Midnight • (Zayn Malik)

spring break: arrival in Normandy

"Where did you run off to? I swore you were following behind me when I left the tattoo shop," Sienna mentioned to me once Louis and I arrived back at the hotel.

I shrugged, "I wanted to go inside. The people there were nice and I guess I just got lost in conversation," which wasn't entirely a lie. Harry was nice and I did talk to him.

Violet gave me a suspicious look and Monte looked like he was struggling with himself a bit. I had an inkling that Louis might've told Monte. I just hoped with everything I had that Violet was still in the dark. I didn't want to deal with her gushing and getting mad at me for not telling her about Zain. Up until now there was nothing to tell anyway. She'd still get mad though. And maybe I just didn't want to tell everyone about him right then. Things had all changed so fast and I was still processing. For one, Zain and I should still be enemies, or frenemies or whatever. It's strange to go from being annoyed to death by someone to kissing them.

"Oh," Sienna nodded, "that'd probably happen to me in a record shop to be honest."

I smiled. Either Sienna was legitimately trying to find some way to relate to my situation. Or she was just really good at covering me and knew what was going on the whole time.

"You missed out on the pretty art store," Monte smiled over at me, his eyes darting between Louis and I. The little punk did tell his boyfriend.

"Damnit. What did you guys get there?" I asked, trying desperately to take the attention off of me.

"Lots of soft brushes. Some new paint and other cool things I have not seen in art stores in America. They make their own brushes! They can customize them for you as well," Monte rambled on excitedly, the subject of my disappearing forgotten.

"You won't mind if I borrow them some time, would you?" I questioned him.

"Of course you can use them. I bought a white brush with a marble black and white handle just for you," Monte beamed at me.

"That's so sweet. Always thinkin' bout me, my little curly cutie," I hugged Monte's thin frame tightly and snuggled into him as he giggled a bit.

"Did you get a tattoo for me?" Monte joked.

I smirked at him and began pulling the sleeve of my arm up. Monte's eyes widened and I laughed as I revealed a blank, pale canvas of skin.

"I'm not old enough. But one day I think I will get a tattoo for all of you," I nodded and sat back on the bed, putting my feet up in the process.

"How sweet and senti," Lucky said jokingly and smiled over at me from

his place at the little table by the window.

Violet kicked him under the table, "Shortened words are my thing. Stop making fun of me ya shit head."

Lucky quickly grabbed Violet's hands and put held them up on the table with his, "Darling Violet, I find your shortened words utterly endearing and my only wish is to please you," he smiled as if he might laugh at any second while saying the sarcastically sweet words.

She ripped her hands out of his grasp and tried to cover up her smile with a look of disgust. Lucky tried to play footsie with her under the table and after she kicked him, he got up and threw her on the bed before coming after her and tickling the shit out of her. I had discovered a long time ago that Lucky's favorite thing to do was to insult Violet and then tickle the shit out of her. I can't wait for the day that she loses her ticklish-ness.

By the time Violet was a giggling mess, everyone had gone back to their own thing. Sienna was trying to toss chocolate covered pomegranate seeds into Liam's mouth. Louis was trying to braid Monte's hair because Monte insisted his curls were long enough. Louis shook his head and laughed every time the curly braid fell to shambles. I sat back on my bed and closed my eyes, letting the laughter of my friends soak into the blank canvas of my skin. I wasn't old enough to get a tattoo, but the colors that bled across the pale of my arms and legs and stomach, down to my feet and fingertips were like a beautiful tattoo on my soul. Bright pinks met vibrant cyans to explode into an electric purple and I smiled at the newly familiar feeling. My body burned with the colorful art and I felt at the core of myself a dull warmth. A tattoo that was just painted a short time ago so the burn wasn't as blinding now. I focused on that small burn and wondered when the next time I would feel the fiery heat of the tattoo he was permanently branding there.