Stages of Love {AU Ziall mini-fic}

Stage Four: I Love You

Life has been cray cray, sorry.

xx

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How dumb of me for thinking that after what Louis told me (with the whole you not meaning what you told me thing) that we would have magically gone back to normal.

The very next day, I decided to go eat lunch with you and the guys like how we did before our fight (was it a fight? I don't really know what to call it) and you didn't even look my way as you go up from the table, marching off somewhere else when I set down my tray beside you. Of course I was hurt, but it seemed even more powerful than that; it was as if I can physically feel the pain from your disregard towards me.

I kept trying, though. I tried to catch your eye during class, but you never glanced my way; I tried calling your name and you acted as if you didn't hear anything. My guts twisted at the fact that I gave Louis too much credit for helping me. He's a great lad, but I forgot how he sometimes lies just to cheer someone up. You know how he doesn't like seeing someone frown.

So, I went back to my artwork. My art teacher came by when I was working on my fourth piece and just was staring at it quietly for a few minutes, before she said, "This... this is what I've been wanting from you all year, Zayn."

"Really?" I asked. I was rather surprised since I thought I had so many other amazing pieces and this was more of a therapeutic project than anything else.

"Oh, yes, most definitely yes. I want this to showcase in the final art show for the school's Annual Art Gala," she told me, with a proud smile on her face. "Good work," she said, then walked away to leave me alone with my work.

I was between so many emotions; I was happy, angry, confused, curious, ecstatic. As I glanced at my final piece of my series, I understood why my teacher was so interested in it.

There were pinks mashed with reds and purples that has whites swirling everywhere, yet there was some blues mixed into the swirling design. This piece is my most cherished piece not only in that series, but in my entire collection of artwork.

Are you thinking why, or do you already have a guess? (You've always been smart, you should know why.)

In case you don't though, you should come to the Annual Art Gala. Actually, this is my way of inviting you to the gallery.

So it is a bit different to hand you this sketchbook as an invitation, but I felt inspired. If you glance through the rest of these pages, you'll see things that you're quite familiar with.

All of these sketches, they're all of you.

At first I wasn't going to give you this. Oh hell no, this was my personal getaway sketchbook; my diary of sorts. I usually doodled in here while I was thinking and since I usually thought of you, I drew your eyes, or your hands, or smile, or even your feet.

(Sorry if this is creeping you out. I blame Louis, he came by my art room to find Liam and caught me in the act of drawing cartoons of you.)

"'Ey, Zayn! Have you seen Payno around?" Louis asked, just barging into the empty room without even a hint of a knock. (I get that's it's a school room, but nobody ever comes in during lunch and it's usually just me by myself since my teacher goes out for most of lunch.) I quickly snapped this sketchbook shut, which was really dumb of me because Louis is well, Louis, so his curiosity took over. "What's that you got there?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just sketching. You know, the usual," I said, my voice became squeaky a bit at the end.

(I'm shit at lying. It's really bad actually how shit I am at it.)