at the sound, her heart pounding. "Hello."
"Julie, it's me. It's taking me longer than I thought to get out of the office."
"All right." He was late. No big deal. Not like lying to the person he was supposed to marry.
"I guess I'm still trying to decide what it is I want to say to you."
"Well... I can understand that." My, how tentative they'd become with each other.
"I may come by later tonight. I'm not sure."
"Whatever you want to do." She'd sit here, waiting, thinking, beating herself up, things like that.
And then he was gone.
She sat there, the TV droning on in the background. Before she knew it, the local news was on. Was it really that late? Then Zach's face appeared on the screen.
Julie hit the volume button. Oh, no. Tony Williams had been convicted of murder.
Just the look on Zach's face was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Sometimes life was just too hard, and those were lousy times to be alone.
She knew. She'd been there herself.
She looked at the clock. Eleven-ten.
She didn't want him to be alone, not after the way he'd looked the day before. She didn't know what she'd say to him. But she couldn't leave him all alone.
Chapter 5
Fifteen minutes later, she knocked softly on his door.
"Go away," he called out.
"Zach? It's me."
"Not tonight, Julie. I'm not fit company for anyone. Go."
"I can't," she said. "I won't. Let me in."
He sounded just a little crazy, and his words were slightly slurred. A shiver of unease worked its way up her back. He wouldn't be drunk, would he?
"Zach, please, just let me in. Let me know you're okay."
She banged on the door, deciding it felt pretty good to hit something now. He said he hit a punching bag if he could find one, when things got bad. She'd tell him to try the door next time.
Zach pulled open his door just as someone opened the one next door and scowled at them both. "Jesus, Julie, what are you doing?"
"Getting you to let me in," she said defiantly, cradling a fist in her hand. It hurt now. But then everything did eventually, didn't it?
She pushed him aside and walked in. He'd knocked over the end table in the far corner and all the papers on it. A bar glass, half full of amber liquid, stood on the coffee table, and a bottle beside it.
So he had decided to have a drink. Or two or three or five?
She turned back to look at him. His hair was mussed, like he'd run his hands through it too many times. He'd discarded the jacket of his suit. His feet were bare, tie gone, shirt unbuttoned, as if he'd given some thought to undressing and falling into bed. He had lines she'd never seen before on his face, at the corners of his eyes and his mouth, across his brow. His mouth stretched into a bleak line, and he wouldn't look at her. She tried not to look at anything but his beautiful, sad face. An odd feeling of intimacy slipped into the room.
"Grace send you here?" he asked.
"No. I was watching the news. Zach, I'm so sorry."
"Me, too. Fucking lot of good it does Tony Williams."
"But... you can appeal, right?"
"Yeah." He laughed. "Maybe we could get it overturned. After he's sat in jail for ten or fifteen years. I'm just praying I made some kind of colossal mistake that gives us grounds. Or that somebody did, and I can find it."
"I'm sure you did everything you could," she said.
He finally looked at her. Defiantly. Angrily. "Well, it just wasn't good enough, now was it?"
He said it like he absolutely hated himself. How could someone like him hate himself?
"Well, sometimes, no matter what you do, it just isn't good enough." She certainly knew that, but she didn't hold people's lives in her hand, which had to be so much worse.
He sighed and walked over to the table for his drink. His steps weren't quite steady and the words were definitely slurred. She'd never seen him drunk before. He picked up the glass and took a long draw on the liquor, then stood there staring at it in his hand.
"I know you don't really think that's going to help,"
"Julie, it's me. It's taking me longer than I thought to get out of the office."
"All right." He was late. No big deal. Not like lying to the person he was supposed to marry.
"I guess I'm still trying to decide what it is I want to say to you."
"Well... I can understand that." My, how tentative they'd become with each other.
"I may come by later tonight. I'm not sure."
"Whatever you want to do." She'd sit here, waiting, thinking, beating herself up, things like that.
And then he was gone.
She sat there, the TV droning on in the background. Before she knew it, the local news was on. Was it really that late? Then Zach's face appeared on the screen.
Julie hit the volume button. Oh, no. Tony Williams had been convicted of murder.
Just the look on Zach's face was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Sometimes life was just too hard, and those were lousy times to be alone.
She knew. She'd been there herself.
She looked at the clock. Eleven-ten.
She didn't want him to be alone, not after the way he'd looked the day before. She didn't know what she'd say to him. But she couldn't leave him all alone.
Chapter 5
Fifteen minutes later, she knocked softly on his door.
"Go away," he called out.
"Zach? It's me."
"Not tonight, Julie. I'm not fit company for anyone. Go."
"I can't," she said. "I won't. Let me in."
He sounded just a little crazy, and his words were slightly slurred. A shiver of unease worked its way up her back. He wouldn't be drunk, would he?
"Zach, please, just let me in. Let me know you're okay."
She banged on the door, deciding it felt pretty good to hit something now. He said he hit a punching bag if he could find one, when things got bad. She'd tell him to try the door next time.
Zach pulled open his door just as someone opened the one next door and scowled at them both. "Jesus, Julie, what are you doing?"
"Getting you to let me in," she said defiantly, cradling a fist in her hand. It hurt now. But then everything did eventually, didn't it?
She pushed him aside and walked in. He'd knocked over the end table in the far corner and all the papers on it. A bar glass, half full of amber liquid, stood on the coffee table, and a bottle beside it.
So he had decided to have a drink. Or two or three or five?
She turned back to look at him. His hair was mussed, like he'd run his hands through it too many times. He'd discarded the jacket of his suit. His feet were bare, tie gone, shirt unbuttoned, as if he'd given some thought to undressing and falling into bed. He had lines she'd never seen before on his face, at the corners of his eyes and his mouth, across his brow. His mouth stretched into a bleak line, and he wouldn't look at her. She tried not to look at anything but his beautiful, sad face. An odd feeling of intimacy slipped into the room.
"Grace send you here?" he asked.
"No. I was watching the news. Zach, I'm so sorry."
"Me, too. Fucking lot of good it does Tony Williams."
"But... you can appeal, right?"
"Yeah." He laughed. "Maybe we could get it overturned. After he's sat in jail for ten or fifteen years. I'm just praying I made some kind of colossal mistake that gives us grounds. Or that somebody did, and I can find it."
"I'm sure you did everything you could," she said.
He finally looked at her. Defiantly. Angrily. "Well, it just wasn't good enough, now was it?"
He said it like he absolutely hated himself. How could someone like him hate himself?
"Well, sometimes, no matter what you do, it just isn't good enough." She certainly knew that, but she didn't hold people's lives in her hand, which had to be so much worse.
He sighed and walked over to the table for his drink. His steps weren't quite steady and the words were definitely slurred. She'd never seen him drunk before. He picked up the glass and took a long draw on the liquor, then stood there staring at it in his hand.
"I know you don't really think that's going to help,"
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