We are dragonflies
From the innocence of youth we rise
We fly and spread our wings
Bathe under the sun's warm bliss
Moving back and forth, north to south
Above the shimmering lake, we learned what life is all about
We follow different directions and fly apart
Searching for the soulmate that can flutter our hearts
After flying alone miles and miles away
We meet in the air again
With wings more graceful and much stronger
Both of us ready to fly together.
//R.V//●●●
I didn't see her right away, but I heard her.My eyes wandered around the busy coffee shop, scanning the occupied tables and chairs, searching where the familiar sound came from.
"What will you have, Z?"
I returned my attention to my friend, Liam. The barista in front of him looked at me, waiting for my order.
"I'll have a Cortado," I told the barista. "And a-
I paused. The vibrant chuckles hit my ears again. This time I reacted quickly, so my gaze immediately found the source of those lovely giggles.
And then I saw her.
Lauren.
I could only see her side profile and her table was at the far right corner of the cafe, but I was certain that it's her. The jewelry on her nose confirmed it.
Besides, how could I forget my first love?
Images from the past flashed through my mind. Thirteen years ago, when my family decided to try our luck in America, I met Lauren. On my first day at school, I was cornered by the bullies who found my accent 'funny'. Lauren was the only person who told them to fuck off. She was about to punch one of them when the teacher saw us and ushered us all into the principal's office.
Since then, Lauren and I became inseparable. Our friendship flourished. On her seventeenth birthday, I told her I love her. I was over the moon when she confessed her true feelings to me. That she also loves me.
"Zayn, man."
Liam's hand jolted me back to reality. "Yeah?"
"He's asking if you want anything else," Liam said, giving me a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
I glanced at the barista, who was clearly irritated now. "Just the Cortado."
Liam muttered something to me but his words didn't register to my brain. I turned my head again to where Lauren was sitting. She's currently chatting with the woman she's with, her smile broad. Then she gathered her hair on the back of her head to tie them up, exposing her nape.
My pulse thundered. The dragonfly tattoo was still there on her nape. I couldn't see the whole picture, but I know it was a dragonfly. I would never forget how it looked like. That was my gift to her when she turned eighteen.
On the night of her eighteenth birthday, I took her out. She thought we would see a movie, but I drove her to the tattoo parlor where I had my first ink. Lauren wanted a tattoo since she was fifteen, but her parents said she could only have one once she turns eighteen.
When the tattoo artist asked her what she would like to have, she smiled and said, "A dragonfly on my nape."
I was curious, of course, so I asked her, "Why a dragonfly?"
"Because they symbolize maturity and understanding the depth of life," she simply said, then stared seriously at me. "You're one of the few people who gave deeper meaning to my life."
YOU ARE READING
After Dark (zauren one shots)
Fanfictiona collection of zauren one shots and short stories