[COMPLETED]
❝Death is inevitable. It's a promise made to us at birth.❞
Arielle is a studious young woman striving to be a chef. Her life is full of going to class, reading textbooks, and hanging out with her friends, until she meets Zayn. Zayn's an...
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➳ ARIELLE'S POV
One Week Later
After my knock on Zayn's front door goes unanswered, I try the knob to find it's unlocked. As I peek my head into his house, I call out for him, unsure if I should just waltz in or not. He knows I'm coming—it's Christmas and we promised to get together today to exchange gifts. It's also the day when I can share my news about my trip to New York. I'm not sure how he'll take it, especially since it's really last minute, but I hope he's excited to take the trip with me. Plus, I'm sure if he's not interested in coming, I know for a fact that Zoe would love to come.
I decide to enter and so I take a step in, turning around once I'm in the doorway to wave at Nyjah and Zoe who are parked in the driveway, making sure I get in the house safe. They dropped me off here on their way to some dinner at Zoe's parents' house. Nyjah was finally meeting her parents today and he seemed nervous as hell. But good for them, it's a big step and they're taking it together.
I'm hoping this trip for Zayn and I will be somewhat equivalent to the step they're taking. I'm praying that Zayn doesn't act irrationally and just accepts the trip for what it is—an insane opportunity for me.
"Zayn?" As I walk deeper inside, Sky comes running around the corner, greeting me with small wet kisses. "Don't worry, I got you something too," I say to her, holding a small, wrapped gift to her nose. She sniffs it obliviously, not realizing what lies underneath. "Where's Zayn, Sky? Find Zayn, sweetie."
She turns then, running towards his bedroom and I follow behind, finding it difficult to keep up. When I get to the end of the hall, I knock lightly on the half-open door, "Zayn?"
Zayn runs towards the door, blocking me from entering. "Hey," he greets, running his fingers through his hair. He's shirtless and I find myself gawking, my eyes scanning the tattoos littered across his torso.
"Hey," I smile. "What're you doing?"
He sighs, scratching at the back of his head. "I—" he seems a little flustered and I become suspicious.
"Is everything okay?" I frown, curious why it appears like he's hiding something.
"Yeah, I—I'm sorry. This is embarrassing . . . I'm wrapping your gift. I didn't want you to think I'm an asshole for not doing it earlier," he chuckles genuinely.
I grab his hand, "Don't worry about it." I don't know why he believes I'd think that. He doesn't have to wrap anything for me. Even though we spoke of getting one another gifts, he didn't have to get me anything.
He points at the gift in my hands, "For me? Nothing could ever top the gift you've already given me."
