Are you here?|Zauren

AYH?-11

Zayn spent the night comforting me, and talking me down from accusing my own best friends of taping that picture of a dead Zayn on top of the picture of the happy, full of life Zayn.

I woke up, and rubbed my eyes. Zayn was sitting at the end of the bed staring at me. He had a concerned look on his face. I raised my eyebrows. "What? Is there something wrong with my face?" I climbed out of the bed and was only met by full trashbags on the floor.

"What's with all the trash?" I asked. There were three bags, and my closet door was wide open. Zayn's clothes and shoes weren't there. I walked in to better confirm this, and I was right.

"What in the world...?" I muttered to myself. I knelt down as Zayn watched me with that concerned look on his face still. I ripped the trash bag open and Zayn's things were inside. I pulled out a shirt, and then another and then another.

"Why..." I started thinking of the picture again. "Who is doing this? It's gotta be them." I stood up in anger and tried to pull the bedroom door open right away, but it was locked.

"You locked it last night, and it hasn't been unlocked since," Zayn said. I turned around and stared at him. "I'm confused.. the clothes," I gestured. He sighed and pointed to the stuff. "It's you, Lauren. You got up at four in the morning and started grabbing all of my stuff and putting it in bags. I told you to stop, but you were in a daze. I don't- I think you were sleep walking. I'm almost positive you were sleepwalking." He knelt down next to me. I sighed. "Wait.. so the picture."
"I'm sure that was you as well, Lauren."

I started shaking my head when I heard that. I took a deep breath and it caught in my throat. "That's impossible.."
"Lauren, if I could record you, I would have. I watched you do all of this." I looked down at the clothes in my lap. "Why would I do this?" I questioned. I had tears welling in my eyes. "That doesn't make any sense. I don't sleepwalk.."
"I know you don't.. well, didn't. You do now." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I stood up, and started unpacking the bags full of Zayn's clothes and hanging it up in the closet again.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. For a miniscule second I thought Zayn would speak up or answer it, but then I remembered the reality I was living in. I made my way to the door and unlocked it. Camila was standing there. She was dressed for the day.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Camila gestured to the door. "Harry and I were just gonna go out for a bit. Do you want to come?" I looked behind me at the room. I didn't want to go anywhere. "No, I have to clean up. It's getting pretty messy in here."

Camila nodded, and then raised an eyebrow. "Have you been crying?" I shook my head. Another lie. "Are you sure because it really looks that way.."
"The-" I tried to get myself to believe this truth. "The picture was me," I sighed.
"What picture? Wait, that picture of Zayn?" I nodded my head and could feel the tears.

Fuck. I cried so much, why weren't they dried up yet?

"Why would you do that?" Camila questioned with motherly concern coating her words. "Do you think I know? I was sleepwalking, I guess. Zayn said he watched me last night; I took all of his things from the closet, and packed it away in trash bags. I don't remember any of that."

Camila's mouth was wide open as I revealed this information. "I don't want you to look at me like I'm crazy.."
"I don't think you're crazy, Lauren. I do however think that you should talk to someone that is licensed to help you.." I shook my head.
"I don't need therapy or anything along the lines of that."

Camila was about to speak, but her phone started ringing. "Harry, I'll be down in a minute. No. Okay." She hung up and put her phone in her back pocket. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" I nodded.
"I'll be fine. I promise. I've got Zayn." Camila smiled. She gave me a tight hug, and walked out the door.

"You know.. she's right," Zayn said. I turned around and scoffed. I ignored his comment, and made my way to the bathroom. "I think that you really should take her suggestion." I rolled my eyes as I brushed my teeth. Why'd he have to follow me? "I didn't really agree before, but these situations you're in at night and not remembering in the morning are concerning."

I rinsed my mouth out, and put my toothbrush back in the slot beside Zayn's. "Just give it a shot." I turned to him angrily. "You're dead!" I threw my arms up. "No amount of therapy is ever going to bring you back for real. No amount of therapy is going to allow me to kiss you again, and have you kiss me back and actually feel it. No amount of therapy is going to do that. Do you not get that? Does anyone understand that?"

I made my way out of the bathroom and out of my apartment before I lost my cool. I sat down on the floor in the hallway and started to cry into my palms.

I heard a door open, and I knew it wasn't mine. "Hey, is everything alright?" I looked up and saw that is was my new neighbor. I forgot his name already. I wiped away my tears feeling foolish. "I'm fine," I said. He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not a psychic, but I can sense that you're lying.. or the tears gave it away." He smirked. I can tell he was only trying to make the situation better.

He sat down across from me against the wall. "I could hear you crying from my apartment." I could tell my cheeks were turning pink from embarrassment.

"Have you ever lost someone, and you just wish with everything in you that you could just bring them back?" I sniffled. He nodded.
"I think that everyone has."

"I lost my boyfriend recently in a car accident. It still feels like he's here, you know?" I couldn't tell him that I was actually seeing him. "Wow, I'm- I'm so sorry to hear that."
"People think I'm crazy because I still feel like he's here." I glanced beside me, and Zayn wasn't there. "I just really miss him." I sighed. "I'm sorry for pouring something so serious on you when you just met me the other day." I laughed a little at how ridiculous I was.

He stood up, and held his hand out toward me. I took it and he helped me up. "I don't mind it. It's a pleasure meeting you-"
"Lauren," I said still wiping my tears away. He smiled. "And I'm Cole." That's right, I thought.  "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me," he said going back to his apartment.