They had been sitting in the same position for a long time now, none of them speaking. Their room was silent, expect for the occasional noises from the corridor.
People said girls talk a lot. Zayn decided, getting used to all the noise every moment he spent in this hostel, talking was gender neutral.
Zayn mostly fiddled with a thread that was torn from the fabric of his bed sheet, and Lucas wasn't blinking his eyes away from Zayn, not even for a second.
Zayn kept stealing glances, his eyes flicking between Lucas and the balcony door.
He hadn't seen the balcony yet. Though he knew what the look outside was like, thanks to the window beside the balcony door.
The floral curtain was drawn over the window, but he remembered what his dorm faced by now.
There were tall trees, their blazing red and yellow leaves always swaying in the wind that was bound to blow at this height. His window faced the east side, he knew that too, because when the sun set, he saw different shades of the sky but never the sun itself. He hadn't seen so much beauty anywhere.
Well, that would be a joke on himself, he hadn't been to that many places yet to see different kinds beauty in the first place.
It saddened him to know with the death of autumn, dead will be these beautiful leaves too. The trees would be bare, naked. Did they like being vulnerable this way? So exposed and transparent?
He knew he didn't.
But maybe that was the problem. He was probably transparent, at times. That's what Louis used to say. Zayn never believed him.
He flickered his eyes at Lucas again, dropping his gaze the moment their eyes met. He started fiddling with the piece of thread again, trying not to look at Lucas.
"I'm really tired, I think I should sleep." said Zayn, wanting to do get out of sight.
"You can, but I wanted to ask something." Lucas said, stopping Zayn midway of adjusting his pillow and duvet.
Couldn't have asked all the time we were literally just sitting.
Zayn resumed making his bed, "Shoot." He said quietly. The noise outside had subsided, seemed like everyone had now found shelter in their respective dorms.
"Were you present in all the classes today?"
Zayn's head jerked at him. Not the question he had expected.
"Um, yeah?" he said, and snuggled inside his duvet, covering half his face when he pulled it over. He intended to cover himself entirely, so that even if Lucas planned on staring at him while he was asleep-which, in his opinion, was extremely creepy-he couldn't see Zayn.
"Remind me all your subjects again, I forgot?"
"English. Literature and Language. History, Sociology and Psychology."
He was suddenly reminded of all the work he had to do. He had to read the History chapters-catch up with other students as soon as possible-after he met Every. Of course, that didn't go as planned. Nor did the computer lab he had to go to at night, for his research in Sociology. And he hadn't even started with What Katy Did.
Thankfully, the students didn't have to search for the book. Professor Prescott had given them a copy to each. It wasn't the real book, but like a prototype.
Still, all of this started to build a dull ache behind his head. He wanted sleep even more now. An oblivious slumber, where he doesn't think about this or the tension of it would eat him whole.
"You are having one of those zoned out moments again." Lucas snapped suddenly. Zayn lifted his eyes at him, looking at him questioningly. "Yeah. You've had almost four of them the whole time I was staring at you."
Zayn narrowed his eyes, glowering at Lucas and lowered his duvet to get an good look at him. "Why are you staring at me, then?"
"I don't know." He shrugged in response. "You didn't tell me not to." Zayn wanted to do a massive face palm, only he didn't want to take his hands out of the duvet now that they were warming up. "Is there anything else I can stare at?"
Zayn scoffed. "I don't know! Maybe something that doesn't include me?"
"You're going off the topic."
"What was the topic?"
"I missed some classes today." Lucas confessed, sitting straighter than he already had been.
Zayn blinked, remembering Gemma saying the same thing to him. His frown deepened. What was it with everyone missing classes?
"You're zoning out again..."
"Right. Sorry." Zayn closed his eyes for a brief second. "How many did you?" asked Zayn carefully.
"Almost all." He said nonchalantly.
Zayn's eyes widened. "Whoa." He muttered. "That's not some classes."
"I don't always miss classes, if that's what you're thinking." Lucas bit the inside of his lip. Then suddenly, he rubbed his face and slumped down on the bed on his back. "I won't say I didn't like the time off, though."
Zayn remembered Lucas roaming around with his friends when he was leaving for his Psychology class. It struck him, like a blow in his stomach-he hadn't asked what project there was in psychology. Great. Sleep, consume me entirely right now.
"Mondays, and Fridays." Lucas murmured.
"What?"
"Professors don't take attendance on Monday and Friday." His voice was smothered by his hands, that were still on his face.
"So you decided let's take advantage and roam around with friends, yeah?"
Lucas sat up once again, leaning on his hands. He breathed deeply, "You could say that, yeah." He looked distant. "Yeah." He said again, glancing at Zayn.
"I'm sure Professor Prescott must have noticed I was missing... Two hours of his class." Lucas closed his eyes. "Dammit. Screw me, I'm officially screwed tomorrow."
Zayn chuckled. "What about others?"
He didn't open his eyes, just a pensive look relaxed his face. "I'm in all your classes. Except Psychology." He informed. "I can help you catch up in every one except for that."
Zayn squinted at him. Lucas wasn't looking at him now, but he could sense the solemnity in his voice.
Zayn smiled, "I've got that covered, I guess." He reflected. Would Gemma help him? He wondered if she was a student who would help in the first place. After all, she missed her classes too, right?
Lucas opened his eyes, and eyed Zayn. "Cool, then."
"Yeah."
Lucas stretched his arm, approached the night table that was set between their beds and retrieved his phone. He pushed some buttons quickly and studied his screen for some time.
"Wow." A ghost of a smile crept on his lips. "We have two free periods first thing in the morning. I'm counting on you, you're telling me what was taught when we wake up."
Zayn nodded. "You clicked the pic of the time table?"
"Yeah." said Lucas, standing up and keeping the phone on the table again. "I am in a habit of losing my time table. So, you know, precaution." He sat down, dangling his legs absent-mindedly.
"Language Professor seemed strict to me." Zayn acknowledged, thinking back on his day. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a new student, he wouldn't have been exempted in class today.
"I know, I know." nodded Lucas. "Professor Prescott and Miss Campbell are my only concern, really. Sociology... If you teach me what was taught today I think he won't even know. He asks what was taught in previous class, you know."
"Yeah." Zayn affirmed. "Being a new student benefitted me quite a lot today."
"Geography I attended, thankfully. I had some brains about that." Lucas mused for some time, and then hummed. "History....Well, Miss Starla doesn't like my presence there anyway so it's fine."
Zayn giggled, "Why?"
"Nothing." Lucas shook his head, but it was evident from the smile he tucked away that it was anything but nothing.
When Zayn squinted his eyes, eyeing Lucas curiously, he swayed his head as if on a beat. "I might have told her I had a crush on her."
Zayn gasped, and sat up with a jolt. "You got to be kidding me!"
Lucas smirked, brushing his fringes away in a swift motion. "Do I look like a person who would kid?" He shrugged casually. "Are you telling me you didn't feel anything when she was teaching?"
Zayn's cheeks tinted red. "What kind of a question is that?" He said indignantly, shaking his head at Lucas and slowly leaning against his pillow again.
"Admit it, will you?" Lucas said nonchalantly, and pulled up his legs, stuffing them into his duvet. He straightened his pillow too, and slumped against it, shrouding himself in his blanket.
"Kind of. She's... got an aura about her, I think." said Zayn slowly, tilting his face to get a view of Lucas. "But I don't think it's a crush..."
"Yeah, I get it. I interpreted my feelings wrong, there. Shouldn't have told her so early."
"You shouldn't have told her at all. She's a teacher." Zayn turned to the ceiling. "Though, I want to know how she must have reacted."
A sound escaped Lucas. Kind of like a chortle. "See it tomorrow, I guess. Since the day I told her, her reactions haven't stopped."
"I'll give you my notes first thing in the morning, then." said Zayn after a while.
Lucas hummed.
"Lucas?" Zayn called after some minutes, the noises outside had died down entirely and Zayn's eyelids were heavy. Lucas hummed again. "I'm really tired."
"So?" drawled Lucas, clearly in no mood to talk anymore.
"Can you turn off the lights, I don't want to get up..."
There was no movement for some time, in which Zayn thought Lucas slept, or ignored Zayn entirely.
But then he heard his bed creak, heard barefoot footsteps moving across his bed, a click and everything turned dark behind his eyelids.
He smiled, and felt lucas approach the night table. "I'm turning on this lamp, though. I can't sleep entirely in darkness." He spoke quietly.
Zayn nodded, but made no sound. When Lucas returned to his bed, a soft creak indicating he had settled himself, Zayn decided he had seen it and turned towards the door of his dorm, his back facing Lucas.
Soon, the rhythmic sounds of their breathing filled the dorm.
Both of them had slept relatively early today, not really knowing how they'll miss sleeping early from that day on.
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Yes, yes. I plan on ruining Zayn's life after this. Hahaha. I'm so cool.
No.....I'm just kidding.
Thoughts...?? Lucas and Zayn??
And yeah, not that good of a chapter? But I enjoyed writing this a hell lot than it's legally healthy.
Good night! And just a smile, okay? Looks beautiful on you!
Vote and other stuff like that if you want to
Wow.. I'm in some mood today.. (Thanks for the pic ladki!)