Promises Forgotten
Chapter 13

Peeling my eyes open, I was met with the familiar throbbing headache. It hit differently with an extra burn in the stomach and throat. Slowly sitting up, I looked around. I was in bed, which I didn’t remember being in. Hell, I didn’t even remember coming inside. I remembered sitting out in the rain, f*****g strumming and singing. I felt better. I felt better minus the copious amount of whiskey that were burning its way through my veins. Sitting up, I was still in my dress shirt and slacks. I discarded them and pulled on some sweats.

Making my way down the stairs, I opened up the fridge and grabbed some milk. I needed something to coat my stomach at this point. I didn’t even know what time it was.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Spewing milk over the counter, I nearly jumped out of my skin as Adrian popped his head up over the couch.

“F*****g hell. Dumbass, don’t scare the shit out of me like that. God damn.” I took a couple breaths.

“Did you honestly think you made it to your bed yourself? I know that bottle was nearly full when I was here last and you prefer the bourbon bottles. That’s mostly for Jason. I found that bad boy empty under the table.”

I snorted. “I had hoped I had enough sense to get my own a*s to bed, but I guess that was asking a little much.”

Adrian got up and sat at the kitchen table. “Normally, I don’t ask.”

“Then don’t.”

“I said normally, Zach. The hell happened yesterday? I get a text from Jason saying to check on you because you all had a rough day. I get here and…you’ve of course locked everyone out. But you are on your balcony…”

“Passed the f**k out?” I chuckled.

Adrian shook his head. “No, you weren’t. You didn’t even f*****g notice me. It didn’t even register. When was the last time you picked up a guitar, Zach? What the hell happened?”

I sighed and stretched, feeling my back crack in multiple places. “Don’t worry about it, A. Seriously.”

“Oh but then I call Stacy, while she’s trying to explain some of it, she starts sobbing. Stacy f*****g starts sobbing on the phone. Absolutely incoherent. Called Jason and he’s black out drunk. One of his friends got called to pick his a*s up. The f**k happened, Zach? There is no way everything is okay when all three of you are a f*****g hot mess separately.”

I slammed my glass down on the counter. “Stop, A. Just stop. Forget it, alright. Obviously the rest of us want to forget it, why can’t you just f*****g leave it alone.”

“‘Cause you are my brother! I give a shit! Even if you don’t!”

“If I don’t! Don’t what? Give a shit? Who the hell said I don’t give a shit?”

Adrian shook his head at me. “You, your whole attitude. It’s been f*****g atrocious and you act like you don’t care what happens to anyone or anything around you.”

“There are very few things I do care about at this point, A. One of them being you. I have always looked out for you and cared for you. In everything I f*****g do. The next two would be Jay and Stace. You know that. Don’t f**k with me.”

“Sure. But everything else is a f*****g wash. It doesn’t matter what happens to anything else. Including yourself.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I let an edge creep into my voice and I realized I went louder than I meant to, but Adrian wasn’t backing down.

He stood up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table. “Stop trying to use me and blame me for your unhappiness. F*****g hell, Z.”

“Don’t…”

“I’ve called you that since we were little! You get to call me A, but I can’t call you Z? We are Z to A. It’s always been Z to A. You f*****g a*****e. I’m married and I’m happy. My happy a*s gets dragged around by your sad sorry a*s because you can’t stick up for yourself. You use me as a scapegoat when there is nothing to back you up. I’ve already been out. Since I married Nicole, I’ve been out of Dad’s game. You’re still f*****g playing it like a god damn idiot and sitting here drinking your a*s off and locking out everyone.”

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “When was the last time you saw anyone outside of Stace or Jay? When was the last time you went out? Took a few days on the jet? You used to play that stupid dart game and whatever the dart landed on for the map you would go there.”

I chuckled. “It was all fun and games until f*****g Marco hit Antarctica. It was f*****g freezing. We also didn’t get to see any penguins. The most useless trip.”

Adrian burst out laughing. “You actually went? You didn’t just say no?”

“Of course not. Who the hell do you think we are? The f*****g Anderson’s, that’s who! It’s on the damn map and we go.”

Adrian started to laugh more, and I smiled. Shaking my head, I pulled out a cereal bar and looked at the time. It was already 9 a.m. and I was very much late to work.

“Look, I appreciate you looking out for me. I’m fine though. Or…I will be. I think. Shit hit the fan yesterday and I can’t even begin to explain it to you. Because when I do, you’re going to ask questions that I can’t answer. No one can except…” I stopped, thinking of her face as she looked up at me in pure anger, but only to see her small frame curled up in the ball. My hand went up and rubbed the back of my neck, rubbing out my shoulders. Suddenly, I felt like I was carrying more weight on my shoulders than I even had in my life.

“I’m here. When you need to talk, Z. You know that. Now, go shower, you f*****g reek of whiskey, and I’ll take you into work. Honestly, with that much, I’m surprised you’re not still drunk.”

I smiled. “Who said I wasn’t?”

“God, you better hope Dad doesn’t show up today.”

I snorted as I walked up the stairs back to my room. “He won’t be by for a bit. He’s still pissy I shot down his project for my ‘honeymoon’.”

“What’s he trying to do this time? Take over the American Mafia?” Adrian chuckled and opened up the fridge.

“Russian, actually.”

Adrian looked up at me, a serious look on his face. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish I was, little bro. I wish I was. F*****g Russian territory he wants to take over and build up.” I called down from my room.

Smiling as I heard him cursing, I stripped down and I got in the shower. Scrubbing down and brushing my teeth, I tried to at least look and smell sober. It was almost 10 by the time Adrian and I get out the door. He pestered me with questions about Father’s stupid project. It didn’t matter since I had already told him he wouldn’t be able to continue the project under our company, but Adrian was still insistent to know what it was. Adrian parked and walked in with me, moving on to lighter topics like Nicole’s lack of cooking skills. Apparently last week was the third time she almost burned down their house. I chuckled and shook my head.

“Good morning, sir.” I looked at the one receptionist where there were normally three. Even she looked disheveled. Adrian also caught this, his eyes narrowed.

“How many people called in today?”

She cleared her throat. “Ten, sir. Four security, two secretaries, and four other workers who were outside at the time.”

I nodded and smiled. “Thank you for showing up today. If you stay the whole day, lunch is on me and there will be a cash bonus waiting for you at the end of the day.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Gods, did I know how she felt. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

Nodding again, I motioned Adrian to the elevators. The two usual security guards were replaced by the two who usually sat outside my office floor. They nodded to me, but I ignored them.

“What the hell happened yesterday?” Adrian hissed as we got into the elevator.

“I said don’t ask, A.”

He threw his hands up. “Yeah, when it was just you, Stace and Jay. You’ve got ten f*****g employees calling out because of the same damn thing and one who looks like she’s witnessed a f*****g murder.” He paused. “It wasn’t a murder, was it?”

“No, idiot. It wasn’t a f*****g murder, but it was heart wrenching. So just let them be and don’t pester anyone, please. On behalf of my employees, leave them alone. That means Jay and Stace, too.”

“Shit, Zach, I’m sorry I didn’t know you were coming in today. I didn’t think…” I held up my hand as Jason came rushing forward. He looked like hell.

“Did you get sleep or did you come straight over from the bar?”

Jason cleared his throat. “Friends. He scrapped me off the floor of Dean’s.”

I nodded. “Spend the day in my office. I don’t plan on taking any meetings today. I’ll have you head out early depending on what pops up.”

He nodded and smiled sadly. “I’ll grab my laptop. Stacy is…well…she’s at her desk.”

“I’ll speak with her.”

Jason took off and Adrian was clenching his fists. I strode over to Stacy’s desk where her head was down on the table. There was a cup of coffee still steaming in front of her.

“Hey, Stacy.”

Her head whipped up and I saw the dark circles under her eyes. She saw my face and tears started to well up in her eyes. I sighed and squatted down, taking her hands in mine, I smiled.

“If you need the day, it’s okay. I was just going to do some housecleaning and sweep up some paperwork today. No meetings, nothing important. You don’t look like you slept.”

“Honestly, every time I closed my eyes, all I could hear was that cry. I kept thinking, is it really worth finding someone? If someone can break you like that? F**k, Zach, she was broken…”

I took a deep breath. “I promise you, everything you feel, I feel ten times more. If you’re assuming I’m before you, sober, I promise you, I’m not. Ten people called out and I have a half zombie for a receptionist who didn’t even jump at the bonus I was giving her. If you need a day, Stacy…”

She shook her head. “If you’re here, so am I. I can help organize some of the stuff with you. Is Jason…?”

“He’s going to be in the office part of the day, but I will send him home early.”

“Maybe I’ll do that, too?”

I nodded. “Grab your stuff. Head into my office. Think of what you want for lunch. We will order in.”

“God, don’t tell Jason, he will get pizza.”

I chuckled and stood up. Starting to walk off, I stopped and looked back at her. “I can’t say what she feels, but honestly, I think she would tell you she wouldn’t regret it. You can ask her yourself when she comes back. I have a feeling, though, that would be her answer. It’s a chance we all take, but no matter how we lose someone we love, I think the point is to not regret the time we did have with them.”

Stacy bit her l*p and nodded, tears streaming down her face. She unplugged her laptop and grabbing her coffee as I opened up my door for Jason, who walked around the corner.

“The f**k…the f**k is happening today?”

I shrugged, not answering Adrian, grabbing a glass and pouring a bourbon dry.

“You’re stilling f*****g drunk and you’re drinking now?” Adrian asked, looking from me to Jason, and then to Stacy.

“How else are we supposed to get through the damn day?”

Jason made grabby hands at me and I smiled. Pouring him a glass, I handed it over to him. Swapping drinks, I opened up the Irish whisky bottle. I held it up to Stacy, who smiled. She opened up her coffee lid and I poured a little more than a shot in it. Smiling, she plopped down in one of the chairs, taking her heels off and sighing.

“I don’t understand. It looks like the day after f*****g finals week at college dorm.”

“You know, sometimes, I miss those days. Things were simpler back then.”

“Here here!” Stacy held her cup up.

“A, you better head out. If you’re the only one who is going to be productive today, you better not be around us.”

“For god’s sake, I better get a damn good explanation for this later.”

I held out my drink to Adrian, but he just slammed the door behind him, and I chuckled.

“First thing, figured we would clean out next month’s agenda and try to keep everything in order.” I sat down at my desk and opened up my laptop.

Immediately, it started getting blown up with emails and I g*****d. The f**k was going on?

“Oh no…Zach…”

I looked up at Stacy, who was looking at me, wide-eyed, as was Jason. I looked down at the email that read, ‘Care to comment’ and pulled up the article. ‘Jennifer Sinclair, heiress to the Sinclair group and fiancé to Zachary Anderson, caught in bed with modeling agent Andre Forte.’ There was a lovely video of her naked, wrapped in bedsheets with her modeling manager, covering his assets with a bed pillow.

“F**k.”