"What the hell? Zayn?" I say.
"Let's sit down and let me explain everything," Zayn says.
Zayn pulls three keys from his pocket and hands them to me. I check the keys and confirm that they are the spare keys to my car, my apartment, and my neighbor's apartment.
Stephanie, Josh, Zayn, and I are now sitting in my living room. Zayn is leaned forward in the chair with his hands on his knees. Stephanie hasn't said a word.
"Care to explain Zayn?" Josh says.
"Okay, so," Zayn begins and takes a deep breath, "I did it with good intentions. When I got into my little...uh...scrap...with Niall, a key fell out of his pocket and hit the floor. I looked at the key and it had a piece of tape on it labeled 'Emily's Apartment' and I was really confused. Since it didn't seem like you wanted Niall to be in your apartment, I thought it was weird that he had a key to it. So I took the key and then reached into Niall's pockets and found two more keys, one to the apartment of a 'Mrs. Xavier' and one that said 'Spare Car Key.' They were written in the same handwriting as something that was on your desk, so I knew they had to be yours. I took the keys from him, but he didn't notice. I forgot to give them back to you because I freaked out. I'm sorry."
"Zayn...Thank you so much..." I say.
"Yeah, that's really nice that you did that," Stephanie adds.
"But what about my car?" I say.
"Oh yeah," Zayn says, "so Harry texted me after I got home and told me that Niall was in the hospital because of me. I went to the hospital to see Niall and apologize. I saw your car in the parking lot when I got there, and I assumed you were there with him. I talked to Niall, and he apologized to me and said that it was his fault! I was shocked that he said that! Niall then told me that he made a mistake and pretended to be seriously hurt even though he only had high blood pressure. Niall said that you ran away from the hospital because of being interrogated by Clark. Niall confessed everything to him after you had already left. I then told Niall that your car was still in the parking lot and he said he didn't know what to do. I remembered that I had the keys, then I tried to drive the car to your apartment, but I didn't have access, so I drove the car to Uni and then I walked back to the hospital and drove home. Does all that make sense?"
"Yes, oh my god, thank you," I respond, "but some questions still aren't answered."
"Like what?" Stephanie says.
"Why did Corinne tell me that Niall was seriously hurt when she was the one who nursed him? Shouldn't she have known that he only had high blood pressure?"
"Oh my god. I didn't think about that," Zayn says.
"Another thing," Josh adds, "Niall had the key to your apartment because from looking at the hallway camera footage, Mrs. Xavier handed Niall the key to your apartment to open it, but when Niall had to give the key back to Mrs. Xavier, he gave her a different key."
"That explains it," Stephanie says.
"And also, I didn't let either Zayn or Niall into the apartment complex. Why did Niall have access, but Zayn didn't?"
All three of us simultaneously look at Josh.
"I have no idea," Josh says and raises his arms, "I'll ask security tomorrow."
"This is a huge mess," I say and bury my face in my hands.
"At least you have your keys back," Zayn says and smiles.
"We need to confront Niall," Stephanie adds.
"Why? He'll probably just lie about this too," I say.
"She's right," Zayn says.
"Did that letter mean anything to you Emily?" Stephanie interjects.
"What letter?" Zayn and Josh both say.
"Should I show them?" I ask Stephanie.
"Yeah," she responds.
I go to my bedroom to retrieve the letter. I let both Zayn and Josh read the letter. They are both immersed in the document for several minutes.
"What?! Slept with my girlfriend?!" Zayn yells.
"I swear to fucking god," Josh says, "if that little prick slept with my girlfriend I'll beat his Irish ass into the ground."
"You don't actually want to be with him, do you?" Zayn asks me.
"I think she should give him another chance," Stephanie interrupts, "I mean, you have to give him credit for confessing."
"A murderer confessing that they killed someone doesn't make them a better person, they're still a murderer, they just aren't a liar too anymore."
"He's right," Josh says.
"I want to help him though," I say.
"He can't be helped Emily," Zayn says, "he has shown you more attention and passion than I've ever seen him give a girl, but that doesn't mean he won't betray you again. It's inevitable."
"I agree," Josh says.
I really shouldn't be discussing this with them, but they know Niall more than I do, so they're probably right.
"So what should I do?" I say.
"Move on with your life," Zayn says.
"But-"
"Emily," Josh interrupts, "I don't know much about your relationship with Niall, but I do know that he's an absolute shit head when it comes to girls. There are plenty of better fish in the sea."
There is a long moment of silence.
"Anyways," Stephanie says, "it's getting late and we all have school tomorrow, so we should all head home."
We all stand from the couches and begin to walk towards the door.
"Hopefully Liam didn't fuck shit up at the frat house," Josh says.
"What's up with Liam anyways?" I ask, "I met him once and he was really rude and I met him another time and he was really nice."
"Haha, I don't know why he does it," Josh says, "but he puts on a fake persona and pretends to be an asshole to people because he thinks it makes him look cool, I tell him he doesn't have to, but he doesn't listen to me."
"He's a genuinely nice guy," Zayn says.
"Yes, definitely," Stephanie adds.
"I've had more drama and confusion in these past few days than in my entire life because of your goddamn insane family tree," I say.
"Yeah, we're a mess," Josh laughs and opens the door to leave.
"I'll see you tomorrow Emily," Stephanie winks, "stay sexy."
"Hey Emily, can I use the bathroom before I go?" Zayn asks.
"Yeah, sure," I respond.
Stephanie and Josh leave my apartment and Zayn goes into the bathroom.
I walk away from the door and go back into my living room where I fall onto the couch. I lay there for several minutes with my eyes closed.
I hear the bathroom door open. I leave the couch so that I can say goodbye to Zayn.
"Don't you own an art studio downtown?" I ask.
"Yeah what about it?" he responds.
"How do you run it if you have school?"
"Being the owner doesn't necessarily mean you have to be there all the time. I hire people to do a lot of things."
"Oh, that makes sense."
"I'm truly sorry for all the confusion Emily," Zayn says and stares into my eyes. His light-brown eyes are sparkling.
"It's okay," I respond, "I'm just glad to be done with Niall."
"Are you?"
"Yeah, I'm moving on."
"I want you to be happy Emily."
"Thank you, but I may never be."
"Why would you think that?"
"I don't know, I've never had any success with guys and Niall is just another example of a failed relationship. It feels like I'm constantly playing a game that I'm destined to lose."
I don't include the fact that Niall is actually the first guy I've ever been with.
Zayn places his hand on my arm.
"Emily, be happy for the family and friends you do have and cherish them with all your heart because they love you more than anything."
"Zayn...I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. You're amazing."
Zayn is inches away from me now. His warm breath is pouring over my skin.
"Emily, you're an incredible girl that any guy would be beyond lucky to be with."
"Zayn...I...I..."
Zayn grabs my hips, pulls me towards him, and crashes my lips against his.