Rogue (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 21: "Men are crazy."

It's one thing to change plans of a lunch with friends to a dinner party, but really, clubbing was off my list. The last time I had gone anywhere after trusting Niall and Ellie, I'd met Zayn. There was enough trouble in my life as it is that I didn't need more. But when does the couple understand this?

"Let's do some shots." Niall suggested but without offering a choice, he dashed for the counter.

It was definitely an evil plan construed in Ellie's mind, to take me drinking. No. Wrong idea. Last time I drank myself into oblivion and had a crazy night adventure with a stranger.

Funny how all of my good girl gone bad scenarios included Zayn.

But I complied given I had no other option. Also, because both of them were trying hard to cheer me up and few shots of vodka never killed nobody. Yeah, it did sting but I felt a lot more lightheaded to not constantly think about all the life drama. Perhaps, it wasn't such a bad idea.

I was starting to feel good. Or, it's the alcohol talking. Either way, I needed to take my mind off the stuff and think positive.

"Let's do another." Surprisingly, I suggested it this time. Niall and Ellie burst into a cheer and off he was again, to get another round.

It went on for so long that I almost lost track of time until my body clock ticked and I had to find the nearest bathroom stall so as not to embarrass myself in front of a crowd.

"Alcohol really gets your bladder pumping." What? Did I just say that out loud to the woman in front of me, in the pee line. I mean, the bathroom queue.

It was a struggle to reach the back of the club for the ladies room and there was such a hefty waiting queue that it physically hurt me. And with nothing else to kill my time with, I found myself playing with my phone until I end up dialling the one person I shouldn't have dialled. Zayn fricking Malik.

It kept ringing but nobody picked up. I guess it would be a lie if I said that I wasn't expecting it to act out like in movies. You know? Girl gives guy a drunk call, I'm refraining from using 'booty call', and the guy realises he's made a mistake, or something like that. Sadly, it didn't. I must have called about thrice by the time I realised, while still drunk, that I was coming off as too desperate and that I need to get myself in control.

"He's not interested in me." I pout at the women in front of me, again. "I liked him. Not even Ellie knows it yet. Or maybe she does. It's just--" I took a breath and made myself comfortable by leaning on the wall and using my hands with expressions. "He's got this sexy bad boy look, you know. All leather jacket and no shave kind? But such an arsehole."

I felt tears in my eyes again and this time I let them out because I didn't care who saw me. It kind of was soothing that everyone was as drunk as I was.

"Men are crazy. Trust me I know." She offered up words of sympathy when she saw me act reckless, in her thick Russian accent, which for a moment took my mind off the pain. But it was back again and I lost my need to visit the bathroom and puke in my spot instead.

I knew this was a bad idea, right from the start.

Were those Russian lady's manolos that I just covered in my vomit?

Uh-oh.

***

The morning with the inevitable hangover came and I just wanted to strangle the life out Niall. Waking up in my own bed had never seemed as painful as it did today. Dear lord, save me.

Or just fork my eyeballs out and dip them in cold water.

"You don't look too good." Ellie quietly stepped into my room once she'd registered I was awake. She must have been checking up on me from time to time.

"I don't feel good either." My limbs felt sore and there was this muscle pain in my shoulders. All I wanted was for my bed to swallow me whole.

"I'll get you a pain killer." She said and just as she was about to walk out of the room, I sneezed and she turned around to face me apologetically. "Maybe you've got the flu."

It's terrible. Sickness meant a lot of patronising and sick people food, I wasn't exactly a fan of the either of the two. Before I could deny it, I sneezed again and this one was messy. I'm ruined.

"I'll get you meds and some soup." She said before hopping off to the kitchen to cook delicacies that would only cause me heart burn.

Exactly twenty minutes later she returned with the said items properly aligned on a tray and sat with me on the bed until I finished each one of it.

"This came in for you." She held up an envelope for me after I had gulped down the drugs for the fever.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Just has your name on it." I flipped it around to find my initial and last name on it printed in calligraphy. I had an inkling who it could be from but I waited till I had it opened before believing what I was thinking. And it came out to be true. It was my mother's wedding card. I didn't want to read anymore.

Just as I saw her name and Rogers' on the cream coloured card, I closed it and flipped it back into the envelope to lie back down and face away from Ellie.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ellie asked with a placid tone.

"Her wedding is next week." I closed my eyes thankful that she couldn't see me now although she'd seen me at my much worse. "I can't do it."

"It can be hard." She did a lot of thinking in between talking which caused her words to come out in slow rabbles. "Do you at least promise to think about it?"

"I will." I shifted around and Ellie took it as a hint to take the tray out and let me rest. Before she was out the door, I got up to face her. "And thanks for last night."

"Are you kidding me? It was a disaster. We found you after some Russian lady yelled, I'm covered in puke and Niall went all, that must be Anya."

"A disaster I needed." I said and saw a look of confusion appear through her but she thought better than to put up a conversation for it.

I was right, though. I needed that drunk night call, as much as I disagree with myself, because I had to put this chapter of Zayn behind me. Not like we have any history anyway but he has a lot of stuff to do with his life and same could be said about me.

***

Idk if people are even reading this, but 'thank you' if you do catch this chapter :) and this goes without saying--please VOTE and COMMENT! And if y'all want me to read your stories, pm me and I'll read your books :3 (don't comment here though--stick to inbox/pm/priv message)