My Enemy, Love

Chapter Thirty-Two

Zayn's POV

Finding Alli was easier than I thought it would be. I came to the small cliffside, half a mile from the house where the ground is covered in small purple flowers. Glancing down I could see a small little cove, completely cut off from the beach, which was filled with quite a distance of dry golden sand.

Alli was sitting in the sand just a few yards from the water, knees pulled to her chest and head down. I couldn't tell if she was asleep or thinking, but either way I didn't want to disturb her just yet. As carefully and quietly as I could, I found the handholds that she'd said would be there, and made my way down.

As I walked over to her, I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the ocean was. The sun reflected off of the glassy water, which was a deep blue, shooting beams through the waves whenever they rose. White foam boiled on the surface when the waves hit, spreading out like liquid spilled from a glass and then receding. The crashing sound of the waves echoed softly throughout the cove, and while it wasn't harsh it was impossible not to hear.

After taking in the view for a few more minutes—I was stalling, mostly—I finally approached Alli. I wasn't sure what to do at first...should I sit down next to her, or would that just scare her? Maybe I could tap on her shoulder, or maybe just say something? I opened my mouth and started to speak but no sound came out, so instinctively I coughed to clear my throat.

Alli jumped, and I knew I'd startled her. Damnit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I said quickly, hoping she wouldn't be angry with me for sneaking up on her. She was silent for a bit, still looking ahead. Then she turned and smiled up at me, and I smiled shyly back. I wasn't sure if she would be happy that I was there, and her smile caught me off guard. She patted a space next to her, and so I sat.

"I wasn't scared, just surprised." She told me, turning away once again.

Then there was silence, except for the crashing of the waves. I didn't know what to say; I was afraid that no matter what I said she would just get angry. We both ended up playing with the sand for a while, not looking at each other, hating the silence around us.

I thought of what to say to her, when I got the guts to say it: So, how ya been? It's been a while. Well, except I saw you last night. But you were kind of drunk and I guess you didn't recognize me. Still, it was nice to see you after so long. Yeah...you sort of admitted a lot to me. I was wondering, is it true that you still love me? No? Oh, sorry then. Well, I guess I'll just, uh, go now?

You're a great conversationalist, Zayn.

I was still thinking of something to say when her voice cut through my thoughts. "Thank you." Then quickly following up, "For bringing me home last night, I mean." I kept staring out at the ocean for a few moments, processing her words before I turned to face her.

"You're welcome." I nodded at her and then looked back away, afraid of making too much eye contact. I was so nervous that if I got caught up staring into the emerald depths that are her eyes I'd probably start blurting out everything that was on my mind, every question I had and everything that I wanted to say.

There was more silence, and I let my eyes sweep out across the ocean. I saw a sailboat bobbing out on the water, not moving anywhere due to the lack of wind. Birds wheeled in the sky before diving into the water in search of fish to catch, re-emerging a few seconds later in triumph or in disappointment.

Then I heard her say, faintly, "I'm sorry."

I couldn't believe my ears at her words. Wasn't I supposed to be apologizing? I turned to find that she was staring at me, her green eyes full of sincerity.