Secrets (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 11

Rays of sunlight seep through the curtains as I stir in my sleep. I toss and turn on my mattress, struggling to find a comfortable position. After a few minutes, I sigh in defeat and stare up at the ceiling studying the popcorn patterns. I glance at the clock and read "9:00".

"Ugh." I huff, as I roll out of bed. A cold liquid runs down the corner of my mouth and I quickly wipe it away in disgust.

"That's gross."

I tip toe across the room, and shake Ashley in her sleep. She rolls over and spreads her arms and legs across the mattress, taking up the whole space. Light snores escape her parted lips, and I finally realize.
This is what girls actually look like when they sleep. Their makeup isn't done perfectly, covering any blemishes on their skin. They don't sleep with an eyemask, only to wake up and not have slight bags below their eyes.
No, girls wake up with drool on their chins, and hair resembling a rats nest. Some have heavy smeared makeup from last nights regrets, or subtle blemishes spotted across their faces. Beauty doesn't equal perfection. And I myself, am perfectly okay with that.
I snap out of my thoughts, and grab one of Ashley's pillows. I swipe the cushion across her face and she jolts awake.

"What the actual fuck?" She squints up at me, as I flash a smile at her.

"Damn, it's like waking a beast in the morning." I giggle. I drop the pillow on her bed, and walk away.

"Stick it up your ass" she calls, and I break out into full hearted laughter.

As I get dressed, I remember my sudden realization and decide to not care what I look like. I'm in college, not a fashion show. I pull my old high school hoodie over my head, and slip my legs through a pair of short shorts. Running my fingers through my knotted, black hair, I decide to leave it the way it is. The whole "messy bun" trend irritates me beyond belief. I cringe at the thought of the popular hairstyle, and turn towards the door.

As I turn on my heel, Ashley's standing directly in front of me.

"Seriously, warning!" I wave my hand in her face.

"Sorry, are you ready hobo?" She smiles, and I wrinkle my nose at her. I choose to ignore her insult as I slide into my sandals and walk out the door.

"Why don't you dress like most girls? You know, a-line skirts and crop tops?" I glare at her, and she chuckles. "Or the messy bun? How about the whole loose waves ordeal?" She uses air quotes around loose waves, and I sense her sarcasm.

"Conformity is distasteful to me." I smirk, and flip my hair in her face dramatically.

~

We reach my locker, and I spot Zayn leaning against it looking down at his phone.

"Better be important if it caused you to stop right in front of my locker." I say sarcastically and lean on the silver locker next to him. He smiles and finally looks up at me, his cinnamon eyes peering into mine.

"No I have a much better reason to be standing here." He holds my gaze, and I forced to look away. Instead of admiring his face, I choose to admire his attire. His black Nirvana shirt hugs his chest in the most perfect way. But his black fitted jeans make me question how a man can have better legs than me. I distract myself from the painful thought, by studying his tattoos. Ink is printed down his forearms, and I can tell all over his chest by the hint of ink peeking from behind his shirt collar.
I've never been one to like tattoos, but Zayn seems to be an exception for a lot of things.

"Excuse me?" He asks.

"What?" I look up, baffled.

"You mumbled something about perfection." He grins, and the glint in his eye tells me he knows exactly what I said.

I struggle for words until an excuse pops in my head.

"Yeah I was saying to Ashley earlier that beauty doesn't equal perfection." I lie through my teeth.

He nods, dismissing my obvious lie. He rests his head against my locker, and I realize I have an open opportunity to mess with him. As he closes his eyes, I run my finger across his forehead, brushing a strand of hair away.

"Ella what the fu-"

"You had a stray hair I'm sorry!" I giggle, and restrain myself for a bit.

"Mmhmmm" he inhales deeply.

I look up, and when I see he's not paying attention I run my whole hand through his hair letting my nails run across his scalp. He opens his eyes but stares up at the ceiling, not daring to make eye contact with me. I lean into his side, and rest my chin on his shoulder, letting my cold minty breathe fan across his neck.

"Stop." he begs, and I take that as my cue to pull away.

I chuckle, and clamp my hands together, pretending nothing ever happened. I mock his position and rest my head against the locker, although I feel the familiar burn of his stare on the side of my face.

"Okay I'm sorry! I just wanted to see how you'd react!" I laugh.

"I'm glad you think teasing me is funny" he smirks, and turns his head towards me. "But it's ok, because I'll return the favor soon" he leans in and presses his lips against my ear. Now it's my turn to not make eye contact.

"If you think you'll get a chance after our date you're highly mistaken" I retort, but catch my breathe as I feel his lips move against my ear as he speaks.

"Don't lie to yourself love" he whispers, and chills run down my spine.

I snap my head towards him and study his face. I suddenly notice the silver ring resting on his bottom lip. It left a cold ping on my ear, and I can't help but be attracted to it.

"You have a lip ring? Since when?"

"Ella, we've known each other for a while, it's not new I promise you that." He shrugs.

"I adore it." I smile smugly at him, as he wrinkles his nose.

"Adore?"

"Yeah I think it's cute, you trying to be a bad boy. This whole facade works for you." I run my finger across his lip, and he stares at the hallway tile.

"Ella, I'm not trying. This is what I am." He mumbles the last few words.

"I refuse to believe that," I place my hand under his chin, and pull his face up forcing his eyes to meet mine. "I also refuse to be late to class, so if you don't mind" I nod at my locker, and he stands abruptly, making way for me.

He stays quiet the entire time I retrieve my supplies, and I can't help but wonder what I said to upset him. I turn to hand Ashley her notebook but notice she's gone.

"Where's Ashley?" I ask, searching the crowded hallway.

"Oh blondie?" Zayn asks. "She left before you even approached me. She went to go talk to Damen over there." He points to the group of jocks, and I spot her blonde curly hair in the group.

"Of course." I roll my eyes.

"Don't even worry about her love, you should really be focusing on the date I'm taking you on tonight." He smiles and wraps his arm around my shoulder. As a group of girls walk by, he quickly pulls away, and I brush my hair out of my face, embarrassed.

"Fuck that" my subconscious demands.

"You know," I pause, taking a second to look back at the girls behind us. "I think it'd be best if we didn't. Clearly, there are other girls who'd love to take my spot though." I shrug, and tuck my hair behind my ear.

His silence confirms my assumptions, and I walk away in silence to English.