I took the mail key off the key rack and headed out to get mail in my large cardigan, knit cat slippers, and baggy sweatpants. I took the mail and went back upstairs. I guess I forgot to leave the door unlocked because I was now locked out of my new apartment. I had just moved to London from California and I was still getting used to living on my own.
I sat down in front of the door and contemplated my options. I had no friends to call, I couldn’t ask my parents to fly out to London just to unlock my door, and I don’t have a spare key. I finally decided that I should call a locksmith, but I don’t have a phone. Hmm maybe I could ask my neighbor to let me borrow their phone. I got up off the floor and knocked on the door that was across from mine. A few seconds went by and then a tall guy with just some sweats on opened the door.
“Hello?” he said questioningly as though he wasn’t sure what to make of me. He looked really familiar. Oh my god, Zayn Fucking Malik is my neighbor? How in the world did this happen? I was obsessed with his band when I was in high school. Oh god, I have to keep calm. I don’t want him to think that I moved here just because of him.
“Hi, I just moved in across from you yesterday. I’m Emmaline.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Zayn.” He flashed his brilliant smile that I fell in love with so long ago, and I resisted the urge to say that I already knew exactly who he was. “I’m guessing you didn’t come here just to say hi. What’s up?”
“Haha, you guessed right then. I seem to have locked myself out when I was getting my mail and I was wondering if I could borrow your phone to call the locksmith?”
“Yeah, come on in and take a seat anywhere just not on my pal Liam over there.” I looked to the couch and was surprised to see a sleeping Liam Payne. This is so surreal; he had always been my favorite. I seriously wanted to scream. “I can’t seem to find my phone but if you want you can hang around here until Liam wakes up and you can borrow his.
“Oh, um, ok, yeah that’s fine.” I said meekly.
“In the mean time, how about we get to know each other better? Seeing as we’re neighbors and all now.”
“To be honest I already know a lot about you. Last year I may have been a bit obsessed with your band.” I laughed nervously, and then realized that he probably thought I was some creepy fan who planned this whole thing out just to meet him. “Oh my gosh, but I didn’t move in across from you on purpose! This was actually not even my choice, my parents picked the apartment because they wanted me to be in a safe neighborhood!” I explained quickly.
He laughed loudly. “Calm down mate, breath. It’s fine. I actually think its cute that your being so honest and I don’t think you moved in across from me on purpose. That’s just unrealistic now isn’t it?”
Come to think of it, it really wasn’t people always camp outside their parent’s houses whenever they go home so why wouldn’t they buy an apartment across from them? But I went along with it anyways. “Haha, yeah I guess so.” I laughed nervously again.
“So you already seem to know about me, but I still know barely anything about you.”
“There’s not much to me, what do you want to know?”
“Well where are you from, why’d you move here, what do you like to do, do you have a boyfriend? Just the usual.” He said with a cheeky smile.
“I’m from California-“
“Like omg no way I never would have guessed. Like Cali? For reals?” He mocked.
“Oh my gosh, shut up!” I laughed and continued on. “I don’t really know why I’m hear, I kinda just always loved London and when I came time to pick an apartment I chose one in London rather than California. Um I like to sing and play guitar, and no, I do not have a boyfriend.”
“Good! That means I can let you back into your apartment now!” He said pulling out a key from his pocket.
“What you had a spare key this whole time!”
“Yeah the landlord guy gave it to me in case exactly this happened. Anyways can I have your number?”
“Sorry Malik, I don’t give my number out to pop stars.” I said and closed my apartment door behind me.
Zayn’s POV
Wow, how could a girl be that hot when she was just in her pajamas? I mean her hair was tangled blonde mess but she was still gorgeous somehow. The fact that she was a fan who refused to give me her number also made her that much more attractive. I walked back into the kitchen and stated to make some eggs and toast for Liam and I.
“Who was that girl?” Liam groaned into his pillow.
“Our new neighbor, she’s from California.” I added on for some weird reason.
“Ugh, cool. What are you making want some help?” He asked.
“Nah man, I got it. Just eggs and toast.”
Emmaline’s POV
God, Zayn Malik lives across from me and I remember correctly that means the rest of the guys live in the same hall too. I finally let out a huge scream of excitement and started jumping on the lonesome couch in the middle of my apartment filled with boxes. I let my butt fall to the seat and started to sort through my mail when I heard a loud knock at my door. Strange, I got up and opened the door to find Zayn and Liam waiting for me.
“Are you alright?” Zayn asked concerned.
“Um, yeah, why?”
“You screamed…” Oh god, that’s so embarrassing, I felt my cheeks starting to turn pink.
“Oh, that, yeah, it was a spider. Those things really scare me, but it’s all good now. It’s dead.” I lied and heard another door click open. I peaked my head out the door, curious to see who it was. Oh. My. Fucking. God. It was Harry Styles in nothing but some very revealing boxers. Dear lord, how am I going mange living here without screaming again?
“What was that noise guys? It woke me.” Harry asked in his morning voice while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Zayn smirked and Liam answer. “Oh nothing. It’s just that our new neighbor here is afraid of spiders and one was in her apartment.”
Harry laughed, “Ok, well nice to meet you neighbor who hates spiders, see you round.” He waved and smiled then disappeared back into his apartment.
“Well I better get back to sorting my mail. Bye guys!”
