Snowed In

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Brenna let out a deep sigh, as her lungs filled up with air to keep up with her quick breaths. Her body was shaking, while the blood pumping in her veins ran cold. It didn’t seem fair that she was sitting alone in a corner, nearly in tears, while Elsie was wrapped in Zayn’s arms. Wasn’t Louis enough for her?

“Dawson?”

As she looked up, she was immediately met with his dark eyes. Those perfect eyes were glistening as they looked down on her, with his lips twisted to the side.

“Zayn.”

He sat down in front of her, his back pressed against the wall opposite her. His legs were straight out, while hers were tucked against her chest.

As much as she hated it, Brenna was still worried about Elsie, no matter how angry she was with her, so she couldn’t help but ask. “Is Elsie alright?”

“She is.” He nodded his head, as his gaze met hers. “She insisted on checking on Harry and Annie, so she headed back to the group.”

Brenna nibbled at her lip, as she attempted to look everywhere but towards Zayn. His perfect eyes still made her heart flutter, and she was sure that if she looked at them, along with being so angry at Elsie for having him again, she would burst.

“Brenna, what’s going on with you?” Zayn asked, his voice soft. When he spoke like that – like he cared – it was like they weren’t trapped anymore, and they were back in the kitchen gasping over rude customers, while he picked on her for being so clumsy. She’d give anything for it to be like that again.

“Nothing.” She shook her head quickly, as she pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Zayn stood up, walking forward until he stood directly over her. His head was cocked to one side, while his lips were twisted. “Oh no, Dawson. None of that.”

“None of what?”

His hand reached down to her in response. For a moment, she simply stared at it, entirely unsure of what to do. With a final tug of her lip, she latched onto it, and he lifted her to her feet in one quick motion.

“You’re just as bad of a liar as Elsie,” he said, as he stood in front of her with his hand still latched onto hers.

At the mention of Elsie’s name, Brenna quickly pulled her hand back. It was just enough of a reminder that Zayn really wanted Elsie, not her.

With her arms folded across her chest, she looked back at him, her eyes soft. She wanted to tell him everything that she was feeling – she really did – but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“You said I didn’t have to tell you until I was ready,” she said, remembering their conversation in the hallway before.

He shook his head. “That’s not gonna fly this time, Daw.”

Her teeth were attacking her bottom lip in what could only be described as a nervous fit. Her clammy hands, racing pulse, and twitching fingers all pointed to the fact that Zayn was getting to her.

“Brenna, please tell me,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “I haven’t seen you this upset since Elsie and I broke up.”

Right. That makes sense.

Before Brenna could get ahold of herself, words were falling from her lips faster than she could catch them.

“What is it with you and her?” Brenna asked, looking to the ground as she spoke. “Why do you want so badly to be with her again?”

“Brenna, I –“

“What does she have that I don’t?”

She looked up at him, her eyes rimmed with tears. After spending what seemed like her entire life being compared to Elsie, she couldn’t take it anymore. When the words fell from her lips, she didn’t regret it, even though it was obvious that he did.

“Brenna, it’s not like that at all. You think –” He shook his head, looking to the floor then back up at her. His eyes met hers and for the first time since she’d met him, she felt like Zayn finally knew. He knew everything.

“Brenna, do you –”

He knew everything and she couldn’t handle it.

Until then, she thought she wanted him to know – thought it would be better if he did – but it was quite the opposite. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew she was mad for him, and it was the scariest thought in the world. They could no longer spend weekends in the kitchen harmlessly flirting, because now he knew that it wasn’t harmless to her.

“I’ve gotta go,” she said quickly, interrupting him before he could finish speaking the question she couldn’t answer.

She was only a few steps away when his hand wrapped gently around her arm. Any sane person would have turned around, looking Zayn in his perfect, honey eyes, but Brenna couldn’t. She stopped dead in her tracks, with her back facing him, but she couldn’t turn.

She wanted to pull away from him and keep walking back to the group, where she could look Elsie dead in the eyes and tell her that she’d won – that Brenna had wanted Zayn first, but ultimately it was Elsie that he wanted – and that she’d given up.

“You can’t,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “You can’t go.”

His hand trailed down her arm, sending a shiver through her body, until it reached her hand. His fingers were just barely pressing against her skin, but it was enough to send Brenna racing.

Closing her eyes as tightly as she could, she spoke the question she was almost too afraid to ask.

“Why not?”

In a perfect response, Zayn spun her around, so that she had no choice but to look at him. His dark eyes roved over her face, landing on the eyes that had once been laced with tears. His rough thumb moved to her cheek, which had become red in fear, and brushed against it, as he cupped her head in his hands.

It seemed as though he was going to stay like that forever, just looking at her while his touch set her body on fire, but then he inched closer, second by second, until his warm breath was falling against her lips.

“Brenna,” he said, his husky voice filling her ears. His eyes still held onto hers, bringing her even closer to him than she already was. “Do you feel it too?”

She knew exactly what he was talking about. It was that heart racing, body tingling, nervous feeling that she felt when he was near. He felt it too.

She nodded her head, which was followed by his magic smile.

Brenna had thought about that moment since she met Zayn, and it couldn’t have been more perfect if she’d dreamed it up herself.

In that moment, when their lips were just inches apart, it was just the two of them. It didn’t matter that there was a blizzard raging on outside. They didn’t care that it was getting colder by the second or that the lights were beginning to dim.

And when she finally stood on her tiptoes, so there was nothing left between them, it was only Zayn and Brenna. His lips were pressed against hers, warming her frozen body instantly. He was so soft, and his hands were so smooth as they pressed against her back. He wanted more – he wanted all of Brenna – but he would wait. He’d already done his fair share of it, but he would wait a thousand moments more.

She didn’t know it, but he had waited for her just as long as she had waited for him, and between the two of them, they’d waited a lifetime.