They must have looked like one of those cute couples who ride the rollercoasters together. Nati and Zayn climbed in on the first row and as soon as they were settled, his grip on Nati's hand got harder. She smiled at him when it started and off they went. As they got towards the top, she heard Zayn say under his breath, "oh my god, oh my god." She laughed and when she looked back at him he had an embarassed smile, looking down.
"It's okay," she whispered with a reassuring grin. He let out a huge breath and gave her a wholehearted smile back. And then they went down.
His screams muffled hers as they went back down to ground level, but they weren't done before 3 loop-de-loops. As they went around the first one, the best Nati could do to translate what Zayn was saying was "adjfklsosoendj". But her laughter was drowned out by the wind against their ears. Right before the second loop, Zayn mumbled, "screw this", let go of her hand, and threw both of his arms around her, through the seatbelts. Nati immediately melted when she felt his muscles on her. But she had no time to think about it because then she was upside down. Zayn whimpered softly, his head on her shoulder. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter and he looked up at her. "Are you laughing at me again?"
"Shhh. It's almost done." She replied.
Did I just shush Zayn Malik? Nati thought. Oh well. Yolo.
There were a few more twists, turns and bumps, but finally: the ride was over.
"I'm such a wimp." Zayn muttered, taking off the seatbelt.
"No, you're not. It's okay." Nati told him.
"Wanna go on again?"
"Serious?"
"No!" Zayn yelled.
They were still laughing when they sat down at a little restaurant to eat. A lot of people were looking at them. She saw one person take a picture. Nati didn't mind though. She was born for this type of thing.
"So what do you like to do?" Zayn asked, finishing his french fries.
"I like performing type of stuff. Like, acting & singing. But mostly, acting." Nati said with a little gleam in her eye.
"You really like it?"
"Yeah, ever since I was little I've always had kinda big dreams, you know? Chef, singer, actress. Actress just kind of stuck. Just the feeling I get when I do stuff like that, I can't really explain it. It's the best feeling in the world. I just love it."
"Wow," Zayn half whispered.
"What?" Nati said, quickly sipping her drink.
"I don't know. Just the way you said that. You sound really passionate about it. Do you plan on actually being an actress?" He said.
"Well, it's a huge industry and not a lot of people make it. My parents want me to try to get in to other stuff. 'Real' stuff." She made air quoted around real.
"That's dumb." Zayn said. "I'm sure you're really good. You should really go for it, Natalia. A lot of people don't make it, you're right. But, a lot of people do. You could be one of the few who do. I'll go to see your show on Broadway and I'll definitely buy your first movie when it comes out." Zayn winked.
Nati laughed. "Right."
"I'm serious, Nati." He said with a soft smile. "If it's what you love, you should go for it."
Nati suddenly felt like crying with happiness. She swallowed a miniature lump in her throat and said, "I'll try."
"That's all I ask." Zayn said.
Suddenly, someone threw a little stuffed bear at Natalia. Zayn immediately stood up from the table and looked around, scanning for the person who threw it. Natalia turned her head and saw the rest of the boys laughing and walking towards them.
"I'm so sorry! I've got bad aim, babe!" Niall said, giving Nati a hug.
"It's fine, it's fine." Nati laughed.
"You guys ate just now?" Harry asked, observing the empty trays in front of them.
"Yeah, why?" Zayn said.
"Well, a lot of people saw us here and it got a bit crazy. We just lost them and we were thinking about heading back to the hotel, renting movies, and whatever."
"We only went on one ride." Zayn said flatly.
"It's fine though, I love movies," Nati said.
"Get used to it, mate," Louis said to Zayn. "This happens every time."
"Yeah, but usually we get more done. And usually it's just us." Zayn said.
It took Nati a second to realize he was referring to her.
"It really doesn't matter to me, seriously! We can go now, I don't mind at all. I know how it is for you guys."
Zayn stared at her for a moment, unblinkingly. "You're great, you know?"
Nati felt the warmth rise in her cheeks as a blush crept up on her. She ran her fingers through her hair and said quietly, "thanks."
It was quiet a second before Nati heard a distant screaming. The boys started laughing and getting up.
"What?" Nati asked.
Zayn pointed at a group of charging girls.
"Run!"
