Watch- ZM

XIV

The sound of my heels clicking against the hard pavement of the sidewalk brought an odd satisfaction to me. The day is busy like no other. People rush by to get where they need to be, forgetting to take a moment and enjoy the beautiful sight of the city before them. Times like this are always my favorite when I get out and take my time to get where I'm going. The crowd of people, fresh air, and tall building all around leave a soft smile on my face.

I pace through the brightly lit cafe and instantly recognize my friend's long blonde hair. She turns her head and when her eyes meet mine they light up.

"Vale!" She says and jumps from her seat to hug me.

"Lily, I've missed you so much!" I hug her back. I take in her appearance. I've always admired her long blonde hair and dark green eyes. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my entire life.

"How are you?" She asks me as we sit down.

"I'm good, everything is good."

"That's great. I saw you on the cover and ugh you looked so beautiful, I'm so happy for you," she says to me in a soft, genuine tone.

When I first moved here she became one of my first friends. Lily has always been there for me and always has my back no matter what.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. But what's up with you? You've been so distant lately, how are things?" I ask her.

She glimpses out the window and stays quiet for a minute like she's thinking long and hard about her answer. She stares back at me in confusion then answers me.

"I'm good, I guess, but just confused right now about somethings."

"What's on your mind?" I question.

"Well there's this guy but it's probably not gonna work out," she says to me.

Lily always has some sort of guy trouble. It's nothing new to me or anyone that is close to her. She is always in and out of a relationship but after the last one she decided to take a break. But she still hooks up with guys time-to-time when she wants. Through it all, I've stuck by her side. This new guy she is talking about is new news to me, she hasn't spoken a word about him which is not normal.

"Why do you think it won't work out?"

"We've only hooked up a few times, that's all, nothing serious, but I'm starting to like him."

"You don't think he likes you?"

"Nah, it's just sex for him," she tells me with glazed eyes.

"What's his name?"

"You probably don't know him, his name is Zayn," she says and I freeze up.

She can't be talking about the same Zayn, can she? There is no way.

"Oh, no I don't think so, uh when was the last time you guys got together?" I ask her, my legs shaking.

"Um like a couple weeks ago," she tells me.

My heart drops. We were just together a couple of weeks ago.

"Well, we didn't actually hook up, I went over to his place cause he called me but then he like flipped his shit so I left."

"What do you mean?"

"Like he just started yelling at me and stuff and then I left."

I hum to myself and process all that has been said to me.

"Maybe it's just best if you stay away from him, let it all go," I tell her and reach over to grab her hand.

"Vale I really like him though, he's smart, creative, and he's so damn sexy, there's just something about him that keeps pulling me in, it can pull anyone in. I need more," she says to me in a stern tone.

"Look, Lily, take a break and just think about things. I think you need to just figure things out for yourself. This Zayn guy, maybe just stay away from him."

"Why? Why should I do this now, I want to be in a good relationship. I want to be happy," she pleads with me.

"And you deserve that and so much more, but you should take time to worry about yourself," I tell her.

I don't know all the facts about her and Zayn's relationship but I know it will bother me till I talk to him. I didn't know they had something together if I did, I wouldn't have gotten involved with him. It seems so weird to me, Lily and I are basically complete opposites.

"You always give me great advice, but maybe I should follow my gut with this one," she presses on.

I huff in defeat. I can tell she won't budge. Whenever she has her mind set on something she doesn't give up on it.

I nod my head and say, "Okay, just know I'm here for you and don't stress about it so much, you're young and still got time."

"Thanks," she says back and I give her a soft smile.

I try to push this all to the back of my mind but I can't. I just picture Lily and Zayn together and it bothers me so much. I have to know the truth and how he feels.

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Zayn walks into his home and releases a heavy breath. He is finally home from his photo shoot collab with Lauren that went surprisingly well for him. He thought he would hate it and not be able to do things the way he wanted to, but Lauren let him take control and guide the shoot. He felt very accomplished.

Zayn quickly puts his camera away and pulls out his phone to call Valencia. All throughout the shoot, he thought on and off about her. He would think about what she's doing when he'll see her again and if she's thinking about him. He would be in the middle of taking a picture or fixing the lighting or directing different poses and picturing him doing it with Valencia.

He dials her number and waits impatiently for her to pick up. After three rings she answers. He smiles with content when she says hello.

Valencia feels nervous but knows she has to bring up what is bothering her.

Zayn quickly realizes that something is wrong when the line goes quiet.

"Are you okay, babe?" he asks.

"Yeah. Uh, how was today?"

"It was great, I had a lot of fun."

"That's great," is all she says to him.

"What's wrong?" he asks her, worried that something happened and he has been too busy to help her.

"No, I'm just tired," she answers back.

She is holding back asking him about Lily because she doesn't know how it will affect their relationship. She has a lot on her mind already and she knows how much Zayn means to her.

"Can you be over in twenty minutes?" she asks.

"I'll be there in ten," he tells her and then hangs up.

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Late Merry Christmas! Or whatever you celebrate!!!
Enjoy! Xx