The Comeback

Chapter 17 - Consequences

Chapter 17 - Consequences

As I close the door I run into Zayn, grinning like a Cheshire cat. I step back immediately, caught off guard and I only stop when the door is at my back. “Woah mate, what’s wrong with you?” I ask but he keeps staring at me like that.

“How did the date go, Romeo?” He asks me and I understand why he was waiting for me, ready to mock me.

“Not as planned,” I say and the tone in my voice must tell him something because he loses the smile and frowns at me. “She ended up crying.”

“Bro, I would call that terrible. Bad is an understatement,” Zayn points out and I sigh as I walk towards my bed, tossing myself to it. “What happened?”

“I took her to a special place for her and her best friend, the one who died. By the way it turns out her best friend was a guy. Yay!” I say, my voice filled with sarcasm. “Oh right, she also told me she was in love with him. Oh joy.”

“Ouch,” Zayn says and I nod with a deep sigh. “I repeat, I would call that a terrible date.”

“I would, too. But I guess it’s good she opened up to me, it tells me she trusts me.”

“Or that she friendzoned you again.” I actually stare daggers at him and Zayn raises his hands in surrender. “I’m just giving you options.”

“She keeps telling me how much I remind her of her best friend.” Zayn looks at me saying I-told-you-so but I only roll my eyes. “However, she fell in love with her best friend.”

“Good point,” my friend grants and I smile faintly. "Still, she sees you as a friend for now.”

“Yeah,” I agree. I really don’t like that because I really fancy her and I don’t want to be her new best friend.

You won’t be, my inner voice supports and I want to yell at it to shut it, but I don’t want Zayn to think I’m mental. “She also told me she used to tell me stories of this guy and her while I was in coma. His name is Jake, like the bloke from my dream. So I guess you were right about the dreams being just stories she told me.”

“Well, that’s good,” Zayn supports and I nod again, still staring at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t call it terrible then. Just a bad date.”

I laugh humourlessly. It wasn’t anything like I planned and I’m still not sure what I’m going to do next, but still. I don’t feel like it was a disaster. I’m partly happy. I guess because I got to make some sense out of what’s happening to me and because there’s some hope. It’s not like her best friend is here to fight for her. It’s not going to be a cliché love triangle like in movies. I don’t really have competition, just the memory of him and I’m sure she still has feelings for him, but she’ll get over him eventually.  I just have to wait. I can do that.

+ + + + +

“You’re awfully cheery today,” I hear a voice and I jump up, completely startled.

“Jesus, stop doing that,” I complain glaring at Louis and I try to keep a serious façade, but then a smile breaks its way to my face and I see him raising an eyebrow. “And yes, why wouldn’t I be happy? Weren’t you there today?”

I see him shaking his head and rolling his eyes, as if I said the stupidest thing ever. But it’s not stupid, how could it be? Cassidy loves me, too! She’s been in love with me all this time. And yes, I hate even more that I was an idiot and didn’t tell her before, but that’s not the point now. The point is that she loves me. She loves me.