Dark Star

Chapter 14: Curiosity

Lola Solemen

He loved me? Holy shit. Zayn Malik said he loved me.

“I’m sorry, Lola,” Zayn said, shifting his weight and causing me to sit up on the couch, our bodies no longer touching. “I have to take this.”

I nodded.

He stood up, phone in hand, and walked out to the room Liam had escaped to before. The phone rang all the way there. He only answered when he shut the door.

A strange feeling rushed through me, my grin fading. I began panicking. I don’t know why, but I had a feeling something terrible had happened.

Why was life always that way? Once anything good happened, something bad had to occur to make up for it.

I stood up and walked to the kitchen, wanting to get something to drink. I opened the fridge and gazed down into it for far too long, the cool air actually causing goose-bumps on the skin of my legs. I blinked and finally spotted a couple of Arizona water bottles. I pulled one out and shut the fridge.

Whoever had called… it hadn’t been any of the boys. I hardly doubt that Zayn would leave the room in order to have a conversation with one of them.

Curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t help myself.

I walked over to the door that separated us and hesitated. I couldn’t hear his voice from here. Why couldn’t I hear his voice from here? 

I pressed my ear against the wooden, white door.

Nothing.

Maybe something was wrong. Maybe something had happened.

My pulse quickened and I bit my lip nervously. What could have happened? Why would Zayn be sitting in silence? For what reason?

I grabbed the knob and turned it slowly.

I waited for him to speak up. To let me know that it was okay to enter. But, again, there was silence.

Frustrated, I pushed the door open and looked inside.

The room was empty.

“Zayn…?” I said quietly, my voice going up an octave uncontrollably. “Zayn?”

I stepped inside and he suddenly came out of the bathroom, a shirt in his hand. He was wearing sweatpants now.

“Lola?” he said. “What’s wrong? I was just changing.”

“What about the phone call?” I asked.

“I didn’t answer,” he said. “Wrong number.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and put my hand on my heart to calm it. But I had a feeling he wasn’t telling the truth. Why would he leave the room for an “unknown number” and then not answer it?

He smiled at my actions and walked over to me, placing the shirt on one of the beds as he passed by it. He stroked my cheek again, his fingers causing a shiver to go down my spine. His touch was always so gentle, and yet it had such a massive effect on my body.

Now my heart was really pounding, beating far faster than was normal. Just like it had when we had been kissing on the couch. He looked into my eyes for a moment, just stroking my cheek. And then his hand froze and he frowned. His eyes raced around vaguely and stopped on my water bottle.

“Can I have some?” he asked randomly.

Without hesitation, I held the bottle up to him.

He took it and drank for a little bit before handing it back to me. It was the first time I had shared a water bottle with a guy.