Chapter 17
Arianna's POV ~
A week later.
Looking out the balcony of my apartment, I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes with the little tissue I had left.
My eyes were red, and my nose was sore.
I didn't even cry that much, I don't know why my eyes were so numb.
Only a few tears would manage to come out of them though, and then I would stop myself.
I really missed him.
I was used to him being here to talk to me. Now I was back to being lonely.
It was just after lunch hour, and I was still here. I haven't left this apartment since Niall had gone.
I didn't feel like facing the world.
I didn't really care about the classes I was missing, or if I were to get fired from work.
I wasn't in the mood to go anymore.
Hailey stopped by once a day for the past week, dropping off notes that she had taken during classes, and she always told me to make sure to look over them.
But they remained sitting on the little coffee table in the living room, where Hailey had set them, untouched.
"Arianna, you need to stop this. I know you're waiting for Niall, but sitting here in this apartment isn't going to make him come back any faster." Hailey had told me yesterday.
I got up and made my way into the kitchen and pulled out a cup from the cupboard, poured some water in it, and sat it in the microwave to heat.
I watched for a minute, observing the cup inside as it turned slowly again and again.
After it was finally finished, I dropped the tea bag in it to let it soak. I kept tugging on the string, pulling the tea bag up, and then down, and then up again.
I sighed as I pulled the string out with the tea bag and tossed it into the bin, and then walked slowly into the balcony again, to sit on the lawn chair and sip on my tea.
This had been my normal routine for the week, just sitting back, breathing in the air from outside my balcony and drinking away my feelings.
My eyes caught a glimpse of a butterfly flying by.
It fluttered slowly up to my chair, and then onto my hand. I stared at it, not moving an inch to scare the beauty away.
It was flaunting it's majestic colors as it's wings open and closed slowly.
Then finally, it decided to fly off again. I watched as it flew away and smiled.
"Goodbye, come see me again soon." I waved.
Standing up again, feeling a little refreshed, I walked out the front door and down my steps.
Maybe I could follow the butterfly, to wherever destination it was heading.
I ran after it, not even caring where it would take me.
My feet jumped in the air, trying to catch it. But I couldn't, and after some heavy breaths, I looked up, and the butterfly disappeared.
I sighed in frustration. Instead of going back, I walked again and headed another direction.
Going in the way I had walked before, except it had been with somebody else.
I brushed my hair out of my face, knowing I probably would frighten the little children.
I hadn't brushed my hair this morning, or had I put on any make up. I probably resembled a witch at the moment.
"Over here, Brian! Throw it over here!' a mother shouted in the park.
She was waving her hands in the air and smiling widely at her son, who looked to be no older than eight years old.
I walked into the park and found a bench nearby the mother and son.
Sitting down, I kept my eyes laid on the two. They laughed with no care as they threw the football back and forth to each other.
The football was swung and suddenly was flying towards my way, but I dodged my head to the left in time and it bounced off the wooden bench instead and landed by my feet.
The two looked at me, waving and smiling. "Will you throw it back, please?" The mother shouted.
I got up and bent over to pick up the football, pulling my arm back and let the ball fly out of my hand and the mother caught it.
"Thank you!" She shouted.
I smiled and nodded in response, and watched as they went back to throwing the ball to each other.
I finally let my eyes hover around the park, seeing children and teens just hanging around.
My eyes then captured a boy with the familiar blonde hair and the strong, muscular frame as he ran around some children.
Standing up quick, I almost took a step but then realized I had only imagined it.
I squinted my eyes and sat back down, knowing I was only being fooled by my own mind.
I wanted to see Niall so badly that now I was starting to create him.
How deeply in love can I be?
I stayed in the park for a few hours, always sitting in random places.
After the bench, I sat on a plain, flat land of grass under a tree and sat there for at least 30 minutes, and then I went and walked around the whole park.
It was nice to watch everybody having the time of their lives. It brightened my heart just a little bit.
The sun had started to go down, and so I decided to head on back to my apartment.
This was enough of being outside for the day.
.-.-.-.-.-.
The next day.
Zayn's POV ~
Pulling off my apron from work, I took it and hung it up in the backroom.
Right when I hung mine, I looked over to the apron beside mine that had been hanging untouched for a week now.
It was Arianna's.
Taking the black apron in my hand, I saw Arianna's name that had been sewn into the fabric.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a few seconds.
I was madly worried about this girl. I called her up two days ago to ask her if she was sick, since I hadn't seen in her days.
She didn't even manage to show up in class, and now she was also missing work.
This wasn't good, the manager was about at the end of his string, and I knew that if she didn't show up soon, she was going to lose her job.
And that's what I didn't want.
Finally after thinking if I should or not, I was going to drop by her apartment to check on her.
I knew she didn't like it when I was being protective of her, but I have to make sure she really was alright like she said.
To ease my mind a bit.
I hurriedly waved goodbye to the restaurant manager and walked out of the building and headed towards my car.
I jumped in and turned the ignition, excited to see Arianna again since I hadn't seen her beaming face in a while.
.-.-.-.-.-.
I pulled into the apartment parking lot right by her door, and looked up on the balcony.
I knew I had seen someone up there, and I was right.
Arianna was just sitting there, not even noticing me getting out of my car.
She was looking at the sky, with a cup in her palm. Her face expression was blank with no emotion whatsoever.
"Arie!" I hollered, looking up with my head bent over to look at her.
She jumped out of her seat, almost dropping the glass cup from her hand. She laid her hand on her chest as if she was trying to calm her heart down.
"Zayn! What're you doing here?" She shouted with almost an agression in her voice.
"I wanted to see you!" I shouted back, smiling.
"Dear god, Zayn." She exclaimed. "I already told you I was fine-" She started to yell before I shouted over her.
"Come down or let me in! I'm not going to talk you this way! I feel like Romeo or something." I chuckled, my hands tucked in my pocket.
She rolled her eyes and giggled a little, and turned around and vanished into the apartment.
I turned and made my way up the stairway and found her standing on the doorway when I made it up.
"Zayn," She muttered.
Now that I could see her more clearly than earlier, under her eyes she acquired dark bags, her face that were clear of make up was drying, showing her skin that was flaking.
Even her hair looked uncared for and tangled in many places.
"I've been worried about you." I drew out.
Her eyes lowered in agony, and she bit on her lip, showing the misery she was carrying around herself.
"What's the matter, Arie?" I asked, watching her still as she stood before me, not letting any way for me to enter the apartment.
"Nothing." She responded quietly.
"Bullshit. I haven't see you in class and you haven't shown up at work. There's something more to "nothing", Arie." I retaliated.
"I'm fine, I just-"
"Then why haven't I seen you? Why didn't you come to class? Or work even?" I started to get frustrated.
I knew something was bugging her, I wasn't that stupid.
She tensed a little, and took her hand to brush the length of hair out of her face, letting all her stress unveil.
Her mouth opened, her eyes closed, and she started to inhale and exhale deeply. Tears made their way from her eyes and down her cheeks. Covering her face with her hands, she hid herself again as she mourned.
I stood by, puzzled.
Why did she start crying all of a sudden?
Was it because I started to get angry?
"I'm sorry, Zayn. I'm sorry.." She cried.
Trying my best not to take my arms and wrap it around her, I just stood there watching.
It pained me too see her cry like this in front of me. She apologized out of the blue.
What for?
"Arie." I whispered, not wanting to scare her if I did previously.
"What are you sorry for?" I asked.
Before responding, she took a long inhale and wiped away the tears from her cheeks.
"I've had a boy live here with me. He was-" She breathed out.
But what I really heard was the boy lived here and that's all I needed, before my blood start to rush inside me and I could feel my anger coming close to break out from inside, but I stopped myself.
"Arie." I took a long, deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
"Tell me why in the first place a boy, or let me say clearly, a male! Why was he living with you?!" My soft tone raised a little as I spoke.
"I was helping him, I had no other choice! He lost everything and I wanted to help him," She explained.
"What the fuck, Arie! You can't just take in any strange boy and let him live with you. Don't you think he could've hurt you? We're you even thinking?!" I almost screamed, slamming my hand on the door.
"He's not what you think, Zayn!" She broke down in tears, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs, crying harder than I've ever seen her cry before.
"Arie.." I lightened the tone of my voice.
Bending down, I rested my hand on her shoulder.
"Forgive me for getting mad, I just really care about you and I don't ever want you to get hurt." I sat down in front of her, waiting for her to look at me again.
"Too late.." She drew in her breath sharply, finally raising her head to look at me.
Her brown eyes had water that surrounded them, making them sparkle as I looked deeply into her pupils. She gazed at me with sorrow, and through them I could see her broken heart.
"Where is he now?" I asked her.
She hesitated before answering, taking her hand to wipe away the water that blurred her eyes.
"He left to be with his family again. I told him to." She almost choked out.
It seemed hard for her not to cry through this moment, her eyes kept making tears that just wouldn't stop.
I took my thumb and brushed the tears that fell under her eyes.
"It's alright. Don't cry, if he's with his family then he should be happy, and so do you." I whispered, giving her a small smile to comfort her.
She bit her upper lip, trying to stop from crying. She gazed at me and tried to smile, but she failed and started to cry again, burying her head into her folded legs.
I couldn't take it anymore.
All the pain she was showing me just hurt myself. I didn't care now.
Finally opening my arms, I took them and wrapped them around her tightly.
At first she looked at me with widened eyes, but she didn't push me away.
She rested her head in my chest, letting her pour her tears out into my heart. I kept my hold on her tight, letting her know I was here for her.
I have always been.
Even though she didn't give me back the love I gave her, I will always be there for her, because I can always wait till she wakes up and accepts my deep feelings I've felt just for her ever since I met her.