SAVED

Chapter 3

(thank you for all for the reads! i hope you like it so far. it's my first fic ever haha so votes and comments are highly appreciated. if you want to give me feedback of any sort you can contact me here: donthaz.tumblr.com ) 

Harry arrives back no more than five minutes later. He scoots in next to Anna, giving us both an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. It was me mum...” 

“Oook?” Anna says as she takes multiple chips from the bowl before us. 

“Is everything okay?” I question rather bravely and with a bit more concern. I don’t know what gave me the urge to ask. I suddenly feel a bit more brave in his presence for whatever reason. It’s a very unfamiliar feeling for me. I don’t like it. 

“It’s all good. I just get worried about her I guess.” He glances down at the table and starts to play with his fingers. That definitely isn’t the answer I was expecting and start to feel bad having asked in the first place. It’s none of my business, really. 

Relief washes over me as our waitress brings our food over. I know I’ll feel better reverting my attention to my salad than constantly matching my gaze with Harry’s. I usually order the same salad and it gets better each time I have it. I start to dig in as Anna kindly offers to share her chicken fingers with Harry. 

“So where’s that accent from?” Anna questions, dunking a large chicken piece into her honey mustard.

Harry looks at her peculiarly but then I catch both of them smirking at me. He’s probably already told her this. I want to hide under the table. I can’t tell what Anna’s playing at but something deep inside me just wants to run. 

“The same place as me,” he replies cheekily, “England.” Well I could have figured out that much, thanks Anna. “I moved out here with my mother earlier this year. It was April I believe.”

“Do you like it here?” My voice is shaky and I gulp nervously at my next outburst of confidence, wanting to know more. What is wrong with me today? Even Anna seems shocked as I am with her wide eyes.

“I love it.” His accent is thicker and deeper than usual from the coldness of his smoothie. I bite my lip hard, fighting the urge to blush. 

The remainder of our lunch is no more awkward than the previous minutes before. As we get up to leave I sigh in annoyance when I realize I still have 20 minutes until my next class. I should probably stop in Starbucks again to grab another coffee. So much for that lasting the whole day. Not wanting to be rude and run off like I want to, I turn to Anna and mentally think of what to say. 

“Thanks for asking me to lunch with you...and Harry.”

She gives me a warm smile and I’m shocked when she pulls me into a tiny hug. “No problem at all, Em. We should definitely hang out more often.”

As nice as her gesture was I knew deep down that it would probably never happen again. She was probably just being nice. A knot forms in my stomach as I look up at Harry who seems to be waiting for me to speak. 

“S-See you...” I mentally slap myself and clench my eyes shut before turning and power walking across the avenue

Shockingly enough I find a table in Starbucks and take long sips of my coffee while scanning through my math homework. I plug my headphones in and try to dismiss my thoughts of the past hour. 

There are only a few seats filled when I get to class and hold my breath, hoping that none of them would look up at me. I find a comfy seat in the back corner and place my bag in the empty seat beside me. I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than spend over an hour solving linear equations. I probably won’t get lucky with getting out early in this class, but smile at the thought of ending my day with Photography. I double check to make sure my camera is secure in my bag before placing it on the floor beneath my feet. Just another paranoid habit. 

I do a good job of keeping myself focused and distracted with my work, taking notes and highlighting the important things as I go. Class is over in what seems like the blink of an eye and I find myself famished. That salad did nothing for me. After packing my things together I make my way to the dining hall in hope that they have my usual pastrami sandwitch. I take it go and grab a Naked juice. I never eat in the dining hall, as nice as it is. I never know where to sit and have no one to sit with. 

Just as I’m heading towards the exit I stop short as a tall, tan skinned boy loses his balance and trips over his own feet. Not thinking anything of it, I go to walk around him when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey, wait.”

What now. “Um...yeah?”

“Sorry for nearly knocking into you there.” He gives me a warm smile and licks his lips. “I’m Zayn. Who are you?”