Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Life On Standby
Life On Standby
2 reviewsAs requested, a sequel to my other fic: OF ALL THE GIN JOINTS.. Zoe & Pete are going great, until Zoe's best friend Nick moves in with them and gets in the way...
0Unrated
Chapter One: Geek In The Pink
“One month,” I whispered aloud as I got out of the car in front of the apartment building. Pete and I had been together one month, to the day, and I could not believe it had lasted. Through everything we had been through it still shocked me to see him every day and know that he was mine.
“What was that?” Pete asked as he grabbed onto my arm to escort me to my new – excuse me – our new apartment.
“Nothing,” I said with a grin. Pete and I had decided that even though we had only been dating a month we should move in together. To be completely honest it scared me when he said he wanted to buy an apartment for us to live in together in Los Angeles but with us being so busy with our jobs (I was working on getting promoted at Universal and Pete was working on establishing a new Clandestine store nearby) it made it so much easier for us to see each other. We had moved in only a few days before hand and still had some boxes to unpack (okay, a lot) but it was perfect.
As we approached the apartment we noticed a shadowy figure slumped against the doorway, a large glass vodka bottle grasped in its hand. “What in the…” Pete began to say as we took a couple of steps forward when I recognized who it was.
“Nick!” I yelled out letting go of Pete’s hand. I crouched down next to him and snapped my fingers, “Nick! What in the hell!” I yelled as he began to wake up. Nick had been my absolute best friend from South Carolina and soon after became my roommate from Wisconsin before I got hired at Decaydance.
“She left me,” I heard him mumble, “Cynthia,” he said slowly, “She left.”
I stood up, shocked at the information. Cynthia had been Nick’s long time girlfriend and from what I had heard since leaving Wisconsin everything had been going well. “Pete,” I called out, looking over my shoulder, “can you help me get him inside?”
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“What happened Nick?” I asked after Pete slumped him down on the couch.
“I proposed,” he slurred, “I proposed and the bitch said she wasn’t ready!” Nick reached for the vodka bottle but Pete beat him to it and took it to the kitchen, bringing back a bottle of water for Nick to drink instead. “Five years, Zoe. Five years and she said we weren’t serious enough for that!”
“Oh Nick,” I said slowly, sitting down on the couch next to him I put my arm around him to comfort him, “I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve that.” I looked up at Pete, “Could he stay a couple of days?”
Pete was about to say something when Nick interjected, “No!” he yelled, “I won’t be a nuiss… a nuisssee…” He tried to stand defiantly but ended up collapsing back onto the couch and passing out.
I stood up, sliding a pillow under his head. Walking over to Pete I let out a deep breath, “Please Pete? He’s never been this beat up over a girl before and just… I don’t think it’s okay for him to go this alone, and he did get all the way here from Wisconsin…”
Pete smiled down at me and pulled me towards him, “Of course he can stay, Zoe. He’s your friend and he needs help getting through whatever just happened. I’ll be here to help you.” He gave me a kiss and smiled wider, “Let me take him to the guest room and we’ll figure something out.”
Minutes later I had changed from my dress from dinner into my oh-so-flattering flannel pajamas. I had been quite unnerved by Nick, he was always the level headed one. As I let my mind drift into worry and unease I was brought back to reality by the feeling of hands pressing down on my shoulders. Leaning back I smiled and stared up at Pete. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“No probs, he’s passed out pretty good though. He’s gonna feel that tomorrow,” Pete said losing his smile, “But other than this past...thirty minutes or so did you have a good anniversary?”
“Amazing,” I said, “Just amazing.”
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The next morning I woke up alone but to the smell of something burning in the kitchen. I slipped out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to see Pete attempting to cook breakfast, “Morning,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
“Morning sunshine,” Pete said focusing intensely on the eggs.
I walked over to him and peeked over his shoulder, “They’re done.”
“You sure?” he asked, examining them closely.
“You’ll kill them if they stay on any longer.”
Hesitantly Pete put the eggs on the plate and he took a bite, “That’s really why I had you move in,” he joked.
“Ha Ha,” I said sarcastically and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.
“Oops,” I heard a voice mutter, “Am I interrupting?”
Pete let out a sigh and I stepped away, not wanting to make Nick feel uncomfortable. “Nope,” I said, “How ya feeling, Nick?”
“Like shit,” he muttered and sat at the counter.
“Been there,” Pete said, passing Nick a plate of food. “But I’m off to work so, feel better.”
I walked Pete to the door where he tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. Quietly I looked over at Nick ,”I think we should keep it low key around him for now…”
Muttering something I didn’t catch Pete nodded his head and kissed me on the forehead, “I’ll be home late. Call if you need me.”
“One month,” I whispered aloud as I got out of the car in front of the apartment building. Pete and I had been together one month, to the day, and I could not believe it had lasted. Through everything we had been through it still shocked me to see him every day and know that he was mine.
“What was that?” Pete asked as he grabbed onto my arm to escort me to my new – excuse me – our new apartment.
“Nothing,” I said with a grin. Pete and I had decided that even though we had only been dating a month we should move in together. To be completely honest it scared me when he said he wanted to buy an apartment for us to live in together in Los Angeles but with us being so busy with our jobs (I was working on getting promoted at Universal and Pete was working on establishing a new Clandestine store nearby) it made it so much easier for us to see each other. We had moved in only a few days before hand and still had some boxes to unpack (okay, a lot) but it was perfect.
As we approached the apartment we noticed a shadowy figure slumped against the doorway, a large glass vodka bottle grasped in its hand. “What in the…” Pete began to say as we took a couple of steps forward when I recognized who it was.
“Nick!” I yelled out letting go of Pete’s hand. I crouched down next to him and snapped my fingers, “Nick! What in the hell!” I yelled as he began to wake up. Nick had been my absolute best friend from South Carolina and soon after became my roommate from Wisconsin before I got hired at Decaydance.
“She left me,” I heard him mumble, “Cynthia,” he said slowly, “She left.”
I stood up, shocked at the information. Cynthia had been Nick’s long time girlfriend and from what I had heard since leaving Wisconsin everything had been going well. “Pete,” I called out, looking over my shoulder, “can you help me get him inside?”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
“What happened Nick?” I asked after Pete slumped him down on the couch.
“I proposed,” he slurred, “I proposed and the bitch said she wasn’t ready!” Nick reached for the vodka bottle but Pete beat him to it and took it to the kitchen, bringing back a bottle of water for Nick to drink instead. “Five years, Zoe. Five years and she said we weren’t serious enough for that!”
“Oh Nick,” I said slowly, sitting down on the couch next to him I put my arm around him to comfort him, “I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve that.” I looked up at Pete, “Could he stay a couple of days?”
Pete was about to say something when Nick interjected, “No!” he yelled, “I won’t be a nuiss… a nuisssee…” He tried to stand defiantly but ended up collapsing back onto the couch and passing out.
I stood up, sliding a pillow under his head. Walking over to Pete I let out a deep breath, “Please Pete? He’s never been this beat up over a girl before and just… I don’t think it’s okay for him to go this alone, and he did get all the way here from Wisconsin…”
Pete smiled down at me and pulled me towards him, “Of course he can stay, Zoe. He’s your friend and he needs help getting through whatever just happened. I’ll be here to help you.” He gave me a kiss and smiled wider, “Let me take him to the guest room and we’ll figure something out.”
Minutes later I had changed from my dress from dinner into my oh-so-flattering flannel pajamas. I had been quite unnerved by Nick, he was always the level headed one. As I let my mind drift into worry and unease I was brought back to reality by the feeling of hands pressing down on my shoulders. Leaning back I smiled and stared up at Pete. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“No probs, he’s passed out pretty good though. He’s gonna feel that tomorrow,” Pete said losing his smile, “But other than this past...thirty minutes or so did you have a good anniversary?”
“Amazing,” I said, “Just amazing.”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
The next morning I woke up alone but to the smell of something burning in the kitchen. I slipped out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to see Pete attempting to cook breakfast, “Morning,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
“Morning sunshine,” Pete said focusing intensely on the eggs.
I walked over to him and peeked over his shoulder, “They’re done.”
“You sure?” he asked, examining them closely.
“You’ll kill them if they stay on any longer.”
Hesitantly Pete put the eggs on the plate and he took a bite, “That’s really why I had you move in,” he joked.
“Ha Ha,” I said sarcastically and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.
“Oops,” I heard a voice mutter, “Am I interrupting?”
Pete let out a sigh and I stepped away, not wanting to make Nick feel uncomfortable. “Nope,” I said, “How ya feeling, Nick?”
“Like shit,” he muttered and sat at the counter.
“Been there,” Pete said, passing Nick a plate of food. “But I’m off to work so, feel better.”
I walked Pete to the door where he tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. Quietly I looked over at Nick ,”I think we should keep it low key around him for now…”
Muttering something I didn’t catch Pete nodded his head and kissed me on the forehead, “I’ll be home late. Call if you need me.”
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