Writing Music ( A Zayn Malik love story)

Worth More Than Words

I fight my way through the crowd and find the person I’m looking for already sitting down at a table. I make my way over to Lori and sit down across from her.

I barely recognize my friend. Her blond hair is pulled back into a ponytail with a few loose strands that have gotten free. She is not wearing any makeup. The business attire I have always known her to wear is replaced with a faded t-shirt that has an oil stain near the bottom and ripped blue jeans.

“How have you been Carla?” She asks giving me a once over as well. I notice her staring at my neck and for the first time the chain feels like it is freezing.

“I’m doing fine, I’ve been busy with the movie.” I say. As I start talking she moves her attention away from my neck and back to me.

“How has that been going? Do you have a release date yet?” She asks taking a sip of her water.

“There are a few more edits to do but the movie will be out in time for Valentine’s Day,” I say. It was tough to get it released for the biggest romance holiday of the year. “There will be a teaser trailer released this week for it.”

“Well I can’t wait to see it. I need to get some time off of work for it.”

“I thought that you were working in your dad’s office where they gave vacation time like it was candy.” I question. Before she can answer the waiter comes and takes our orders.

    “Actually, I decided to take a different job, I now work in one of his repair shops. I figured that I would have plenty of time sitting in a office playing rubbish bin basketball when I am older.” She says laughing a little. Even though I see the brightness in her eyes I still see the little darkness she has had since she found me and Zayn.

    I also figured that she switched jobs so that she would have something to distract her mind.

    “Well if you want to stock up on ammunition, I have plenty of old notebooks with stories that don’t have to get published now.” I say adding my own joke onto hers.

    Her expression changes to the complete opposite now.

    “You shouldn’t throw away anything from your past, actually I have something for you,” She reaches into her pocket and takes out a piece of folded paper and puts it on the table between us. Before I can reach for it the waiter comes with our food.

    I suddenly don’t have my appetite anymore as I stare at the paper and wonder what it is. I’m guessing it is a letter from Lori explaining on paper what she can’t say in words. This is the reason she called for the lunch meeting. I was surprised when she contacted me first.

    I reach for the paper, it is neatly folded and as I open I can tell that it has been folded and unfolded a few times.

    On the page is a pencil sketch of the side profile of a girl. Her face is in the shadow of something though I can’t tell the surrounding area as the focus is on her.

    I look at the signature at the bottom, I feel a tugging in my heart.

    “I found that in his sketchbook shortly after we started dating,” Lori starts telling the story. “I took it the first time I visited him at his house, he has no idea that I have it.”

    I trace the date next to his signature.

    “He drew this the day we first met you,” I say.

    She nods her head. I look back at the drawing, even then Zayn was a wonderful artist. He made the girl on the page seem like a goddess.

    “I thought that he drew me,” She continues though her voice is shaking. “I figured out that I was wrong when I found the picture the three of us took on the beach that day.”

    I remember that day, I had convinced Zayn to go to the beach with me. I had needed to distract myself after my first breakup with Brad when I broke his nose.

    Zayn was busy drawing, he had his nose in his sketchpad like I do with my notebooks when I’m writing. I offered to get us both ice cream and he didn’t argue. I ran to get the frozen treat and accidentally bumped into someone, they ended up dropping their ice cream though luckily just on the ground. I offered to buy some new ice cream for her and she just joked saying that there is no point in making a fuss over spilled dairy. She bought another one for herself and I got mine and Zayn’s. I invited her to come hang with us.

    “Your hair was pulled up in a ponytail,” I say snapping back to reality. I have the same picture in my room back at my mum’s house, it is one of the things I left there. The drawing is of me, my long brown hair was down that day even though I regretted it later when it got tangled up.

    I look up Lori again but I’m surprised not to see any tears. Her expression looks like she has nothing left but she accepts it.

    “He drew you,” She says her voice steady. “If you ever have any doubts about his love for you then look at this drawing. I took it thinking it was me and he drew it because he loved me, but I was lying to myself. I guess over time he did learn to love me but not in the way I thought it was. He did care for me but his love for me was never what it was for you, he told me that after I found you two.”

    Zayn never told me what they ended talking about when they broke up, I know he was feeling guilty about it.

    “I don’t want you to pity me, if anything I want you to be angry at me.” She says honestly. “I stole him from you, even though you two weren’t dating I should have just been your friend not his girlfriend. I’m sorry.”

    The waiter comes back and offers to wrap our food, it is still untouched on table. Neither of us has an appetite but we agree to box it.

    “I don’t blame you Lori,” I say when the waiter is out of earshot. “I should have taken the chance with Zayn when I was younger. I had more than enough time.”

    Even though I was happy when Zayn started dating Lori, I do admit I was a bit jealous. Back then I thought it was because he had found someone but now I know it is because I love him.

    “What’s done is done. I’m not asking for forgiveness I just wanted to tell you my story.” She says.

    The waiter comes back and Lori pays her part of the check.

    “You know how to reach me if you want to hang.” She stands up and leave.

    I look at the sketch again. Even though the face is in shadows I swear I can see the outline of my face. Some say that a picture is worth a thousand words but this is more.