Gone in an Instant. (Demi Lovato/Zayn Malik)

Chapter 6

"Is this seat taken?" My gaze meets Zayn's cautious stare from across the table. I answer with a silent shake of my head, giving him the okay to sit down. The large room around us is currently filled with people eating, a light chatter sifting through the air.

I tiredly shift my attention back towards the salad sitting in front of me, while continuing to examine every single piece of its contents. Amy gives me a small nudge from under the table, urging me to take another bite. I roll my eyes.

"So," I speak up, while twirling a small leaf of lettuce around on my fork. "How are you doing today?"

"M'fine. You?" Zayn replies shortly before taking a sip of his water.

My expression doesn't change as I utter out a small, "Great." I can tell that there is a change in his mood today, something is definitely bothering him. Amy looks from one of us to the other, caught right in the middle of the awkward tension that has risen.

She quietly clears her throat before making a desperate attempt to start some kind of conversation between us.

"Those cupcakes you made yesterday were perfect, Zayn. I know the ladies in the office just wouldn't stop talking about how sweet they thought it was that you made all those!" She smiles brightly.

"Thanks." He replies under his breath. Zayn and I didn't see each-other for lunch yesterday since he had another therapy session during that time. I wasn't too upset though, considering the fact that I have to be watched for every single meal now. It makes everything awkward.

A few seconds later he speaks again while looking me square in the eye, "What did you think, Demi?"

My heartbeat accelerates and the familiar tight feeling in the back of my throat returns. I rack my brain, rapidly thinking of something to respond with.

"You did a good job." I smile weakly, hoping we can just talk about something else. Zayn's expression hardens and at that moment, I knew he saw right through my lie. He knows I didn't eat that cupcake that he spent all class working on. He knows I lied to him not once, but twice.

With a scowl he abruptly pushes back his chair, the sudden scraping of the metal making me jump. He storms away from the table without a single word, leaving me confused and slightly agitated. I watch silently as he strides out of the dining hall, fisting his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. From a distance, something catches my eye. It almost looks like a white bandage covering the top of his left hand.

"I'm done." I declare, pushing my plate away from me. Amy shakes her head.

"You've got to eat more than that. We aren't leaving this table until you eat." She states, while putting the dish right back where it was.

"Well then we're going to be here for a while." I mumble.

"You and Zayn are pretty close, yeah?" She asks, ignoring my snippy comment. I start to play around with the greens again and nod. She studies me while I take a small bite, forcing myself not to spit it out.

I finish chewing after what feels like forever before wondering aloud, "Did something happen to his hand?" Her face falls briefly, but she covers it quickly.

"Honestly, I don't know much about his situation. But in his stay here, I've learned some things about him. Due to his short temper and problems handling anger, he tends to bottle things up inside until he has a massive meltdown. He usually ends up punching one of the walls in his room..." She trails off, "He's been progressing. This hasn't happened in a few weeks."

I can't help but feel guilty again after everything Amy's told me. Zayn is doing a great job recovering and now I've come along and ruined his progress. It's my fault he had that breakdown.

"Demi, you had nothing to do with it. I know what you're thinking in that head of yours." She tries to reassure me, but it doesn't work.

For the next fifteen minutes I continue to leisurely eat the rest of the salad, wondering what life would be like if I didn't mess everything up.