Lucid Dreaming (Zayn Malik BOOK 2)

Chapter 34: A Proper Married Couple

Zayn's POV

The irony of being stuck in another awkwardly silent car ride is not lost on me as Luna flicks through one of the old tattered journals next to me. We decided there was no point in the both of us driving, and with the couples pairing off, her riding with me was a default, one I'm not so sure if she wanted to take.

I've done more driving in the past three days than in the past year. Usually, I just turn my conscience off, render my brain to its most basic functions and focus purely on the driving. Steering the wheel, changing the gear, pressing on the clutch.

But now, I can't do anything but focus on the woman next to me. I'm not used to her blonde locks, but the familiarity of her scent, of her long legs stretched out and pressing to the dashboard, of even just the sight of her sat in the passenger's seat of my Thunderbird. I am unbelievably happy she is here, undoubtedly uncertain over how to act with her and ultimately racked with guilt about my night with Dahlia.

The air of awkwardness between us hasn't dissipated, but I'm not sure if I'm causing it by being too obsessed with how to act, or if it's because she doesn't really want to be here. She hasn't spoken to me in months. She only came back because of Loki's lead. She offered to sleep in the guest room, for fucks sake. That doesn't scream a woman who misses her husband.

She stretches, flexing her legs, locking her knees and yawns gently and closing the journal, laying it on her lap.

"You OK?" I ask.

"Tired, ironically. I was on a red-eye flight last night from Mexico to arrive this morning. I haven't slept in forty-eight hours." She answers, voice unusually monotonous.

"Mexico?" I repeat, doing my best not to sound overly interested "Is that where you've been?"

She pauses, finally looking at me. She hesitates before answering.

"Recently, yes." She states simply "I've been all over, keeping the witches busy. Ended up in Mexico, staying with my father's coven. It's bigger than I thought, they're all over the world."

"Mmh."

"I know you're upset about me going."

"I'm not upset." I lie. I was shattered by her decision to leave.

"Zayn," She mews, in that voice that makes me fucking jelly, "I thought you'd be a better liar than this by now."

"I'm not upset." I insist "Loki just didn't tell me where you'd been, so I didn't know."

"Is that a dig because I've been calling Loki?" She huffs, turning back to look out of the window.

"No, it's not a dig." I shake my head "I'm not trying to get at you, Luna. Though it wouldn't have killed you to call, I was worried."

"You don't have to be worried."

"Luna, I've been trying to keep you alive since I met you. Worrying about you is my default factory settings." I scoff.

"I just needed time."

"I know that, I gave it to you." I point out.

"I'm not saying you didn't." She snaps "You left too, Zayn. For a year."

"After you broke up with me, for Derek." I argue "And I wasn't keeping in touch with anyone back home, I was avoiding everything not just you, like you're doing with me."

I'm being petty, I know I am, but I can't stop myself.

"I'm not avoiding you, I'm sat in a fucking car with you."