Rogue (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 22: "Don't say no."

Happy update! Y'all are always so sweet to me :)

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I didn't keep a count but days flew by in a blur leaving me healthy enough to not slack at home and instead head straight for work. It was tiring after hours spent around laying in my bed and eating out of cups but that's life.

The good thing was I'd actually had enough time to go over things that required thoughts and considerations. The conclusion that I'd reached however included moving on from zayn malik, not attending the wedding and look forward to paying a visit to the children's ward in the hospital again. To be honest, sometimes the kids laugh was the only thing that reminded me that medicine field was my calling.

As for Ellie, she'd been such a sweetheart patronising me. Although she did have to leave for few hours to get the wedding chores done but all in all she'd been my side most of the time.

"There's a call for you." Drake, one of the other interns told me.

Call for me? Why wouldn't the person just try my cell. I checked for my pockets and upon finding them empty realised that I must've left them in the common lounge or something.

It was a regular cold morning in New York following the weather pattern and the environment within the confines of the building had been exactly the same as I remembered. I smiled at my colleagues as I passed by the waiting area.

"Morning, Dr. A. Line 3." The receptionist pointed out and I picked up the call dialling the digit she asked me to.

"Hello?"

"Anya? Hey. This is Zayn."

My face instantly fell.

"Zayn, I don't--"

"No, Anya listen. Please? There's just--Uh. I don't know how to say this. Could you--uh, meet me? Like, now?"

"Zayn, I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Look, just this once. There's some stuff I wanted to sort. Don't say no." His voice got softer and softer with each plead and my hands got clammy from holding on to the handset too tight.

"Zayn, can we not? You're a great guy and everything. And this is nothing personal but I can't. There's a lot going on in my life otherwise and you're just complicating things."

There was a momentary pause which made me change my mind. Maybe I got on the wrong foot. There could be something really important for him to say.

"I didn't think I'd do this over the phone but, uh, I'm leaving town." What? The phone almost slipped from my hands. "Back to Bradford, England. I wish I could stay longer on the phone but I don't want to complicate things, like you said."

Find your voice again, you bobble head, don't just nod for God's sake, I kept telling myself but it was hard. I was losing balance standing straight upright and talking was really out of option.

But when I could make sense again, all I could ask was, "Are you coming back?"

How far was Bradford from New York anyway? I think Europe is like seven-eight hours worth of flying time. Maybe that includes the time difference. Is he going off to see his family? Is this why his sister came to see him, when they had a shouting match? Is everything okay?

So, many questions but none of them could be turned into actual words. What's wrong with me?

"I think my time in America is quite over." He laughed. "I should go though. I'm leaving for the airport in an hour."

"Yeah." I was dumbfounded again. Just nodding and saying nothing.

"Also, Anya. That day, at The Blue Ranch, it was my sister. I mean, my uh other sister."

So that means I was wrong all along? I spent all these last days drowning myself in self pity for nothing? Guess I wasn't wrong about the spark between us after all.

"It's fine." I finally said and with a few goodbye words, the call line ended.

It left me feeling numb in my fingers, heavy breath and heart sinking. I dashed through the crowded aisle straight for the washroom and locked myself in one of the stalls, instantly sinking down on the closet faucet and sobbed into my hands.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, Anya. I've never seen any one more stupid that you. What you see and what you think you see are two different forms of reality.

I have to meet him.

I just have to.

I can't let him leave when things are so heavy between us.

There's a lot of scope, for us, in the future.

I checked my time and it said twenty minutes till my shift ended. The airport was about forty minutes. If Zayn was to leave for the airport in an hour, I bet I could make it just in time to see him for a final goodbye. A final face-to-face personal goodbye.

I just have to get my shit together and do it.

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