Azalea ♡ Z.M

♡ Chapter 3 ♡

Just hold on ~ Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki

It was 5:47 p.m and Zayn Malik was awaiting on the freshly cut grass of Willow Park for the beautiful stranger to appear. The air smelled of flowers although the leaves of the trees began to convert into soft yellows and reds.

He sat in the same spot as before, hoping she would come. He still didn't know what he was going to say to her. He had spent the night before turning and tossing in his plush mattress, thinking of a clever way to approach her. He thought he might have been losing his mind.

Zayn's eyes flickered up when he heard the small sound of crunching grass. There she was, walking towards the pond. Zayn swallowed as his skin aroused with goosebumps. She looked prettier than the week before. This time she was wearing a cotton white tank top and denim shorts. She took off her white converse sneakers and her socks before dipping her long legs in the water.

An idea came to Zayn's head. He knew exactly how he was going to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe, even make her crack a grin.

He stood up and took slow strides around the pond towards her. She hadn't noticed him. Zayn's chest tightened with every step he made. His heart thumped through his rib cage and he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. He shook his head realizing he was acting like a little school boy with a crush.

He was closer to her, just mere steps away. Zayn gulped hard and cleared his throat lightly before speaking. He hoped she didn't hear his loud heartbeat like a bass.

"Did your parents never tell you to not put your legs in the water when its chilly cause you might catch a cold?" Zayn said in his thick Bradford accent.

The girl slowly glanced up at him. The oxygen was stolen of Zayn's lungs as their eyes met. Yeah, her eyes were definitely hypnotizing. He grinned a tight lip smile. She answered with a ghost of a smile. That was enough for Zayn. He slowly sat next to her. Not too close though. He was afraid she would hear the butterflies going wild in his stomach.

"Your accent's cool." She lowly spoke. Her voice was soft and sweet like maple syrup, but it was laced with sadness and a pinch of timidness. Zayn was relieved she had spoken, though. And what a beautiful voice she had.

"Thank you. I learned it all by myself." He grinned at her. And she didn't say it, but she found his answer cutely funny.

"So, you like this place?" He asked carefully.

The girl looked down at her legs which she swayed in the water. "Yeah." She answered in a voice barely audible.

Zayn leaned back supporting his weight on his hands. "I like it here, too. It's nice and quiet. Really relaxing." He took a deep breath.

"I know." She acknowledged still looking at the little splashes of the water. She sounded exhausted and drained, but not physically.

Zayn was no fool. He saw the storm in her vibrant eyes and heard the trouble in her voice.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. He really wanted to know what was wrong with her. He wanted to erase the crease in her brows and the frown on her pink lips.

She sighed heavily. Zayn was almost sure she wouldn't tell him anything and now regretted even asking her. He didn't want to make her feel any more uncomfortable. He should've just kept his mouth shut.

"Yes." She said.

"You don't look okay." He insisted, determined to discover the reason behind her sorrow.

"I get that a lot." She sighed sadly.

Zayn's heart bent a little and it's corner tore, at the tone of her voice. He quickly changed the subject.

"I've seen you here before. You come often?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

The girl stopped swaying her legs in the water. Her small movements ceased. The park became deafening quiet. It was like the world stopped for a second and Zayn's heart froze. He was now afraid of the answer.

"My mom. She, she used to bring me here every Friday." Zayn noticed the unsteadiness of her voice and the pain in her words.
"S-she died...two years ago."

Zayn's breath got caught in his lungs and his heart throbbed a little sadly for this girl. Her, on the other hand, didn't know why she was telling him all this. It just kinda came out, she guessed.

"I-I'm sorry." He quietly uttered, completely shocked.

"I-It's okay." She cleared her throat when her voice cracked. An overwhelming wave of sympathy and hurt crashed into Zayn.

He didn't know what to tell her. No words seemed good enough. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to lose a parent. Zayn cried sometimes because he missed his mom, now what would happen if she died.

"I miss her." The girl blurted out and all she wanted was to stop speaking. But she felt like she couldn't. She couldn't hold it in and the tears began to brim at the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, but she left a piece of herself here on Earth. She'll always be with you. She still lives. Inside of you." Zayn told her slowly. And he meant what he said.

It's something his mom always told him whenever someone died. Zayn loved his mom because of that, you know. Cause she always made him feel better. Zayn's feelings were blue thinking of what he would do without her. His stomach churned of sadness when he realized, this girl didn't have a mom to show her the light in the dark.

Hearing that, the girl couldn't take it any longer and dense tears shed down her face. Zayn suddenly felt bad for making her cry. He was only trying to comfort her. But here she was, with her hands on her face, small sobs escaping her lips. Zayn's heart twitched and he carefully and gently rose his hand up to her back and rubbed it. It was something his mom always did to make him feel better.

As Zayn sat there, rubbing her boney back while she wept, that girl made a small spot for herself in Zayn's heart without even knowing it. The beautiful girl of whom he still didn't know name.

I love writing this cause I like how big words sound. I feel poetic and aesthetic haha :)

Vote and comment pleeeeeeease xx