THE WATERS :: ZAYN

friends

???

"So do you have any friends?"

Solána looked up from her fingers, her eyebrows furrowing. "None."

"Really?"

"Yeah, is that hard to believe?"

"A little. You seem super nice."

"Says the guy living alone on an island. Where are your friends?"

"Don't have any. Just me and my dog...and my thoughts," he shoved his hands in his pockets as she ate the rest of the burger. It was funny, because she forgot how to eat a burger, like how to hold it. Zayn had to teach her.

"That's kinda sad."

"You don't have friends either! And I'm sure there's more stuff in the ocean than on land."

"Eh," she shrugged, "anyway. Uh," she took the cup of water he gave her and looked at him, "do what you did earlier."

"'Kay, this is a straw--"

"Yeah?"

"And it's easier than the way I was trying to show you earlier," which consisted of her accidentally dunking the whole cup on her head. Zayn tried not to laugh at her mistake, but she was innocent and cute with it. "Just put your mouth to the straw and suck."

"Is this water?" Solána asked as she drank from the cup, "you've got something more...I don't know...flavorful?"

"I have soda, if that's what you were asking," Zayn brought out a bottle of Diet Coke, "this...this right here is some good stuff."

"Really? Gimme some," she set her cup down and Zayn grabbed it, putting ice inside and the pouring the Coke in the cup. "Ooh, bubbles."

"Yes, bubbles," he smiled, handing the cup to her, "try it."

Solána sipped from the cup and drank at least half of it in a few seconds. "This is so good it makes my insides tingle."

Zayn noticed how dilated her pupils were and he figured she was on some sort of sugar rush right now. "You okay?"

"I feel so different right now," Solána giggled uncontrollably and Zayn was just...he was so mesmerized by the sounds emitting from her throat. It sounded like angels singing. "Tastes really good."

"I see, but I think you're going crazy with it--"

"What's it called?" she interrupted excitedly, drinking the rest of the Coke and begging for more.

"It's Diet Coke," he bit his lip at her actions, "the best soda besides ginger ale."

"Ginger Ale," she repeated, gulping down the third cup of soda and swinging her legs.

"So, you're a mermaid," Zayn cleared his throat suddenly, leaning on the counter and watching Solána's lips wrap around the straw again, "what exactly do you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I have questions."

"Here we go --" she abruptly burped, frowning at the loudness of it and giggling again, "that was funny."

"Solána," Zayn just shook his head at her.

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, why you can't walk, first of all."

"When I get on land, accident or not, my tail severs in two to form my legs and my lungs take out all the water and breathe in air," she shrugged and looked away, "on my feet, it looks like pins and needles stabbed me but that's just the pain of walking, I need to get better but surprisingly it doesn't hurt as bad as it used to."