3Dx1D: An Epic Story of Romance, Heartbreak, and Life

Chapter Six

"Good night, babe. Thanks for the new car and for tonight." Arthur said as he winked at Max as he rolled over to his side of the bed to sleep. It had been a long weekend for the both of them as they have recently been fighting over a lot of issues. When their tour manager gave them a long week break before going on tour, Max took it as a chance to be with Arthur and try to fix their misunderstandings. She had recently even bought him a DBS Superleggera as a sign of peacemaking. She didn't feel satisfied though, as she felt that what she and Arthur had has become superficial. She didn't feel the usual feelings that she felt back then when she was with him. Back when their relationship was still in its young years, their love was authentic and it was the fireworks type of love that had her up all night, thinking that she was such a lucky girl to have him. Nowadays, all they do is fight about the newest fling that he has or how she has no more time for him ever since Three Dreamers became a hit.

Max sighed as she looked at him and wondered if their relationship was just really on the rocks, or if their feelings for each other have changed. Love is about accepting the person and all the changes that he goes through, right? Maybe I'm just overthinking all of this. As she was pondering, she suddenly noticed a faint blue glow coming from the bed stand beside her. It was Arthur's phone. She checked him to see if he was already deep in sleep, and decided to see who had messaged him in the middle of the night. What if it was an emergency? She thought to herself but she knew deep down that her doubts about him and his love were really the reasons why she unlocked the phone.

She saw that the message had come from a contact named "My Bro".  Strange. Art never told me which one of his friends was listed as a bro in his contacts. She opened the message. "Hi babe i know ur stuck on a weekend with ur loser of a gf but i just wanted to say i miss you and im thinking of u tonite in my sheets ;) think of me too as u bang ur lame ass girl xoxo" Her mind reeled in from what she saw. She scrolled up to see more of the previous messages and saw that it was Mixie Florida, his ex, the one that he had been crazy about before meeting her. Her vision became blurry as hot tears welled up in her eyes. She took the phone, ran to the bathroom and smashed it on the sink. The phone's screen shattered into a million pieces all over the floor, with tiny bits of glass cutting her hand. Like my heart. She thought as she looked at the broken fragments on the floor.

She took her own phone, keys, and luggage as she quietly made her way outside of the rented private house they were staying in. Good thing he's a sound sleeper. She got into her car, and drove off, searching for a nearby place she could stay at for the rest of the night. They were in a private subdivision in Malibu, full of private beach houses. She tried to focus on driving as she felt every part of her aflame, in a fire that she wanted to be consumed in. I can't believe it. All this time. It's Max, not Mix, and it's Ford not Florida, you asshole. She became furious at the coincidence of them having the same initials in their name, and the ring that she gave him had M.F. engraved on it. She stepped on the accelerator, wanting to run him over and make him feel the same pain he's giving her right now.

Suddenly, she looked in horror afar as a man jumped out of nowhere and gave her a hand signal to stop. It was too far to make out clearer details, but she started sweating nervously as she realized she might get a ticket for over-speeding. She didn't want an article circulating online again. She slammed on the breaks and began to slowly advance her car as she rolled down her window.

As she got nearer, she saw that it was a familiar face beaming up at her. It was Zayn Malik, from One Direction. What was he doing here?  Without his guards? She thought as she anxiously stopped the car.

"Hi, uhm, can I hitch a ride? Max- isn't it? Max Ford from 3D?"

"Yes? What? Why are you here?" She was so confused and her mind and stomach were in knots. What is going on here?

"Uhm, come on, don't leave me hanging here. Don't try to make sense of this all."  Zayn said as a glint shone from his deep, sultry, dark eyes. She considered for a moment about driving away fast and leaving him in the dust, but she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts. Besides, this weird event might prove to be a distraction.
"Nyark, but okay, you won't murder me anyways because you're famous so I guess I'm good." She said as Zayn went around to ride shotgun.

"Excellent choice. Now go on, drive."

A few moments passed in silence as they drove on, seemingly without a destination in mind. Zayn was usually quiet, she knew that he didn't talk much compared to the rest of the boys. She initially suspected that his bravado confidence was usually a farce, and that compared to the bad boy image that media frames him up to be, he is actually a gentleman.

"Why were you crying?" Zayn asked as he opened the car cupboard and rummaged through Max's items.

Max stammered as she shifted her eyes away from the road and looked at him. "Huh- what? What are you talking about?" What am I even doing with this guy?

"Your eyes are puffy and red. Your voice is a bit hoarse, and well, you have a lot of fucking tissues", Zayn retorted, letting out a smirk as he gestured towards the bits of tissue paper strewn around the car. "Very unhygienic, by the way."

"Sorry, but that story is reserved for my lads first. You don't get to hear about my breakup with my boyfriend, who apparently has been cheating on me with his ex so that's that. So, mind telling me why you almost committed suicide in the middle of the road?" Max asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away to a different topic.

"Yeah, well I often go out at night when everyone's asleep. Gives me a sense of peace and quiet. It also gives me opportunities to hitchhike and console a girl who got cheated on. Happens quite a lot these days."

Max raised her eyebrows and tried to stifle a grin. "You want peace and quiet from the paparazzi? Nyark, they'll just stalk you more and write an article about you sleepwalking in the middle of the night! Haha, trust me I know." Her statement was met with silence, as Zayn sighed and looked out of the window.

"It's okay if you're not comfortable sharing it with me. I'd feel suffocated too if I were you, with every second of your life being invaded and watched upon by thousands of people. I mean, who needs privacy anyway right? I know that feeling too well myself."

Zayn runs his fingertips through his hair and gives out a bigger sigh. " Well, I've been thinking a lot lately and I just- I feel like I'm not normal, you know? Like I don't get to have the same experiences that an average teenage boy has. It's nights like these when I wonder what if would feel like to not be a part of One Direction anymore. To be just my own."

"I don't know about you, but I'm sure as heck that fans all over the world will be diagnosed with depression if you ever, EVER leave the band. You're a family, you can't quit on them- not after everything you've been through. It may be hard but, maybe you should try opening that up to the other boys. " Max replied as she thought of all the times she wanted to quit Three Dreamers herself, but always ended up staying for her love for her two lads. Mi muchachas, she thought.

The conversation went to silence as the car stopped at a stoplight. "This should probably be my stop." Zayn said.

Max unlocked the car doors and straightened her position. "Oh, um, see you then, I guess."  As he went out the car, he turned to Max before shutting the door.

"Thanks for the lift. Good luck with your asshole ex, by the way. He doesn't deserve to be cried about, especially by someone as beautiful as you. I'll see you soon."

"Okay see you, and thank you, by the way. Good luck with your problem too. I think you'll have to make a decision one of these days." Max replied as Zayn shut the door and the light turned green.

Max watched Zayn in her rearview mirror, smiling at her until finally, he was nothing but a speck in the glass.