[COMPLETED]
❝Death is inevitable. It's a promise made to us at birth.❞
Arielle is a studious young woman striving to be a chef. Her life is full of going to class, reading textbooks, and hanging out with her friends, until she meets Zayn. Zayn's an...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
➳ ARIELLE'S POV
It's been about a week since everything went down with Ezra. A week since I've seen him and heard from him. A week of unbearable suspense knowing that Ezra knows who attacked Zayn and hasn't told me yet. Seven days spent wondering if he'll tell me who it was, and if he ever does, will he tell the truth? Or will it be another white lie?
It's been just over a week since I last slapped Vivien, three weeks since I slept with Zayn, and nearly a whopping six weeks since Zayn lost his memory. A month and a half since Zayn told me he loved me, only to entirely forget who I am. I can't believe it's already been so long because it seems like it's gone so quickly, but in reality, it's been hell—dragging on like I've been stuck in molasses—without him.
The day at work was a little odd today because both Rae and Hayes were acting strange throughout the entire shift, and I wasn't entirely sure why. That, and Rae ended up leaving early for an unknown reason. When I asked her about it, she said she had a headache, but I sense something's off.
I've felt like something's been amiss all day. Everyone's been acting a little out of the ordinary and it's probably because it's my birthday. Only two people have sent birthday messages, and those are Jonah and Zoe—the two people I expected. I haven't seen Nyjah yet today, although I'm not even entirely sure if he knows when my birthday is, but I should be seeing him soon, as I'm riding in my scheduled taxi on my way home.
Just as I think that, the driver parks the vehicle in front of the house and I toss him enough to cover the fare. "Thanks," I tell him and then get out, sauntering up the driveway. Nyjah's car is parked on the asphalt and I spot a light on inside so he's obviously home, but I still sense that when I walk in the front door a bunch of people will pop out from everywhere yelling out, "Surprise!"
When I turn the doorknob, I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing myself for the oncoming screams and noise. I'm surprised when the door hits the drywall when it's fully open—that being the only sound I hear other than some music playing from the television and the clinking of a glass against the countertop. I step inside, kicking off my shoes. Immediately, I spot Nyjah behind the island, filling two tall glasses with wine.
He smiles at me and places the bottle down. A wine glass in each hand, he slowly and carefully walks to me, handing me one. As I take it from his hands, he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. "Happy birthday, love."
I look around him, still expecting someone to pop out from behind something, but it seems as though maybe I'm wrong. I breathe a little sigh of relief, but still clutch onto the glass just in case something suddenly scares the shit out of me. "Thank you, Nyjah." I give him a quick hug and hang my things up at the door.
"Everything alright?" He asks, sipping on the red wine.
I chuckle. "I figured you were throwing a surprise party here. I'm just, like, expecting people to jump out from somewhere."
