❝If there's something I want,
I'll take all the right wrongs❞
The next thing he remembers is that for some reason he has a green, used beanie in his hands, belonging to a boy he knows so well. His rapid breathing drowned out the other noises in the background, and even though the whole situation seemed terribly funny to watch from third-person, the older boy's heart was beating much faster than it should have.
* * *
In fact, it was an ordinary lunch break, which, exceptionally, the boy decided to spend at school due to the unfavorable weather. He did not like it, he would even dare to say that he hated it - especially the idea of spending time in such a crowded place made him just sigh and take a deep breaths, since it was all that he could have do. It was quite empty because the break hadn't started yet, but without wasting any more time, he sat down at the table that was in the corner of the room, as far away from the rest of the people as possible. He lazily slung his backpack onto the table, blocking others from sitting at the table with him. He set the lunch box in front of him and pulled out his phone, trying to pass the time because the weather wasn't really the only reason he was here.
It wasn't long before the cafeteria was flooded with students. He was very intrigued by how different everyone was from each other in many ways. Starting from appearance, ending with behavior, what attracted attention the most - some, like him, escaped to the most deserted corners of the room, while others, on the contrary, discussed loudly on various topics, not caring about anyone else. It's not that this first group was introverted, it's just that preferring spending time alone is also important, and he stuck to it. And in the midst of it all, his eyes found the person he had been looking for from the very beginning.
Watching people was part of his daily routine, so it wasn't hard for him to notice that Liam wasn't much pleased. He had a rather artificial smile on his face, the fakeness of which he tried to hide as much as possible so that no one would notice - and that probably happened, but not in his case. He knew him inside and out, so he was perfectly able to notice when his behavior was suspicious and not what it normally should be.
He didn't like the sight and he would give anything to know why he was in such a mood. Maybe it was inappropriate, but he couldn't take his eyes off him. He was sure Liam felt the eyes burning holes in him because he began to shift uncomfortably in his place, not saying a word to his friends, remaining silent throughout the break. Zayn's cheeks quickly turned red as Liam's gaze met his as he wandered around the cafeteria. He quickly looked away from his interest and began looking around the room, pretending that he hadn't spent most of the break observing him and his unfavorable mood. True, it was strange and he don't know how he would feel in such a situation, but once you get into it, there is no going back.
End of break, nothing special. He slowly started to gather his things, not caring about the possibility of being late for class, which was just starting, why would he? He wasn't the best student, and math didn't motivate him to sit quiet and listen through the whole period. It started to get crowded again when all the students started leaving the cafeteria, pushing their chairs closed and making an unpleasant noise. He threw everything into his backpack and turned to see the last people leaving the room.
He sighed and slowly started walking towards that direction. It became quiet, and that was what he needed at that moment - silence, very comfortable one. He put the phone in his pocket and slung his backpack over his other shoulder when suddenly something he saw quite often caught his eye. There was a dirty green beanie lying at the table.
Maybe he would have left it if he didn't know who it belonged to. What were the chances that he left it? Why him? Is the universe trying to favor Zayn? Without thinking any more, he picked up his hat from the floor. He ran his fingers over the material, looking at it carefully. It was nothing special, just an ordinary piece of clothing.
However, he couldn't help himself and hid it in the pocket of the black jeans jacket he was wearing. This time, he moved faster and decided to skip the next lesson, claiming that he would rather be absent than see his teacher upset.
* * *
He smiled to himself, stroking its surface with the hand he had in his pocket. It was really weird, but since he took that beanie, a lot scenarios came up in his head of how he could return the hat to its owner. Some of the ideas were quite humiliating and he was sure that he would never in his right mind implement them, but he decided that the best solution would be to go to a place he had recently visited.
The smell of dust and old paper reached his nostrils as he sat down at one of the tables in the library, or more precisely, the reading room. He knew that if Liam wasn't heading towards the exit after school was over, this was where he went most of the time. He ran his free hand over the cover of the book, which was obviously older than him. It was a light brown color, which could be a sign of age. He wasn't sure whose book it was because the letters were torn off, but he certainly didn't recognize it. His mind went back to his childhood years and his grandmother's bookcase, which she loved so much. He was never fascinated by it, but at that age he preferred quite specific literature, limited only to pictures. Now that he can read, he doesn't reach for such older books at all, though. It did not appeal to him, and the pronunciation of some words was extremely difficult.
He was so lost in his thoughts that the only thing that snapped him out of his trance was the door to the library opening, indicating the arrival of someone. The panels creaked under the weight, and the sound of heavy boots could be heard from the other end of the room. However, he didn't turn his head, not wanting to seem nosy. He bit his lip, trying to stay calm, but there was no hiding the fact that his heart was close to bursting out of his chest.
Minutes after he heard a chair being pushed away and scraping along the floor, he managed to clear his throat and look away. He looked at the boy who was sitting just two tables away. He had headphones in his ears, so he could sigh calmly without being afraid that he would hear his uneven breathing. He clutched the beanie tighter in his pocket.
His hair was scattered in different directions, and due to the rain earlier, individual strands of his hair were starting to curl, creating a mess on his head, but it didn't look too bad. His cheeks were pink, which meant he might have been outside moments ago, and Zayn automatically felt guilty, knowing he must have been cold and his hat was in his hands - but it wasn't really his fault he had lost it, was it? He was sniffling, his nose also tinted red from the cold. He was wearing a black, plaid jacket and pants of the same color, which perfectly matched, the previously mentioned, heavy boots.
After all the staring, he in a fact didn't manage to talk to the boy. He knew he was nice and would never behave badly towards someone he had just met, but the fear of them not getting along disgusted him enough. So he decided to watch him discreetly from a distance, hoping he wouldn't notice.
It was approaching five am when Liam, after finishing his studies, slowly started packing his things. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he had the impression that he caught the boy's staring a few times out of the corner of his eye and it intrigued him very much. But it was too late, because he was getting close to leaving and he still hadn't done anything about the beanie.
"Fuck" He whispered, more like mumbled, softly under his breath, but it wasn't that unaudible, causing Liam to turn towards him with a frown, making Zayn want to bury himself underground and never come out. Because, as it turned out, the headphones he had were apparently turned off or set to a very low volume. But he smiled, eventually, making his whole body melt. It was almost noticeable, and slighty sheepish, but he managed to see that. He quickly turned his head, waiting for the boy to leave - and few seconds later, thats exactly what happened. He was left alone, again.
YOU ARE READING
golden | ziam
Fanfiction- 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 the act of careful watching and listening. the activity of paying close attention to someone or something in order to get information.
