A Cabin For Thirteen (Sequel to 6G5G1S)

*Chapter 4: The Truth About Zelly

After a little bit, I finished my granola bar. I stood up and threw away the wrapper in the garbage can and put the cup on the counter next to the washing machine so it would be ready to wash with the breakfast dishware. I looked over at the big clock on the wall over the sink. It read 12:15 a.m. If I didn’t get to bed soon, I wouldn’t fall asleep at all tonight.

I was about to start walking to the stairs when I heard something coming from that direction. I froze in place, and listened. I heard the thumping of footsteps on the stairs. Then, I saw his dark hair come up over the railing on the side of the stairs, and I knew it was Zayn.

Wait, what? Zayn could sleep through anything. What was he doing awake at 12:15 when he could have gone to sleep by now?

His head turned and he saw me standing there. Our eyes locked and I froze in my place. “Kelly?” he whispered. “What are you doing up?”

“I was wondering the same about you,” I admitted softly, leaning back against the counter behind me. This just didn’t make sense. Of all the people in this place, I would have thought he’d be asleep instead of the other people around here.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Zayn said. “Jet lag, or something, I don’t even know.”

“But you can sleep through anything,” I pointed out.

“Well, I just can’t sleep tonight,” he said with a shrug as he walked towards me. “What about you? What are you doing up?” Zayn asked. He went to a cabinet and grabbed a glass.

“Couldn’t sleep at all,” I said. I grabbed my glass from the counter and filled it up with water again. “I was lying in bed for about an hour before I got up to come here.”

Zayn nodded, filling his glass with water after I stepped away. “So both of us are having trouble sleeping,” he said softly. He said it quietly enough that I would guess that he didn’t really want me to hear.

“Got any tips to help me sleep?” I asked him.

Zayn shrugged, and an awkward silence came between us. I just stood there with my back against the counter, him standing across from me with his glass of water. He tilted it to his lips every once in a while, but other than that there was nothing. We just looked at each other, my hands shaking from where they were behind me. After a bit, he spoke up. “So…” he said softly.

I found myself speaking. “Can we talk?” I whispered.

“Um, sure,” Zayn said. We both walked over to the couch and took a seat, somewhat close together but with enough space between us that it wasn’t completely awkward. “What about?”

I looked down at my feet, immediately shy. “Uh…what are we?”

“What was that?” he asked. He must not have heard me.

“What are we?” I asked a bit louder. “Like, are we together, or what?” Why did I have to say it? I should have just left it alone. I probably just ruined our friendship. Great.