Never The Same (A Zayn Malik/1D Story)

Chapter 4; Panda Fluffy Slippers

A/N: Oh, Zayn. You confusing creature. 

Keep reading! I hope I haven't bored you to death :( 

--Bianca x

Aiden’s POV

I explained the project to him, that we’d write the song first, since he is famous for singing, and that we could plot the short film later on. We were having dinner at my place, and after dinner, we were going to the terrace that over looked the city, because, well I don’t know about him, but that inspires me a whole lot. 

I don’t even know if Zayn was paying attention, because he was just staring at me with a blank expression. Nonetheless, he better show up. I’m not doing this project alone. 

His eyes, though... Such a nice shade of brown, and his lashes are curled perfectly and he had a little stubble that was forming around his jawline. And his-- 

...No. Aiden. No. 

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and just left without saying goodbye, because I felt the red rush to my cheeks, and I didn’t want him to see that. I just continued on to class, and met up with Mouse. 

“Hey, Mouse!” I say, waving at her. 

She was hanging out with Harry, who just screamed at someone for knocking her books over. He fixed her glasses for her, and I honestly don’t know when this bond formed, but I was glad that it did. It meant that Zayn couldn’t touch Mouse, because if he ever did again, he’d probably beat Zayn to pieces. 

“Hey, Aiden!” she waved back, drawing Harry’s attention, making him smile. They both walked my direction, Mouse and Harry had a good height difference. She was up to middle of his neck, and I always thought those height differences were cute. Which made me realize that Mouse wasn’t up to my shoulders, she was up to my chin, or something like that. 

We went through the day together, me and Mouse, and Harry. ...and the rest of the boys. Including Zayn. We started to eat at one table, and I introduced the boys to Mouse, making her smile. 

After the school ended, Toro met up with Mouse again, and this time she punched Mouse playfully for not telling her that she had met the boys sooner, and that Mouse was going to their place later for a project. Toro begged Mouse to take her, but Mouse suggested another time, because she needed to concentrate on the project. And the rest of the conversation faded out as I walked home from school. 

I opened the door, and my mom was out. But this time she was out for the whole week. She had flown to Paris for a fashion show, and she was the designer, so of course, she had to be there.

“Darling, as you know, I have a fashion show to attend to in Paris. I’ll buy you some of your favorite things there. I left you allowance money. It’s in my drawer. I left you $500. There’s an extra $100 if you decide to have your friends over again. Knock yourself out. I love you! xx Mom” 

There by the phone was $100 now, which made me smile. I told her about the boys and dinner last night, and she caught the idea that they’d be back. I wanted steak tonight, and mashed potatoes. That sounds good. 

I had already prepared the steak, all I needed to do now was to cook it. I checked my watch, it was still 4:51 PM. I pulled my hair into a messy bun, unbuttoned the top of my polo, and loosened the tie around my neck. I slipped off my shoes, and slid into my panda fluffy slippers. 

What? Don’t raise your eyebrow like that. They’re comfortable, I love pandas, plus, I’m half asian. Don’t judge. 

I seasoned the steak a little, following the footsteps of my mom. After I finished cooking the steaks, I started with the mashed potatoes. I grabbed to plates, and lay the mashed potatoes like ice cream scoops on each plate, then I put the remaining mashed potatoes in a bowl. Then I took the steaks and lay them carefully by the mashed potatoes on the plates. 

I gave myself a smack on the forehead. How could I have forgotten the gravy? I quickly made gravy and put it in a separate bowl.

Right then and there, I heard the doorbell ring. I checked my watch. 6:01 PM already?! Damn, I lost track of time!  

“Uh-- uh... Just a second!” I say, turning the stove off, and putting all the pans and whatnot into the sink, before washing my hands quickly and opening the door. 

It was Zayn. 

I know I shouldn’t be checking him out, but I was impressed by the way he dressed. The shirt he was wearing fit his upper body perfectly, and his--

Crap, I’m doing it again. Why? 

“Come on in.” I say, wiping my sweat with the hand towel I slung over my shoulder. 

He nodded and took a seat by the counter. 

I closed the door and grabbed the two plates, one for him, and one for me. 

“You can eat ahead, I have to shower, because I-- yeah.” I manage to say, gesturing to my sweat and messy hair, before dashing up the stairs, and straight into the bathroom, stripping off, then taking a shower. I let the warm water run through my hair, washing away the scent of meat and smoke. 

Zayn’s POV

The second she opened the door, her hair was in a mess, and the house smelled like steak. I love steak. The aroma breezed through my face as I inhaled what must have been our dinner.

When she said she was going to go shower, I was a little disappointed, because she already looked perfect with disheveled hair, loose strands brushing across her face. And she cooked. Dear God, she cooked! I couldn’t have been more turned on right now. 

...What is wrong with me? 

I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me. 

I shook my head and sat down by the counter, staring at the steak. I licked my lips and bit it right after. No matter how starved I was, I needed to wait. I didn’t want to eat alone, and I wanted to eat with her. As much as it killed me to admit that, it was true. 

There was something about her that was different than every other girl. Any other girl would be practically begging me to snog them by now. They’d be doing anything to get my hands on them or something, but Aiden, she was the opposite. 

Girls wouldn’t show themselves to me with prepping themselves up, or putting on, what seemed like pounds of makeup, caked on their faces.

I don’t know what it was about girls thinking that so much makeup would suddenly make them attractive. A little was fine, but not all the time. Any other girl would want me, but here Aiden was, proving me wrong. 

She opened the door like nothing was wrong. Sweat spotted on her forehead, loose strands moving along the breeze, uniform disheveled, towel hanging from her shoulder. I just wanted to bring her up on the counter and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. 

Run my fingers through her messed up hair, pull her close to me and never let her go. Her lips pressed against mine, as I move my arms on the small of her back. I want to frame her face with my hands and--

“Sorry I took so long!” she said, running down the stairs, interrupting my daydream. She made her way across me, and my eyes didn’t leave her. Her wet hair fell over her shoulders, she was wearing an oversized sweater and black shorts, followed by some white socks and a pair of fuzzy... panda slippers. Those were... panda slippers, right?