Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

6; Dirty Love

Chapter 6

"You said love would kill, still I want you."

(Raine's POV)

It was as if God didn't want Zayn and I's date to end.

Even after Zayn had taken me out to dinner at an infamous restaurant on Bourbon Street, fed me ice cream in hopes that I would "start sweet-talking" him, and took me to a bar and managed to get us drinks thanks to his fake ID and uncharacteristically mature features - the date hadn't ended. In fact, as we were driving back to the campus, it had started raining.

No, not drizzling. If it was drizzling, maybe he would be able to drive back home. The raindrops were so intense as they bounced off the car, I could barely hear Zayn's voice beside me over the deafening sound of them hitting the window.

"I can't drive back home like this!" He shouts, keeping his eyes focused on the road, the windshield wipers working their hardest.

"I know! What are you gonna do?"

He chews on his bottom lip, trying to think of something, and once he does, he sighs and says, "I have another place not too far from here! You have your seatbelt on?"

"Yeah!"

Due to the rain, he drives achingly slow. I don't complain, because I'd rather show up and hour later at a place nearby then end up in a worse situation. So, twenty minutes later, when Zayn stops the car underneath a sheltered parking space, he turns to look at me.

"Okay, my place is on the second floor. Room 121." He reaches behind me in the back seat, rummaging around the mess before he grabs a hoodie. "Jesus, I didn't think the weather was gonna be like this otherwise I wouldn't have taken you out."

He hands me a hoodie, drenched in the smell of weed and tobacco with a hint of cologne. Unfortunately, the thin tank top I'm in won't give me any protection from the thunderous rain, and beggars can't be choosers, so I slip it on.

"Fuck, I put an umbrella in here somewhere," he furrows his eyebrows, leaning over his seat, his shirt riding up to reveal a small heart tattoo on his waist. I bite my lip, fighting the urge to run my tongue along it.

"Yeah, no, it's not here," he sighs, when he looks over at me and notices I'm in his hoodie, he furrows his eyebrows. "I was gonna wear that."

Sighing, I grab the hem and get ready to peel it off of me, but he just laughs charmingly and says, "kidding, babe. Just kidding."

As much as I'd love to be as humored as him, the sound of the rain is throwing me off my game. Glancing at the back one more time, he says, "alright, you ready?"

I nod eagerly, taking off my seatbelt.

"You remember which floor?"

"Second."

"Apartment number?"

"121."

"Good girl," he smirks, taking out the keys from the ignition and stuffing them into his jeans pockets. "Don't slip and fall, yeah?"

"I was in track, pal," I shake myself off, my hand already on the door handle. "You be careful."

A glint of mischief flickers in his eyes as he glances at me, his own hand resting on the handle. "Ready?"

I nod.

"Set," he says quietly.

I'm so in the mood, so ready for him to say go, that I don't even hear him open his door and run outside. Only when he slams it shut do I curse, following suit and running towards the stairs behind him.