Midnight • (Zayn Malik)

the thing

My hands were shaking so hard and I was sweating profusely in places I didn't even know I could sweat. Violet kept adjusting the silvery-white locks on top of my head as I closed my freshly shadowed eyes to slow my breathing and heart rate. Monte was on my floor slipping my feet in and out of shoes trying to decide which ones matched best. I didn't want to offend him or my love of fashion but it wasn't going to matter what was on my feet, I would inevitably trip and fall from how nervous I was.

"Luna don't get me wrong I love your short hair but it is impossible to style," Violet sighed frustratedly as she continued to work what was left of my hair.

"Sorry," I apologized. I took a deep breath, surprised at how winded just talking made me.

"Hey," she reached her hand under my chin and lifted my head so I would look at her, "you okay?"

A sigh escaped my lips, "Yeah... m'just a bit nervous."

Her concerned features softened and she instantly wrapped me in a hug, "Don't be nervous punk. You're fucking gorgeous," she pulled back to look at me, "what are you nervous about? C'mon."

The heat in my cheeks added to the light pink that was already dusted on, "Just, I don't know, everything's seemed so casual and easy and now that this is like a legit thing I- what if I get all awkward and don't know what to say and just embarrass myself and-"

She giggled at my frazzled state, "Well first off it's only going to make it worse if you call it a thing instead of a date. And second Luna you have nothing to worry about, okay? Just because it has an official label doesn't make it any different comfort wise. He's still Zain and you're still Luna. He's still annoying and you're still weird. You're just going to be a little more nicely dressed, is all," she smiled.

I nodded a little, feeling a new sense of confidence flower its way through me, "You're right Vi."

Monte reached for my hand, "Do not be discouraged if things are awkward at first either. He too will be nervous. It will go away after a few minutes, trust me."

"Monte's right," Violet agreed, "you remember how much of a wreck I was on my first date with Lucky. Hell we had practically grown up together and calling it a date made me forget all of that. But now look at us."

I smiled, more sure about everything now. I was freaking out over nothing like usual. This was Zain. Everything was going to be good. I brought them both into a tight group hug before letting them finish getting me ready.

I tugged at the hem of the tank top sleeved maroon dress I was wearing that cut off mid-thigh. I let go of my resistant reflex and let myself get lost in the rich color of the fabric. The deep red pigment no longer brought me back to that horrible night. It no longer reminded me of the scarlet liquid that had covered me and my sister. Instead, when I touched the dress, I felt the gentle kisses Zain had placed across the white plain of my body. I saw red roses bloom wildly and beautifully from those kisses. The color stained my skin in a new way and I didn't feel guilty for that. I wasn't forgetting my sister and how she left me that night. He was soothing the wound she left inside my chest. A wound I am so glad was beginning to heal.

Of course everything else I had on was devoid of color. There was only so much a person could handle at a time. Like c'mon. Violet picked out the "fanciest" of my chokers which was velvet with a small pearl hanging from it. Monte had decided to dress my feet up in Eeight Erin platform boots and thick white socks that bunched up adorably to where my ankles transitioned to my shins. And of course every piercing on my head had a black something in it. The black diamond stud in my nose was my favorite.

"Okay I give up. Just wear that cute black hat you have," Violet said, defeated.

"Which one? The floppy one or the panama that you call a fedora?" I smirked.