Rogue (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 18: Mac and Cheese

I should have known better than to walk around my wet tiled bathroom floor barefeet; because I slipped. And sprained my back. My laziness is also at blame. I mean, had I not slept in for thirty more minutes today I wouldn't have to run around getting ready to reach the hospital on time. But what I end up doing is slipping on the floor and hitting my back on the bathtub wall.

Now it pains so badly.

It was barely ten in the morning and I was still in bed after calling in sick. What bothered me more was the commitments I'd made about today, aka James' party. And I decided on texting Zayn first, saying I won't be able to make it. The response was what I had anticipated, a knock on my door.

It's useless texting him or calling because he always just jumps down two floor and knocks on the door.

"When I text you, I want you to just text me back." I said irritated. It took me a lot of support and some painful movements to get out of the bed and get the door. Using his fingers to reply would have saved me a lot of trouble.

"What happened?" Now that made me more mad, him ignoring my complaints against his over-familiarity.

"I hurt my back." But there was no use fighting him. He always ends up doing exactly what he wishes, so why bother. "You're so stubborn."

"Is it serious?"

"It's probably just a muscle pull. I should be fine."

"Should you see a doctor maybe?" He looked genuinely concerned.

"I am a doctor." I laughed. "Some rest is all I need." His grim look made me lighten the mood. It wasn't anything serious, really.

"Alright. Take your rest." He led me back to my room and I got under the covers again, with his help this time. The painkiller that I had taken earlier was working and I was feeling much less strain down there, at the end of my spine. "I've got some work. But I'll see you in the evening?"

"Yeah." The effect of the meds I took wasn't just numbing the affected area but they were sleep inducers too. "I'll see you in the evening."

After he left, I fell into sleep and woke up when the clock struck three. The pain was beginning to die down and I decided on taking my meds and falling back to sleep. This time, I woke up to Jenna's voice. I'd left a note on the kitchen counter asking her to wake me after she'd come home, at around eight and she was doing her duty.

"Thanks." My eyes were puffy from the enormous amount of rest and my limbs were numb. But thankfully, my back was better. There was no constant pain. I only felt it when I moved around so naturally, I had to stop doing sudden movements.

"No problem." She was moving around my room cleaning out the little mess I had made around the room loitering in a sleepy state. "Are you coming to James' party?"

"I'm still deciding." It was true. I mean, I was feeling much better. I could go there. Plus, James had been so sweet and I didn't want to let him down.

"Don't stress over it." She smiled at me.

I glanced at the watch; it was half past eight by now and I didn't want to hold her down.

"It's cool. You go."

"Are you sure you don't need a ride? It's only me and Louis, you can hop in." She asked.

"Thanks again. But don't worry, I'll call Zayn if I need help." I made her laugh.

"You and Zayn, I've been hearing a lot." And she made me blush.

It's the whole friend circle of Zayn that I had come to be a part of and thus the mutuals and all.

"It's nothing like that." I had the ability to get defensive even at the slightest of fun stuff told to me and she kind of took it seriously.

"Hey, there's nothing bad in it. I mean, I was skeptical of Louis at first too, you know. But then, once you get to know the real person that he is, you can't help it. Love happens."

"It's nothing like that." That probably wasn't a hundred percent true but we both, as in me and Zayn, had time on our hands so we could figure it out.

"Alright. Alright." She stood up and it was now that I saw she was completely dressed to go party and it reminded of what Zayn said about these kind of places. "I'll leave you to your thoughts." She raised her hands in the air as a sign of I-give-up and left the room in her knee-high leather boots and a punk outfit. She totally carried it off in a chic and grunge way that I could never do.

That made me want to fall back into the bed, although I decided against the it knowing how much that sudden movement would hurt and decided once and for all, to end this fateful day on my couch; alone. But I just had to call Zayn. And ask him to tell James.

"I can't make it. It's still hurting." Just as he picked up, I decided we didn't need the necessary hi's and hello's.

"Your back?"

"Yeah."

"You want me to come over?" I was glad that for once he was asking permission but at that time, I wished he would just have come over like all the other uninvited times.

I'm confusing like that.

"I don't want you to miss the party for me."

"Uh." He laughed. "If you don't remember, I was never too excited for this party and James anyway. So yeah, your call."

"In that case, maybe we could have that date you cancelled. You know, the mac and cheese one?" His voice was hoarse on the other end along with all the noise of what was around him. "Except, I can't cook. So maybe we can get take outs."

"You like Thai?" He seemed delighted by my offer.

"I was thinking more of Indian."

"Great." He said. "Because I happen to be standing right in front of The Samosa Palace." Which was barely two blocks from where we lived.

"It's a date then." I replied.

And I was excited.

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