Page 60 of Christmas off Script
‘Yeah, sure,’ he replied. ‘Have you got it with you?’
‘On the table over there. It won’t take long.’
Leo glanced at Zach, who was in conversation with his mother, then at Ella. ‘You alright?’
She nodded. ‘Absolutely fine. You go.’
‘Alright. I won’t be long.’
As Leo turned to follow his sister, he reached to the back of his neck and pulled his t-shirt up and off.
Ella stared, mesmerised, at the corded muscles of his back rippling under the skin. Then she remembered where she was and who she was looking at, and spun around.
Straight into Zach.
‘Hi,’ he said.
‘Hi,’ she replied, her cheeks on fire.
He smiled and raised an eyebrow.
Oh god. Does he think I’m blushing because of him?She stared blankly back at him, not knowing what to say.
Rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze fell away. ‘I, er… I wanted to talk to you. If that’s okay?’
Ella crossed her arms over her stomach, holding her nerves inside, then nodded.
‘In private?’
She looked around. They weren’t being overheard, but were standing in the middle of the ballroom. Without waiting, she strode to the far corner of the room and turned, her heart beating uncomfortably fast as she imagined what Zach might be about to say.
Facing her, he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and stared at the wooden floor, taking breaths, but exhaling without speaking.
Then he shook his head and let out a terse sigh. ‘I’ve been working on this speech for years, but now I can’t remember how to start it.’
Ella remained silent. If this was meant to be an apology, she wasn’t going to help him out. Her heart hurt with old memories, as if a scar were being stretched.
Raising his eyes, Zach held her gaze. ‘I’m sorry, Ella. For everything I did to you.’ His expression was desolate. ‘When Kurt got stabbed, I blamed myself. He was my little brother, and it was my job to protect him. But instead I was…’
‘Sleeping with the enemy?’ Ella’s voice was dry and brittle.
Zach swallowed. ‘I didn’t want to believe Kurt was working for your dad. I wanted to keep everything black and white. Divide the good guys from the bad ones. I was too much of a coward to go after Ronnie, so I lashed out at you.’
Ella rocked back on her heels as his words hit her.
‘I thought you had to have known everything your dad was up to. The bad batch of drugs. Kurt’s involvement. And I didn’t want him to get into trouble with the police, so I tried to throw everyone’s focus to…’
‘Your girlfriend,’ Ella whispered, hugging herself tighter.
Zach’s eyes were liquid. ‘I’m so fucking sorry. I’ll never forgive myself for how I treated you.’ A tear spilled down his cheek and he swiped it away. ‘And it’s been eating me up ever since. I thought I could outrun my shame, but it’s followed me like a shadow.’
Ella clenched her teeth together to keep her own emotion from escaping.
‘I don’t know if you know,’ Zach continued. ‘But I’ve been sacked fromSwallowdale. For taking drugs.’ He sighed. ‘I’m fully aware of the irony. I’d never touched them until last year, but I got caught up in playing a part. Not the one on the soap. The character of Zach Price, the guy the media thought I was. But that was never me. I’m not some bad boy who likes to party. That was who Kurt wanted to be. I was just the geeky kid who loved being on stage. You know that.’
Ella shrugged.
‘The drugs helped me escape from my demons, but then the comedowns were like being dragged into hell. Deeper and deeper every time. I haven’t touched anything since I got sacked and I never will again.’
