My Beautiful King

Chapter Four Part 2

My watch read 8:20. I'd been sitting on a dirty wooden bench in Balfow Park for about half an hour. Zayn was late, if he was even planning on showing up at all. I felt so stupid. Of course, Zayn didn't want to hang out with me; it was all a cruel trick to make me look like a joke. Well, it worked pretty damn well. I could feel the hot tears welling up inside my eyelids and a lump began to form in my throat. I had to go and apologise to Bridget. But that would mean excepting that she was right and that Zayn was bad for me...

But then I saw him; strolling through the grass in a tracksuit and t-shirt, unaffected by the cold biting wind. He gave me a nod as he sat down on the bench, the two of us so close that his elbow was touching mine.

"Vas happening, Ashley?" he said, flashing me a half smile that made me feel weak.

"You remembered my name." I whispered my voice cracking.

"Yeah," Zayn shrugged. "I couldn't invite you to the park and not learn your name. That'd be rude."

I opened my mouth to argue that he hadn't had trouble being rude to me in the past, but decided against it. As enthralled as I was by Zayn, I was petrified at the same time. Just one slip of the tongue, and he could turn on me like a wolf.

"So..." Zayn sighed, leaning back against the bench, obviously finding the situation awkward. "You gonna do something interesting or not?"

"I don't know how to Zayn!" I cried out, a lot louder than intended. "I-I don't understand what interests you, you confuse me!"

Zayn laughed. I seemed to make him laugh quite a bit but I couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or not. "Y'kno what would be interesting?" Zayn spoke.

"What?"

"If you just loosened up!" He tugged at my thick winter coat, gesturing for me to remove it. "Live it up a little! I think you'd be cool if you stopped being so fucking boring."

I flinched at his vulgar wording but blushed at its meaning. "You think?"

"Yeah sure," Zayn continued. "If you didn't talk so much, people would actually like you. You could be popular. I could... help you."

Blunt. But exactly what I wanted to hear. The idea of popularity was so tempting. Knowing that someone was ready to give it to me, made the idea that much sweeter. I began to remove my jacket.

"You'd do that for me?" I spoke. "I thought you didn't like me."

Zayn ran a hand through his hair and nodded, his eyes scrutinising me brazenly. "As I said, you'd be okay if you shut up. If you hung about with me I could probably teach you a thing or two."

I gulped loudly. "Me hanging out with you? A-Are you sure you want to? I wouldn't blame you if-"

"Did I not just invite you to hang with me?" Zayn's voice was cold.

"Um, yeah but-"

"Well then. That's all there is to discuss. Just follow my lead, yeah?"

I nodded excessively like a bobble head. We sat in silence for about three minutes.

"Well I gotta go," Zayn announced. "I have plans tonight and I don't really have time to hang about. See ya Monday, yeah?"

We'd barely been in the park together 10 minutes. I couldn't believe that boy had the nerve to show up late for a meeting he organised, and then cut it short! Still, I couldn't help but be happy when he gave me an unexpected hug goodbye. His body was quite firm; I could tell he worked out a lot by the feel of his abs through his shirt. He smelt good too; his cologne was musky and warm with a slight zing of lime. And as I watched him swagger off home, I couldn't help but notice that I was falling even deeper under his spell.

Alone again, I checked my watch. The clock read 8:32. I still had to make the 45 minute journey home. Which meant that there was no physical way that I could make it home in time for curfew.

Uh oh.