When Worlds Conclude - WWC3

9; Dates, Phone Numbers, and Fights

Violet

So far the 'date' between Aaron and I was going really well. We had spent the last hour talking about how much we both loved How I Met Your Mother and he had been continuously making me laugh over his character impressions. He knew almost every line from the show - it was impressive.

He was very nice to look at, I had to admit, and I wanted to both punch Zayn in the face and hug him for setting me up with someone so good. It was a weird situation, your ex boyfriend setting you up with someone when you hadn't seen each other in two years. It shocked me that he still knew me so well. It was kind of hard to see myself fitting so perfectly with someone other than Zayn, and to see him fitting so perfectly with someone other than me.

"Another drink?" Aaron asks me once our laughter dies down. I nod gratefully and he gets up to fetch us both another round.

I guess I just never thought that Zayn and I could be anything other than what we were. I could never see us as being just friends because the love I had for him was too much. The love I will always have for him is too much. But it's really nice to still be in his life in some way. It's nice to see him happy, even if it isn't with me. The idea of us becoming friends is an idea I didn't think could happen, but I'm super glad that it is. I had missed Zayn a lot. Being without him for two years really felt like a piece of me was missing. When somebody like that leaves you they're never really forgotten.

Aaron comes back and slides me my drink, and I thank him. He starts up another conversation about my studies and all that I can think about is telling Zayn all about this as soon as it's over.

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"Violet."

I'm walking through the dining hall when I hear my name. To my left I see Abby sitting alone at a table, just finishing up a meal. I feel obliged to stop.

"Hey," I say. "Where's Zayn?"

"He's up in the room taking a well deserved nap." She smiles. "He didn't get much sleep last night, the reception went quite late. Would you mind joining me?"

I stare at her for a second. Join her. Join her? Zayn wasn't here so why did she want me to sit down with her? "Sure." I swallow but sit down. It'd be rude not to. 

"Were you on your way to somewhere?" She asks, after I've already sat down. As if I could say anything but no now.

"I was just coming back from the bar," I say.

"Oh, with Aaron?" Her eyes light up, like she knows me well. "How'd that go?"

"It was good, yeah." I don't feel comfortable discussing this with her, or going any further than small talk. 

"Zayn said he seemed like a nice guy. He thought you would like him."

I just laugh a little and smile. "Yeah, well, it was kind of weird him setting me up. It's not really a casual thing."

"You haven't seen Zayn in a while, have you?"

I shake my head. "We went to high school together," I say vaguely. "I knew him briefly for my first year of college when he attended but when he dropped out we grew distant. It was nice to see him again, after all this time."

Abby smiles warmly at me. She really was beautiful. "Violet, I know you and Zayn dated."

That stops me. How did she know? Did Zayn tell her? "Oh," is all I can say.

She laughs, reaching over to grab my arm like it's a friendly gesture but it really just freaks me out more. "Oh god, you look terrified. It's okay. I know Zayn and the second he saw you he started acting weird. And when I saw you two dancing I figured it out."