Tis the Season

Eve’s chest heaved up and down, as she attempted to catch her breath. Next to her, Austin was grinning wildly, while he attempted to do the same. The naked boy was covered only by the ends of Eve’s white sheet, leaving little to the imagination.

“You are incredible,” Austin said, smiling over at her. “Just wow.”

Rolling her eyes, Eve laughed. “Well, thank you. Now put some clothes on.”

Eve tossed a pillow at his face and he quickly knocked it away, flashing her a smile as he did so. With the sheet still wrapped around his waist, he picked his phone off her end table, and glided through his Twitter feed. He was clearly uninterested in being kicked out of Eve’s bed, and she scoffed, collapsing onto her plush mattress.

Staring at the ceiling, Eve let out several deep breaths. Austin was another dud, another boy she’d have to send on his merry way. He was like her own gift from Santa, another gentle reminder that no one could ever compare to Zayn. As much as she tried to rip herself from Zayn, it never worked.
Next to her, Austin looked at her from under his phone.

“Isn’t that your friend?” he asked, passing Eve his Blackberry.

Eve’s gaze fell upon the screen, where her eyes were met with a photo of Zayn and a beautiful brunette girl. The pair were smiling, and Zayn’s arm was placed over her shoulder. Deep in her chest, Eve’s heart stopped beating. Her stomach dropped at least three feet, and she felt her body clench beneath her.

“Where did you find that?” Eve asked, her voice littered with anger.

“Jessica tweeted it.”

“Who is Jessica?” Eve was still staring at the photo, and her words were beginning to catch in her throat. She couldn’t Eve was with this girl, on Christmas no less.

Austin shrugged. “I guess she’s your mate’s new girlfriend.”

A tear rolled down Eve’s cheek, and she quickly brushed it away before Austin could notice. Pulling her clothes over her body, Eve stood up from the bed. When she was fully dressed, she turned to Austin, as she wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“I’ve got somewhere to be,” Eve said, knowing perfectly well she didn’t. “You can just leave whenever you’re ready. Lock the door behind you.”

Before Austin could answer, Eve was out the door and walking down the busy streets of London. The families walked with their hands wrapped around their children and presents, as they headed for their Christmas destination.

Eve had no idea where she was going, but she knew she couldn’t stay with Austin. She needed to be out of her apartment and as far away from her bed and the boy as possible.

The chilly wind helped to calm Eve’s nerves, but a tear still escaped her eyes every few steps. She knew was crying, but she was powerless to stop it. Eve had spent many nights with guys other Zayn, but she hadn’t known he’d been spending his time with another girl. He looked so happy with her, in that photo, that Eve knew it was more than just sex.

Her legs carried her across town, because her mind wasn’t working well enough to. Before she knew it, she was in London’s center, surrounded by a large group of people. It was the last thing she wanted, but somehow it seemed to help.

The laughing children and happy parents brought a smile to Eve’s face, if only for a moment. Her eyes wandered around the area, admiring all the different decorations. They weren’t half as beautiful as her mother’s, but she wouldn’t be able to see those until later in the evening.

Eve made several attempts at occupying her mind with things other than Zayn, but every time she did, the picture of him with the girl flashed across her mind. She focused her attention the brightly lit tree, larger than she had seen before. Taking deep breaths, she counted the lights, as she let her thoughts wander.

Just moments after her thoughts had finally pulled away from the dark haired boy, she spotted a head of similar hair on the other side of the tree, and it immediately brought the sour feelings back to her. He had a girl now, a beautiful girl, who would run her fingers through that perfect dark hair, just as Eve had many times before.

Her eyes locked on the boy, who had his arm around a brunette girl. She couldn’t pull her gaze away, and just when she was about to, the pair turned, so their faces were perfectly within her view. The moment they did, she recognized Zayn’s dark eyes, even from so far away, and the girl next to him had the same bright smile as in the photo.

Eve’s heart began to race, and she quickly pulled her head away before Zayn could recognize her, even though it was clear his attention was focused only on the girl.

Her deep breaths did nothing to stop her feelings, which soon turned to rage. After all their time together, Zayn had given up on her so easily. It was like he had said, all those nights ago at the party, he was done with her. They’d apologized and made up, but he was still done.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was pushing through the crowds of people, as she headed towards the other side of the tree. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she knew she had to do something.

Zayn’s eyes met hers the moment she was near them, and his face twisted in confusion.

“Eve,” Zayn said. “What are you doing here?”

Eve didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have a response, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

“What are you doing?” Eve asked, taking a step closer to him. “I thought you were going to your parents?”

“I am.” Zayn shook his head. “We are. We just wanted to take a look at the tree first.”

Eve bit her lip. He was talking about the girl. He was bringing her home to see his parents, something he’d never done with her. It was just further proof that Eve was not the type of girl Zayn would take home.

“Oh, so she’s like your girlfriend or something?” Eve continued to talk like the girl wasn’t standing in front of her. It was easier that way.

Shrugging, Zayn looked down at the brunette. “I’m not sure. I mean, I guess.”

The girl looked up at him, a smile on her face that sent Eve’s blood boiling. Why was this girl so lucky? Why was she the one that Zayn took home to meet his parents?

Eve couldn’t stop the words from flowing from her mouth. Her eyes locked with Zayn’s and her lips pursed with anger.

“You know what, Zayn?” Eve pressed her finger to Zayn’s chest, while he looked down at her. “It’s you. It’s guys like you that make girls like me run around chasing our tails.”

Zayn looked down at her, his head cocked to one side. His hand wrapped around hers, pulling it away from his chest.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Shaking her head, Eve gave a soft roll of her eyes. “Nothing.”

Eve turned on her heel, taking a few steps away from the couple, before Zayn’s hand on her shoulder prevented her from going any further.

“Don’t give me that,” Zayn said, his voice soft and low. “What’s going on?”

His hands were placed on both of her shoulders, as he forced her to look at him. Their eyes were locked together, as the brunette girl stood behind them.

Eve’s voice cracked as she spoke, letting him in on more than she had intended. “Please don’t, Zayn.”

“Don’t what? Don’t make you talk to me?” Zayn moved his hand to her face, placing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Don’t –“ Eve’s voice cracked again, forcing her to pause for a moment. “Don’t take her home with you.”

A tear fell down her cheek before she could stop it, and Zayn quickly brushed his finger against it.

“Eve, you’re crying. Why are you crying?”

Shaking her head, Eve pulled away from Zayn. “You’re with this girl.” Her voice cracked again. “Why are you with this girl?”

“What are you talking about? You’re with guys all the time.”

“That’s different,” Eve said, twisting her lips. “You don’t care what I do, but I care about you.”

“You think I don’t care?” Zayn grabbed her shoulders again, forcing her to make eye contact with him. “Eve, I care so much. I always have, you should know that.”

Eve’s eyes searched Zayn’s for something – anything – that made sense. Every word he said only furthered her confusion, and she was far too upset to process any of it. As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Zayn began to speak.

“Eve, is there something you need to tell me?”

There were a thousand things that Eve needed to tell him, but none of those things fell under what she could tell him. She was at a loss for what to do next, but luckily, he wasn’t.

His eyes met hers, and his head titled to the side. “Eve? You –“ He paused for a moment, while his mind raced. “Do you love me?”

Eve’s mouth dropped open, as she began to stutter. That was one of the things that fell under the category of need to tell. It was the perfect opportunity to change it from ‘need’ to ‘could’, but the quivering of her lips wouldn’t allow it.

She continued to stutter, fractions of words falling from her lips. It was the only response Zayn needed. The stammering in her words, the red of her cheeks, and the shaking in her hands, all proved to Zayn that he was right, and he wondered why he’d never seen it before. No matter how many times she’d gone out with other guys, she always came back to him.

It didn’t matter that the other girl stood ten feet away, because Zayn didn’t care about her. Eve was the only thing he had ever wanted, and she was right in front of him, waiting for him to make the next move.

With a smile on his face, Zayn leaned forward, pressing his firm lips against her trembling ones. The moment they met, every one of Eve’s nerves stopped their fluttering, and everything fell into place.

This kiss wasn’t like all the others. It didn’t leave her body aching. It didn’t turn to passionate thoughts of ripping off clothes. This kiss was pure, and good, and full of love. This time, when Eve kissed Zayn, it felt real.