I KNOW DAMN WELL YOU GUYS ARE NOT GONNA TRY TO SIT HERE AND ACT ALL SURPRISED THAT IM GOING TO MAKE YOU ALL SAD AGAIN. COME ON DONT PLAY WITH ME.
WE ALL KNOW WHO I AM WE ALL KNOW MY GAME! YOU HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT THAT LITTLE ARGUMENT WAS THE ARGUMENT I WAS TALKING ABOUT?!!!!!! WHAT?! OKAY NO GOODNIGHT BC YOU HAVE ME ALL THE WAY FUCKED UP
I LOVE YOU GUYS BUT NOOOOO HONEY NO. LETS BE REAL.
This argument is important: Justin has already been deemed the bad guy due to what he's done, but remember when I said I was gonna make you guys hate Zayn? Yeah, I haven't forgotten. And when you guys finally hate Zayn, I will make you all love Lucky.
Now, to put your little Zustin hearts at ease this argument is NOWHERE NEAR as big as the one in Three A.M. If I'm being honest, no argument in any of my stories will ever top that. I really outdid myself in that story, gahdamn. But it will be pretty depressing and if you're a Justin stan, get them tissues ready girl.
AND GUYS THE FEEDBACK FROM LAST CHAPTER REALLY WARMED MY HEART AND MADE ME EXTREMELY HAPPY. I MEAN YOU GUYS MAKE ME HAPPY A LOT BUT I COULDNT STOP SMILING MY LOVELY LITTLE LOVES, THANK YOU. ❤️
BUT WOW LOOK AT HOW CUTE
canadian candy 🇨🇦
zayn
zayn
zayn
ZAYNNNNNN
ZEEE
ANSWER ME
I HAVE AN AMAZING PICK UP LINE I WANNA USE
Zayn glared down at the screen of his phone, which he was most definitely not supposed to be doing right now. He was supposed to be copying down notes for his upcoming finals, but Justin had other plans for him it seemed.
What do you want Justin? I'm in the middle of something.
canadian candy 🇨🇦
*gasps*
something more important than me
Yes, Justin.
canadian candy 🇨🇦
what could possibly be more important than me?
I could name a few things like, I don't know, the straw on the floor, the garbage bin, the pen in my hand, MY SCHOOL WORK.
canadian candy 🇨🇦
im hurt
*sobs and runs away crying*
Justin, what do you want?
canadian candy 🇨🇦
there are 20 letters in the alphabet right?
"You've got to be kidding me." Zayn mumbled under his breathe.
26 you dunce.
canadian candy 🇨🇦
oh right, i forgot u r a q t 😉
Zayn bit his lower lip to stop himself from either scoffing or laughing, he wasn't really sure which but his cheeks were in pain due to how hard he was suddenly smiling.
That's only 25, Justin...
canadian candy 🇨🇦
you can get that d later 😏
Zayn should have definitely seen that coming, but he didn't, therefore, he actually ending up laughing out loud.
In return, he got a very unimpressed look from Mrs.Carmen who towered over him with her hand out, a brow cocked as she tapped her foot.
Zayn grimaced and set the phone on his hand.
She looked down at it and her arched brow rose higher. "This phone is like twice the size of my hand."
"It's an iPhone 6s Plus."
"So it's necessary that they make it as big as a mini tablet?"
Zayn shrugged. "I don't know, ask the Apple company."
She pursed her lips, obviously trying to hold back from rolling her eyes. "You'll get this back at the end of class."
Zayn nodded before she walked away.
He sat back and thought about how hard he was going to punch Justin in the face later.
-
Zayn wasn't sure what to do with himself when he saw Lucky later that day at lunch. The weekend had been a quiet one for them.
On Friday, he left Justin's house late and told Lucky that he felt too exhausted to come over and Lucky accepted.
He texted him the day after to say that he would come over and Lucky has yet to respond to him. Lucky's ignored him for a day and a half and now he has no idea what to say to him.
Apparently Lucky shared the same feelings because when his eyes landed on Zayn, he gave him an awkward wave and a half-assed smile.
Beside him, Neel's eyes narrowed at Zayn as if he'd just killed a kitten.
Zayn rose his eyebrows and stood awkwardly, in the middle of the lunchroom as he and Lucky continued their stare off.
He was pretty sure he heard Liam call his name from a distance, but was quickly distracted by the fact that Lucky was rising from his seat and making his way over to him.
"Hey." Lucky greeted.
"Hi."
There were many things that made this situation as awkward as it was. One, they were standing in the middle of the cafeteria. Two, Zayn was sure people were staring but he was too scared to find out if it was true. Three, anyone witnessing what was going on here definitely knew about the argument he had with Justin last Friday which meant that they knew why everything between he and Lucky was looking so awkward at the moment.
"Can we talk?" Lucky asked, tone soft. "Somewhere private."
After Zayn nodded, Lucky took his hand and dragged him out of the lunchroom. It was a romantic gesture given their current situation and he heard a few coos.
Zayn's eyes caught Justin's as he walked after Lucky, and Justin gave him a certain look that said something Zayn just couldn't understand.
It didn't matter now that he was out of the lunchroom.
Lucky walked him outside, out onto the empty field. He held Zayn's hand up until they got comfortable on the bleachers, then, reluctantly, it seemed, he let go.
The whistling of the wind was the only sound for a long while.
It seemed like Lucky was trying to find a way to open the conversation they both knew he wanted to have.
Zayn wasn't about to volunteer to start it. He wanted to stay as far away from this conversation as long as he possibly could.
"I just want you to be honest." Lucky said at last.
He turned over to face Zayn, took the brunette's hand and held it between both of his own. "I'm not asking for much. I'm not asking for you to spill everything, I don't want you to tell the full story. I won't make a scene. I won't start bullying you or get Neel to beat you up. I won't avoid you if you still want me in your life. I won't spread rumors or make you feel bad. I won't do any of that. I could never do any of that to you because no matter what the truth is I will always care about you. Just please, be honest with me."
Zayn released a shaky breathe, trying his best to not gulp. If he did, how nervous he was would become apparent and that was the last thing he needed right now.
"I'm going to ask a very simple question, okay?"
Zayn nodded. "Okay."
"What happened with Justin, Zayn?"
And there it was. The question he has feared since all of this started. He wasn't ready for it. He thought he'd be slightly prepared but Zayn wasn't.
He wasn't prepared for the hopeful look in Lucky's eyes. The gaze that made a silent prayer that Zayn has been faithful.
He wasn't prepared for the very subtle tightening of Lucky's hands. A soft squeeze that encouraged the truth, a promise that he'd still care for Zayn.
He wasn't prepared for the way Lucky worried at his bottom lip. It was something he only did whenever he got nervous or scared.
Zayn felt like he was going to cry. He didn't want to but he felt like he might.
"Justin and I hooked up."
There it was.
The fact that had Lucky taking in a sharp breathe before releasing it.
His eyes looked glossy, Zayn noticed. He was trying to hide his face by bowing his head but Zayn already saw, and his heart broke.
He couldn't just sit there and watch Lucky hurt. Especially not when it was his fault.
"It was before you and I." The words came out before he thought them through.
Another lie. Another weight to carry. Another sentence to haunt Zayn's happiness.
Lucky looked at him. "What?"
"What happened between Justin and I, it happened before you. A few days before us, yes, but... you understand."
"Seriously?"
"Yes," said Zayn. "He brought it back up because he was angry and he knew it would get everyone talking."
"What? Zayn, that's so messed up."
The most messed up person that he knew was himself.
How could he drag Justin into this?
"He apologized for it and I deserved it. We had a terrible argument and I crossed the line yet kept pushing. But Justin and I are okay now."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Well, are we?"
"Are we what?"
"Okay?" Lucky questioned. "Are we okay?"
"I'm the one who just confessed that I had a thing with Justin. Shouldn't you be answering that?"
"I mean, yeah, but I'm the one who thought the worst."
That had Zayn feeling even guiltier, the fact that Lucky blamed himself for everything when it was all actually Zayn's fault.
"It's okay," said Zayn. "I don't blame you. I would've suspected something too."
Lucky gave him a fond smile before leaning in to place a chaste kiss on Zayn's lips.
"How'd I get so lucky?" He asked.
In response, Zayn kissed him instead of actually saying anything. He didn't trust his words, because in reality, he was more of a curse than a gift.
-
Unsurprisingly, Zayn found himself sitting next to Justin on Justin's couch as Justin looked through his laptop that afternoon. They did still have the project to finish, but even if they didn't, Zayn was pretty sure they'd still be hanging out.
Friday night, after Justin had asked that they started writing, Justin had them write separately. As in, Zayn jotted down his lyrics and ideas and Justin did the same.
By the end of the night, Justin had seven stanzas written and Zayn had four balled up papers thrown into the garbage bin.
For the first time, Justin was the one who had everything well thought out and Zayn couldn't even get a proper word on the blank sheets. He wanted to write about his feelings, and he knew that they were there but he was so unsure on how to describe them.
To add onto that, he got quickly distracted by Justin several times throughout Friday evening. Watching him write was the most beautiful thing. He had looked so focused with his tongue poking out of his mouth and an extra pen tucked behind his ear. Justin hadn't allowed any distractions. He had crossed off a few words, sometimes a whole line, but that was about it before he went right back to writing.
It was the most fascinating thing Zayn had ever witnessed. What he'd give to see it again.
"Alright, I know this is a partnered project, but I've been working all weekend on the project without you. I'm sorry, I just kept coming up with these ideas and it just— I don't know, my mind wouldn't stop working." Justin rambled as his hands moved restlessly. It was hard to keep up with the Canadian speaking a mile a minute. "I don't have everything down yet even though I was tempted to just finish it all, but I know that y'know, you're supposed to be part of this too but I still created an instrumental to go with some of the lyrics I wrote."
"So you're a DJ now?"
Justin rolled his eyes at Zayn but that didn't stop the grin that suddenly appeared. "You're stupid."
"You're stupid." Zayn said, poking a finger into Justin's side.
"Your face is stupid."
"Your hair is stupid."
"Your accent is stupid."
Zayn gasped, holding a hand up to his chest. "You love my accent with your stupid— stupid— style!"
"You called me a trendsetter, stupid."
He huffed and settled with crossing his arms over his chest and pulling a face like a child. "I hate you."
"Sure. Whatever keeps you up at night buttercup."
"Don't call me buttercup."
"Would you rather smol bean?"
"What is a 'smol bean?'"
This time, when Justin rolled his eyes, it wasn't followed by a smile. Instead, he went right back to what he was explaining before they started their childish argument. "Anyways, I wanted to have you listen to the instrumental and what I wrote and you could like critic it, then add your own. Or if you don't like it at all, we could just start all over since this is an us thing, ya know?"
Zayn nodded in understanding before gesturing for Justin to begin.
Justin turned back to the screen of his laptop and handed Zayn his plugged in Beats. Zayn covered his ears with the cushioned headphones and watched as Justin pressed play.
Right after, Zayn's ears were being blessed with the delightful sound of a calm yet bright beat. It picked up within thirty seconds, and remained steady from there up until a certain point that Zayn guessed would be the chorus.
Zayn's head bobbed to the rhythm of the music, finding that he was growing increasingly impressed by the fact that it was Justin who put the beautiful piece together.
The Canadian was definitely one filled with many surprises. At the surface, all one would see was a conceited lady killer but beneath it, Justin was booming with creativity that Zayn himself couldn't compete with. And sure, being athletic was a talent, but anyone could play sports or learn how to play. Not everyone was born with the gift of music which was something that dominated modern day society.
It wasn't an easy thing, yet here Justin was, creating something that made it seem like he was born to do this. There was so much more to him than what he allowed everyone to see.
Zayn listened through the rest. As the song neared the end, he found himself growing more and more excited, anticipating the moment that he got to listen to Justin sing the words that went along with the instrumental.
When it came to it's end, Zayn pulled the headphones off from his ear and set them down to smile at Justin. Justin rose his brows and gave Zayn a, "well?"
"It was great."
"And...?"
"And if you don't sing for me in the next thirty seconds I'm going to rip your tongue out of your mouth and feed it to alligators."
"How exactly will you be able to pass this partnered project without a partner, Zee?" Justin questioned.
Zayn shrugged. "I'll work with Kehlani."
"That easy to replace me? I feel hurt," said the jock as he wiped away a fake tears.
Zayn lightly shoved at his shoulder. "Stop playing Justin. I want to hear you sing."
"Okay, okay, you bossy little pest."
Justin unplugged the Beats before he started the music again.
He tapped his foot in the carpeted floor of the living room as his fingers drummed against his knees. Justin licked at his already wet lips, distracting Zayn momentarily with the action until his lips began moving.
"I used to believe / We were burnin' on the edge of somethin' beautiful / Somethin' beautiful / Sellin' a dream / Smoke and mirrors keep us waiting on a miracle / On a miracle
"Say, go through the darkest of days / Heaven's a heartbreak away / Never let you go, never let me down / Oh, it's been a hell of a ride / Driving the edge of a knife / Never let you go, never let me down"
Zayn found himself falling into a trance as he watched Justin closely with his soft voice luring him in. Justin's eyes were closed as he sung and the movements of his hands and feet continued as well, falling in sync in fluent movements.
"Don't you give up, nah-nah-nah / I won't give up, nah-nah-nah / Let me love you / Let me love you / Don't you give up, nah-nah-nah / I won't give up, nah-nah-nah / Let me love you / Let me love you / Oh, baby, baby"
Zayn gazed, watching as Justin's head fell and he went silent, allowing the beat to continue on its own.
The song was sung to him, and for him, Zayn realized.
If that was the case, Justin organized the way he felt beautifully. It all formed into a breathtaking poem that answered only a few questions, but still had some gaps in between.
Zayn wanted to understand it all, but he suspected that the parts that he hadn't understood were intentionally left blank for a reason. If Justin wanted him to get it, he would have made it clear.
Zayn knew enough for now.
The music was still playing when Justin turned back to face him with a face that posed the question, how was it?
Zayn opened his mouth to say something but he had absolutely no words. Well, in reality, the problem was that he had too many words and had no idea which one to pick.
This was the same exact issue that he had when trying to write on Friday night. It seemed like a problem that only arose when he tries to express himself to Justin.
"Dude, you know you're gonna have to say something, right?"
Zayn nodded, but still said nothing. It was too much of a struggle.
"If you don't like it, you could just tell me. I won't get mad."
"No." Zayn said. "No. I... I love— I loved it."
Justin cocked a brow as if he wasn't even partially convinced. "Then why are you staring at me like that?"
"I'm just speechless, is all."
"Well that's definitely new." Justin teased. "Now, will you tell me how you really feel about the song?"
No, Zayn decided, he couldn't tell Justin how he really felt about the song.
He was pretty much incapable of expressing human emotion through words at the moment.
"I just— it was really good."
"First great, now good? Hmm. Someone's being pretty indecisive today."
"Justin."
"Zayn."
"I don't know what to tell you about it. I really enjoyed it but I can't bring myself to say much more."
"And why is that?"
"I honestly have no clue, I just can't."
Justin released a frustrated sigh, one that ghosted over Zayn's lips.
They were pretty close now that he was really taking a good look at things. If he leaned in just about six inches, it would result in a kiss.
Maybe that would show Justin how he was really feeling.
Zayn realized that he'd already done enough damage to the people in his life to last him a lifetime and he couldn't bring himself to fault Lucky once again.
But he actually wanted to kiss Justin. Being this close to the Canadian was making it almost hard to resist.
Zayn remembered the press of Justin's lips against his and he craved to feel that feeling once more.
But apparently, that was the end of his mental argument because someone came walking through the entrance of the living room.
"Justin! Your favorite person in the world is baaaccckkkkk and—" Nina paused, furrowing her eyebrows at the two teenagers, "I'm sorry, did I just walk into the middle of something?"
[~]
QUEEN NINA HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING. Yes, Nina as in Nina Dobrev.
This gif is smaller than I expected tf, whatever.
She was mentioned before in Pattie's lil speech and I thought, hey, why not drop another character by? Because it's the end of her year in college and Justin's graduation is coming up so DUH.
She won't be a major major character but she will be in the next chapter.
Zayn's kinda a mess, this chapter was kinda myeh but it wasn't my worst SO THATS A WIN.
ANYWAYS MY LOVES, HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
(EMPIRE COMES BACK TODAY AND IM SO STOKED!!!!)