the one that got away, zayn malik

chapter seventeen

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
8th of february 2015

THE hotel room was filled with warmth and laughter as zayn held his phone up, letting the boys squeeze in so olive could see all of them on facetime. she looked tired but happy, her face lighting up as she listened to them recount stories from their second show in sydney. her laughter echoed through the room, bringing a piece of her back to them.

"i swear, you would've loved it, o," harry grinned, his curls falling into his eyes as he leaned closer to the phone. "crowd was buzzing tonight, unreal."

"not as loud as they screamed for you, though," louis joked. "it's like you're still here. they're all chanting your name."

"yeah," olive laughed, a soft, bittersweet smile crossing her face. "i miss it... and i miss you guys. it's strange being away."

"strange?" niall scoffed, his grin fading. "feels wrong, to be honest. place isn't the same without you causing trouble in rehearsals. whole thing feels different."

harry nodded in agreement. "and we're terrible at choreography without you. they've got me stepping left when i should be going right, and it's embarrassing."

olive chuckled, shaking her head. "i'll send you a video tutorial next time."

zayn smiled quietly, watching her with soft eyes. "we all miss you."

but just as the laughter settled, the door opened, and someone from management stepped in, casting a quick, scrutinizing look at zayn's phone. the boys quickly said their goodbyes, throwing olive smiles and waves.

"catch you later, olive!" liam called.

"miss you loads!" louis added.

"take care, o," niall said, reluctant to end the call.

zayn held her gaze for a second longer, his expression softening. "love you. talk soon, yeah?"

she gave him a gentle smile. "love you too. take care, all of you."

the call ended, and as the screen went black, the manager's expression shifted from casual to steely. "we need to have a talk," he said, closing the door behind him. the boys exchanged glances, feeling a familiar weight in the air.

"what's up?" louis asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

the manager took a deep breath, looking from one to the other. "look, i know you're all close to olive. but let's get something clear: she made her decision to leave the band. she walked away from this, and the last thing we need is for you lot to keep dragging her back into the fold. you're supposed to be focusing on what's here, not on someone who isn't part of this anymore."

zayn's face darkened, his jaw tightening. "she didn't leave us. she left this... circus of management you're running . don't you dare act like it's the same thing."

"zayn, come on," the manager replied, a warning note creeping into his voice. "you don't see what's going on out there. every time you bring her up, every time the fans see you talking to her, it just stirs the pot. it's bad for the band's image."

"maybe it's your image that's the problem, not her," zayn shot back, his voice cold and cutting. "she's got nothing to do with the mess you've made of this. and she's still my girlfriend. or do you want to control that too?"

the manager took a breath, clearly frustrated. "this isn't about personal feelings, zayn. you need to put the band first. olive decided she was done with it all, and the more you're seen keeping in touch, the more it looks like she's holding on, like she's still—"

"like she's still part of our lives? because she is," niall interrupted, his usually soft tone hardening. "she's family. you don't get to cut her off just because it's inconvenient for you."

"you need to stop acting like she's still one of you," the manager insisted, his eyes narrowing. "she walked out. she's off doing her own thing, and frankly, she doesn't support this band anymore."

zayn laughed, but there was no humor in it, his gaze sharp and furious. "she doesn't support this band? are you serious? olive gave everything to one direction. she bled for this band, and you're the reason she walked away. you used her, and now you're trying to make her out to be the bad guy because she finally chose herself?"

"that's not what this is about, zayn," the manager said, visibly annoyed. "she's made her decision, and you need to move on. keeping her around in any way is just causing trouble."

"you know what's causing trouble?" zayn shot back, his voice rising. "the way you pushed her around, treated her like a damn marketing tool instead of a person. you didn't protect her; you didn't respect her. and now you're sitting here telling us to pretend she doesn't exist? that's not happening."

the manager's expression darkened, and he shifted his attention to the rest of the group. "boys, olive's gone. she made her choice, and now it's time for you to make yours. either you're focused on this band, or you're letting distractions pull you away from what we're trying to accomplish here. she's not here, and frankly, she doesn't belong here."

louis clenched his fists, his voice low but seething. "she's one of us, whether she's on stage or not. we've been through hell and back together. she's family, and family isn't something you just drop because it's convenient."

"exactly," niall added, standing his ground. "she's like a sister to us. you can't just tell us to cut her off and expect us to listen."

the manager shook his head, clearly exasperated. "i'm telling you this for the band's sake. this is about the future, the stability we're building. you have to start thinking of olive as someone who was part of that, but not anymore. you can't let her be a part of every conversation—"

"mate, stop acting like you know anything about loyalty," zayn spat. "olive isn't just some chapter we get to close because it's easier for you. she's my girlfriend. and that's none of your business."

the manager's patience finally cracked, and his expression turned cold. "this is the last time i'll say this, zayn. if you're serious about your future here, it's time to cut off these ties. we're trying to move forward, and olive is part of the past."

zayn's eyes flashed, his voice dangerously calm. "if you keep badmouthing her like that, i swear, there's not gonna be a future here for me. you think you can bully her and push her out of our lives, just like that? that's not happening. not while i'm here."

the manager, visibly fuming, finally left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall. as the door clicked shut, a heavy silence fell over the group.

niall shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. "they've really lost the plot, haven't they?"

"trying to turn us against olive?" louis muttered, clenching his fists. "they don't get it. we're not just some band to be manipulated."

zayn sighed, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "olive didn't deserve any of this. none of it. and i'm not about to let them rewrite what she means to us."

AUTHORS NOTE
i feel like this has no emotion in it

.