Stumbling Upon This Thing Called Love

{Chapter 35} ~Zayn~

The first night of our living arrangements, it's quite amusing to watch Annabelle fret about us literally sleeping together. She takes about a million years to shower, brush her teeth and do whatever it is women do that takes them forever and a day to get ready.

"You're gonna have to go to sleep eventually,” I shout through the door. I can only imagine her cute little face scrunching up with irritation.

A few moments later, she reveals herself. My breath catches in my throat and I can understand why she was so reluctant to come out.

Annabelle was completely bald.

There was no trace that any hair had been there at all. Just smooth pale skin stretched taunt over her skull. Her eyes stare intently at the dark blue carpeting, never meeting mine.

"Finally. Close the light, would you?" I ask her. She blinks a few times before realizing that I’m not talking about her head and going to hit the switch. She slides into the bed beside me. With only a few inches between us, it gave a whole new meaning to the phrase 'so close, yet so far'.

I ache to touch her, to hold her small body against mine, sharing each other's warmth and company. I can feel her presence beside me, tense and waiting. My body yearns for her and after twenty minutes of staring at the ceiling, i throw caution to the wind.

"Belle?" I say softly. I turn to face her and am met with only the sight of her back. I put a tentative hand on her shoulder. Goosebumps cover her skin and i realize she's shivering slightly.

"Are you cold?"

She nods.

"Why don't you come over here?" I coax gently. "I can keep you warm,"

Under my hand, i can feel her hesitate. Seconds feel like hours as I wait for her answer.

"Okay," Her voice is barely above a whisper. We wrap our arms around each other, the temperature already heating up. She nestles her head in the crook of my shoulder, the smooth skin of her skull a sharp contrast to the scratchy five o'clock shadow on my jaw. Her frail body lays beside me and it is then that i realize she only wearing pajama shorts and a lacy camisole.

"Zayn," She whispers.

"Yeah?" I don't know why we're whispering since were the only people in the room, but whatever floats her boat.

"What are you gonna do in the beach if you can't swim?"

Annabelle does have a point. i shrug. "I can use the time to work on my tan,"

She laughs softly. "Me too," She adds.

"Hope you brought sunscreen,"

She only makes a small noise of agreement. The tell tale signs of sleep take over. Now that she's warm and sleeping soundly, I close my eyes to catch my own Z's.

                                                                                        *  *  *

We're awoken hours later by a sharp knock on the door and yelling.

"Zayn, Annabelle, wake up!" I recognize as Louis's. "We have to rehearse for the wedding,"

I send him a text saying that I'm coming instead shouting it through door so as not to wake Annabelle. 

I shift slightly, trying to make it a gentle awakening. Overnight, she ended up wrapping a leg around me and pressing even closer.

"Belle," I whisper. "Wake up,"

She mumbles something incoherent and snuggles closer to me. I grit my teeth, willing myself to think rationally. You have to go practice for your best friend's wedding, I tell myself.