Tis the Season

Wrapping her scarf back around her neck, Eve gave one last sweep of the ice rink, in order to make sure she had cleaned up all the loose skates. The rink looked better than it had when she arrived to work, so she deemed her job finished and locked the rink’s gate behind her.

Snow fell slowly to the ground as she walked, a few of the flakes sticking to her hair. She kept her arms close to her body, with her hands tucked under them for warmth. The cold wind forced her to shut her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, she spotted Zayn’s apartment on the corner.

The cold was beginning to get to her head, so instead of heading back to her apartment to change, she went straight for his warm flat, which was much closer. Her pace moved to a light jog, and she had reached his apartment in only a few short minutes.

With one hand tucked into her coat pocket, she moved her free one to Zayn’s door and tapped lightly against it.

“Eve,” Zayn said, as he opened the door. “I thought you weren’t coming until later.”

Zayn wore only his boxers, and his hair was still slightly wet from the shower he had just had. He looked good, even though he hadn’t begun his hour long hair ritual.

Shaking her head, Eve smiled. “The rink was pretty slow, so I closed up. I figured we could just go to the party early or something.”

Zayn stepped to the side, allowing Eve to step into his apartment. She pulled off her wool coat and threw it on top of the armchair by the window.

“Sounds good,” Zayn said, moving towards his bathroom. “Just let me do my hair real fast.”

Zayn’s ‘real fast’ wasn’t the same as a normal person’s ‘real fast’, but compared to how long it usually took him to do his hair, fifteen minutes seemed like nothing.

When he stepped out of his bedroom, he’d changed into a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt. It was simple, but it looked good on him.

Eve smiled at him and he nodded towards the door. After slipping on their coats, the two made their journey out to Zayn’s beat up old car.

The snow was still falling in clumps, but not so much that Zayn couldn’t drive. As long as he kept his hazards on and went under the speed limit, the journey would be fine.

Zayn kept focused as he drove. With Eve as his passenger, he was even more worried about arriving safely than he usually was. His hands wrapped firmly around the steering wheel and his eyes were glued to the road. Even Eve dancing along to the radio wasn’t enough to distract him.

After a short drive, Zayn pulled the car up to the curb. Moving quickly to the other side of the vehicle, he opened Eve’s door and helped her out of the car. She had slipped into an old pair of heels back at his apartment, and Zayn was sure she’d trip in the snow.

In an effort to help her balance, Zayn gripped his hand on her arm and guided her up to the building. They took the rickety old elevator to the third floor and headed towards Chase’s flat.

The sound of Chase’s party music filled the hallway, and Zayn wondered how he hadn’t been reported to the landlord yet. He must have bribed them with something. It was anyone’s guess what.

Eve looked at Zayn with wide eyes, as his hand tapped against the apartment door. When it swung open, Chase was standing in the doorway, his eyes droopy from the alcohol. He laughed at them, pulling Eve in for a hug.

“Party’s here!” Chase shouted, while he eyed Eve up and down. Zayn’s hand clenched into a fist, and he had to force himself to take a deep breath to calm down. It was just a look, and he’d seen it many times before.

Chase stepped to the side, motioning for the pair to step in. Eve walked immediately towards the kitchen area, which was filled with people, while Zayn followed closely behind her. She stopped abruptly, causing the boy to run directly into her. Her body pressed against his sent his heart racing, and he only hoped that his cheeks weren’t flushed.

Eve looked back at him, a smile on her face. “Wanna do a shot?”

“I’ve gotta drive,” Zayn said, shaking his head.

“Oh, come on, man,” Chase said, placing a hand on Zayn’s shoulder. “When a beautiful lady asks you to take a shot with her, you don’t say no.”

Chase moved over to the counter and quickly poured two shots, one for him, and one for Eve. Passing one of the glasses to the girl, he smirked at her. She smiled back at him, while holding her glass in the air. With a cheer, the two pressed their glasses together, then shoved the alcohol down their throats.

Looking back at Zayn, Eve cringed, shaking her head back and forth. Zayn let out a small laugh and followed it with a soft smile.

Zayn watched as Eve took shot after shot with Chase and another guy he didn’t know. The three were laughing wildly and Zayn laughed along with them, even though he didn’t see what was so incredibly funny.

With every drink they took, Zayn took another protective step closer to Eve. Her inhibitions dissipated with each shot, and the looks the other boy was giving her had him worried. Of course, Eve was matching the looks with a seductive one of her own.

Just when Zayn was about to cut Eve off, the other boy took her hand and pulled her away. Zayn’s hand balled into another fist, as he felt his muscles begin to tighten.

“You wanna get outta here?” the boy asked, smiling at Eve.

Nodding her head, Eve giggled. “I’d love to.”

Zayn didn’t usually speak out when Eve slept with guys. He had no claim over her, so he never had a reason to, but something about this guy sent Zayn over the edge.

Reaching out for Eve’s hand, Zayn pulled her towards him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, mate. I’m seeing her home.”

“It’s alright, Zayn.” Eve said, a smile on her face. “I’m sure Jake will make sure I get home okay.”

Zayn’s blood was growing warmer by the minute. He really didn’t like the vibe of this Jake kid, and the fact that Eve was more than willing to go home with him just made Zayn even angrier.

“Listen, mate.” Jajr placed his hand on Zayn’s shoulder. “I’ve got this one. Go find your own slag.”

Zayn looked back at Eve, his eyes tight in a glare. “You really wanna go home with this guy?”

Biting her lip, Eve nodded. That soft nod sent Zayn over the edge. His hand clenched into a tight fist, and before he knew what he was doing, that fist connected with Jake’s jaw.

The entire room turned to the pair. Jake was on the floor, groaning in pain, while Zayn was gripping his throbbing hand with his other one. Zayn avoided Eve’s eyes, unsure whether or not they were even landing on him, and stormed out of the room.

The cold winter air did nothing to reduce his rage. He slammed his car door shut when he hopped in, making the rusted car shake. Pounding his fists against his steering wheel, Zayn shouted in anger, but his loud scream could barely be heard over his car radio.

A light tapping against the car window pulled Zayn away from his intense anger. He turned to the noise, while lowering the music down to a more reasonable volume.

Eve stood outside his car, shaking in the cold. Her cheeks were already red, and her blonde hair was littered with snow. Zayn slowly rolled down the window, but kept his gaze towards the windshield.

“I’m mad at you, you know that?” Eve said, folding her arms across her chest.

Zayn turned quickly, his face tight with anger. “You’re mad. Why are you mad?”

“Jake won’t speak to me. He hates me now.”

Zayn couldn’t help but chuckle. Only Eve could say something like that at a time like this. She knew exactly what to do to piss him off. Slamming one hand against the steering wheel, he revved up the engine.

“You know what, Eve? I’m done. You just – “ Zayn shook his head, letting out a breath. “I’m done.”

Turning the wheel, Zayn pulled away from the curb. With one quick motion of his foot, the car shot forward, at a speed unlike any he had gone before. The car was down the road and around the corner before Eve had a chance to turn her head.

Zayn had been angry at her before, at least a dozen other times, but never like this. He had never been ‘done’ before. He had never given up on her, and she thought he never would.

A sinking feeling reached the pit of Eve’s stomach, as her insides twisted up in knots. Tears formed at the tips of her eyes, but the chilly wind blew them back. With deep breaths, Eve attempted to push back everything she was feeling, but it didn’t work the way it usually did. The feelings wouldn’t just go away with this time.

Behind her, Jake called her name. She turned to find him standing in the doorway, a large smirk on his face and one of his eyes a dark shade of blue.

“I’ve decided to forgive you. You wanna head back to my place?” Jake asked, one of his eyebrows raised. “It’ll be fun.”

Eve’s teeth nibbled at her bottom lip, as she shook her head gently. “That’s alright. I’m just gonna head home.”

Before Jake could respond, Eve turned on her heels, and began walking back to her lonely apartment. Her hand reached for her phone several times, fighting the urge to give Zayn a call.

For the first time in a long time, Eve didn’t want to call Zayn because she was worried about sleeping alone. She wasn’t afraid of being trapped inside her empty apartment by herself. This time, she wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone. She wanted to make sure he had someone to tuck his head on the covers and remind him to put in his retainer. Most of all, she wanted that person to be her.

Every time her hand reached for her phone, she heard Zayn’s words ringing in her ears. He was done.

Zayn was done.