Escapade » z.m

21. We Have A Decent Conversation For Once

They had been sitting in the same position for a long time now, none of them speaking. Their room was silent, expect for the occasional noises from the corridor.

People said girls talk a lot. Zayn decided, getting used to all the noise every moment he spent in this hostel, talking was gender neutral.

Zayn mostly fiddled with a thread that was torn from the fabric of his bed sheet, and Lucas wasn't blinking his eyes away from Zayn, not even for a second.

Zayn kept stealing glances, his eyes flicking between Lucas and the balcony door.

He hadn't seen the balcony yet. Though he knew what the look outside was like, thanks to the window beside the balcony door.

The floral curtain was drawn over the window, but he remembered what his dorm faced by now.

There were tall trees, their blazing red and yellow leaves always swaying in the wind that was bound to blow at this height. His window faced the east side, he knew that too, because when the sun set, he saw different shades of the sky but never the sun itself. He hadn't seen so much beauty anywhere.

Well, that would be a joke on himself, he hadn't been to that many places yet to see different kinds beauty in the first place.

It saddened him to know with the death of autumn, dead will be these beautiful leaves too. The trees would be bare, naked. Did they like being vulnerable this way? So exposed and transparent?

He knew he didn't.

But maybe that was the problem. He was probably transparent, at times. That's what Louis used to say. Zayn never believed him.

He flickered his eyes at Lucas again, dropping his gaze the moment their eyes met. He started fiddling with the piece of thread again, trying not to look at Lucas.

"I'm really tired, I think I should sleep." said Zayn, wanting to do get out of sight.

"You can, but I wanted to ask something." Lucas said, stopping Zayn midway of adjusting his pillow and duvet.

Couldn't have asked all the time we were literally just sitting.

Zayn resumed making his bed, "Shoot." He said quietly. The noise outside had subsided, seemed like everyone had now found shelter in their respective dorms.

"Were you present in all the classes today?"

Zayn's head jerked at him. Not the question he had expected.

"Um, yeah?" he said, and snuggled inside his duvet, covering half his face when he pulled it over. He intended to cover himself entirely, so that even if Lucas planned on staring at him while he was asleep-which, in his opinion, was extremely creepy-he couldn't see Zayn.

"Remind me all your subjects again, I forgot?"

"English. Literature and Language. History, Sociology and Psychology."

He was suddenly reminded of all the work he had to do. He had to read the History chapters-catch up with other students as soon as possible-after he met Every. Of course, that didn't go as planned. Nor did the computer lab he had to go to at night, for his research in Sociology. And he hadn't even started with What Katy Did.

Thankfully, the students didn't have to search for the book. Professor Prescott had given them a copy to each. It wasn't the real book, but like a prototype.

Still, all of this started to build a dull ache behind his head. He wanted sleep even more now. An oblivious slumber, where he doesn't think about this or the tension of it would eat him whole.