Serendipity >> l.p. a.u. [COMPLETED]

Chapter 25

"You're not like Harry." He finally spoke, catching me off guard. "Harry's been around forever, a lot longer than you. He loves Carter, but she doesn't love him back. So you have to make her love you before he does the same thing, because you seem a lot better for her."

I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. "You're pretty intuitive, kid."

"Well I can't walk, so I look at people and listen."

My shoulders slouched as I looked at Shawn. He and Carter had obvious similarities, but they were also pretty different. 

"Just because you can't walk doesn't mean you can't do loads of other cool things."

"Like what?"

"Like draw!" I said, pointing at his notebook in front of him. "I've seen your sister's drawings and they're really good, I bet yours are too."

Shawn shrugged, picking up the notebook and handing it to me. "I'm not good, I just do it because Carter always helped me. Before she left."

I nodded as I looked through the kid's drawings. They were good. Not great or anything, but he's only eleven.

"I think they're pretty good." I said, handing the notebook back to him. He looked at me for a second before grinning.

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah. You and your sister definitely share a talent."

Shawn just beamed at that, grinning wide. He had the same smile as Carter, too.

"So do you play FIFA?"

CARTER'S POV

When I woke up, it took me a moment to figure out where I was. When the first thing you see when you open your eyes is Lance Bass's face, you freak out a little bit. Nonetheless, I let out a sigh of relief when I realized I was back home, in my old room, with my old posters and pictures, laying in my old bed. And even though I spent the first eighteen years of my life waking up in this same position, it didn't feel the same. I didn't feel like I belonged.

I was also upset when I realized Liam wasn't beside me, and I was hugging a pillow instead of his rock hard muscles. Before I could question where he went though, my phone started to ring on the bedside table.

I groaned, leaning over and glancing at my alarm clock.

"For fuck's sake, it's eight in the morning." I grumbled out loud to myself, picking up my phone and answering without looking at the caller ID. "Hullo?" I asked in a sleepy voice.

"Where are you?" A frantic voice asked, and I was too tired to comprehend who it was.

"What?" I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Carter where the fuck are you? I tried to ask your boss, but he kicked me out of the restaurant again, I stopped by your apartment and you're either not there or not answering the phone, so -"

"Wait, is this Zayn?" I interrupted, wide awake now. Why the hell was Zayn of all people calling me?

"Yes it's Zayn!" He shouted into the phone, and I pulled it away from my ear. "I've been texting you nonstop, I was worried you were dead, or someone kidnapped you, or fuck I don't know!"

"I'm sorry, it's been a busy twenty-four hours." I muttered.

"Doesn't mean you can't let your friend know you're okay!"

"Okay first of all," I said firmly, getting sick of him yelling at me, "I wouldn't call us friends. Are you forgetting what you said to me at the football match?"

"Carter you know I didn't -"

"Second of all, I don't have to tell you jack shit if I don't want to. And third of all..." I paused. "I am perfectly fine."

Zayn breathed a sigh of relief into the phone, and I could just imagine him running his hand over his stubble covered face. 

"Thank goodness, I was so fucking worried." He said in a much calmer voice, not even bothering to comment on my first two points. "Where are you?"

"I'm uh, I'm just outside London." I muttered, squinting my eyes shut.

"London?" He asked incredulously. "That's like three hours away, what are you doing there?"

"It's a long and complicated story that I'm not going to tell you, but I used to live here so that's that." I said vaguely.

"You drove all the way there by yourself?"

"Uh...no. Someone else drove me."

"Who?"

I didn't reply, biting my lip as I thought of how to tell him that Liam brought me. 

"Oh." Zayn spoke. "It was the football bloke, Liam. Wasn't it?"

I sighed, hating how defeated Zayn sounded. 

"Yeah."

"So you're fucking him now or something?"

"Oh shut up Zayn." I snapped. "I'm not fucking anyone, and you're a dick for assuming that."

"You barely know this guy! I've been fucking falling on my face to get you to go out with me, and now you're going off to London with this guy! What makes him better than me?"

At first Zayn sounded pissed, but now he seemed hurt and I couldn't help but wince. I made him feel that way, I led him on. Gosh I'm such a bitch.

"It's not like he has something you don't, Zayn. Liam and I just have this connection, okay? We've got history."

"Do you love him?"

I laughed, shaking my head even though he couldn't see me.

"No, I don't believe in love, but..." I paused, thinking over my next words carefully. "Liam makes me want to believe in love."