{ON HOLD} Melt|Zauren

M.4

I woke up with bruises on my kneecaps that made me look like a bruised banana, so I opted for wearing a jean jumper with a black lace bandeau underneath. "Where are you going?" my mom asked when I got to the bottom of the stairs. I usually lounged around on Thursdays, but I had a mission in mind even though I was embarrassed to show my face at Pacheco's again. "Just hanging out with, Camz. We're going to take a drive or something," I shrugged.

"Do you think it's out of your way to stop somewhere and buy two loaves of bread? Chris eats it all when his friends come over." I gave a small smile and nodded before heading out the door. I walked diagonally across the street to the Cabello- Estrabao household and knocked twice on the door. Camila answered moments later. "Do I have to drive? That means I have to actually focus on the road imstead of sitting in the passengers seat pretending I'm in a music video."

"Yes, you have to drive. You embarrassed me yesterday."

"You're going to hold that over me forever, aren't you?" she pouted and I followed her down to her beat up car in the driveway. "Until my kneecaps look normal once more and I get my revenge, yes."

I continuously imagined everyone at Pacheco's laughing hysterically at me the moment I walked through the automatic doors. I know I was being dramatic, but I was ashamed. I started playing with the choker around my neck to relieve my stress, but it was only making me more anxious. Camila did a bad job at parallel parking and then we headed inside. Most familiar faces were working the cash register. "No Zayn," I said.

"He rarely works register. He's been stocking stuff since we've seen him the first time, so c'mon," Camila tugged on my arm and onward we went. We snaked our way through the canned food aisle and the cereal before we got to the bread aisle. I grabbed two loaves of bread and knocked two birds out with one stone. From the condiment aisle beside the bread, I heard a british voice giving an elderly woman directions as she said, "Thank you! Bless you!" a million times. I stopped in place, grasping tightly to the bread. "That's him," I whispered to Camila, pointing toward the aisle behind this one. "Then mystery solved. He didn't get fired."

"Can we just go see his face? It'll be discreet. No tripping me this time."

"Fine," she pouted following me through the aisle and over one.

Zayn was in the middle of the aisle straightening out the ketchup and mayonaisse and my heart was beating through my chest. "I have to pee," Camila whispered.

"Now? You can't wait?" I whispered back. She shook her head making a face and started bobbing up and down before dashing off, leaving me standing there. Suddenly, I heard Zayn say, "Are you... stalking me?"

"What?! I'm here for the deals of course." I held the bread up to view and Zayn laughed shaking his head.

"There is no deals on that bread. Maybe the rye bread, because no one really buys it but no that," he informed me with a smirk. I really wanted to dig myself a deep hole and fall into it now. I had my mouth open ready to speak but no words came out. "So, you're stalking me. I've noticed you every time you come here." He's noticed me.

"What? No. A stalker though? Maybe you're the stalker noticing me all the time." Zayn laughed and shook his head.

"That's not the case. You clean up swell by comparison of yesterday." I looked down at my outfit and got a pleasant whiff of my overly washed hair. "I'll take that as a compliment.. thanks. And I see you didn't get fired yesterday," I pointed out. Zayn shook his head and smirked. "He wouldn't dare fire me."

"You weren't that confident yesterday," I teased and suddenly I found it easy to talk to him. Zayn laughed and shook his head. "What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Lauren," I said with a breezy smile.

"Lauren," he repeated with a smile. "I'm Zayn.. but you're a stalker so you probably knew that already," he winked.

"Actually.. I did. But not because I'm a stalker, only because I'm a curious soul and I may have asked your friend Harry."

"Harry," Zayn nodded and his eyes widened in realization for a brief moment. "You're the girl be was chatting about."

"Heh?"

"Harry told me one day that a girl asked him my name and then he called me over but said you ran off. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Maybe.. I don't know," I said trying to play it cool. "By the way.." I began. "You don't really think I'm a stalker, right?" Zayn laughed.

"You're the stockers stalker. You should write a book," he winked. "I've got to go stock the hair products aisle, but I'm sure I'll see you there, Lauren," he teased before heading off.

I placed my hand over my beating heart and it was beating a million miles a minute just at the way he said my name. My phone started ringing and I looked down. It was Camila. "Where are you?" she said once she answered.

"Condiments aisle," I said.

"Still?" her voice was getting closer and a few moments later she appeared in view, hanging up her phone. "What are you still doing here?"

"I actually talked to Zayn. By myself. Just he and I. He asked my name and said I should write a book called the stockers stalker.. I hope he was joking. But we talked atleast. Do you think he has a girlfriend? I mean he's too good looking not to have a girlfriend, you know?" Camila laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You need to take a deep breath."
--
"Harry wasn't there," Camila frowned as we made our way through the parking lot and to her car. I saw Zayn pushing carts with another boy and smiled to myself. He didn't notice me though. "So, you're into Harry?"

"I think so," she said. "He's attractive. He's british. He's interested in me and he's tall. I don't think it gets better than that," she swooned.

"And you're positive he doesn't have a girlfriend?" I questioned as she unlocked the car door and I caught one last glance at Zayn. Camila nodded. "I already discreetly asked, I said we shouldn't be texting this late, I don't think your girlfriend would approve and he said I am single xX," she climbed into the car and I followed suit. "He actually texted me this morning about some party tomorrow night, but I'm not into parties so I said I'll think about it but it'll just end up being a my mom said I have to stay in and wash the hamster and we don't even have a--" I cut Camila off before she could further babble on. "Say yes."

"Yes? You of all people should know how socially inept I am," she said.

"But Zayn will be there most likely. C'mon, Camz. I'll tag along with you, I'll be your plus one and it'll give you an oppurtunity to get to know Harry face to face as opposed to the never ending texting you've been doing."

"I don't know...." I snatched Camila's phone from the cupholder it sat in and put in her password that was her sister Sofi's birthday. "What are you doing?" Camila glanced over as I typed away.

"Just looking up this really good song I heard on youtube yesterday," I smiled, although that isn't what I was doing.

"Oooo, you know what song you should look up? It's about a sle--" "Sent," I interuppted. "Huh?" I smiled satisfied with myself and placed the phone in the cupholder. Camila's eyes widened once she realized what I was actually doing. She stopped at the stop sign a little too long and cars beeped at her and started giving her the finger as they went around. Camila read the text out loud; "Hey hotstuff, I changed my mind. I do want to come to the party tomorrow night afterall(;" "Did you really just text him that?! Are you crazy. Are. You. Insane? Hotstuff? A winky face? Oh my gosh, Lauren. He's going to think I'm a weirdo."

"Well you are a weirdo.. and I don't even consider this close to my revenge."

"C'mon, let's just call a truce, okay?"

"Not a chance in the world." Camila phone started flashing and she let out a sigh. I pulled the phone up to see what it said and it was Harry, "You okay? Haha, but awesome! Glad you had a change of mind!"

"Don't you dare respond." Camila reached over and grabbed the phone with a swift motion, placing it in the sunglasses compartment. I laughed and placed my hands behind my head, "Looks like we've got plans tomorrow night, doesn't it."