One Month Headed In One Direction

Chapter 15: One Problem At A Time Boys

[CHRISTINE’S POV]

I shoved past the security guards at the entrance. I had just spent twenty minutes explaining to the last set of guards that I was Zayn’s best friend and not some psycho fan. Some days I really missed when he was just my bestie and not a famous popstar. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with another muscle bound idiot’s questions. My short blonde curls whipped into my face, and I pushed them away angrily. I wasn’t sure why I was hurrying so much. Zayn was a grown up and could clean up his own messes. My phone buzzed again.

[ZAYN’S TEXT]: R U here or not?

I ignored the texts that followed after and shoved the phone back into my pocket as I walked forward. He had woken me up at five this morning blowing up my phone with texts and calls. I was starting to think that maybe Nathan was right about Zayn being a little too dependent on me. All of his voicemails and texts had been pleas for me to arrive at the concert venue as soon as possible. I had managed to hold him off until now, but it was still only eleven in the morning.  He hadn’t said exactly what was wrong, but I knew it had to be about a girl. I was supposed to be in LA enjoying my time with Nathan not helping my best friend from elementary school fix his girl problems. I reached the dressing room door and heard voices behind it. I smacked the door open and several startled eyes turned towards me. I locked eyes with Zayn.

“You are not allowed to text me again unless you are bleeding or about to be murdered,” I growled at him. He stood up and excitedly made his way towards me. “So what is the desperate emergency?”

“Chrissy!” Zayn said as he pulled me into his arms. Chrissy? He knows I hate being called Chrissy. I struggled against his grip, but he held on tight. When he finally pulled away from me he gave me a quick smacking kiss on the lips. I froze. Sure Zayn and I had always been affectionate, but he had never kissed me. I had punched him the one time he had tried when we were both four. He ignored my reaction and turned to look at a young girl with dark red hair snuggled up next to Niall. She must be the girl he screwed up with.

“I don’t care if you think she is your future wife,” I hissed quietly into his ear. “I am going to kill you for that.”  Zayn winced as I pinched the skin on his neck. He fidgeted nervously, but continued to cling to me like moss on a tree.

“Just play along,” he whispered. The he started to speak loudly so everyone in the room could hear him. “Sorry for waking you up so early honey. I just missed you so much!” I blinked over at him a few times as I tried to process what he had just said. Honey? I know there are millions of girls who would be thrilled to have Zayn Malik call them honey, but I wasn’t one of them. When he said it to me it just sounded weird. It’s just really hard to ever have romantic thoughts about the same boy who used to steal your juice boxes and shove you into mud puddles.  [AN: This is exactly how I feel about this guy I grew up with. Despite our complete lack of romantic feelings for one another our families are still convinced we should get married.] Besides, I was more into guys like--.

“I finally caught up with you. What’s going on?” Nathan asked popping into the room. I smiled at him before yanking him and Zayn out into the hallway with me.

“You brought Nathan Kress with you when I called you for help?” Zayn asked angrily.

“Of course I brought my boyfriend with me!” I snapped. “He seems to have this stupid idea that you like me as more than a friend so I brought him to show how wrong that assumption is. You, however, are making it really hard for me to prove my point when you start kissing me and calling me honey!”

“He kissed you?!?” Nathan asked with a dark look.

“Your boyfriend?” Zayn asked. “When did that happen?” I sighed. I could feel a major headache coming on.