A Tale of TOMS, Coffee, and Five Boys

Chapter Eighteen: A Talk with Zayn and Titanic

The next morning, after thinking all night about it, I decided that I would only stay friends with Zayn. After a while, he would move on. Right? Well, he would eventually. And I could never hurt Harry like that. I love him. I jumped out of bed and took a shower.

I did my usual routine of brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, and applying light makeup. Next, I blow dried my hair which fell into waves, braided a section back from my face, and secured it with bobby pins. I picked out my outfit which was a red and white striped flowy shirt with a gold anchor and white shorts from Forever 21. I wore some gold flats to accent the anchor and grabbed my black hobo tote bag, both also from Forever 21. I was ready at 12:45 and I headed off to work.

When I got to work, Julia hugged me and I explained what had happened. From the fight, to Jacob, to the hospital, to Zayn, pretty much everything. After I was done, I felt relieved that I had told someone and we got to work.

(8 Hours Later)

I headed out to my car after work and my phone started playing “Chasing the Sun” by The Wanted. I pulled it out of my purse and saw that it was Zayn. “Hello?” I answered cautiously.

“Hey Isabel. Could we meet somewhere to talk?” he asked. He had a touch of nervousness in his voice.

“Sure. Where do you want to go?” I asked.

“My flat?” he suggested.

“Okay. I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.” I hung up and got into my car to drive to Zayn’s house. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too awkward.

I arrived at Zayn’s flat which was in the same complex as Harry and Louis’ and the other boys and got out. I walked to the door and knocked. Soon, Zayn answered and I went inside.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Zayn asked while walking to the kitchen.

“Do you have tea?” I asked him and followed him to the kitchen.

“Is Yorkshire alright?” Zayn questioned. I nodded and sat down on a barstool. He made my tea and a cup for himself and sat across from me at the table.

“Isabel, I’m sorry for what happened last night. It was wrong and I feel stupid to have thought that you would have ever loved me back.” He said in a rush.

“Zayn, it’s alright. And you’re not stupid. I do love you, but not in the way that you love me. I love you as a friend, just like the other boys.” I told him. He nodded.

“Also, I don’t think we should tell Harry about the kiss for your sake. He might break your nose this time.” I said with a laugh. Zayn smiled a little and agreed. “Speaking of Harry, where is he?” I wondered.

“He and Liam are at a meeting with management discussing our tour.” Zayn replied and I felt my face fall.

“Tour?” I repeated.

“Yeah. Didn’t Harry tell you? We are going on tour for four months!” Zayn said excitedly.

“No, he didn’t tell me. I replied and propped my chin in my hands. Zayn noticed this and stood up.

“Do you want to watch a movie until they get back? I could invite Louis and Niall over.” Zayn proposed.

“Sure! That’ll be fun.” I said, faking happiness to cover up my disappointment. How could I not be with Harry for four months? As soon as Zayn called Niall and Louis they came running over to the flat.

“ISABEL!” Louis and Niall screamed. They both engulfed me in a bear hug. I laughed at their energy and hugged back until they let go. Zayn was standing by the T.V. trying to decide which movie to put in.

“How about ‘Titanic’?” He suggested.

“I love that movie!” I yelled.

“Okay, ‘Titanic’ it is then.” said Zayn with a chuckle. He popped in the DVD and I sat in between Louis and Niall while Zayn got popcorn and then sat next to Niall.

After about two hours, we were all sobbing on each other’s shoulders.

“It’s so sad!” I exclaimed. The boys nodded in agreement and the door swung open.

“What is going on?” asked Liam when he and Harry entered. We just pointed to the screen as it showed Rose talking to Jack’s dead body. Harry walked up behind me.

“You know, it’s just a movie, love.” he whispered.

“I know, but it’s just so sad.” I told him. He smiled and kissed me on the cheek. Then, he walked around the couch and lifted me up by my hands. I protested until he sat down in my spot and pulled me onto his lap. I snuggled into his chest and we watched the movie until the credits started rolling. We all got up and wiped our tears.

“How can a movie make us so sad?” I laughed.

“I wasn’t crying. There was popcorn in my eye.” said Zayn, trying to act manly.

“Suuuuuuure.” I replied with a giggle. I rolled my eyes and asked them, “Do you guys want to get dinner somewhere?”

“NANDO’S!” screamed Niall and we all laughed and agreed. We walked out to Harry’s car and discovered that, with only five seats, not all of us would fit.

“I can meet you guys in my car at Nando’s.” I offered.

“Nonsense.” said Harry and he pulled me into his lap. He then pulled the buckle over both of us and I leaned back onto his chest. Liam started to drive to the restaurant and Harry took my hand and started tracing shapes with his thumb. I smiled and kissed his cheek. Too soon, we arrived at Nando’s and all of us piled out of the car to get dinner.