Zarry - I can't lose you now (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7 - Lost

After searching through his and Harry’s room, only to find nothing like journals or other notes, he decided he may as well go out. He came to that decision after lying upside down on his bed for over an hour.

He made himself promise he wouldn’t go too far out to be lost though, only far enough that he can find his way back.

-o-

A few streets down from the house, there was a quaint coffee shop on the corner. Inside, it was full of red, plush sofas, with round coffee tables to every two sofas. It was pretty much full, the odd chair or so empty, but everywhere else was taken, and the noise was quite loud, faint music blended into the background. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

A small counter was placed in the corner, the machines behind it and food and cold drinks under a glass screen along the counter. Zayn joined the back of the line, but there were only a few people in front of him.

‘Zayn!’ the woman behind the counter squealed enthusiastically as he came up to her, making him drop his wallet in surprise.

‘Uh… Hi’ he replied, not entirely sure who she was, bending down to pick up his money, which had spilled out onto the floor.

‘Let me help you’ she muttered, sliding over the top of the counter, and helping him pick up his money, handing it back smiling.

‘I heard about the accident…’ she began, her smile faltering. ‘Oh wait you won’t know who I am…’ she laughed, ‘I’m just the coffee shop lady, as you all call me, my names Clary though. Me, you and the boys are friends I guess, because you all come here often enough’ she smiled, brushing a strand of mousy hair that wasn’t pulled into her pony tail behind her ear.

‘Oh, okay’ he returned the smile and looked at the menu board behind her.

 ‘So what would you like?’

‘Um…’

‘The usual? I have a usual?’

‘Ah-hah’ she nodded.

‘I’ll have that then!’ Zayn beamed, something coming in useful.

She turned and starting making his drink. She handed across the counter to him, a hot chocolate, with cream swirled on the top, chocolate shavings and marshmallows. He grinned, and started to take out his money. He held it out to her, but she just looked around at other workers, and when none of them were looking, she pushed his hand away.

‘My treat’ she winked, and shooed him from the shop quickly before anyone noticed he hadn’t paid.

-o-

‘Uh…’ Zayn muttered to himself, spinning round on his heal, trying to find somewhere that looked familiar.

He was lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

He thought he knew his way from the shop, he made his way down the streets almost skipping happily, having another thing he’d forgotten come back to him. His drink slid down his throat, warming up his insides instantly. It was so tasty, the best hot chocolate he’d tasted. Although, he could have a nicer one. He just didn’t remember it.

So once he’d taken three streets, thinking he’d end up home. He didn’t. He was somewhere near a lake. Plus he didn’t have his phone, with all his contacts on. Panic started to rise up inside him, he couldn’t go back to the coffee shop, because he didn’t know which way he had come from it. He was in some alleyway, no shops to go to ask for help, and run down houses.

He’d managed to find his way to another shop, where he asked if he could borrow their telephone, they let him after he explained his situation. He realised he had no numbers though. The only number he remembered now was… His mums, and according to the boys, they havent spoken in over two years.

-o-

‘Zaynnnnn!’ Niall shouted through the house, worry obvious on his face.

He’d come home not much longer after Harry, who was stood in the living room nervously, picking at his lip as in did when he was scared, nervous, or thinking. His phone was pressed to his ear and he was saying ‘pick up’ quietly to himself.

Niall found Zayn’s ringing phone under the couch cushion, which Harry was trying to get hold of thinking it was with him.

‘I don’t know where he is! I left him at home this morning, and I came back and he was gone!’ he had explained frantically, running his hands through his curls, ‘He left his phone here too! What if he’s lost? He doesn’t know my number anymore!’

His lip was trembling. He was worried, a lot. Niall called the other boys who were on their way back from work, and asked them if they would look around the streets nearby to find any sign of Zayn, but they reporting back with no information.

‘I’m going out to look for him’ Harry suddenly said after sitting thinking on the sofa silently.

‘I’ll come too’ Niall replied, grabbing his coat and bag, and they set off on their search for Zayn.

-o-

His hand shook as he typing the number into their phone, he hadn’t used the number in years, as hes been told, and even after the crash, it’s still fresh in his mind.

Is this the right idea?

Should he find Harry or the others boys’ names in the phone book and call them instead?

No, that’s too much work, he told himself. He couldn’t ignore his parents forever, and he didn’t know what theyd done wrong.

Well, he didn’t know what they’d don’t wrong anymore.

‘Hello?’ the crackled voice said from the other end of the phone.

Zayn gulped, it felt like he was talking to a stranger, but it was his mum. He just sounded so different, knowing he hadn’t spoken to her in years.

‘Hey’

‘Who is this?’ his mum asked.

‘Oh… It’s Zayn, mum’

-o-

‘Where could he have gone, honestly! He won’t have wandered that far, he’s not stupid enough to go too far out!’

Niall smiled at him sympathetically, giving his shoulder a quick pat, ‘Come on, let’s keep looking…’

First place to check, the Costa Coffee on the corner near their house, the closest place he could go to.

‘Clary!’ Harry shouted, pushing through the line, getting shouts from the customers, accusing him off pushing, and telling him to go to the back, but Clary dismissed them.

‘Hey Haz, what’s up?’ she said, not paying much attention.

‘Have you seen Zayn?’

She looked up from her note pad, studying his face. He was scared. She could see it in his eyes; the way he had his hands in his pockets and was shuffling on his feet. No, he wasn’t scared, he was terrified.

‘What happened?’

He told her the story of how they had no idea of where he was, and how they had no possible way of contacting him. Her mouth fell open into the shape of an ‘o’, and concern fell into the pit of her stomach, and knot tying. Sure, she hardly saw the boys, but she still cared for them, especially when it was this serious. Definitely in Zayn’s condition.

‘He came her about twenty minutes ago, got his usual, and left with a smile’ she informed them, ‘He seemed to know where he was going’

Niall nodded, ‘Which way did he go?’

She pointed to the right side of the front wall, which was made entirely of glass windows. ‘That way. That’s the right way to your place, isn’t it?’ she asked, confused, ‘That’s the way you always go’

‘It is the right way, but who knows where he could have ended up…’