When Worlds Collide - A Zayn Malik Fanfic

39; Weaknesses, distractions, and perfume

"Aw, guys, really?" Niall pouts. "Alright, Avery and I will just have to verse ourselves."

I immediately storm off, wasting no time. I need a cigarette so badly. There's light footsteps behind me and then a hand on my shoulder. I spin around and shake Violet's hand off. "What do you think you're doing?" I snap.

Violet's eyebrows crease. "Me?" She cries. She looks behind her, but Avery and Niall are way too caught up in themselves to notice. "You almost kissed me!" She whispers lowly.

My words are caught in my throat, but I manage to choke them out. "Dream on, Princess."

She looks a little hurt, but quickly dismisses it. "Y-You mean, you weren't?"

I snort. "Why would I? You think I'm interested in you or something? Besides, why do you care so much? You have Liam."

She pauses and then laughs awkwardly. "Right. Yeah. Right. Um ... right."

I can feel all my energy draining just standing here with her. She's so powerful, I can't stand it. "I-I have to go," I splutter. I need to go before she makes me feel anything more dangerous.

"Zayn, I ... wait-"

I don't wait. I run off as quickly as I can, back to my dorm. I need a distraction, something to get my mind off of things. I grab my box of cigarettes and new lighter, ignoring the fact Violet still has my old one, and go out to the shed. I make sure Avery and Niall don't see me as I walk across the field, and once I'm covered I lean against the shed wall and sigh deeply. I've finished two cigarettes before I even realise.

-----

The next day I walk into Chemistry late, sitting down beside Violet who acts as though the near kiss didn't even happen. The minute I sit down she hands me a sheet of paper, leaning over me to point to a line with her pen.

"We need to redo this," she tells me casually. "Come over to my dorm after?"

I'm a little shocked, I have to admit. I thought things would be totally awkward between us. But maybe it's just me that's overanalysing things. Maybe it has been this whole time.

I read the line she points at; Research on assigned Chemist - not completed.

"What?" I say aloud. "We did do that!" I remember because it felt like every fucking day I was doing research with Violet.

She looks understanding. "I know, but not well enough. We didn't present it well or something." She straightens herself back up, and I'm thankful she's no longer near me.

"So, what do we do?"

"Well," she begins, shuffling through some of her papers. "I was thinking we could make a book."

"A book?" My eyebrow raises.

She smiles. "Yeah. A book of research on Alfred Noble."