ZAYN’S POV:

I woke up with a strange weight on my chest. I wasn’t sure what it was at first. But quickly, my eyes adjusted to the light, and I realized;
It was Evie.
I guess we had fallen asleep on the couch. Her head was resting on my chest, my arm wrapped protectively around her. I wasn’t exactly sure how this had happened... The last thing I remember was talking about how fun it would be to go to the beach.
I didn’t want to wake her, but I was desperate for a wee. So, as gently and quietly as I could, I slipped my arm out from under her, resting her head on one of the pillows, and stood up to use the bathroom. but the moment I did, I could sense that she was waking up.
“Oh, wow, hey.” I heard her groggy voice say. “Sorry for like, attacking you. You must be dying.” She said, sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face.
“No, no problem. I’m just gonna go use the toilet, I’ll be right back.” She gave me a nod, lying her head back down on the cushions.

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I have no idea what happened after... the uh, the-”
“The beach thing?” I asked once I’d returned, sitting next to her.
“Yeah! How did you know?!”
“It was the last thing I remember too. What time is it though?” I asked.
“Woah, 7:30. We slept for like... a while.”
“Yeah, sorry.” I could tell she wasn’t used to this. Me on the other hand; it was pretty much second nature at this point.
“It’s fine. But uh, I better go. But this was fun.” She stood up, swaying slightly.
“You sure you’re alright to get home?” I asked, standing up and resting my hand on the small of her back.
“Yeah, uh huh. I’ll be fine. I just need to- go. Yeah, sorry.” She was stuttering a little.
Why did we keep doing this?! One minute everything’s great and normal and natural and we’re having a fun time. And then, a second later, she’s playing me hot and cold and I had no idea what was going on.


EVIE’S POV:

“Where the hell have you been?” Will asked when I tried to discreetly get into the apartment, the door closing louder than I had expected.
“Oh, hey! I thought you were out. Um, I was with Zayn.” I said, not facing Will who was standing in the kitchen making a bowl of cereal.
“You okay?” He asked. I was probably acting ridiculous.
“Yeah, fine.” I said, facing him. “I’m just tired.” I said, quickly going to my room and shutting the door.
I felt strange, unlike myself. Looking in the mirror, I noticed my bloodshot eyes and messy hair. I looked like a complete mess, which only made the fact that I had spastically rushed out of Zayn’s place even worse.
I swear, it’s like I enjoy making a mess of my life. I had just felt so strange. All of that; the drinking and smoking, it was all new to me. But that isn’t even what I cared about. It was the way we had acted towards each other. I vividly remember my head resting on Zayn’s shoulder, our hands entwined with each other. He was telling me about this time he and the rest of his bandmates were in Amsterdam and they had all gotten trashed and ended up streaking through the streets. I had found it way funnier than it most likely was. But then, a minute later, the whole mood changed.

“Why do you live with your aunt?” Zayn had asked simply.
My mouth had gone dry, I felt dizzy (dizzier than I already felt), and my mind went blank of any excuse I could give him. I was about to tell him the truth. But I stopped myself.
“Um, I just- I don’t-”
“You don’t have to tell me. I was just wondering.”
“Not yet...” I muttered.
“Alright.”

I had a feeling he didn’t remember any of that. I could tell from the way he had acted when we woke up that he was completely oblivious, which I was almost thankful for.

I hadn’t been just making casual conversation when I told Zayn I wanted to get a job. I was starting get bored of hours of TV and excessive internet use. And the coffee place right down the street seemed like a cool place to work; there were always young people hanging out there. And I guess now was as good a time as any to actually get on that.


“Hi, I’m Evie. I was wondering if you guys were hiring?” The guy serving coffee behind the counter couldn’t be too much older than me. He was actually kinda cute. He was tall, with broad shoulders. His hair was cut in a short buzz cut, a beanie hiding most of it. He had a strong jawline and wore a tight white t shirt under a flannel buttondown.
“Can you make coffee?”
“Of course.”
“Can you do dishes?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you start tomorrow?”
I was shocked, thinking I would have to go through some sort of interview process or something. But it was really that easy? But I just nodded, knowing asking too many questions would do more harm than good in this case.
“I’m Nathan by the way. Nice to meet you.” He finally looked up, piercing green eyes meeting mine. He stuck out a hand, shaking mine.
“So, tomorrow then?”
“Sounds good to me. We’re desperate for workers. We had 2 people quit in the last week. They were moving away, so it’s not like it’s really their fault, but it’s still kinda a bitch. So, Evie, you’re hired! Congratulations. Welcome to a world of never ending dirty coffee mugs, crumbs, and a shitload of spilt milk.” I laughed. Nathan seemed cool.
“Sounds fun.” I joked, not telling him that that actually sounded more exciting than anything i’ve done in the past 2 months.
“So can I get you a cup on the house, since you’re gonna be spending a lot of time here from now on?”
“Sure, thanks.”
“So, how old are you anyway? You look kinda young.”
“17. I’m almost 18.” I responded as he set a cup in front of me, filling it with steaming coffee.
“Jesus, alright. So is this your first job or something?”
“Yeah, it kinda is.”
“Well then maybe I should’ve made the process a little more strenuous.” He laughed. “- Wouldn’t want to make you think I was that easy with everything.”
“Don’t worry, I know how to work hard.” He nodded, filling up a few more cups around the room. When he got back to me, my cup was already empty.
“Well, I should go; wouldn’t want to be taking up a spot for a paying customer. But i’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks so much!” I waved goodbye as he distractedly cleared a teacup and several plates from an empty table.

New job? Check!

I was starting to feel determined to start a real life for myself here. Making friends, getting a job, and eventually unpacking my things, were all a part of that.


ZAYN’S POV:

“Hey mate! How’ve you been!” Liams happy tone and friendly smile was a stark contrast to my mood. I was happy to have him over the flat, it’s been way too long since i’d seen him. But I just wasn’t feel great these last few days.
“Liam mate, good to see ya!” I said, giving him a sort of half-hug, mustering up a grin.
“Don’t get too excited, geez.” He joked.
“LIAM!” I heard Niall scream, running down the hall from his room and catapulting himself onto his friend. “I MISSED YOU!” Niall continued.
“I missed you too, buddy!” Liam laughed, hugging him too.
“Alright, I got some beers. Let’s have some fun.” Niall said excitedly. “You gotta tell me about what’s been happenin’” Niall and Liam got into comfortable conversation, whereas my mind couldn’t help but wander... to thoughts of Evie.
I had been trying to put pieces of the puzzle together for the past 2 days. I only remembered bits and pieces of the day we had spent together in my flat. We talked about our favorite colors, and what we would name a dog if we had one, and... our families.
Shit.
Shit.
SHIT.
I was the world’s biggest twat. I seriously was, I deserved some sort of award or something for how big of an insensitive asshole I could manage to be.
“Why do you live with your aunt?” I remember asking. Why had I thought it was even slightly alright to ask something like that? OF COURSE she bolted out of here after waking up; she wanted to get away from me.
Goddamn it, I really just shouldn’t be allowed around people. I manage to fuck everyone over eventually.
“Aye, Zayn, ya in there?!” Liam was waving his hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention.
“Yeah, what? Sorry, just dozed off for a sec.”
“He was for sure thinking about his new ‘friend’.” Niall giggled, hitting Liam on the arm.
“Yeah, who’s this?”
“No one, just- this girl. And yeah, we’re just friends. But Niall likes to think there’s something else going on.”
“Um, maybe because of the eye sex that goes on every time you’re together. Trust me, man, you’ll know what I mean. You’ve just gotta see it for yourself.” He said, talking to Liam as if I weren’t even there.
“I need a smoke.” I mumbled, pushing myself off the kitchen counter and out onto our patio.


ANNA’S POV:

hey, so i sort of am starting to remember some stuff i said the other day and i’m really sorry if i crossed a line. clearly i don’t know when to shut my mouth when i’m like that. so yeah, hope you’re doing well. Our other bandmate Liam is over and were having a small party tonight at around 8, let me know if you can make it, i’d love to see you.

My pulse raced when I read Zayn’s most recent text. So he did remember, great. Plus, he was inviting me to a party that I most likely wasn’t going to be able to go to thanks to my spur of the moment decision to get this job I’ve been at for the past 3 hours.

no, it was fine. i didn’t really remember until i got home. but yeah, i wasn’t sure if you remembered or not. i actually got that job i was talking about. you are currently speaking to the brand new barista at Griffin Cafe woohoo !! so i’m not sure i’ll be able to make it tonight, sorry :(

no problem, congrats on the job. we can do something tomorrow?

perfect. i’ll text you later. i’m on the job, and i don’t exactly want to get fired on my second day ;)

“Sorry Nathan-” I said when I saw him rearranging sugar bowls behind the counter. He had caught me red handed on my cellphone.
“Does it look like we really need the extra set of hands right now?” He laughed, referring to the nearly-empty cafe. It was almost 7:15 on a Friday night, so I assumed everyone who would usually be here had better things to do; a wild night out or something. “Have any big plans tonight?” He asked.
“No, nothing. My friend’s having a party but I’m not gonna make it. No big deal. Knowing him, there will be a thousand more.”
“So is this ‘friend’ a ‘boyfriend’ perhaps?” Nathan joked, his arms flexing as he wiped down the counter. Not that I was... watching. Okay, yeah I totally was looking.
“No, he’s just a friend.” I didn’t give him a name, just in case.
“What a lie!” He said. “Look at your face!” Nathan went on, laughing at my reaction.
“What?!” I knew I had an idiotic smile on my face.
“So you like him? What’s the problem?”
“It’s kinda complicated. he needs a friend right now, not more drama. And I guess i’m sort of the same. So yeah, friends.” I almost added ‘for now’, but decided against it.
“And what’s this unnamed ‘friend’ doing tonight?”
“He’s having this thing at his place, one of his best friends is back in town for the first time in a while so I think they’re all excited to hang out.”
“And you’re here? Seriously?”
“Um, it’s kinda my second day on the job!’ I laughed. Nathan was really cool and even though we’ve known each other for only two days he was one of those people who seemed to be able to make conversation with anyone.
“Am I the only one seeing how dead this place is?! Get the hell outta here and go to that party!”
“Are you-”
“Yes, i’m sure!” He insisted, so I almost didn’t have a choice but to agree. I pulled off my apron, organizing everything in the little cubby I had been assigned in the back room.
“You’re the best, Nate. Seriously.” I praised him on my way out the door.


ZAYN’S POV:

So, someone gave us a karaoke machine as a housewarming present. I guess they thought it would be funny and ironic in some way.
I don’t think we’ve ever used it. Until tonight.
I was making myself another drink, when I felt someone come up next to me.
“You mind making that two?” A girl’s voice said in my ear. For a split second, I expected to see Evie when I looked up. But unfortunately, it was some nameless girl who looked pretty much the same as everyone else at this party; too much makeup, not enough clothes. You know the type.
“Uh, sure.” I mumbled, grabbing another cup.
“So, I saw you over there earlier. I could tell you were looking at me.” I definitely had not been looking at her, but i’d let her believe I had been.
“Here you go.” I said, handing her the glass and making a beeline for the group of people I actually recognized.
“ZAYN MALIK GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” I heard a voice say. I looked around until I saw Liam with a microphone in his hand.
“Oh, god...”
“NOPE, NOPE, NO COMPLAINING. COME ON!” He was a little drunk, which was always an amusing look on Liam. He still wasn’t completely used to it, not drinking for so long and all that.
“Liam-” I began. But before I could get another word out, he was shoving the other mic into my hand. I surely wasn’t getting out of this one. So, I took a big swig of my drink before placing it down next to me.
“What do you wanna do man?” I asked.
“Oh, just you wait.” He said with a grin on his face.
A moment later, the first few seconds of ‘Let Me Love You’ by Mario start playing through the speakers.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Liam?” I laughed.
“Go for it, mate.”
“What the hell...” I laughed, singing the first few mines. I was a bit tipsy, making this whole experience that much easier.

“You're the type of woman, deserves good thangs.
Fistful of diamonds, hand full of rings.
Baby you're a star, I just want to show you, you are;
You should let me love you,
Let me be the one to, give you everything you want and need.
Baby, good love and protection,
Make me your selection,
Show you the way love's supposed to be.
Baby you should let me love you, love you, love you”

There was a chorus of cheers and I laughed, eyeing Liam. He knew I would hate him for this later, but I just really don’t think he cared.
A second later, I was being attacked by someone, that girl from earlier.
“Great job!” She giggled, leaning in and kissing me forcefully. I heard cheers coming from all around and I was so thrown off, I didn’t even know what to do.
She pulled away, a look that I think she wanted to be seductive on ehr face. “You wanna go find someplace quiet? Where we can be alone?” I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but...
“Um, I don’t think so, love. Sorry.” I extracted myself from her grasp, wandering off into the crowd.
That’s when I spotted a familiar face near the door.
Evie.
Was she leaving?
“Evie!” I called, trying to get her to hear me, which was sort of impossible.
“Evie!” I pushed my way over to her, grabbing her arm. “You came!’ I exclaimed. She turned around, a strange look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing Zayn, nothing. I just- That was- unexpected. I don’t even know why I came here-” She tried to pull away, heading for the door. I wasn’t going to let her get away this time.
“Hey, Ev, come on. What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“You sounded great.” She said, a small smile on her face.
“Thanks. I don’t really, know why I did that...”
“You looked happy, happier than i’ve ever seen you.”
“That’s not true.”
She looked puzzled. “What?”
“I’m happy when i’m with you.” I probably never would’ve had the balls to say that if it weren’t for the liquid courage, but there it was, I said it.
“I, I don’t-” She stuttered.
Shit, now i’ve scared her off. I needed to fix this. “I just mean that you’re a great friend! And I like hanging out with you, and uh... we get on really well, you know? Yeah so, you should stay.” Something in her expression changed, went blank.
“Um, yeah, sure. Fine.” I didn’t have it in me to figure this all out right now, so I just led her over to the bar, got her a drink, introduced her to Liam, and tried to have a good night.


EVIE’S POV:

Seeing Zayn making out with some girl in front of every single person at this party was not what I had expected to see the second I walked through his door. I was shocked, upset for some reason. But really, I had no right to be angry. it’s not like we were together. So he really had every right to do whatever he wanted, and obviously he was. But something in me just didn't feel right, I wanted to get out of there. But Zayn had caught me in my escape, eventually convincing me to stay.
When he had said that; “I’m happy when i’m with you.” I could’ve sworn he had considered kissing me. I sure as hell considered it myself. But of course, he didn’t go through with it. And then he used that damn word; ‘friends’. And just like that, I was brought back to reality where Zayn and I are friends, and nothing more. And he had every right to hook up with all the slutty girls he wanted. Even if it made me want to throw up.