Ruined // Zayn Malik AU

Chapter 4

arabelle 's pov

The cafe had become somewhat of a meeting spot for Connor, Jay, Jess and I, and the staff (who I learned were very friendly) all knew me by name.

"Very sour faced," one of the workers, a man who I guessed to be around forty or so remarked one day, his eyes on Zayn as he gave Connor and I our orders, "isn't he?"

I burst out laughing at his comment, not have been expecting that, seeing as he was talking about one of his customers. Zayn was also at the cafe, and I had been looking at him now and again for the past several minutes that I had been in the shop, but all he did was glare at me whenever he saw me looking. He seemed to go to the cafe a lot, too.

Connor chuckled at my laughter and then turned to the worker. "He is. Especially with Belle, here." He gestured towards me with a smirk. He had began to call me Belle recently, as we had become closer and he claimed he liked the name Belle a lot.

"Not just me," I argued, taking a sip of the latte I had ordered. "Other people too."

"Nope, it's just you," Connor said, also taking a sip of his drink. He loved annoying me, and I knew that, because a few days beforehand he had told me I was cute when I was frustrated.

The worker didn't seem sure whether or not he was supposed to leave, so I nodded at him with a small smile and a thank you. He took that as a sign to leave, and so, he did.

"So you're trying to tell me whenever I'm not around Zayn skips around singing opera with rainbows coming out of his ass?" I said, raising my eyebrows, my straw staying by my lips.

Connor burst out laughing. "No, I am not trying to tell you that."

"Then why do you think he's just rude around me?" I questioned, putting my drink down.

"I didn't say he's just rude around you. I said he's especially rude around you," Connor explained with a shrug.

"Oh." I watched as a boy who looked around our age, maybe a bit older, walked into the cafe and went over to Zayn's table. He said something to Zayn that I didn't catch that caused Zayn to let out a laugh. I had only seen Zayn laugh once before, which was in class, but it had been more of a chuckle than a laugh. Zayn looked so different because of the smile that was on his face due to his laughing. If I didn't know any better, I would say he looked like a lovely,  friendly person.

The guy said something to Zayn and I watched as Zayn's face lit up and he said something back. I found myself wishing our table was closer to theirs so I could hear what they were saying to one another.

"Do you think Jess and Jay are even coming?" Connor asked, but I didn't even listen to what he was saying, too busy trying to hear what Zayn and his friend were saying.

"Shh," I hissed, keeping my eyes fixed on Zayn. The guy sitting beside him took something out of his pocket that I wasn't able to identify in the small time it was visible to my eyes. He held them in his hands and Zayn studied whatever it was, and then shook his head, seeming dissapointed.

The guy moved his hands, probably showing Zayn something else. Zayn looked at it closely, biting his bottom lip, and then shook his head again. The same events happened again, with the exception of Zayn scratching the back of his neck afterwards. The boy showed him something else again, but this time Zayn's eyes lit up and a smile formed on his lips.

He put a finger on what the guy was holding, and I managed to lip-read what he said.

"That one," he told the guy, looking up to him with a happy look in his eyes.

"Really?" The guy asked, looking pleased.

Zayn nodded his head with the smile staying on his lips, and said something that I wasn't able able to make out. The other guy grinned and said something else, gesturing to the door. Zayn nodded and the two stood up. Zayn glanced over at me, but he didn't even glare this time. The smile stayed on his lips, and I couldn't help but stare at him until he was out of sight.