𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐲 » 𝐳.𝐬. ✔️

chapter twenty nine

"Does the word 'no' not register in your brain?" I yell, stopping in my tracks to turn around and face him once again, "because this isn't the first time you've had trouble with that."

"I just want to talk to you," Zayn mumbles quietly, a sheepish expression on his face that I'm 100% not buying.

"I said no."

"Just for a moment."

"About what?!" I snap, and immediately flush red when I notice a few heads in the dining room watching us intently. I completely forgot we were in a restaurant.

"Just... come on." He takes my hand in his and leads me down a hallway to a door with a large red exit sign above it.

He pushes the door open and ushers me outside, the setting sun reflecting a golden hue against the city. It would be nice to admire if it weren't for the current situation at hand.

"Zayn, what are we doing out here?" I ask, exhausted and tired of his antics. I let go of his hand before continuing. "I know how this goes. You sweet talk me, I forgive you, we're fine for a couple of days until you do something else to hurt me, and then we fight."

"Well, if you would just let me speak and apologize-" He tries to explain but I cut him off.

"I don't want your apology! I don't want anything from you. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

I'm practically begging at this point, my voice giving out near the end. I just want him to leave me alone.

He stares at me for a long time after that, his eyebrows furrowed as though he were in deep concentration. "Because... I can't get you out of my head and I don't know what to do about it."

Those words make my heart flutter in my chest and that's exactly what I was afraid of.

Butterflies.

I can't do this again, though. I'm so tired of this game with him. I can't let myself fall back into his trap.

"You should have thought about that when I asked how you felt about me," I murmur quietly, averting my gaze down to the sidewalk cement.

"I don't know how I feel about you, Harry. I didn't then and I don't now..."

He takes a step closer to me and I step back without missing a beat, my back hitting the door behind me. I immediately look around at the alley we're in, not wanting to be caught in this already compromising position by anyone.

I finally meet his eyes again, only to find him staring right back at me with a look of pure determination on his face. I swallow the lump in my throat, crossing my arms.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm over you," I lie as smoothly as I can, not missing the way his mouth twitches at the corner.

"I don't believe you," he bites back.

"You don't have to, but I am. So you should just move on too."

"You're not done with me," he practically snarled, taking another step closer and resting his hands against the door on either side of me, bracketing me in.

"You don't get to decide that for me. I'm on a date right now, anyway, so if you could—"

"With who?" he barked, a fire behind his eyes that wasn't there seconds ago.