0 7| g e t t i n g h e r
Zayne Mahone knocked on Tris's front door at 8pm at night on a Saturday and she opened it, shocked when she found him standing there. "You look gorgeous," He said, a wide smile on his face. She looked down at what she was wearing. Leggings and a baggy sweater. She raised an eyebrow, looking up at him again.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, opening the door wider. Her mum and her baby sister had gone to visit her aunt a few miles out of town and her dad was working as usual. No one would embarrass them this time.
Zayne leaned against the door, " I'm here for our date."
Tris was about to protest but then she remembered that when he'd asked her out he never said when they'd actually do it. "I need to change," She mumbled stupidly, not even trying to argue. She was beginning to see that with Zayne, she'd have to just go with the flow.
His eyes raked over her body one more time and he shook her head. "Again, you look gorgeous. Let's go."
Tris shrugged and stepped out, locking the door behind her. She shot her mum a quick text as they walked to the car, telling her she'd be back that night and looked up at the back of Zayne's head as they walked.
"Where are we going?" She asked, falling into place beside him. He glanced at her and smiled.
"You like silence right?" He asked as they stopped by the car. She rushed to open the car door for herself, smirking when he gave her a challenging look. "There's still the ride back sweetheart."
Rolling her eyes, she entered the car and waited until he was seated to answer his question. "Silence is nice," She said as he started the car. He smiled and nodded, not saying anything after that. They sat in silence for a few moments before Tris turned on the stereo. Some pop song was playing and she scrunched up her nose, turning to look at Zayne.
"My sister's mixed tape," He explained, embarrassed.
Tris faked a gasp, "You've been riding with other people?"
He rolled his eyes, nudging her as a smile played on his lips against his will. "She talks more," He mumbled, "Trust me, I prefer you."
Grinning like a fool, she connected her phone to the stereo and played 'Old Fashioned' by Pan!c at the disco. She sat back, waiting for her taste in music to be judged but shock overtook her when Zayne actually began to sing along. He shrugged when he saw her facial expression.
"Tell anyone and you die," He told her and she placed a finger on her lips signalling that she would keep his secret. She still didn't know where they were heading and when the song ended she asked again. He stayed silent as they entered the freeway.
She turned down the stereo and turned to look at him again. He noticed because his eyes darted from the road to her and back. "What?" He asked, chuckling nervously.
The thought that he was nervous made Tris smile even wider and she shook her head, sitting back, letting him lead her to wherever he wanted them to go. An hour later, he stopped and when she looked through the front window she held her breath.
Infront of her was view that nearly brought tears to her eyes. They were on a cliff, high above the buildings she knew were in the Hamptons and the sea was roaring as the stars twinkled above the waves.
"We could've have come at sunset," Zayne said, "But I prefer the cliche of a moonlit dinner to a sunset."
When she turned to look at him, he was staring at her, a small smile on his face and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Wait here," Zayne said, opening the door and going to the boot. Tris took that moment to catch her breath, sitting back, trying to calm her racing heart. It shocked her that he could do this for her. Something so simple yet amazing. It was like he knew her. Like he knew what she wanted.
When he came back, he had a picnic basket in his hand. "A picnic in the car?" She asked, chuckling.
"You hate grass," He shrugged easily. She smiled. She did. "Now let's move over to the backseat."
Once they'd settled, he opened the basket and took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. "So," He began, "I tried to cook."
The brunnete couldn't help but snort, nodding for him to go on. "And I can't cook. But Rachel told me you loved guys who cooked and you loved pizza. So....."
He held out a pizza neatly folded into a purple napkin. Zayne chuckled nervously again, "And she told me you liked purple."
At that moment three things shocked Tris. Firstly, the fact that Rachel had actually helped Zayne. She'd been on team Max for so long, Tris had expected her to be against Zayne. 'Your happiness comes first idiot,' She imagined Rachel saying and she smiled.
The second thing that shocked her was that Zayne had gone to so much trouble just for her. He'd done his homework and he'd handed in his paper with all the correct answers.
She got the slice from him and the smell wafted into her nose. It smelled good. Raising an eyebrow, she looked up at him, biting back a laugh when she saw how worried he was. Slowly, she took a bite and as the taste filled her mouth, she smiled once more.
"Who told you you couldn't cook?" She asked, taking another bite. She savoured the taste, warmth fluttering through her when she thought of how much work he'd put into this.
He let out a breath of relief as he answered her question. "My sister after the first few tries," He mumbled and he sat back, finally eating his own slice. They sat in silence for some time, both of them eating, both of them lost in their own worlds when Zayne spoke again.
He wasn't looking at her as he spoke. He was looking out at the moon, at the stars, at infinity. "I'm sorry Tris," He said, looking at her, "For ignoring you and being childish. I guess....I need to respect that you like Max."
She chewed silently, trying to process his apology. Max. She'd almost forgotten about him. It was uncharacteristic and it astonished her that the person that ran through her head constantly could be so easily forgotten.
Her mind was flooded with thoughts of him again, of the first time they'd spoken and without realising, she began to speak.
"I started liking him in 4th grade," she said, "He tripped me and I landed on my elbow. He helped me up and rushed me to the nurse, saying he was sorry over and over again."
"Smooth," Zayne snorted and she rolled her eyes nudging his shoulder. He coughed to calm himself down and stared at her intently, a smile still on his face.
"I started liking him then," she shrugged.
Zayne folded his hands under his chin and gazed at her. "So you're into the abusive type, " He noted, "Kinky."
Tris blushed furiously and turned away from him. "I'm done with you," She said, pulling out her phone. It was grabbed from her hand and before she could react, the flash from the camera blinded her. "Delete it," She said quickly.
Ignoring her, Zayne turned and took a photo of both of them. "Memories hun," He said, turning away from her. He sent the pictures to his phone and gave her back her phone. He smirked, "Delete them if you want."
"How about I delete you?" She retorted lamely.
He placed a hand on his chest, his eyes filled with amusement. "Oh that hurt," He paused, "In middle school."
All she could do was push him, feeling to drained to actually retort. He'd won this round. He chuckled, aware of how he'd defeated her and he placed an arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry," He told her, "You're not a loser. I'm just a natural born winner."
"Geez thanks," Tris rolled her eyes, subconsciously leaning into him. He held his breath and she felt him pull her closer. 'Just for tonight' she told herself and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Reason number three as to why she was shocked; her heart was racing faster than it ever had when she was with Max.
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As soon as she woke up, Tris knew there was a problem. Rachel was sitting by her bed, arms folded over one another and the brunette in bed smiled up sheepishly.
"You didn't call me," Rachel said, not smiling back.
Tris shrugged from under the blanket. "I came back at 1AM."
Her best friend didn't seem amused as she settled next to her, removing the blanket off of Tris. She gasped and sat up, rubbing her hands when the cold air came in contact with her skin.
"Thank you for that," Tris muttered sarcastically. She rubbed her eyes and looked around at her room. Eerie sunlight was floating into her room, making the blue of her walls scarily bright.
"How was the date?" Rachel asked, ignoring the sarcasm her best friend specialised in.
Memories rushed back into Tris' mind and she remembered how close Zayne and her had been. A warmth flooded her stomach and she cleared her throat hurriedly, trying to calm down her racing heart.
"It was actually amazing," Tris admitted, "He really outdid himself."
Rachel let out a laugh, "That's because he likes you."
Tris chokes on air and stared at her best friend, put off by her bluntness. "He does not," She said defensively, "He just took me out to apologise for the way he'd been acting."
"Tris, you're the smart one," Her friend began walking around the room, opening more curtains. "He was acting that way because he was jealous of Max."
Tris dismissed her words quickly, getting out of bed. "I'm going through enough trouble with Max. He's the one I want," She turned, ready to be fought.
The look on Rachel's face told her that she was ready to fight.
"Max hasn't done anything for you Tris," Rachel said, calmly which scared Tris more than if she'd shouted, "In all honesty, I really think you shouldn't hang around either of them."
This shocked Tris. Max's own sister was advising her to stay away from him. She understood why she was advising her to stay away from Zayne but her own brother?
"Max tried to kiss me," Tris said weakly, staring at her best friend, praying she'd understand. "I can't just stop trying. I can't give up on him."
Rachel stared at her for a long time, not knowing what to say or do until she sighed and walked towards her. She pulled her best friend into a hug and muttered four words into her ears.
"God you're so stupid."
And Tris Jacobs never understood that her friend was trying to warn her with those words- until it was too late.
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