The Romantic & the Cynic

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. Unless you call glares from Zayn and concerned looks from Louis without incident. When they had returned to the inside of the room, she saw everyone look towards her but no one questioned her about what had happened outside. Instead, they returned to the recordings they had been working on. Sky returned to her own work and continued to shoot the creative process. A few times, Zayn tried to talk to her but she avoided any conversation. She as afraid that if she did talk to him, the feelings would be shining like a neon light across his face.

She also noticed that Louis seemed to try to start a conversation with her but for the first time, she didn't reciprocate. Maybe it was because she felt guilty. Maybe it was because she was scared about what he wanted to talk about. Either way, she would answer with a quick question and move on to shoot the next shot.

After the afternoon passed, they packed up all of their stuff and began to head out to the van. Rob was waiting just like he had been for the last couple days and ushered them into the van that would drive them to Malibu. Sky made a point of sitting between Harry and Niall on the drive back so that neither Louis or Zayn were beside her. There was still a conversation between all of the boys, their interactions now automatic after so many years together. When they arrived at the Malibu house, everyone quickly piled out of the car and headed inside.

Even though she had only been officially at the house for twenty-four hours, because of the amount of time that she had spent there and the groups welcoming spirit she felt more at home than she had at the apartment. Even with the fact that she watched the sun set with a both eager and wary eye because she knew it was the countdown to when she could touch Zayn again.

The group had a dinner of grilled chicken and salad on the deck with an apple pie for desert before hanging out around the fire to ward off the chill that had invaded the air. Louis talked to Eleanor and Liam talked to Danielle on speakerphone so they could be bombarded by all of the boys and their various questions and comments. They even pulled out chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows to make smores. As Sky sat with them and munched on her sweet snack, she took in the moment and breathed it in. She had no family anymore and for two months, this was going to be her family. She wondered if this was what the average family did on an average night and if they took it for granted that it could happen anytime. Because she knew there were no guarantees that it could.

Her phone rang a couple of times and she had seen that it was Jessica calling. Not wanting to ruin the feeling that was around her, she had let it go to voicemail, promising herself to call her friend later.

But eventually, the group began to break up. Liam went to catch up on his email, Facebook and twitter, Harry went to call the girl he had met at the club, Niall went to strum his guitar and even Zayn left for his room, a wink directed in her direction as he left the deck.

Unfortunately, that left Sky alone with Louis. Both of them sat in silence as the waves hit the shore in front of them and Sky had a feeling that she knew exactly why he had stayed behind and what the topic of conversation would be and she would actually welcome it at this point if it helped her to dissect her own feelings.. That didn't mean that she would be the one that started it though. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked towards Sky. He looked uncomfortable when he began to speak but he spoke anyway.

"I hope you aren't offended if I ask you about this but I'm only doing it because you are an absolute sweetheart and I don't want you to be hurt. You or my friend."

Sky sighed and turned towards him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was unsure if he was stepping on toes by doing this but she smiled at him as if to say that it was okay. Of any of the boys, he was the only one she would feel comfortable with talking about what she had been feeling. She took a look at Zayn's window that opened to the balcony and saw that it was closed so he wouldn't hear. "So, I guess we weren't exactly hiding it very well in the hall today."

Louis chuckled. He seemed to understand that Sky was okay with talking about the subject of her and Zayn. "Not just today but for the last few days. Since the whole club night I've seen how you guys are with each other and how one of you always seems to be staring at the other."

"I thought we were doing better than that." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked back towards the water. "Just so you know, we've only kissed." To most people that would probably be too much information but she needed to clarify that with Louis for some reason. He only nodded but she could see some relief on his face.

"Just tell me he hasn't promised you guys are going to travel the world and all that stuff." He seemed to realize how harsh that sounded and quickly spoke again. "I don't mean that you don't deserve that. I mean that we both know what his opinion of relationships are at the moment."

Sky shrugged. "I do. Believe me, we have talked at length about it. That whole situation with Perrie blew a hole right through it."

"I won't tell you to stop. You guys are both adults and you seem to be good for him but promise me you'll be careful. He's a lot like the walking wounded right now and I don't want you to be hit by any of the debris." Louis took her hand and gently squeezed it. "And I don't know if we can pull him back again. He can say that he is done with relationships all he wants but I don't believe it and I'm afraid that he won't realize he's lying to himself until you're back in Atlanta and we're back in England."

Sky took in his words and processed them. It was as if he was speaking the same fears that caused her to barricade a part of herself when she was with Zayn. As much as she reminded herself that they were having fun and there were no promises involved, there were feelings of some type involved on both sides and there was no way to stuff them back in the box.

"I know that and I can't say that I am completely comfortable with it but when it's just him and I ..." Sky felt her throat close, unable to voice the words for a moment. "Let's just say that he makes me feel bubbly and sparkly and warm. And for right now, that's okay." It had to be.

Louis seemed to take in what she said and processing whether or not it he believed it. He stood up and took one more look at her before turning towards the sliding glass door. "I just hope that you guys both find what you need and not just one. Not just Zayn."

"We both will. And Louis ..." She watched him turn and face her. She couldn't read his face but hoped that she hadn't lost him as a friend. "Please don't tell anyone. I just need to figure this out. And please don't stop being my friend. I might just need one."

"I won't. To either of those questions. You are both my friends and that will not change." His hand met the door handle. "But I can't promise that the rest still won't find out. We're worse than a sorority for keeping secrets." He looked at her one more time. "I'll do my part to keep it under wraps but that's all I can say. You guys are on your own with everyone else."

"Thanks," she said as she watched him leave. Now by herself, she thought back over the conversation and part of it chilled her. She could tell that Louis was nervous about what was going on between her and Zayn but she was glad that he trusted her to handle it. She sat for a few more moments on the deck and enjoyed the silence before letting the chill chase her inside. She grabbed her purse and her computer bag from the table where she had set them when they came in and headed to her room to call Jessica. She had wanted to avoid it because she had a feeling that there would only be one topic up for discussion and unlike Louis, Jessica wasn't going to be a good person to talk to about it.

Her phone rang a couple of times before Jessica answered.

"Hey superstar," Jessica said in a happy voice. It still felt good to hear her friends voice and she immediately felt the need to spill all of the emotions that she was feeling even though she knew that would be a mistake and she forced herself to keep it in. Instead, she plopped herself on the bed and tucked the phone against her ear.

"I am hardly a superstar," she said with a forced voice. She wasn't in the mood to talk about the whole tabloid thing so she tried to push her to another topic. "How are things in Austin? Meet any new guys lately?"

"Oh don't you even try and avoid talking about it. Have you seen any of the new stories yet?"

Sky bit her tongue, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to avoid talking about what the papers had said that day. "No, I haven't. But I am sure that you are going to tell me all about it."

"Of course!" Sky heard papers ruffling in the background as Jessica pulled out a magazine. "Let's see. Today, you are pregnant with Zayn's baby and that was why they moved you in to the house so that they could take care of you. And you are due in about six months."

"That is so stupid." Sky shook her head. "I haven't even known him for a month. How in the hell can I be three months pregnant?"

"Oh, that's easy. You hooked up with Zayn at a concert they did in New York at the very end of August and only told him you were pregnant when you came to L.A.. The photographer thing is a whole cover story for why you're around."

Sky had to force herself not to get angry at the words. How was it possible for someone to put this stuff out there when not a word of it was true? It was pure craziness! And if the rumours were going to keep getting that ridiculous, how could she shoot the wedding that weekend. Would she be ruining someone else's special day?

"How am I going to work on Saturday? They're sending a bodyguard back with me to help but what if he can't? What if it's more than he can handle?" She really was getting concerned now. It had moved beyond her reputation now and on to impacting someone else's day. "Maybe I should just cancel the trip back."

Jessica's answer was immediate. "Absolutely not. If you stay in L.A., then they will just write another story saying that they are right. You need to come back and show them that they are just a bunch of idiots."

Sky knew Jessica was right. "I know. I'm just not looking forward to it."

"And besides, since you seem to insist on being the virtuous one even though you are surrounded by five very handsome men, I need to tell you about a certain amazing guy named Gary. Someone needs to dive into the dating pool." Sky listened to her friend's voice lift in that certain way as she spoke and she wished again that she could tell her about Zayn but she knew it was impossible. "I met him at the library and he finally made the place interesting!"

Sky laughed as she listened to the details of the new romance that was budding in Austin. She spoke when she needed to but found her mind drifting. She looked out the window and saw that the sky was getting darker as the sun sank lower against the horizon. The house was silent around her and she began to wonder whether or not Zayn had made his way to the beach. They hadn't given each other a specific time to meet except for waiting for everyone to be asleep in their own rooms. She heard no sound on the other side of the wall but that didn't mean that he wasn't in there. She had immediate pictures of him lying on the bed in a pair of faded jeans and no shirt, his hair shaggy as it fell over his forehead. In her mind, her hands were drifting across his chest and tracing his tattoos. It caused a sensation of warmth to flow through her blood and it was only when she heard Jessica prompting her for an answer before she brought herself back from the fantasy.

"Hello, space cadet. Come on back to earth."

"Sorry, I'm just tired. It's been a long couple of days." Sky stifled a fake yawn for effect. "I think it's time for me to hit the sac. I'll see you on Friday if you're around."

Jessica thought for a moment. "Gary and I are going to dinner but we can stop by when we get back and I'll introduce you to him. You will love him. He's an absolute sweetheart."

The two of them said goodbye and Sky set her phone down on the table beside her. She took one more look out the window and saw that the sky was completely black now. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to protect herself against the hint of cold before peaking out from her door and into the hallway. She heard no sound coming through the house and figured that was a good sign since none of them seemed to be able to be awake and quiet. Zayn's door was closed and she was tempted to knock but knew that if he was in there, he may just pull her in and things may go farther than she wanted them to. Instead, she took one more peak into the hall before stepping out and quietly closing her door. As she walked down the hall and into the family room, she slipped her bare feet into a pair of sneakers. She checked to see the alarm had already been turned off then crossed the final barrier and slid the sliding glass door open, heading out to the beach and Zayn.