Young Love { A Zalfie Fanfic }

Alfie

There wasn't a day that went by throughout secondary school that I didn't think about Zoe. After about a year of not talking to her though it was too difficult to go back to the friendship we had had before. I regretted it more than anything I had ever regretted in my life, but I had Niomi and she was such a nice distraction for those days were the guilt of leaving Zoe came crashing down on me. 

On the last day of school I hugged Zoe and told her I upset we hadn't hung out more, because I couldn't bring myself to say anymore. I knew I would cry if I told her everything I had been feeling and once she walked away I wished I had told her more, but now it was too late. 

Niomi and I stayed together until the end of that summer when she went off to University and I took a gap year. We had dated four years and I never once felt the same way around her that I felt around Zoe. It was much too late to go back though.

After secondary school I got a job at a coffee shop and moved into my own flat. Each day went by, most of them slow, some of them fast. Everyday I thought about Zoe, just as I always had. 

Everytime there was a knock at my door I hoped it was her, everytime my phone rang or buzzed, or anytime someone called out the name Zoe, even though I knew it would never be her. 

On this particular day I was woring late at the coffee shop because I needed the extra money. My entire family was away on holiday in the tropics for Christmas and I had politely declined. I didn't like to go to hot places for a day that was supposed to be so cold.

Today I was especially thinking about Zoe because it was the day we were supposed to decorate the trees and watch Elf, but we hadn't done that in three years and I hadn't properly spoken to her since then. I had left my small Christmas tree I bought for myself bare as a reminder of what once used to be. 

When I got back from work I was surprised to see something on my doorstep. As I got closer I gasped. It wasn't just something, it was Zoe, crumpled in a ball, hyperventilating. 

"Oh my God, Zoe are you okay?" She didn't answer me and I quickly fumbled around in my pocket to pull out my keys and unlock the door. I gently picked up Zoe and brought her inside. Her skin was cold to the touch and her eyes were glassy. She was awake, but it was obvious she was having a panic attack. 

During primary school and the first part of secondary school Zoe had panic attacks quite often and I always helped her through them. When we cut ties I was always worried that she would no one to help her through them. 

After a while her eyes closed and she fell asleep. I took off her frosted over jacket and wrapped her in the blanket that was downstairs. I lit a fire in the fireplace and pulled out a dusty CD from the cupboard. 

Within twenty minutes a fire was roaring, there were two steaming cups of hot chocolate on the counter and Elf was playing in the background. I was finally making up for all the years I had lost before. 

xxx