The Story of us

Chapter Eleven: First buds

 "What are you doing here?"

I struggled to maintain a grip on my unbalanced emotions as I looked up in alarm, an apology on the tip of my tongue. And because fate had a grudge against me, I saw the perfect, angular features of Zayn Malik.

Really, what was with my luck today?

He looked at me strangely, one hand still holding my arm from stopping me bowling him right over. My apology disintegrated and instead I made wild actions for him to move back in the opposite direction.

"Nothing - now go, go, go!" I hissed, trying to push against him; he didn't budge and peered over my head instead to where Ariana and Niall were.

"Ah," he said, a smirk crossing his face, "I understand why you're in such a hurry. It's about time," he said wonderingly, "Did Niall finally confess to Ariana?" His smooth, velvet voice carried across the grounds and I cringed.

"Keep your voice down!" I whispered, but the damage had already been done. Ariana and Jacob looked around and saw us. I gulped; Zayn remained supremely unconcerned as the two made their way to us, arm-in-arm again. Ariana's eyes were red but she still smiled brilliantly at me, while Niall's expression was impassive, albeit a little wooden, especially when he saw Zayn. I noticed the two boys avoided each other's eyes.

"Hi, Layla! I was wondering when I'd see you again," Ariana said amiably, "Is school finished already?"

"Oooh!" I said, trying to be just as cheerful and only succeeding in sounding awkward, "Yes."

I felt Zayn snicker beside me.

Her face brightened, "Then did you want to come with us? Niall and I were going to go catch a movie. It's been awhile since we've hung out. Come along, it'll be fun. You too, Zayn."

"O - ooh," I stuttered, tongue-tied. To be perfectly honest, after everything I'd just witnessed, spending time with Niall and Ariana was about the last thing I wanted to do right now. I might just spontaneously combust with all the tension and emotion in the air; emotion that I had no part of. They needed time alone.

But I couldn't refuse outright, either. That was just rude.

Thus, my embarrassing speechlessness as Ariana looked eagerly at me.

And then, out of the blue, Zayn spoke.

"Actually, we were going to go somewhere else together."

Every single one of us was taken-aback. I blinked several times, looking sideways at his content little smile; Niall's blue eyes darted to Edward despite their ignoring of one another, a faint frown creasing his brow; and Ariana repeated blankly, "'We'?"

"I mean Layla and myself," said Zayn smoothly, throwing me the tiniest of looks. And then I cottoned on.

"Oh, yeah! We... were... going somewhere... together," I said, nodding enthusiastically, "Well then,Ariana - Niall - have a good time and see you later. Bye!"

"Oh, goodbye," said Ariana, sounding slightly perplexed but amused.

"See you later," Zayn replied, then turned to me and said significantly, "Let's go." He put an arm around me and I allowed myself to be pulled away for our audience's sake.

Zayn sounded highly amused as he murmured into my ear, "My debt has been repaid."

"What?" I whispered back fervently.

"You saved me from that vase."

"And this is how you intend to repay me?"

He stopped in his tracks, eyebrows raised, "Did you want to go back then?" He started to tug me back to where Niall and Ariana were still standing, but I grabbed his arm and dragged him onwards.