“Wow,” Lauren and I whispered as the boys strutted onto stage, clothed in the outfits the two of us had designed for them. This was the cool part about traveling with a boy band, you got to see them perform one on one. Or well, you got to see them do sound check.
I looked over at Lauren for a second, and just as I did so I heard a crash. Turning back around I saw Liam laying on top of Zayn, a groan escaping his lips.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?” Lauren yelled, jumping on stage and running up to them. I followed behind her, extending a hand to help Liam up. He took my hand, though he picked himself up more on his own then by my help.
“Zayn zigged when he should have zagged,” Liam sighed, brushing off his flannel style button down shirt. I rolled my eyes, moving over to Zayn. I extended my hand, and as he took it to help himself up, I felt a tingle shoot up my arm and hit my cheeks, making me blush.
“Thanks,” He grinned, looking down at himself. I looked him up and down, my eye catching a rip in the black v-neck I’d given him to wear with his red varsity jacket. Sadly, the weather in california was much too hot for said jacket.
“Damn it Zayn you ripped your shirt!” I groaned, pointing at the rip along the side of his shirt. He looked down at it, and shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s barely noticeable,” He said, but just as he shrugged his shoulders the shirt began to rip more.
I groaned, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him off stage.
~Flashback~
“Oh my god!” I laughed as Zayn lifted himself up off the ground, pushing his bike off of his back, “You totally ripped your pants,” I laughed, pointing at the giant rip in the butt of his pants. He looked down his back to see said rip, a blush appearing on his lips.
“Damn it Ariel! This is your fault!” He grumbled, trying to steady himself. I noticed blood dripping down his arm from his elbow, and I would have jumped into mom mode, had he not blamed me for the epic shit eating he’d just done.
“How is it my fault!?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You’re the one who wanted to race!” He yelled.
“You didn’t have to,” I said smugly, looking back at his elbow that was still gushing blood, “Now come on. I’ll clean up your elbow and fix your pants,” I said, smirking. I felt his hand clutch mine, and looking down at our intertwined fingers, I grinned, “Somebody’s scared of the disinfectant,” I laughed.
“Well who wouldn’t be!? That shit hurts!” Zayn laughed.
~End flashback~
I held Zayn’s shirt in my hand, working quickly with my needle and thread. I looked up at him, catching sight of the scar on his elbow from when he’d fallen off his bike. I smiled to myself, looking back down at the shirt in my hands.
“Are you excited for the show?” Zayn asked me. I looked back up at him, my fingers finishing a the knot without even needing instructions.
“Yeah, actually,” I grinned, handing him his shirt. He smiled thankfully at me, slipping it over his perfectly coiffed hair.
“10 to show time!” A man from up front called. I looked toward the voice, and then back at Zayn, reaching up and tapping his cheek lightly.
“Go get em’, rock star,” I grinned, before strutting away. I felt a blush cross my face again, just from touching his deep toned skin. I shook my head - I guess the crush I’d had on him as a kid never really did fade. Not even after I’d convinced myself I hated him.
~~~
After the show, we were all invited to a party that was being held in celebration of the start of the tour. I wore my thick blonde hair natural, letting the curls it had run their own course. I would have spent more time putting together an outfit, but I’d been put in charge of styling the boys, and well, considering they were my job, I figured it’d be best to put more effort into them.
I walked into the night club looking room of the hotel, in a pair of tight black leggings, a pair black wedges, and a loose white v-neck top. I ran a hand through my hair as I looked over at Lauren, who was only a bit more dressed up than me, her fingers and wrists covered in gold jewelry.
“Ariel!” An Irish accent called after me, and turning, I saw Niall waving his hand at Lauren and I. I smiled at him, moving over toward him instantly.
“Hey bud!” I greeted, opening my arms to hug him, making sure to avoid the white collar of his shirt, so that my red lipstick wouldn’t stain it.
“Wow, you guys look great, who dressed you!?” Lauren joked, grinning wildly. I rolled my eyes, elbowing my best friend.
Things were good - drinks were good, music was good, and for the first time I didn’t think about how I was hanging out with my ex-best friend without even acknowledging our past.
I wandered out toward the back area of the club, discovering a grassy park like area. I smiled to myself when I saw a vacant bench. That was definitely something my six-inch-heeled feet needed. I walked over to it and sat down, letting out a long sigh.
I heard footsteps behind me, and then before I could look, there was a person sitting next to me. I looked over to see Zayn sitting next to me, a small smile on his face.
“God, you stink,” He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. I pulled my shirt up to my nose and sniffed it.
“That is a false statement,” I said, just barely slurring my words. I was relatively good at holding my alcohol, and though I was only twenty-one, I’d had more than enough experience with drinking. Especially around Zayn Malik.
“You’re piss drunk, aren’t you?” He laughed, brushing a few loose strands of my hair out of my face. I rolled my eyes, looking out at the world in front of us. There was a good view of the LA skyline, and damn it if I couldn’t stay there forever.
An idea suddenly hit me, and before I could control my drunken self, I was tackling Zayn to the ground, pushing his shoulders down on the ground, just as I had when we were kids.
“Tell me I’m the best ever!” I yelled down at him, more anger in my voice than happiness.
Zayn looked up at me wide eyed, and I repeated myself, “Say it!” I yelled.
“You’re the best ever!” He yelled back at me. I felt tears pricking at my eyes - okay, so maybe I was more drunk than I thought I was. I tended to be an emotional drunk.
“Promise we’ll be best friends forever!” I yelled, looking him straight in the eyes. His thick black eyelashes lining his amber eyes perfectly.
“We’ll be best friends forever!” He yelled back, amusement in his tone.
“Liar,” I hissed, pushing away from him and standing. I brushed myself off, not really bothering to wait for or help Zayn as I began to walk away in no direction in particular.
“Ariel?” Zayn called out, and turning, I felt tears begin to spill over my eyes.
“You lied! You broke your promise! You weren’t there when I needed you!” I yelled, a sob making its way up my chest. Zayn looked at me wide eyed, and before he could respond, I heard a familiar, and oh so comforting, Irish accent call my name.
I turned to look at Niall, brushing the tears from my eyes.
“Ariel, what’s wrong?” Niall asked, looking over to Zayn, “What did you do, man?” He asked. I shook my head, hugging Niall’s neck tightly.
“I’m so glad we’re friends, Niall,” I sighed into his neck, not caring about my lipstick anymore. He let out a sigh, and wrapped his arm around me. I felt myself get pulled away just as suddenly as I threw myself at him, and was then greeted by the scent of a certain bradford boy.
“I’ll take her back to her room,” He said to Niall. I leaned against him, suddenly feeling rather complacent.
Zayn allowed me to lean on him all the way up to my hotel room, where I was greeted by an already asleep Lauren. Just as he went to lay me down on my bed, I pulled him down with me, his body weight crashing down on me.
“What the hell?” He grumbled, trying to pull away but failing as I wrapped my body around him.
“Sleep with me,” I whispered, “Like when we were younger... for good times sake,” I sighed, nuzzling into his chest. I heard him sigh, but quickly give up as I made myself comfortable up next to him.
“You haven’t changed at all,” He chuckled.
“You have,” I whispered, before drifting off to sleep.
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I’ve had itunes on shuffle all night and just as I finished this a 1D song came on. Go figure.