence of her shame as she wrapped her arms around her self.

There wasn’t any way for her Mother to know, Nanette hadn’t done anything wrong and she hadn’t technically touched herself.

The water washed away the tears and the slick but it couldn’t erase the pain or shame she felt.

Zach didn’t know what he’d done wrong.

After meeting Camille he’d thought that his relationship with Nanette was solid enough that he could ask if they could be exclusive, if she trusted him to meet her best friends that had to count for something right? He reasoned with himself that she’d been busy, that she hadn’t answered his last two texts because she was just working, since Camille’s Instagram was loaded with pictures of what looked like at least four different shoots in the course of a week and Nanette had two others on hers.

But it still left an ugly feeling in his chest, left the idea that he’d read her wrong and that she was done with him.

He wondered if Camille meeting him had been unexpected and she was ashamed of what he did.

No, no she wouldn’t be. Nanette knew what he did for a living before she went on two dates with him.

Every noise from his phone had him scrambling for the device, worried that he’d miss a chance to talk to her, and it was so distracting that his entire staff rallied together to make him take two days off and rest. Leaving him at home alone, pacing and pent up, as he let the Food Network channel play whatever it was airing while he looked for something to occupy his hands.

Tidying up the various things he left laying around, dusting, running the vacuum and even cleaning the baseboards… he was going out of his mind with this ugly tangle of annoyance and worry caught in his throat.

Nanette wasn’t hurt, he knew that because she was still posting on Instagram once a day and sometimes more, so while he wasn’t worried about her being injured he was worried about her being healthy. It had not escaped his notice that she’d made sure Camille ate more of the salad they ordered and the questions had been burning on the tip of his tongue, to know if they were going to be okay with that little amount of food, but he’d kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his place to try and… well to try and control what it was they ate or how they lived.

Zach would never be able to forgive himself if he crossed the line between concern and control, he could still hear the loud shouting not only of his drill instructors and his commanding officers from his time in service but from his own father just over the soft fear in his Mother’s voice. He had always tried so hard to be better than the man that had been determined to shape him into an angry, violent, young man; joining the military to appease his father and to escape him.

He picked up his phone and decided that, regardless of the time, he was going to try and do more than just sit back passively this time as he scrolled to Nanette’s contact and pressed the call button. It was answered but he could hear talking in the background about lighting, positioning for props, and someone complaining about stretched seams.

“I’ll be right back, Shaye. Hi Zach.”

“Hi Nanette, I didn’t realize- you could have let it go to voice mail.”

Guilt rose up in his chest at the exhausted edge to her voice, breathy and tired, and his anger began to slide away into the ugly self-loathing about how he wasn’t actually anywhere near being over his issues with his confidence and self-worth. He had again believed the worst in her, unintentionally pushing his issues onto her actions.

“No, I’ve been really busy lately. I’ve had a shoot each day after my agent got a contract for three different magazines, by the time I get done I’m too tired to do anything.”

“Do you need me to bring you anything? Can I bring you anything? I don’t want to get you in trouble but I can bring something to eat if you need it.”

To try and make-up for his slight Zach felt the need to take care of her, to do something other than just sit back and stew in his guilt. Realistically he knew he needed to reach out to his therapist, she knew about Nanette and how dating a model was tanking his own self-confidence, but right now he couldn’t stand the idea of doing anything for himself and his mental state when the little voice in his head demanded he care for the woman he wanted to be with.

“I mean we’re allowed to eat a light salad with oil and vinegar but they don’t have that here on the catering table so most of us just drink water on meal break. Have been for three days.”

“I can bring a large container of salad greens with some oil and vinegar for you all, I just miss you and want to see you.”

“I… you- really? I mean, I miss you too Zach but you don’t have to do that since you won’t get paid for it.”

“I’m not worried about the money, Nanette, I’m worried about you. You sound exhausted and I can’t imagine how hard it is on you to skip meals like that.”

The confession was a little strong for how he usually handled her career talk but he felt the need to show her that he cared, that he was worried but wouldn’t intervene unless she asked him to.

“I’d like that, Zach, and I know the others would too.”

“Okay, do I need to bring anything other than my ID?”

“No, I’ll let security know to expect you and send you the location. Thank you, Zach.”

“Of course, Nanette, I’ll be there soon then.”

As soon as the call ended he was shutting off his television and hurrying toward the door after changing out his over sized sleep shirt for a tighter fitting white shirt from his dresser, he warned Ramirez that he was coming in to get everything together himself and then he was out the door after putting on his shoes. Zach had the address and put it into his car’s built in GPS, the detour at the diner took a bit of time since he grabbed some insulated bags and containers but the longest part of the ride was heading to the shoot itself.

Following his therapist’s recommendations Zach reminded himself about the things he’d done that were good, that helped people and lifted them up, about all the progress he’d made since meeting Justin and starting the process of getting back on his feet. It was hard to look at it and be proud, when right now that ugly voice in his head was trying to tell him he’d only done good things to repay the chance he’d been given, but Zach knew that wasn’t true.

Even before the military he was someone that his friends could depend on, he was a protector and caretaker and well liked even when he lost his temper or had his own outbursts. He’d been a kid born to unfortunate circumstances who had someone trying to teach him to be cruel, his way of adapting had been avoiding the path of cruelty as much as possible and striving to be kind.

But sometimes he saw it, in his reflection mostly since he inherited his father’s nose and face shape, Zach could see the shadow of anger and danger that was hiding in wait for the moment he slipped up.

“Get it together, Wellison, you’re fine. Nanette’s just busy and she’s not upset with you.” It was rare that he indulged talking with himself but he’d learned that sometimes he needed to.

The shoot was a wide stretch of the shore and security flagged his car into a private parking lot, showing them his ID and then letting them do a pat down before he was taking the cold bags to a tent with tables of sandwiches and snacks. Nanette was posing on the sand right now and his eyes raked over the exposed skin from the mono-kini she was modeling, the butter yellow fabric looked gorgeous on her and her hair was hanging loose as she arched her back a little more like she was getting ready to jump and hit a volley ball back at an imaginary opponent.

A pose where she was on her knees in the sand, hands resting on her thighs, with her hair hanging over one shoulder followed; he noticed how still she was and couldn’t help but wonder just how long she could hold a pose for. The next pose had her leaning back to set her hands in the soft sand, still on her knees, and arching her back like she was stretching and about to get up.

Two more quick poses and lunch was called and Zach caught Nanette’s eye when she started heading toward the tables, watching her grab a larger zip up jacket that she slipped over the bathing suit before she was walking over to him and smiling so gently as she leaned on the table slightly.

“You’re a hero, seriously, I’m famished. I’m sorry it’s been busy and-“ Nanette’s worried expression made him feel guilty again and he captured both her hands in his to interrupt her, loving that he could see the touch of color under the make-up she was wearing. Just being here with her, knowing he could do something for her, was easing the knot of self-loathing that had begun forming in his chest.

“Don’t apologize for working, this is the least I could do for you, Nanette.” He couldn’t tell her what he’d thought, afraid that if he spoke it into existence he would curse himself, so instead Zach kept that truth tucked away to discuss with his therapist at his next appointment. He served up some salad to the models, greeting Camille warmly, and if it weren’t for the sour look on the face of the suit wearing man walking their way Zach would have thought everyone here was very down-to-earth.

“I’m Delaney St. John, Nanette’s agent, you run a diner?” The greeting was borderline rude and Zach felt his already turbulent emotions begin shifting to anger, years of being looked down on by men like this hadn’t done anything for him other than make him defensive when confronted like this.

“I’m Zachary Wellison, and yes I run The Chow Hall.” His diner had made headlines for being one of the only places in LA to hire veterans only so he wasn’t at all surprised to see recognition on the man’s face.

“Right, well, thank you for bringing something to eat for Nanette and the others and being conscious of their restrictions. Ladies, I need to remind you that measurements and physicals are due this weekend since I haven’t gotten any yet.” His eyes darted to Nanette and Zach felt her flinch a little, wondering if he’d inadvertently led to her needing to cut back in order to maintain her weight and measurements.

After Delaney walked away she fell quieter and took smaller bites of food, leaving Zach to believe that she felt like her physical and measurements would be a problem.

“Hey, Nanette, are you going to be okay?” He hated prying like this but he felt guilty again, even if she was an adult with the ability to refuse what he offered Zach would sometimes come and eat a dessert with her and give her a bite or two when she came in for lunch. He watched her nod without speaking, her stare distant, and Camille offered him a knowing smile.

“Nettie will be fine, Louis is good at getting the four of us to stay where we need to. It’s just Delaney being a bastard because Nettie, Shaye, Mel, and I keep ourselves within five pounds of our maximum weight.” The explanation didn’t really soothe his worries, the fact that their contract came with a maximum allowed weight made him angrier than Delaney’s attitude had but he knew he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Mhm, I’ll be okay. But thank you, Zach, for worrying about me without being bossy or weird about it.” Nanette leaned up to kiss his cheek and he opened one of his arms, letting her snuggle against his side as she sipped from her water bottle, but he noticed that Delaney was still shooting him dirty looks from where he was talking with the make-up team. Zach met that glare with a flat expression of his own, refusing to back down, and the suit wearing man looked away after glancing at Zach’s bicep where his tattoo rested.

“You know your job, and your body’s capabilities, better than I do Nanette. I’ll still worry but I trust you to tell me if something is wrong that I need to be more concerned about.” He watched her eyes widen, watched the flush darken under her make up, and he wanted to kiss her but the loud ringing signaling the end of lunch interrupted him. Before he left he stopped Nanette with a soft smile.

“Hey, can you let me know when you’re not busy? I want to plan a date if you’re okay with that?” Nanette blinked and nodded, lips lifting into a fond smile.

“I’ll text you my schedule when I get the chance, Zach, and I’m sorry again I’ve been so busy.”

“Stop apologizing for that, just take care of yourself.” He earned a giggle and kissed her forehead, making Nanette gasp softly at the touch of his lips, and Zach grabbed the empty bin of salad greens to bring back to the diner with a smile on his face and relief blooming in his chest.

He was okay, they were fine.

Nanette was still shaken from seeing Zach on site and revealing the truth of what they were to everyone but not anywhere near where she had been, which was good, and Nanette felt the weight of Delaney’s stare as she talked with Louis about her new schedule for the gym. After the series of shoots had finally ended she had three designers who reached out to hire her for their evening wear runway events, an offer that Delaney would have been an idiot to refuse since the COO of the agency had been the one to pass the message along.

Thanks to Louis monitoring her weight and measurements on a bimonthly basis already she’d known that she’d been flirting with her limits, the most recent deficit was self-imposed and her trainer had been proud of her for making that call and following through with it. There was a lot to do still since she was just shy of a few pounds below where she was allowed to be, of course, but that was the point of a new schedule and working with Louis to create an eating plan that would better suit her.

“You’re doing a good job, Nanette, I’m proud of you. You make my job easier and I appreciate you, girl.” Louis’ praise made her smile, unable to help the way she felt knowing she was doing something good for him, and as her trainer walked away she found herself face-to-face with her very upset agent.

“Is something the matter, Delaney?” His lips curled slightly into a scowl at her pleasant tone and she kept the shakiness from her voice as best as she could, for all the times she resisted his more outlandish requests and tantrums she was still worried about the idea that he’d try and crush her career. But when he handed her a bundle of paperwork she’d been given two days before, that she’d refused to sign, Nanette found herself looking up at him and all the shakiness leaving her.

“Why didn’t you sign this?”

“I’m not going to get a breast enlargement and you legally can’t force me to do so, nor can you release me because of my refusal.”

He stared at her and she stared right back, channeling as much of her mother’s quiet anger as she could, and the man’s nostrils flared slightly as he clenched his fingers around the twenty-page long surgery and recovery plan. But for as much as she was fighting it she couldn’t help but feel that worry, that niggling little fear that he was only doing this to help her later, and she hated that she wasn’t sure but Nanette was sure she was happy with her body.

There was nothing wrong with her the way she was, her shoots were popular and now she had been specifically requested by new clients to the company.

With her silence and continued refusal the man finally tucked the papers away and grabbed his tablet, e-mailing her an updated schedule with a lot of new shoots and events on it.

“Very well. Seeing as several others have agreed to it I’m diving their workload, and I don’t want your boyfriend on site again.” Delaney’s sharp tone made Nanette flinch, but only after he’d turned away from her, and she made a noncommittal noise as she turned around to go find Camille and the others.

Shaye and Mel had complimented her on landing a man as good looking as Zach, with several other girls admitting they would snatch him up in a heartbeat if she fucked up with him, but Camille had pulled her aside to quietly confess that she was happy to see Nanette with someone that was good to her. Knowing her friends liked him made it harder to come to grips with the fact that she was terrified, her brain had created this impossible fantasy and she wasn’t sure how long she could lie to him about enjoying sex, and as much as she wanted to run away she also couldn’t imagine not having him in her life.

But they were too far gone to ever be able to just be friends.

Camille spotted her and a testament to Nanette’s control of her facial expressions came in the fact that her best friend hadn’t noticed any of her inner turmoil, or maybe it was a testament to Camille’s friendship that she noticed and hadn’t said anything. Whatever the case was Nanette was able to breathe since the girls were too eager discussing the new work that had come in for them with how many of the others had agreed to get breast enlargement surgeries on the company dime.

The more modeling they did meant they had more opportunities to be picked up by bigger contracts, become more desired and maybe even get as far as being on the runway for Fashion Week in Paris.

Nanette found herself nodding and humming along where she needed to as her friends talked even with her mind miles away, trying to think about how best to approach the subject with Zach. It was possible he would be okay delaying sex, that maybe he wasn’t so traditionalist to expect it from her on the third date, but most people she’d gone out with having the intention of dating them monogamously had proven too eager and often pushed for it on the first date.

Zach wasn’t anything like anyone she’d met before though, he was down-to-earth and patient, he was kind and considerate in a way that most people she’d met weren’t. But the fear that she’d bring it up and find out he did want it, that he’d only date her exclusively if she was willing to sleep with him, kept her from doing so. When he’d called her up saying he missed her, without even being upset at her for ghosting him, she’d been -and still was- plagued with guilt.

This sweet, caring, man had wanted to see her so bad that he’d been willing to bring a salad to a photo shoot for her and the other models.

Meanwhile all she’d been able to think about was how awful she was for treating him like the men she’d been with before, guilty for trying to put him on a pedestal and running from him because her own traitorous brain couldn’t just let her have this one thing, and yet he only seemed to want to take care of her and make sure she was okay.

“So, since we have three days off please tell me you’re going to go on date three with Zach? He’s a real sweetheart, I think he’s the type to be a giver if you know what I mean.” Shaye waggled her eyebrows and Melinda burst into laughter, the raunchy grin on Camille’s face made Nanette nod even though the implication compounded the guilt she was feeling for ghosting Zach because she wasn’t normal.

“Excellent, I have the perfect dress you can wear too. When Cam drops us all off I can pop in and grab it for you.” With that said the four of them left the agency gym together and began walking toward the parking lot where Camille had her parking pass registered, it was further away but the walking was good for them and it was a gated parking lot with security on site twenty-four seven.

Nanette let the girls fantasize about what her third date could possibly be, they all agreed that it was unlikely for Zach to take her out to eat after his visit on set but the girls were quick to throw around walks on the beach or going out to the club, and Nanette knew that they had him all wrong. The beach walks were more likely than a club, Zach had proven he was very much a romantic with his picnic date, an artist with how he’d reacted to her date at the photography gallery, and it made Nanette wonder what he might have up his sleeve next.

After taking the dress Mel had for her and then being dropped off at home, which was blessedly empty since Francesca’s minor role required her to drive four hours upstate and was paying for a hotel for three days, all Nanette could do was stare at her phone and work up the will to text or call Zach again so they could coordinate a time and place. She wanted this date, she did, but it still felt overwhelming knowing that everyone was expecting her to sleep with him now that it was date three. That he might expect her to sleep with him since it was date three.

It was absolutely shitty of her, to go radio silent and use her work as an excuse for not contacting him.

The fact that he trusted her enough to know her own body had her eyes filling with tears, this was completely new to her. Even her mother and step-father had policed her diet and any sort of activities she’d done when she was shifting from pageants to modeling, and as a child growing up she’d only really known heavy restrictions and being interrogated about every little thing she did. This level of trust was… new.

Tapping out a text to let him know she was officially free for three days, sending it before she could stop herself, Nanette wiped away the tears and began the chore of cleaning off her make-up instead of dwelling on her twisted up emotions. The chime of a response made her glance at the device and smile, he clearly had it on hand if he’d answered that quickly, and she tapped the call button before throwing it on speaker since that was what he’d wanted.

“Three days huh? Well as much as I’d love to steal you away for all three I don’t want you to get sick of me either.”

“I could never, Zach.”

It was upsetting how hard on himself Zach could be, she wasn’t blind to how he seemed to not realize how incredible he was, and Nanette wasn’t going to let him keep doing that if she could help it.

“How about Saturday night I take you out?”

“I’d like that, is there any way I should dress?”

“Semi-formal, I’ll pack something to eat for dinner but I’ll keep it light.”

“A picnic at night? I’ve never done that before.”

“Good, then it’ll be a complete surprise. How was the rest of your week?”

Things with him were easy in a way Nanette hadn’t ever had before, revealing her new workload and why -ignoring how her heart skipped when he called her perfect the way she was and being upset that her agent even wanted her to undergo any cosmetic surgeries at all- and Zach told her about two new hires and how Akenlolu’s waiting paid off in being hired for an accounting job after completing the required education for it.

After putting on her moisturizer and tying her hair up loosely to keep it off her face she went to the kitchen with her phone in hand, throwing together a light dinner of whitefish over greens, and she talked with Zach well into the evening as he asked about her favorite films and music. Steering the conversation from work where they began learning about each other, like how Zach’s mother was actually from Mexico and he spoke fluent Spanish and how she was never taught any foreign languages as a kid.

By the time they were both yawning, needing to go to sleep, Nanette didn’t want to let him go. Something about him made her crave the closeness, like this, just a little longer she wanted to live in this time before she would have to deal with the physical of their relationship. But they couldn’t, both of them too tired after the day, and Nanette refilled her water bottle but paused as she looked in the full-length mirror in the living room.

Taking in her appearance, pausing on her thighs and hips, turning to the side and pressing a hand to the smooth skin of her torso.

She was in weight range, her measurements hadn’t changed, she was fine.

Just in case she was going to make sure she didn’t eat anything heavy, just to be safe.

He was excited, basically dancing on the balls of his feet as he slipped into a pair of comfortable but dressy shoes, and Zach ignored the rising nerves as he looked in the mirror at his reflection. His slacks were wrinkle free aside from the ones due to motion and wear and his button up was crisp and clean, the white fabric was miraculously stain free and he ignored the faint five o’clock shadow as he used a nice cologne and ran a hand through his hair. Leather belt through the belt loops of his pants, sleeves rolled up since the night was warm, and Zach was out the door before he could worry himself late.

The food was already packed away, no dessert tonight, and he only cursed Saturday night traffic once as he made his way to Nanette’s apartment building. He glanced at the bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat again, hoping his mother’s lessons in craft earned him something, and he hoped Nanette liked the handmade silk flowers. Recycled from silk fabric that came from clothing meant to be destroyed for small things like fraying or stains on a small area, he’d worked to reduce as much of the waste as he could and was proud of the colorful arrangement.

They were a variety of colors and fabrics, the stems and leaves were multitudes of greens while the blooms were vibrant mixes of colors and patterns, a rainbow of silk and a mish-mash of designs, but he’d been told by Hill and Mosby that the bouquet was beautiful so he was hoping they weren’t lying.

He pulled up to the temporary parking place and grabbed the bouquet, calling Nanette to come down since he didn’t know exactly which apartment was hers, and Zach felt his breath catch in his throat when she stepped out from the building. The dress was stunning in an ombre of colors like the sunrise, her dark hair pulled up in a twist with a few loose strands to frame her face, and her lips were dark and curling into a smile as she walked over.

“These are for you.” The words were just above a breathy whisper, his eyes wide, and Nanette’s smile seemed to grow into a toothy grin as she examined the silk flowers.

“This is beautiful, I love that they’re fabric so I don’t have to be afraid of them wilting.” He noticed the shiny diamond bracelet and took note of it, since he doubted she’d wear anything less precious of a stone, but he was drawn to the way her eyes were on him as she leaned up to kiss him right on the corner of the mouth. It was hard to restrain himself from capturing her in his arms and kissing her properly, the tease of her cheek was the only thing he gave himself, and Nanette giggled when he opened the car door for her before settling into the passenger seat.

He had to get moving or there was a chance he might try and convince her to have a night in.

“I hope you can dance in those.” He glanced at her strappy heels, ignoring the flash of discomfort seeing the red sole disappear as the interior light turned off, and Nanette giggled as she set the bouquet down beside his cold bag.

“Of course I can, I didn’t know you could dance. You never said.”

“My Mama took me with her to lessons when I was growing up, I used to- I had a lot of energy to burn and she didn’t want me doing it in a dangerous way.” Maria Wellison, bless her heart, had wanted him to be gentle and calm, not as angry and aggressive as his father so Zach had dance lessons after school instead of hanging out with the other military kids who started getting into trouble for fights.

Zach honestly could never thank his Mama enough for what she’d done, teaching him how to do basic needlework and make silk flowers and letting him create, and even though he’d never get her back into the States again now that she and his father were divorced he talked to her at least three times a week.

“Your mother sounds lovely, she must be proud of you.”

“She is, yea, even if it’s hard for me to believe it sometimes.”

He glanced down when Nanette set her hand on his where he was tapping the gear shift nervously, unable to meet her eyes since he was driving, but the warmth of her voice and her words made him wish he could pull over and look into her eyes.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Zach, you’re amazing. What you do for others is something so kind, you give them a chance to adapt and grow and find a place to belong after what I an only imagine is such a hard life.” He felt that glaring self-doubt ignite, the reminder of what he’d done during his time in lingering, and even though he knew she was right he couldn’t shake that darkness looming just out of reach.

His therapist and Justin were the only ones who knew that some nights he woke up with the phantom sensation of a gun in his hand, with blood and dirt on his uniform, and the sound of gunfire deafening him as he curled in bed. Part of him was afraid that he’d mess up, that if he pushed this too soon he’d hurt Nanette because he was stuck with his demons, but he couldn’t live in fear forever.

“Thank you, Nanette, I’ll try to remember that more.”

“You’d better, you’re a good man Zachary Wellison and I’m so happy to have been able to meet you.”

The park wasn’t even close to being full when he arrived, slinging the cold bag over his shoulder, and Nanette looped her arm in his as they traversed the stone pathway toward where a pavilion was set up with picnic benches and other people loitering around or eating. He handed his tickets to the attendant and they picked a bench to sit at, ignoring the eyes on them as he unpacked the lean meal, and Nanette was making it pretty obvious how curious she was as she looked around.

“In about an hour there’s going to be live bands playing, tonight is slow jazz and R&B.” He remembered her mentioning that she listened to a lot of Etta James, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald after moving out of her parent’s house. He knew tonight that there was a veteran he met on tour singing Andrea Bocelli covers too, which was why he’d been pretty excited that the stars had aligned for him, so it was hard to contain that energy.

He watched her eat, unable to help it now that he knew a little more about her work life and her restrictions, but clearly he’d packed the right things since she didn’t hesitate or even question it. Zach had gone for lighter and brighter greens, pickled onions, and roasted chicken with warmer spices like cinnamon and cardamom and turmeric to balance the vinegar and tangy flavors on the greens. It was hard to avoid using certain ingredients since that was how his Mama taught him to cook but finding new recipes online had worked in his favor, knowing that Nanette liked everything just made it that much better.

By the time they were done eating, with him taking the cold bag and dishes back to the car, the bands were done setting up and he spread out the blanket he’d brought so they could sit in the grass with everyone else as the benches were moved off to the sides of the pavilion to create a dance floor.

“Thank you, Zach, this is beautiful.” Nanette’s voice was soft as she slipped her hand in his and rested her head against his shoulder, the first group up leaned right into romance as the petite female singer began crooning into the microphone and her band mates began playing the bouncy melody of Ella Fitzgerald’s It’s a Pity to Say Goodnight. Nanette softly sang the words beside him, making Zach smile as she tapped her thumb against his hand in time to the melody, and he grinned before helping her up and moving to the dance floor.

He was pleasantly surprised that she could keep up with him as he free styled a dance routine, adding some jive style moves into his spins and twirls, but she kept up with him and he was reminded that she had grown up doing a variety of talents and pageants of all kinds. It made him smile as he pulled her close when the music shifted to something slower and the singer’s voice lowered, with Nanette mouthing the words and the live instruments echoing under the pavilion top.

They stopped here and there to simply sit and listen, or when the performers would switch out, and after four groups Zach smiled when he saw Guzman get up on stage.

“Guzman is good, I know him from when I was in the service, he sings Andrea Bocelli and sounds great doing it.” Nanette’s eyes twinkled and she got up, offering her hand to him, so Zach followed her to the dance floor as Guzman looked right at him and winked before spinning his guitar around his body to play. The familiar strumming as Zach and Nanette started to dance together made Zach smile as he leaned his face down enough to whisper the lyrics into Nanette’s ear.

Bésame Mucho was the one song he remembered his father ever singing to his Mama and even that was when he was very young, before the man lost all the rest of his kindness, and Zach couldn’t help but sing it to Nanette. Something about her chased away the darkness in his world, and even with the pavilion only illuminated by fairy lights the world around him was brighter with her in it, and Zach made a promise to himself that he’d do whatever it took to make sure she knew that. A promise that he’d never lose this blossoming love or any of his kindness, that he’d be patient and understanding always so that his world stayed this bright.

Like there was just an aurora around the two of them when they were together like this or something, it was cliché but the whole cartoon sparkles and bubbles were really a thing since his belly felt like he’d been filled with butterflies, and her playful smile was softened by the glow in her eyes.

His first kiss with her was there on that dance floor, her hand in his and his other hand on her back, but it was perfection as she pressed her lips to his and swayed with him to the music. That light feeling in his chest followed him all the way through Guzman’s set, all the way back to his car as the park closed down, and Nanette’s hand in his stayed there the entire ride back to hers.

“Zach? Did you- do you want to come up?” He felt the slightest shake in Nanette’s hands and heard it in her voice, unsure if it was nerves or excitement, as he reached a red light Zach glanced at her face carefully. There wasn’t anything in her expression to say she didn’t want this, that he could see in this lighting, and Zach had to turn his head back to the road before he could really examine her expression. Things with Nanette were surprisingly easy compared to what he was used to, everything he’d been through so far often came learned or acquired the hard way, and Zach wanted this to be another easy thing for them.

If they were compatible everywhere, as a couple and in bed, he’d feel much better asking her to go exclusive.

“Only if you want me to, Nanette.” He answered truthfully, that while he did want to have her under him or on him like that he wasn’t going to demand it, and he felt Nanette’s grip on his hand tighten a little only briefly.

“I want you to come up, Zach.” They pulled into the parking lot and Zach wasn’t surprised when the lot security was suspicious but Nanette cleared his car as a guest vehicle, which was a big commitment since it basically gave him free reign to come over when he wanted unless she revoked it, and he followed her to the elevator after finding her designated parking space.

But something about having her like this, in this closed space knowing what she wanted from him, created something electric in the air and Zach began noticing everything. How Nanette’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, how her pupils had expanded when she tipped her head to look at him, the way she seemed to fidget and how her grip on his hand kept shifting just a little.

Like she couldn’t contain herself with him.

He didn’t have to question it as he turned to face her, the elevator doors sliding closed after what felt like a century, because Nanette made it clear as she stepped close to him and kissed him. Zach moaned into her mouth, unable to help himself, hands dropping to her waist to hold her close and Nanette whined softly against his lips as she gripped his biceps.

He let her walk him back to the wall of the elevator, let her cage him against the solid surface, and he was just as addicted to the feeling of her lips on his as she seemed to be because even parting for air was so brief and the chime of the elevator shocked both of them when it sounded. Nanette’s face was flushed almost as pink as her dress, breathing erratic, and Zach let her pull him to her apartment while taking note of the number on the door as she unlocked it.

There was a full length mirror in the living space, the kitchen wasn’t large but it was tidy and everything looked like what he’d expect from a pretty fancy LA apartment, but her room was surprisingly small until he realized that the closet was bigger than her room when she practically tossed her heels through the door muttering something about putting them away later.

He grinned as Nanette pushed him back onto her bed and Zach let her straddle his lap as he slowed things down, one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her lower back as the kiss turned languid. He wanted to savor this, to get to watch every expression on her face when he was able to touch her bare, and Nanette didn’t fight it. The slow movement of their lips, the way her hands drifted down his chest so her nails could run along his torso over the shirt, all of it made his head hazy and the blood rush south when she bit his lower lip and rocked her hips in the same beat.

Zach found the pin holding her twist up and pulled, the loose braid dropping down her back, and Nanette whimpered against his lips as he let his tongue run against her mouth before she opened for him. It was bliss, the feeling of her wet tongue brushing his and the smell of her perfume this close, her warm body perched in his lap as she angled her head to deepen the kiss. He was content like this, sitting on her bed just kissing her, but Nanette shifted again and he could tell she was either turned on or impatient and he couldn’t decide which choice he liked more.

“So beautiful.” He traced his nose along hers before trailing soft kisses across her cheek to nip at her ear and Nanette squirmed, gripping the fabric of his shirt as she shivered, and he licked the shell of her ear in a tease as he rocked his hips up and used the hand on her lower back to hold her still.

“Can I taste you, Nanette?” Zach was a giver, always had been, when it came to relationships; his biggest problem was that he had a habit of giving too much and getting heartbroken in return when his partner never reciprocated, be it affection or time or even just being there. He couldn’t turn that off and the desire to have Nanette writhing over him as he looked up at her, as she trembled above him, it was all consuming.

“Y-yes.” Nanette’s voice had gone quiet, uncomfortably quiet, and Zach paused what he was doing to study her face. He could see it now, in the wide eyes and parted lips, the discomfort lurking in her expression. He stopped her when she tried to distract him with a kiss, with her hips on his, and the shine of tears on her face put a full stop to everything.

“Hey, easy, talk to me. What’s going on?” He softened his voice, making her sit beside him, and Nanette’s body shook a little before the tears slipped free as she smeared her make up to wipe them away.

This was not how things were supposed to go but Nanette knew she’d messed it all up and now Zach was going to leave for good.

Couldn’t just keep it the fuck together for a little bit longer, what a joke.

His eyes were wide with worry and Nanette knew he deserved an answer, as much as she wanted to just run, but her breathing and her emotions just wouldn’t cooperate. It took several long minutes of Zach just holding her, using one of her handkerchiefs to clean up her face and then hugging her, before she found the ability to even speak again.

“I’m sorry I just- I’ve been all up in my head all night because I knew I wanted this with you but it’s never… there’s something wrong with me because it’s never been good and I don’t want you to leave because I’m not good enough-“ The words tumbled out before she could filter them, needing him to know that it wasn’t him that was the issue, and she had to stop herself as soon as she admitted that she was fucked up somehow. It was officially over before it began, it didn’t matter how patient or kind a man was when it came to their work, she was going to find out that she wasn’t worth his time or effort since she couldn’t enjoy sex.

Zach tipped her chin up and pressed a kiss to her forehead, shaking his head gently and hushing her.

“If it was never good for you before it’s because whoever you were with didn’t take the time to find out what made you feel good, Nanette. Your OBGYN hasn’t said there’s something medically wrong with you, have they?” He was watching her face now and she shook her head, he was right in that because Dr. Samuels had done some pretty extensive testing when Nanette went in last year and finally mentioned the pain, and her doctor was a very sweet and thorough woman with everything before giving Nanette a clean bill of health.

“No, she hasn’t. But how can- it’s consistent, which means it has to be me-“

“That’s not true at all, Nanette, it’s not uncommon for men to ignore what makes their partner feel good and that isn’t a you problem. If you’re not ready I’m not going to push you okay? I’m not going to leave you over this either. I like you and what matters most to me is that you enjoy what I do and consent to what I do, the second you don’t want it means I stop.” Zach’s reassurance, and his firm stance, made Nanette burst into heaving sobs as it sank in that he meant what he said.

His arms around her were solid, they made her feel safe, and Nanette clung to him as she whispered gratitude into his shirt until her voice was hoarse and her eyes burned from how much she’d cried. The entire time he’d held her close, promising her that he wasn’t leaving her, and Nanette believed him. What she didn’t count on was Zach rummaging through her kitchen, the smell of something warm and sweet in the air when he returned to pull her out to sit on the couch, or for him to give her hot blueberry cobbler -which she’d admitted to having just once as a teen and lying to her mother about- with a promise that he could wait.The smell of his cologne and the cinnamon sugar crumble, the taste of his mouth and the blueberries on her tongue, all of it made her feel safe. It made her feel seen.

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