the one that got away, zayn malik

chapter thirty three

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
28th of september 2016

ZAYN  shifted uncomfortably in his chair as the soft hum of conversation filled the dining room. the evening had been pleasant enough—his mum's cooking, the warmth of home—but now, the air felt heavy, and he couldn't pinpoint why. gigi sat next to him, chatting with his sister, the easy rhythm of their voices contrasting the tight knot forming in his chest.

"by the way, zayn," his mum said, her voice cheerful as she set down the dessert plates. "i ran into ollie last week."

time seemed to freeze. his hand stopped mid-reach for his tea.

"olive?" he repeated, his voice barely audible.

"yeah," his mum said, oblivious to the tension now crackling in the air. "i saw her at that cute café in town. she looked lovely—so grown up. i congratulated her on her new song, of course. she's doing so well, isn't she?"

zayn's stomach sank, his mind flashing back to olive's laughter, the memories they'd shared. he hadn't expected her name to resurface like this, especially not now. beside him, he felt gigi stiffen, her posture too poised, her smile too tight.

"she's back in the uk, you know," his mum continued. "she mentioned she was happy to have some time with her family. but i think she's still working."

zayn nodded quickly, forcing a smile as he caught his mum's eye. "that's nice," he said, his voice steady but hollow.

but his mum wasn't done. "it's funny seeing her after so long. she always had such a lovely presence, didn't she?"

zayn shifted in his seat, glancing briefly at gigi, whose expression remained unreadable. "yeah," he muttered, hoping the conversation would end.

but she didn't stop. "she was a lovely, kind girl wasn't she? it was a shame what happened—"

"mum," zayn interrupted sharply, his gaze flicking toward gigi. his mum faltered, looking confused, but the message was clear. her cheerful chatter came to an abrupt halt.

gigi raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable, but zayn could feel her irritation simmering beneath the surface. "you didn't have to stop her," she said softly, her tone too measured to be genuine.

zayn sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "i just didn't think we needed to talk about her right now."

"why not?" gigi asked, her voice light but her eyes sharp.

he hesitated, not sure how to answer without making things worse. "it's in the past," he said finally. "that's all."

gigi didn't reply, but the tension hung heavy between them, an unspoken conversation crackling in the silence. his mum, bless her, tried to steer things back to neutral ground, but the damage was done.

later, as zayn stepped out into the cool night air to clear his head, the weight of the moment lingered. olive was back in the uk. of course it would be at the same time as him and of course she'd spoken to his mum. he should've been able to brush it off, but he couldn't.

and for the first time in a long while, zayn found himself wondering what olive was thinking and if olive ever thought of him, too.

AUTHORS NOTE
zayn needs to get his shit together. break up with gigi???👀👀👀
ALSO IM SORRY I DIDNT UPDATE LIKE I SAID I WOULD THE OTHER DAY OOPSIES

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