Hello lovely readers! I'm truly sorry I haven't updated in so long. I was supposed to put up this chapter on Zayn's birthday but my internet got screwed up that day. I only got it back today.
I had a really hard time writing this chapter, but anyway, I hope you like it. Hopefully, I'll have the next bit within the next few days. Look out for it. Review! ;)
The week was pretty quiet after that. Zayn was preoccupied at the studio so he didn't have time to come around anymore. I also had my fair share of school requirements so the separation thankfully did us some good. In between though, he still texted and called like a good boyfriend who is dedicated to our relationship would.
"Should I let you get off your phone in case your boyfriend decides to call?" Kristin says. We have been calling each other for the third night in the row trying to finish our report. Although we are technically done, polishing our work is just as much effort as actually doing it.
"Nah. He called earlier to say he's going out. He says his friends are in town so he might have a late night." I shrug, reading the same paragraph for the fourth time. "The sixth paragraph is okay. I don't think we can write anything better than this." I say before moving on to the next section.
"Do you like him, Cole? Be honest." Kristin says bluntly.
At first I laugh, but as I consider it, I realize it's nowhere near funny. I'm pretty sure the fan girl in me would immediately say that I love Zayn to bits, but I didn't see him as a member of One Direction anymore. Of course I am reminded of that more often than I would want to, but hanging out with him has made him more like a real person to me. From those times, I am more aware that he had quirks that would supposedly make him less perfect, but they made him more loveable anyway.
Do I like him? It was an easy yes or no question, but if I had to answer that, I couldn't just stop at the yes or the no. It was more complicated than that.
"I don't know." The words leave my mouth with an unsure tone.
He is amazing. I'm sure of that. Despite being so impulsive and hard-headed sometimes, he has this persistence that I guarantee will get him far. Yet, I'm scared that one day I'll like him, but he'll be too good for me.
So I come up with I don't know because it doesn't say I like him, but it doesn't say I don't either.
I hurriedly dismiss the conversation after that. Kristin gives me hell, but soon lets me get away with it anyway. We finally give up and say we're totally done with the paper two hours later. After wishing each other a good night, we hang up. I head to bed a little after that as the next day unfortunately starts too early for me.
I'm not even halfway through the next day when Kristin comes up to me with a gossip article open in her tablet. She hands it to me and the first thing I see is a picture of Zayn leaving a club with a girl behind him.
"They think it's you, but we both know where you were last night." Kristin peers over my shoulder.
You really can't see anything about the picture, but the way he is positioned, hand near her, but not touching her at all and his body turned a little toward her, it looks all too familiar. That's how he was with me when the press are bothering us before we were "together". He would walk next to me in the same manner, his hand near just in case he needs to guide me and his body angled toward me so that he could watch me from the corner of his eye.
"That's not me." Is all I say as I return her tablet.
"Well, at least now you can both break it off." Kristin jokes. She grabs my arm and we head off to our next class.
The first thing I see when I walk out of our school building is the same black car that was parked in front of my house just a week ago. The window rolls down and he sticks his hand out and waves. Kristin gives me a knowing look and walks to her car with a smile.
"Had a late night?" I say as I slide into the passenger seat. I know I'm not far off as he still looks knackered.
"Yeah. I missed my mates." He says as he pulls out of the parking lot. "Do you want to meet them? We can have dinner tonight."
Out of curiosity, I agree to go with him so he could introduce me to them, but I tell him I can only stay for an hour. He promises it won't be a problem and that he would drive me home all the same.
We stop by at the hotel his friends are staying in. They are already seated in the restaurant below it so we don't have to waste time on travelling. Zayn points to a table where three boys and two girls sit. They all stand up to greet us when they notice us coming.
From the slightly awkward introduction, I learn that they are Zayn's closest friends from Bradford. He admits to not having a lot, a fact I snicker at.
"Cole is your girlfriend, isn't she, Zayn?" His friend, named Marco asks.
He automatically slings his arm over my shoulder and pulls me to him and say, "That's what we tell the press. We're not really together though." He says nonchalantly.
Although I know it's true, I get kind of sad that he says this. I've been so used to hearing him say we're together that it already sounds true even to me.
Despite everything, dinner is good. His friends make good company, and for the first time, I see Zayn get noisy and rowdy with people other than his band mates. True to his word, he excuses both of us so he could drive me home, but he makes a stop at the loo.
"You know, you're lucky he treats you the way he does. He's only ever like that with girls he's dating." One of the girls moves closer to me.
I give her a smile. "You've seen him be with girls, huh?"
"Well, he hasn't been with many, but I remember the way he was with me when we were still together." I barely hold back a gasp. As I look at her, the picture from the article Kristin showed me earlier seems to float before my eyes. It's her, the girl the press mistook for me. Not only is she good friends with Zayn, but he used to date her.
"Ready to go?" We both turn to Zayn as he walks back to our table. She gives Zayn a hug, peering at me as she does so. They all say goodbye to both of us and we both set off for my house.
"Becca is the girl in pink, right?" I say casually as we drive home.
"Yeah." After a few minutes, he adds, "She's moving to town in about a month or so. She says she's looking for work."
I decide to keep quiet after that, but I still can't shake off the fact that they used to date, but they're still in good terms, enough so they could still hang out.
Continued.