“You can be the most beautiful person in the world and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don't know it, all of that doesn't even matter. Every second that you spend on doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself; is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It's not like you have forever, so don't waste any of your seconds, don't throw even one of your moments away.” --C.JoyBell C
~
Zayn got out of his car and quickly ran up to the door of the building where his best friend lived with her roommate. All he was hoping for was that no one would spot him and he’d get into the building unnoticed by a fan.
When he managed to do that, he got into the lift and went to the fifth floor. He walked through the narrow corridor and rang the doorbell of flat number 25.
The door opened in less than a minute. Autumn’s roommate and friend Scarlett opened the door.
“Come in.” she said, holding the door open.
He entered the flat and she closed the door and took her seat on the sofa, resumed watching tv.
Zayn was accustomed to seeing the light purple walls and the black and white furniture of the place. He asked Scarlett, “Where’s Autumn?”
“She’s running an errand. She’ll be back soon.”
He nodded and took a seat next to her. He tried to make conversation. “How was your day?”
“Good.” She said, not taking her eyes off the tv.
“Anything new?”
“Nope.”
He sighed. It was hard talking to Scarlett. She was always cold towards him for some reason. He decided to just get to the point.
“Do you know what Autumn wants to talk to me about?”
She looked at him for the first time since he had entered “I’ve got a fair idea.”
Zayn was waiting for an explanation but received none. He sighed again. “I’ll just wait for her then.”
She didn’t reply.
He looked at the tv too and both of them did not exchange any more words.
The there was a knock at the door and Scarlett got up to get it. When she came back in, Autumn was walking behind her carrying a bunch of grocery bags. She smiled at Zayn as she walked to the kitchen to place the bags.
He got up and followed her.
“Hey.” He said.
Autumn murmured a hello. She was removing the items from the bags and arranging them in the shelves. Zayn decided to give her a hand. He removed the milk carton and placed it in the fridge. He said, “How was your first day at work?”
“It was pretty good.” She began explaining. “My boss, Denise Matthews, is not a bitch. I think that’s all I could ever ask for.”
“What kind of work do you do?” he further enquired, stacking cans of Pepsi in the fridge.
“Nothing substantial today. It was only my first day! I just grabbed coffee and arranged papers, you know, the usual assistant things. But Ms Matthews said she’d let me help her read a few manuscripts after some weeks. I’m looking forward to that.”
“I’m happy for you. You’ve been working hard for all this.”
If Autumn and Zayn were the hugging kind, this would definitely be one of those moments. But, since they weren’t that kind of people, only smiles were exchanged again.
“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Zayn asked.
Before answering, Autumn was done with the arranging. She made her way to the hall from where Scarlett had already gone.
She sat down on the sofa and Zayn plopped down beside her waiting for an answer.
Autumn answered “What the hell were you thinking?”
“You need to be a little more specific.”
“You mentioned me in one of your interviews?” she asked calmly. Autumn almost never lost her cool. “I thought I was clear about the fact that I don’t want to deal with the hassles that come with your fame.”
Zayn knew he would have to clarify this sometime. It might as well be now. “I know. But, I really didn’t have a choice. They showed a picture from that time I dragged you to that party. If I didn’t say the truth, they’d have been sure that you were my girlfriend.”
He very well knew she didn’t yell at anyone often. She was the kind of person to bottle up her anger and let it out in the form of tears later. He admired the way she stayed calm and collected when she was upset or angry. But he wanted her to yell at him, now.
But, what she did, even he didn’t see coming.
She laughed.
She said “Girlfriend? Me?”
He nodded, unsure about why she was laughing. “Have you finally lost it completely? Why are you laughing?” he questioned.
“I’m sorry!” she said, after her laughter subsided. “It’s such a ridiculous thing to assume. I mean in which way do I even look like I can be your girlfriend? Have people even seen how girls all over the world are crazy about how you look and how you behave?”
Zayn opened his mouth to answer and closed it again at a loss of words. He knew how Autumn was always under estimating herself. Even though she hadn’t said it outright that she hated the way she looked, he knew that she did.
He wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t do that to herself. But he didn’t. He knew it would be an awkward conversation. He knew it wasn’t the right time to make her feel better.
Thankfully for him Scarlett came back and sat down between them and crossed her legs.
No one said anything for a while when Scarlett said “I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?”
“No” Zayn said. After a while he added “What plans do you both have for tonight?”
“Nothing.” Autumn said.
Scarlett added “My plans or lack thereof depend on what you’re inviting us to.”
Zayn rolled his eyes, but answered “I was just thinking we could hang out at my place. We were going to watch a movie.”
“Which one?” Scarlett enquired.
“It’s an unreleased one. We know the actor and the director, so they gave it to us to see.”
“Who’s the actor?”
“Zac Efron”
Zayn could swear he saw Scarlett’s eyes light up at the name.
“Who all are going to be there?”
Zayn became impatient. “How does it matter? Just tell me of you both are going to come or not?!”
Autumn interrupted before Scarlett could retort. “Yes!” she almost screamed. “We’ll be there. How about we come there at 8?”
“Cool. I’ll see you then.” He walked out the door closing it lightly behind him.
Autumn looked at Scarlett and said “Stop glaring at me. I know you want to watch that movie.”
Scarlett said “Well, that’s not the point.”
“It is! I still don’t understand why you’re that mean to Zayn.”
Scarlett didn’t reply. She just shrugged.
!
Autumn came out of her room to see Scarlett sitting on the sofa reading something.
“Are you working?”
“Yes. My stupid mean asshole of a boss wants me to learn every little detail about this patient.”
“No no no! It’s time to go. It’s your choice, Scar. Zac Efron or another of your mentally disturbed patients?.” Autumn asked with raised eyebrows.
Scarlett sighed. “I guess I still have some days until I need to be ready.” She said.
“Good.” Autumn smiled. “Now, go get ready.”
She added as an afterthought “You know, you didn’t study psychology to be bullied by a man who calls himself your boss. I’ll be with you one hundred per cent if you want to start over at a better mental institution.”
“I know. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Thanks.”
Trying to avoid an emotional conversation Autumn said ‘I’m driving, this time.”
“No freaking way. The movie will be over by the time we get there if you’re driving!”
“Hey! I don’t drive that slowly.”
Scarlett had gone into her room to change. “Uh-huh” she yelled from inside.
Autumn yelled back. “I hate you, bitch!”
She could hear Scarlett laughing.
!
“Why are you guys so late?” Niall questioned.
“I let Autumn drive.” Scarlett answered.
“Oh!” Niall said, understandingly.
“Shut up, both of you! I don’t drive that slowly!”
All of them went into the living room which was pretty normal sized considering it belonged to Zayn Malik. The tv however was huge.
“Seriously, Zayn, normal people bring extra chairs and stuff when they invite people to watch movies in their house.” Scarlett commented, looking at the fact that all three spots on the sofa had been taken by Liam, Louis and Harry. There was a bean bag on which Natalia was sitting.
Natalia was a good friend of the band. She worked as a graphic designer and had befriended them during a concert for which she was designing the stage.
“Stop being such a diva and sit on the floor!” Zayn retorted.
She sighed, and sat on the floor muttering.
Autumn took a spot beside her. “Let’s start the movie!” she chimed.
“Okay.” Zayn said as he sat next to Scarlett. Niall sat next to Zayn.
The movie started. Autumn and Scarlett looked at each other and smiled with excitement whenever something awesome happened in the movie. Natalia hooted when Zac Efron was shown shirtless in the movie to which Autumn giggled. Pizza had arrived, which all of them had devoured.
Once the movie was over, it was around 10:00 pm. Everyone decided to leave except Harry since Zayn and he had plans of going to a nearby club.
While walking out, Zayn said he wanted to speak to Autumn.
“I’ll wait by the car. By the way, I’m driving, Autumn! Unlike you, I want to reach home tonight rather than tomorrow!”
Autumn gave her a death glare.
Once they were alone Zayn said “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Sure?”
“I told you, I’m fine. I get that I’ll probably get a lot of hate. I can see why you’re worried. But, I’ll manage!”
“Promise me, you’ll talk to me if you get too much hate online.”
“I promise.”
He smiled. “I’m really sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
“Oh! Come on! You’re a really good person and an awesome friend.”
The door suddenly opened and Natalia walked in. “I’m sorry! I just left my jacket. I didn’t mean to interrupt!”
“You didn’t interrupt anything!” Zayn said.
Natalia took her jacket and walked out, joined by Autumn.
“So.” Natalia said.
“What?” Autumn asked.
“Nothing.”
“If you want to say something, just say it, Leah.” Autumn said, annoyed, using the nickname Natalia preferred.
“I heard that conversation.”
“You did what?!” Autumn said, surprised. ‘You were eavesdropping?” she asked.
“I didn’t mean to!”
Autumn sighed. “Fine. Forget it.”
“But…”
“What is it?”
“I seriously thought you were going to say I love you or at least hug or something.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nope! We don’t do heartfelt things like that.”
“You people have the weirdest relationship I have ever seen.”
Autumn shrugged. “We just don’t like all those awkward emotional conversations, that’s all!”
Natalia nodded and waved as they said their goodbyes.
~