Paint My Love

Chapter 40:I've been watching you all night

Gia's POV

"So you think you're ready?" Dane asked taking a sip of his coke.
"Hmm yeah" I looked around at the packed restaurant.
"So journalism, yeah?"
"Yup"
I wasn't really listening to him and he knew it, buh I guess he was just trying to make conversation to avoid the awkward silence that would come the moment he shut op.
"There's a chicken drumstick on your head"
"Yeah sure"
"Gia!" he nudged me.
"Huh?" I turned my attention to him.
"Am I that boring?" he sighed.
"No Dane, it's noht that" I felt bad.
"Then what is it?"
"I just saw someone I thought I knew"
"Then go talk to them"
"No!" I shook my head.
"You haven't changed" he chuckled.
"Actually, I have" I cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Have you now?"
"Yes" I nodded and then went back to pretending that I was eating soh thah he'd leave me alone. And it seemed to work cause he decided to talk to someone else, giving me a chance to see if I'd seen right. I'd seen someone in the smoking area that looked a lot like Anthony, but Dane had forced me to give him my full attention and now Ant, or whoever thah was, was gone. My eyes searched for the lad, buh I couldn't see him but I did however see Zayn's cousin Jawaad sitting in that same seat. Well, if Jawaad was here then I'm sure that was Anthoneh. And if they were here, then of course Zayn was too, which made me nervous and excited at the same time. I wanted to see him, to talk to him; buh whah would be the point? I kept staring anyweh, hopin to at least geht a glimpse of him, buh without any luck. There were a whole lot of lads and he was somewhere among the similar faces. Cause I knew there was no way thah he wasn't here.
"G, you okay?" Priya asked kicking me under the table.
"Zayn's here" I mouthed and she shot a look over her shoulder, buh she couldn't see anything of course.
"Gia, you're delusional" she laughed and I gave her a deadly look.
"I'm kidding" she laughed.
"Well, can you switch seats with me?"
"No"
"Priiii!"
"One sec" she held up a finger and then pulled out her phone and started texting.
"So Giashka" Dane said my full name just to annoy me, buh I didn't give him the satisfaction.
"Daniel?" I smiled up at him and all he could do was chuckle. Honestly I had no idea what was soh funneh.
"Okay, so I texted Lou, but he isn't answering. I think you're seeing things Gia" Priya looked up from her phone.
"I am not. Okay, you know what, come with me to the ladies"
"Okay in a bit" she mumbled giving her attention to the question that someone else at the table had posed to her.
"Priya I needa goh" I said loud enough to get her attention and most other people at the table's as well.
"Okay, c'mon"

Zayn's POV

The restaurant was packed when we arrived and we had to wait a bit before we goht a booth in the glassed place that's supposedly the smokin area. Coming here again I couldn't help buh think of Gia. I unconsiousleh looked in the direction of the booth we usualleh sat in and to my surprise, I saw her. I looked again just to make sure, and then I knew I wasn't seeing things. Thah was definitely Gia. Her hair was short again and a lil 'punkier' than when we'd first met, buh either wey I thought it really suited her.
"You okay mate?" Loueh asked pattin meh on the back.
"Yeah" I snapped out of it in time to realise thah all the other lads were seated and I was the one who had to add a chair to the end of the table. It wasn't the best seat in the house buh at least I could still see her. She was sat next to that Dane guy and ah have to admit, I felt a pang of jealousy. I think they were hanging out with some mehts cause there was quite a few of them soh it didn't look like a deht or anything, buh he was awfully close to her. She wasn't giving him much attention though; she looked like she didn't wanna be here.
"Stop staring" Loueh whispered. He was the one who'd suggested we come here; he knew she'd be here.
"Very sneakeh Loueh"
He just shrugged and went on with his conversation with Dan. I tried to focus on the lads for a biht buh I couldn't help but glance in her direction every so often. Until, she looked in our direction that is. For some reason the moment I saw her I put my head down and tried to act like I was more interested in the pizza even though I con't even tell you what topping it had. I suddenly goht this like weird feelin in my stomach, kinda nervous. You know the feelin you geht when you see your ex who you're still in love with after a long time? Anyweh she kept looking and I was gehtin awkwarder by the second and as if to make it worse, thah ex of hers decides thah it's time for him to mehk a move. He tried to talk to her and she was like just givin him red cards, buh then I dunno what he said cause she started smiling. And she started talking to him like giving him her attention proper and all the while I'm sat there losing ma appetite.

Gia's POV

'You give me life and a loss of oxygen'

"Priya just walk"
"Do you actually need to pee?"
"No, buh I needed to get away from Dane and I needa see Zayn"
"Huh?"
"He's over there, I know he is"
"I thought you said you were over him" she teased, because I knew that she knew that I was lying when I'd said that the day before. We were just walking past the glass enclosed area and I did my very best to walk past and noht glance in their direction once. We got to the ladies and Priya burst out laughing.
"What?" I asked embarrassed.
"What was that Gia?" she laughed even harder.
"Nothing, c'mon let's goh" I adjusted my hair and put on some lip-gloss.
We were walking past them again and this time I tried to spot Zayn. And I did, almost immediately. Our eyes locked and I had to break the stare as we walked by and I gave him a quick smile. He looked good, really good, even better than before if that was even possible.
"You know we can just go over there" Priya chuckled as we made our wey back to our table.
"No we can't!"

"Gia, my boyfriend is over there"
"Yeah, buh so is my-my...so is Zayn and we definitely con't goh there okay"
"Okay then"

Zayn's POV

She looked at me and I looked at her and for a moment I forgot everything. And then she gave me thah shy smile and looked down as she and Priya went back to their table.
"Hey Lou thah's your girlfriend" someone announced and Loueh spinned around buh ah think all he goht was the back of her head.
"Yeah and Zayn's-" Anotheneh looked at meh and then corrected his statement.
"And Gia..." he mumbled.
"Yeah" I nodded and took a sip of ma beer. The lads went back to whahever they were talkin about and I just kept watching her noht because I wanted buh because I was apparently unable to control thah function.
"Mate, you wanna go over there?" Loueh asked noht too loudly between sips of beer.
"Nah" I shook my head and then turned my attention to my cousin.
"Soh Jawaad how many slices you eaten so far?" I teased trying to ignore the pretty girl in the corner of my eye.
I eventually ended up enjoying myself with the lads. They all had plenty of sh** to tell and I laughed at all of their stories. Until ah nohticed Gia puhting her jackeh on. They were gehtin readeh to leave and I hadn't even gotten to seh 'hi'. The realisation that this was probableh the last time I'd see her suddenleh hit and I knew I had to talk to her.
"Lads let’s goh" I strongly suggested.
"Where we going?" Dan wanted to know.
"The ramps, or wherever" I shrugged.
"Yeah, okay" Anthoneh agreed. My eyes went back to Gia and by now she was standing up and that Daniel was getting out of the booth. Okeh they were definitely leaving and I had to move fast if I wanted to catch her; dunno why I'd waited this long? Buh luckily for me the waitress was walking by just then and I quickly asked her for the bill. She smiled and said that she'd get it right away; probably just cause she was eager to geht rid of us. I mean, as busy as it was we were by far the rowdiest table, buh whah did you expect from a table full of semi-drunk lads. She goht back with the bill a few minutes later just as I saw Gia and the gang head to the door. Shit! I quickly paid for my portion of the bill and then stood up.
"Oh someone's in a hurry" Ant laughed and I ignored him.
"Smoke break..." I mumbled and then turned to my cousin, "You coming Jawaad?"
He got up and followed me while Barhan said something about us 'already being in the smoking booth' that I didn't pay attention. I didn't even know what I'd say, but I just had to talk to Gia.