I hate this feeling
But I love this part
She really wants to make it work
And I clearly want to let it start.
- "Greek Tragedy" || The Wombats
________________
"So, I heard someone's taken my advice. It's fine. I can wait for my thanks. I can, really."
"What?" Anais throws clothes from her drawers onto her bed. Why does it always feel like she's got nothing to wear?
She throws her eyes over her shoulder. "You're gonna have to be more specific, Cara."
"About the fuck buddy, duh," she replies.
"I don't have a fuck buddy."
"That's not what Anastasia told me yesterday."
Anais pauses, holding up a crop top in her mirror. "What did Anastasia say about me?"
Cara grins, laying on Anais' bed beside Jourdan and Daphne.
The girls smile between each other.
"She saw you out," says Daphne.
Anais rolls her eyes. "I'm always out, guys."
"In Nero?" She prods.
"I eat there like, every day after class."
"But, when are you joined by boys-?"
"Who isn't Louis-?"
"Or Lucky?"
"What?"
"Wear this," says Soo, pulling out a very form-fitting dress from the back of her closet and holding it up to Anais' body.
"Where'd you find-?"
"That show from last fall," Soo shrugs.
"God, you're a lifesaver!"
"I know," she grins. "And she's talking about you and Zayn, Ana. Remember?"
Anais shimmies out of her pajamas.
"Thursday? Lunch time. You were there."
"Oh," Anais scoffs. "God, Anastasia is a gossip who fucking can never get the story right, can she?"
"So, you're not sleeping with the bad boy of Tisch?"
"What, Jourdan? No, we aren't sleeping together, but bad boy?" She laughs because it was funny when Cara first mentioned it and it's still funny now. "Why's that even a thing?"
"I dunno," Jourdan shrugs. "Ask your new man."
"I heard," Daphne pipes, "that he'll fuck and leave without calling."
"Ah," Cara nods, "so he's a hit and quit kind of guy, huh?"
"Toot it and boot it."
"Dine and dash."
"I also heard," continues Daphne, "that he's kind of a dick."
Anais gasps. "What?"
"Hey-That's what Jade said!"
Jourdan wrinkles her nose. "That girl? The one in Performance, right? The one who sings?"
Daphne nods. "Like, she's said he's a horrible boyfriend, or something."
"We can't be talking about the same person."
Jourdan smirks. "Looks like you've got yourself a bad boy, Ana."
"Perfect," Cara grins, "for a fuck buddy."
Anais sighs. Her friends are laughing as she changes into Soo's dress. "You guys are the worst!"
"Hey," Cara shrugs, "I'm just stating the facts, man. I mean, just look at him! He's all mysterious and quiet and shit-"
"Doesn't make him a bad boy," Anais snorts, because really? Really, Zayn? "I swear these things don't make sense. Once you guys got to know him I'm-"
Soo smiles smugly. "Sounds like you two are close, eh?"
"I mean...I don't..." Anais shakes her head. Can she classify Zayn as a friend, yet? I mean, they've only hung out outside of class in the library...and that one time at Nero...
Does that count?
Anais shakes her head. "We aren't sleeping together, okay?"
"But, he's coming over tonight, isn't he?"
She turns abruptly to Soo. "How'd you know-?"
And before Anais finishes one though she's overcome by another.
She and Soo nod at the same time.
"Louis."
"Louis."
______
There's always a point during college parties where Zayn wishes that he could be anywhere else.
Tonight is no exception.
He'd met her at her apartment and together, the two had walked over to the party as planned, but now that they'd made it to Niall's, the inevitable had happened. While Anais had started out the party at his side, now she was surrounded by friends and and groups of the many (many) other guys who all wanted to get in her pants.
And, to keep himself from leaving-which is what he's seriously debating doing-he steps outside for a smoke. It's calming. It's cold outside and the smoke in his lungs is keeping him sane, because he didn't show up to this party with Anais only to have someone else steal her away from him. That wasn't particularly the end goal of this night.
Watching Anais go home with someone else was not the end goal of his night.
And it's bothering him, more than it should, he thinks. He can hear the loud music from inside and he can hear the pulsing beat mingling with the loud voices from within.
Anais is her own person, of course, and Anais doesn't seem like the kind of girl who gets pressured into doing something she doesn't want.
Anais isn't that girl.
And while Zayn knows that it was her idea to show up to this party together, maybe she was just being friendly.
Anais is friendly, after all.
Maybe he read her wrong.
Maybe he was just projecting.
Maybe he wanted this to be something more.
Maybe it was him, all along.
Now, his smoke has become way less relaxing. Now, his head is swimming with thoughts of Anais like they've done ever since that first Astronomy lesson. Each time she teases him or smiles at him or calls him 'Zayn' and not 'Malik' something happens to his chest and there's more thoughts of Anais that fill his mind and increases his heart rate because Anais, Anais, Anais.
"There you are."
He whirls around and sees her standing, illuminated by the light in the doorway.
"God, Zayn," she says, and she walks towards him in the dress that had initially rendered him speechless. "I thought you'd left me."
He grins, shaking his head. "Just came out here for a smoke-that's all."
She purses her lips. "Mhmm."
"What?" He exclaims, stifling a laugh. "Why-Like, why the face?"
She leans against the wall beside him, turning her head abruptly to face him. "Can you honestly stand here and tell me you weren't thinking of leaving?"
At that, he chokes on a little embarrassed laugh. "Well..."
She jumps. "Aha!"
"I hadn't even said anything, yet!"
"You didn't have to say anything! Dammit, Zayn. If you wanted to go, you could've told me!"
He shakes his head. "I'm not here to ruin your fun, Anais."
"Who says I'm having fun?"
And Zayn stares at her. "But-"
Anais' lips are still pursed and she's rolling her eyes. "Seriously," she says, "if you wanted to go-"
"Would it have mattered, really?"
"If?"
"I'd gone," he finishes. "If I'd left."
"Without telling me? I'd have been pissed."
He laughs. "Why?"
"I don't..." Her eyes search the ground for her answer. "Because we came together, didn't we? Were you just going to leave me and not say so?" She snaps because in all actuality, it shouldn't matter at all if he'd decided to dip. She'd wanted to. She was tired of boys bringing her drinks who she didn't want to talk to and it seemed as if all of her friends had found someone and coupled up, like always.
And before, he'd been at her side. He'd been there for her to whisper things to and roll her eyes when other people were being stupid and drunk because she knew of all people there he'd understand. He did understand and so when she looked up and Harry was beside her and not Zayn she freaked-and Anais does not freak out.
He left. She thought immediately. He's gone.
"Ana-Anais! Are you alright, love?"
And Anais had stopped scanning the crowds of people in the tiny apartment for her to meet Louis' crystal blue eyes.
"Zayn," she'd said. "Have you seen Zayn?"
Louis had only nodded, eyebrows furrowed. "Patio," he'd replied. "He just stepped out to smoke."
Anais stares at Zayn now and she shakes her head.
"If you wanted to leave, you should've just told me."
So Zayn shakes his head and bites on his lip and smirks a bit.
"What?"
He lifts his hand, pushing a few loose hairs from between her lips. "Y'know," he says, "you're not as easy to read as most people think."
Anais is still in shock from the previous action, but her smirk suggests oppositely.
"I could say the opposite about you."
"Huh?" He leans closer to her. "How so?"
"What most people say about you seems to be wildly inaccurate."
Zayn snorts. He looks away and then back at her and smiles. "I'm glad you think so."
Anais laughs, both leaning against Zayn and startling him because she's got her head on his shoulder.
He shifts beneath her.
"Hey, Zayn."
"Yeah?"
"Wanna get out of here?"
Hell yeah. "Where?"
She shrugs. "Anywhere."
"So..."
She snorts. "So?"
"Alright then," and he slips his hand quietly into hers. He doesn't meet her wide-eyed gaze. "So, let's go then."
-~*~-
Whoop whoop! Longish chapter ya'll heeeyyy!
Comment and vote. Look at these two getting closer or something. Excited for where Zayn's gonna take Anais? HEheheheheee. xxx
Song for the chapter, Greek Tragedy by The Wombats. (It's attached ya'll - but I've got to be honest, the video is kinda chilling so heads up. I couldn't find a lyric video to place instead.)