brilliant discovery • zauren

20

"Lo."

A seriousness Lauren hasn't been objected to frequently, loomed over Zayn. The lines in his forehead were deep, his face cupped with a strong hand as he thumbed his beard. Clearly, he was in deep thought. About what? She wasn't sure.

Hazel met green. His stare, deep. Hers, anxious.

"Y-yeah?" The gravity of it all made her stutter like a child about to be scolded by a parent.

They were waiting for the elevator to take them up to Zayn's suite on the fifteenth floor. Not his cup of tea, but it was one of the few rooms available. The rest were at an even higher elevation. No way.

The doors opened, they both went in. She became more on edge, keeping at a far distance from him in the small cubicle. But she didn't expect him to corner her, arms on either side of her head. Automatically, her eyes went from his eyes to his lips. They were so close. She could almost feel them moving against hers as he spoke up.

"Please, let me change my name on your phone. I regretted it the moment it left my grasp!" He pleaded, his brows no longer slanted downwards, but upwards.

Lauren exploded in a wild fit of laughter. She couldn't believe she was even the least bit worried.

"No way! I like your name. It's unique," she uttered between giggles, placing a hand on his chest to lightheartedly shove him away.

Zayn backed up against the mirrored wall of the lift, groaning audibly. "But... but, it suits you better!"

Pretending to be offended, Lauren emitted an exasperated gasp. "Have you been checking me out, Malik?"

Arriving at his floor, the doors opened and the two walked out. Out of his control, his eyes just landed on her bottom— that was nicely accentuated by her black fitted shorts.

He coughed, caught redhanded. "Kind of hard not to, to be frank," he admitted with a casual chuckle.

"Well, I could actually say the same thing for you," she chirped, matching his jovial attiude with her very own.

"I bet you only like me for my body," he feigned with a scandalized posture, a hand over his heart.

Lauren couldn't help but snort at him. He was inexplicably silly. Such a nice facet of his. A side she never expected him to own.

"Right, your body," she apathetically said, rolling her eyes at him when they reached his suite: 1514.

Zayn felt vexed by Lauren's lack of emotion. The larger part of him said he should be happy it wasn't just physical attraction, but he felt challenged by her naughty criticism. So, he reached for her wrist and spun her around until she was trapped between his body and the door. A smirk succeeded his frown when she gulped. Victory.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked lowly, eyes trying to scavange over his shoulder for any signs of other life in the hallway. "People might see us."

Last time they were caught in the exact position, the photos were released the next day.

"Don't worry, love. We're the only two here," he reassured against her ear, blowing warm air against her lobe. She shivered. "And we're not even doing anything wrong."

Lauren groaned, goosebumps creeping up her spine and arms. The affect Zayn had on her endlessly unyielding. A curse and a present all packaged into one.

She smelled so sweet and crisp, just how he envisioned the oceanic breeze of the Miami coast. Despite not experiencing the sandy beaches of the beautiful city, Zayn decided Lauren's scent was far more revitalizing. And inviting. He couldn't forget that.