Metanoia // z.m. [au]

Five

Zayn

The day of the fashion show.

Back when Zayn had trouble dealing with his anxiety, walking the runway was nearly a nightmare. He always felt like he was going to throw up, and sometimes, he actually would throw up after the show. Over the years, though, he has learned how to deal with his anxiety and nerves.

Today, however, for the first time in years he feels nervous. Despite the number of cigarettes he's smoked, he's still tense. It's because he wants things to be perfect for Liana. She trusts him with this. He's the face of her upcoming line. One that he knows is important to her, because she's showcasing her culture for the very first time. He's always taken his job seriously – being the face of many brands and companies. Yet, none hold as much gravity as this does. He doesn't quite understand why he feels this way. All he knows was that he wants Liana to be pleased.

After one of his many smoke breaks, Zayn returns inside and heads over to the makeup and hair area. He's caught glimpses of Liana, who is in a full no-bullshit boss mode. As a model, he knows and is acquainted with many designers. But, he's never really paid attention to how much work they do before a show. There's always so much going on backstage and he's usually busy focusing on himself. Seeing how hard Liana has been working is making his admiration for her grow.

There are about two hours before the show starts. Zayn is sitting in the hair and makeup chair, letting the artist do her work. As always, he tries to make conversation with whoever is working with him. He likes to make both his and their time worthwhile. The young woman is named Tamina. As she puts a little bit of makeup on him, she tells him about her husband and how they met each other at a wedding. He was the photographer and she was the bride's makeup artist. She then completely focuses on doing Zayn's hair and he stays silent as to not distract her. When his phone vibrates, he looks down to see a good luck message from his mum. There's never been a show where his mum hasn't said good luck. It makes him smile every time.

"She's staring at you again." Tamina suddenly says. Zayn looks up from his phone and she makes a swatting motion at him. "Oy! No sudden movements when I'm doing hair, man."

"Shit, sorry. Who are you talking about?"

"Liana, who you've also been looking at every chance you get. I might not look like I'm paying attention to stuff around me. But trust me, I am."

Zayn slowly looks to his right and he sees her standing there. Still dressed in black from head to toe, her hair in a ponytail, a clipboard in one hand and her phone in the other. He's only seen her walking around all day. This is the first time he's seen her standing still. He wants to smile at her, but he's not sure if he should.

When Liana turns away, he looks up at Tamina. "What do you mean by again?"

"You've been sitting here for almost an hour, and I've seen her look over here at least four times. You wanna tell me what's up with that?"

"And you're just now telling me this, why?"

"Oh quit whining and tell me what's up with you two. Give me the tea. The chai."

"Nothing is up." He tells her, even though he knows it's far from the truth. There is definitely something up. Especially after that button incident where he sucked on her finger. Something he very much wanted to do again. Although they haven't talked much since, he knows it affected her.