[AN: "Oh my Goodness! She finally posted! What the heck took her so long? Promises to post a bunch while on her vacation my ass." I know you're all thinking that so I said it before you could. I really need to stop making promises about my posting because I almost always never follow through on them. I am so dang unreliable. I will say that I am working on more chapters and the final chapter for "Not Over You" as well as the third book of that series called "Breaking Your Own Heart." I am actually uber excited to write that one because I already have detailed plans for it.
I have to go back to work on Friday which sounds like hell to me, but I have to pay the bills somehow. Forgive me but I have spent most of my vacation with my stepdad's mom who is like my only real grandparent left. And I have been babysitting my nieces a ton. I curled up on this big dog shaped pillow they have in their playroom and asked Eliza if she wanted to snuggle the puppy with me and she curled up next to me while I read her a book. Then her sister Clara sat while I read her a book and giggled and swayed as I sang her "What Makes You Beautiful." Sorry. I am a super obsessed auntie obviously. I'm just going to stop typing now because I am pretty sure you all skipped this and just started reading the story part.]
[ANNIE’S POV]
“So Annie, have you told Zayn that you love him yet?”
That question kept swirling around in my brain as I sat at the table. In love? With Zayn? I couldn’t be. Sure he made my heart race, and I spent most of my time craving kisses from him but I wasn’t in love. How could I be in love with someone who used me like that? Someone who was more than willing to cheat on his girlfriend, open relationship or not.
“Are you just going to stare at your lunch all day? Annie? Hello?” I looked up in annoyance at the girl in front of me. Speak of the devil. “You shouldn’t let good food go to waste,” Christine said flashing me a sincere smile.
“Why are we here again?” I asked looking around the crowded mall food court. Christine had dragged Zayn and I along with her and Nathan before declaring that we would be having a girl’s day out. Nathan had merely groaned as she dragged me away. Zayn had said nothing just standing there in shock. Before I knew it we were at the local mall having lunch.
“I told you silly!” Christine said in an overenthusiastic voice. “We are having a day with just us girls. Besides if we invited the boys we would get mobbed by fans right? I simply nodded as she continued to babble on. I studied her blonde hair and blue eyes wanting desperately to hate her. She had been good enough for Zayn to ask out. She was lucky enough to call herself Zayn Mailk’s girlfriend. How could she just break up with him like that? How could she cheat on him like that? I mean Zayn cheated too so I guess he was a little at fault too, but still. My head hurts.
“Could you please just shut up?” I asked smacking my head on the hard table. “I just want to go back home.” She fell silent as the noisy crowd buzzed around us. It was unnerving enough that I lifted my head up to see her studying me closely.
“You’re afraid to admit you love him aren’t you?” I blinked at her startling blue eyes as she gave me a sympathetic look. “I had this whole plan, but I’m just going to scrap it. Until you’re ready to admit your feelings nothing is going to happen.”
“Wait. What?” I am so lost right now.
“Until you are ready to admit that you love Zayn I can’t be of any real help.”
“I don’t love Zayn!” The crowds closest to us grew silent at my shout. Whoops. I didn’t mean to say it that loud.
“Methinks she doth protest too much.” I shot Christine a dirty look. “I like you Annie. I think you and Zayn would be good together.”
“Oh how lovely. The ex-girlfriend approves. Thank you so very much.” I crossed my arms and sulked pulling out my phone. Maybe if I called Nora or one of the lads they could come and pick me up. I had to get out of here. My phone was snatched from my hands and I looked up to see Christine placing it in her purse. “Give. Me. Back. My. Phone.”
“Not. Gonna. Happen,” Chris shot back. Under other circumstances I could really see myself being friends with Christine. Too bad she was the woman who broke the love of my life’s heart. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Love of my life? Stop right there brain. “Forget the plan. Nathan was right. I should just tell you the truth about Zayn and I.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said standing up. “I’m going to find some way to get home.” I marched off unsure of my next move, but I couldn’t listen to her anymore.
“I NEVER DATED ZAYN! IT WAS ALL A LIE!” I whirled around at her confession. Her shouting had gathered the attention of everyone in the food court. They looked between the two of us trying to decide if we were going to fight or make up. This felt like a scene in some lame romantic comedy for some reason. That thought made me giggle, which seemed to make Chris giggle as well. Soon we were both laughing so hard that we were crying. Amidst her laughter Chris made her way over to me dragging me by my arm towards a random storefront.
“You just yelled in a mall food court,” I snickered. “The crowd—“ I broke off into more laughter.
“I know,” she guffawed. “They were watching us like a tennis match!” We both kept chuckling as we took a seat at a small bench. It was several minutes before our laughter died down. “Look. It was Zayn’s stupid idea. I didn’t want anything to do with it.”
“What?” I was having trouble focusing on the subject at the moment.
“The whole Zayn and I dating thing. Zayn is my bestie since we were little kids, but that is it. There are no romantic feelings there. I’m with Nathan.”
“Yeah, I got that when you announced it to everyone that you were breaking up.”
“Focus here Annie.” I laughed as she grasped my head between her hands. “Zayn and I are not dating. We have never dated. And we will never date in the future. I am not lying to you.” I studied her face knowing she was telling the truth. Her eyes were latched onto mine.
“Then why did—?"
“It’s kind of hard to explain. Just sit and listen okay?”
“Okay. Can you please let go of my face first?” She blushed and let me go before settling further on the bench. “Talk Chris.”
“Zayn really likes you.” My eyes shot open and my heart began to race at her words, but I remained silent as she continued. “He’s not very good with girls. I think the only reason we get along so well is because when we first met he thought I was a boy.”
“He thought you were a boy?”
“Well everyone calls me Chris. Plus I used to be kind of a tomboy, and I had this really awful haircut th--“
“Christine!”
“Sorry. Zayn kept texting me, and when I got here with Nathan he sprang the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing on me. I was so stunned that I played along. Then I dragged him out of the dressing room where he confessed to liking you and screwing it all up by saying he was dating me and I tried to fix it by telling you all that we broke up and that I was dating Nathan and you felt bad for him so I thought that would help but now you are ignoring him and it’s all my fault.” She gasped for air after she finished her little speech.
“Zayn confessed to liking me?” Christine shot me a dirty look.
“That was all you took from that whole speech?”
“It’s what I’m choosing to focus on right now.” I let out a little squeal of happiness. “Zayn Malik likes me.”
“You sound like you just won an award.”
“Shut up,” I said blushing. I let her other words sink in. “Why would he lie like that? It’s just so—so—“
“Stupid?” Christine supplied. I nodded. “I told you he sucks around girls. He tends to act first and think later.” I let my mind wander back to think about how true that was. I felt a shiver course through me as I recalled the last time we kissed. I raised a hand to my collarbone and felt the faded mark he had left with his lips.
“So what do I do now?” I asked. Seriously. Has anyone else ever been in this situation? What do you do when you find out a hot member of a world famous boy band likes you? Think. Think. Think brain!
“Don’t worry,” Christine smirked. “I have a plan.”
“I really don’t like the sound of that,” I groaned.
“Why does everyone always say that?!?” Chris complained.
[ZAYN’S POV]
“Are you going to eat that?” Nathan asked pointing at my sandwich. I shrugged as he picked it up and took a bite. I wasn’t hungry anymore. Annie had been sympathetic to my “break up” with Chris before resuming her silent treatment towards me. Nathan continued to happily much on my sandwich.
“How can you eat right now?” I asked morosely from my seat.
“Well,” Nathan said through a mouthful of sandwich. “I didn’t fuck things up with the girl I love. So my life is looking pretty great right now.” I really wanted to punch that satisfied little smirk off his face. “Relax. Christine has some crazy plan to fix all of this for you.”
“Chris’ plans always turn out horribly,” I moaned as Nathan snickered. Even with a plan there was no way Annie would forgive me if she ever found out the truth. She was already mad enough at me for turning her into the other woman. I pulled out my phone staring at the background with a sigh. I had snuck a picture of Annie laughing at something Niall had said on the second day she was with us. Her smile lit up her whole face.
“You just need to visualize what you want,” Nathan said putting his own phone away. What had he been looking at?
“Visualize?”
“Um…yeah. Before I got together with Christine I closed my eyes and thought back to what I wanted to hear from her. That way when I finally asked her to be my girlfriend it worked out exactly the way I pictured.” Was this guy an idiot or something? He had seriously lost a few brain cells since the last time I had met him.
“I am not visualizing.” He looked around nervously before focusing back on me.
“C’mon Zayn. Just close your eyes and do it. You’ll feel better.” I groaned but finally closed my eyes. “Now just picture Annie in front of you and tell her how you feel about her.”
“This is stupid.”
“Stop pouting and do it.”
“Fine.” I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter and saw Annie smiling in front of me in my mind. She looked amazing.
“Now say hi,” Nathan prodded.
“Hi Annie,” I said sarcastically. I really needed to have a talk with Chris about her taste in guys.
“Now tell her how you feel.” I took a deep breath and thought back to my time with Annie.
“I can’t say exactly when I fell for you,” I started out nervously. “I just know that I did. You were so sweet and giving. And your loyalty to your family is amazing. Plus you are a great fan and—“
“Dude,” Nathan said with a groan. “Get to the good stuff already.” I started to open my eyes to glare at him, but he slapped his hand over my eyes. “Keep your eyes closed.”
“The first time I kissed you my heart stopped in my chest. But then you told me to pretend that it never happened. I wanted to respect your wishes, but my heart broke when you said that. I couldn’t keep away from you so I went searching for you. I thought I could get you out of my system. But the more I kissed you and held you the more I craved you. I couldn’t let you go. But Nora wouldn’t approve of us ever. And you don’t want me—“
“I never said that Zaynie,” a soft voice called out. I flickered my eyes open to see Annie standing in front of me. I began to wonder if I was hallucinating. “You’re not hallucinating Zayn. I’m really here, and I heard everything you just said.”
“Everything?” I said in a strangled tone as she nodded yes. I let my gaze wander past her to see Christine sitting on Nathan’s lap grinning.
“You seem to have a lot of trouble with telling a girl something right to their face,” Chris said with a grin. “So I asked Nathan to help us with this little visualization exercise. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t appreciate the genius of my plans.”
“Shush Chris,” Annie said with a laugh. Her laugh sounded like harmonious bells. “Chris told me everything. Now tell me why you lied about you and Chris.” Suddenly having her face to face with me was making it impossible to answer. She sighed her exasperation. “Zayn, you like me right?” I nodded wondering where she was going with this. “So if Nora wasn’t an issue. If Chris wasn’t here. If you didn’t suck at talking to girls about your feelings, then what would you do right in this moment?”
It was that question that propelled me from my chair. I was tired of hiding my feelings for fear of being rejected. I pulled her close and pressed my lips hard against hers. I heard her sigh against my lips as she snaked her arms around my waist. I held her face in my hands as I continued to bruise her lips with my kiss. I wanted to brand her; to make her mine. I wanted everyone to know that she was mine forever. Our lips finally parted as I began to kiss and suck down her neck. She moaned as I lifted a hand under her short making my way to her cloth covered breast. Somehow she propelled me forward until I was back in my chair with her straddling me. I moved my hands back down to the hem of her shirt preparing to pull it up when something hit me in the head.
“Hey! That was my cookie!” Nathan protested. Annie and I broke apart. I smiled at her gaze still filled with love and lust for me.
“Well I had to do something!” Chris shot back. “They were about to have sex in that chair!” I rolled my eyes. We were not--. I paused as I took in Annie from where she was perched on my lap. There were several red marks lining up and down her neck. She looked like she had a case of the chicken pox or something. Her lips were bruised and red from my forceful kisses. Her shirt was twisted and half up showing her toned stomach. Holy shit. We were about to have sex in this chair.
“So what are we?” Annie asked playing with the hem of my own shirt as she waited for my answer.
“Annie Turner? Will you be my girlfriend?” I asked. I laughed as a devilish grin broke out on her face before she smashed her lips to mine. The kiss became heated once again.
“GUYS!!” Chris shouted breaking us apart again. “There is just one little problem with this lovey dovey moment here.” We didn’t have to ask to know what she meant. Nora. She would never approve of us dating. She had said as much on the bus days earlier. Nora thought I was a bad influence. She would take Annie home before she would let us be together. I know that Annie respected Nora’s opinion.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to keep this a secret from everyone,” Annie said with an impish grin. I leaned in kissing her again. It was so good to have her in my arms. And one day I would convince her sister that we should be together. Until then we would be each other’s dirty little secret.
“They are going to be found out immediately,” I heard Chris groan from somewhere near my left. “They can’t even stop kissing for five seconds." I just laughed as Annie’s mouth trailed down my neck sucking on my collarbone. I was in heaven.
[AN: Awww! This came out cuter than I meant for it to come out. I like that. Did you all love it? If you hate it don’t tell me. I want to pretend you all love everything I write all the time even if you don’t. I am now going to seal myself away and focus on writing more as promised. No distractions….ooo! Just let me read this one story first…]