iMate

Natalie scrunched up her nose at the beautiful boy. “Well, I’m not exactly thrilled about it either.” She grumbled, plopping down on the hood of her car and letting out a long sigh. She heard a small squeak and looked beside her to see the handsome man. “What the Hell are you-”

“Look.” He interrupted. “I think maybe we started off on the wrong foot. I’m Zayn.” He extended his hand to her and she looked at it like it was a two headed cobra. Finally she looked back up to him.

“What’s with the change of heart all of a sudden?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. He swallowed nervously, pressing his lips together.

“Look, back at the store I just… I’ve been having a shitty day. And it wasn’t an excuse to take it out on you, but I did. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry.” Natalie sighed again, looking into those damn honey eyes of his. He looked like he was actually sorry, but Nat wasn’t buying it. He turned from an asshole to a gentleman like he flipped a damn switch or something.

“Well, you’re right; it wasn’t an excuse to take it out on me.” She said simply. “Now how about you just give me your insurance information so we can just get out of each other’s lives?” His face fell at that before he smiled sadly.

“How about I give it to you over coffee?” Natalie let out a small snort.

“You’re kidding right? You threatened to get me fired, what, an hour ago? I think you’re bipolar.”

“Or I realized I made a mistake and I want us to move past it.” He said his eyes starting to get dark again like they had in the store. “Why won’t you just forgive me?”

“Let’s see.” She snapped, standing up and turning to him. “You come in my store and yell at me for what colors of beanies we do and don’t have, because, you know, I totally have a say in what we order. Second, you want to see my manager and call me a little bitch.” Zayn winced. “And third, you rear-end me because you were probably too busy staring at yourself in the mirror-”

“Hold on a second!” He growled, leaping to his feet and getting in her face. “I said I was sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t make any of that go away!”

“But it means I want to start over and maybe get to know you!”

“What, so I don’t sue your ass for reckless driving?”

“That has nothing to do with it!”

“Then why?” She demanded, folding her arms in front of her and looking up at him, waiting for a reply. He was quiet, licking his lips before his eyes slowly moved back to hers.

“Because when I walked in the store… I thought you were really pretty?” He asked almost painfully. Nat just scoffed at him before giving him a hard shove. “What the Hell-” He started, but by the time he looked back she was opening the door to get back in her car. “Hey, where are you going?”

“No insurance money is worth this, I’ll fix it myself.”

“Miss, just let me-” She looked back over to him and he stopped, he felt like someone had punched him in the gut over and over as he saw tears in her eyes.

“You should have just said you didn’t want me to sue you.” She choked out. She rubbed her tears away angrily with the palm of her hand before she turned back to him. “Goodbye Zayn.” And then she sped off, her fender nearly scraping along the pavement.



Nat sat at the register, still fuming from three days ago. She’d asked Ricky, the other checker, to cover her shift until she could cool down a bit, and now sitting here all alone she wished she would have taken another day off. She just pulled her beanie down further on her head, playing with the end of her side braid.

She had cried for three hours straight when she’d gotten back to her and Megan’s flat, her sex toy of a step sister asking what was wrong no matter how much Nat just told her to go away. Natalie pressed her lips together. She wished to every God from every religion growing up that she could look like Megan. Giant boobs, a great ass, one of those faces that looked perfectly made up when she woke up in the morning. But Natalie had been cheated, big time. She was built like a plank, with her father’s face and eyebrows; she would be confused for a boy if it wasn’t for her long hair. Even then she still sometimes was. So when Zayn had made that disgusted face when he said he thought she was pretty it had been like a knife right to her heart.

She fought back the tears that threatened to resurface as she heard the bell ring, but when she looked up to see those damn honey eyes her jaw clenched. “Get the fuck out Zayn.” She hissed. He looked at her, his face determined as he walked over to the counter.

“I’ve come in here every day trying to get you when you were working, to apologize.” He said.

“Well you can take your apology and shove it up your ass right along with those beanies.” She said flatly. She didn’t even feel like being angry, she was too preoccupied trying not to cry in front of him.

“Look, I know I might have been a jackass-”

“Might have been?” He sighed.

“Look, I hit your car and I would really like to at least get your information so I can get it fixed. I was completely at fault and I don’t want you to have to do it.” He said, his eyes locked on hers. “Please.”

“Get out.”

“But-”

“Get. Out.” She repeated with tears in her eyes. But he didn’t budge. His honey eyes stayed locked on hers as he held her glare.

“No.”

“Yes!”

“Why won’t you just let me apologize?” He asked, getting in her face. “All I want to do is say I’m sorry and all you do is push me away, just accept my apology!”

“What, so you can sleep better at night? Well no, I’m not going to accept your apology because I know you don’t mean a word of it!” Zayn’s jaw clenched and Natalie was worried for the slightest instant that he was going to hurt her. After all, they were all alone in the store and he had at least four inches on her and was well built, his defined muscles tensing under his shirt. She swallowed nervously as she looked back into his eyes and watched as he relaxed at the simple eye contact.

“I did mean it.” He said finally. “I feel awful about what I said to you and I really just want to make it alright. Please.” She just shook her head slightly.

“Why?” His eyes locked on hers, all the doubt gone.

“Because I think that we could have a great relationship.” He said, leaning towards her. He then held up his index finger. “One cup of coffee. Please.” Natalie looked at him for a long time. She wanted to tell him to go to Hell, but at the same time she didn’t want him to come in and stalk her at work all the time. She finally let out a sigh.

“One cup of coffee.”