Revulsion [zm au]

Seven.

“Well, I personally would have chosen different flowers...and maybe a different color too. And those windows there should be cleaned! I should be able to see inside the venue Eliza” my mother chided, as she continued to criticize my work.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Embarrassment obvious on my face as my cheeks turned into a bright red.

Why couldnt she just praise me for once? How was this not good enough? The laborers had been working hard the last four days and their work is now being bashed upon by my critical mother.

I looked over my shoulder; the workers all standing silently as my mother blabbered on about some mistake I made.

My eyes shifted over to Zayn. His gaze already on me.

I swallowed, my cheeks burning even further. The fact that my mother was yelling at me was bad enough, but the fact that she was doing it in front of all these people was just plain humiliating. Especially in front of him.

 

I blinked, confused at the sudden thought.

 

“Eliza! Eliza! Are you even listening to me right now?”  my mother’s sharp voice pierced through my daze.

I snapped my eyes in her direction, clearing my throat awkwardly “Sorry I-”

She brought her hand up, motioning for me to be silent.

“I don’t want to hear it. Just fix this. The party is tomorrow, and I expect this all to be perfect by then. Understood?” she questioned, her glare slicing right through me.

I could feel the slight sting behind my eyes, signaling that I was about to cry from embarrassment.

Many pairs of eyes were on me which made the burning sensation worse.

 

“Okay, I promise I’ll fix everything.” I muttered, my voice weak and shaky.

 

I was terrible at hiding my feelings. I bet everyone could tell that I was about to cry like a child.

 

“No need to promise dear, because you WILL fix everything.” she demanded, walking towards the car that sat waiting for her.

The chauffeur opened the door for her, allowing her access to the plush seats.

 

She didnt bother saying goodbye to me, she simply got in without looking back.

 

I stared at the car as it drove away, completely shocked about my own mother’s reaction. I knew she was always a perfectionist, but I thought that we did a solid job. I thought she’d appreciate it.

 

Guess not.

 

My eyes watered as I realized I had failed at something my mother thought I’d accomplish.

 

I was never one to fail my parents, if anything I was always impressing them.

This was like a slap to the face.

 

I sniffled silently, carefully sliding my fingers under my eyelids to make sure none of my tears escaped.

I know it was a bit ridiculous to be crying, but I was a pretty sensitive person who took stuff to heart.

I cleared my throat before turning back to the group of quiet men behind me.

 

I gave them a small smile as they all gave me sympathetic glances.

I purposely ignored the honey brown eyes that were currently burning into my face.

 

I cleared my throat, trying to ease the sudden tension that grew in the air.

 

“Okay, so how about we plant some...Calla lillies? I’ll go into town and pick some up. While I’m gone you all can clean the windows, paint the trim again, and pull out any left over weeds.” I said, my voice a little shaky.

 

A bunch of  mumbled responses left the crowd. Majority of them saying, “Alright.”

I smiled once more, this time apologetically for my mother’s obnoxious behavior.

 

“I’ll be back.” I stated as I nodded towards my driver. He quickly walked over, opening the door for me.

 

“I can go into town and pick the lillies up, if you’d like..?” a smooth voice questioned from behind me.

 

I turned around to come face to face with a sun kissed Zayn. His hair was disheveled, some sticking to his neck from the sweat dripping from his skin.

His pupils were so small because of the sun, allowing me to see how vibrant the color of his eyes actually were.

“Oh, no it’s okay. I don’t mind.” I answered, giving him a small smile.

 

He bit his lip, his eyes looking to the floor for a second.

I couldn’t help but watch as his plump lip was pulled into his mouth and slowly released. How could such an innocent move be so hypnotising?

 

“I can drive out there. I bet you have better things to do.” he stated, his eyes reaching my face again.

 

His face held such sincerity that I momentarily forgot that he was an adult and not a child.

He probably felt bad about my mother yelling at me.

Suddenly an idea came in mind. I dont know if my sudden confidence and spontaneous thoughts were from lack of sleep or because I was a bit peeved about my mother’s reaction to my work, but whatever it was I couldnt stop the words from escaping my mouth.

“I’ll come with you.”