Salem Falls
Zayn & Maggie
Zayn kept his hands shoved as deeply into his pockets as he could force them, almost certain that he’d rip a hole through them if his nails were any longer. His eyes stayed focused on the concrete as he walked, because he couldn’t bear to think about anything else.
With every step he took, he was one step closer to Maggie’s house and one step closer to the fate he knew he couldn’t bring himself away from.
He had to break things off with Maggie. In the end, he knew that would be for the best. But, at that moment, it seemed like the most difficult thing in the world.
If he wanted to keep her safe from whatever was going on in his coven, he’d have to stay as far away from her as possible. His talk with Harry only furthered his belief in that. It was going to be difficult, and it was going to take every ounce of courage he had, but he knew it was what he had to do.
Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly through the grass leading up to the Snow’s house. His heart was racing at a frantic pace, which caused his hands to tremble, but he forced himself to knock on the door.
As soon as his knuckles hit the wood, he regretted it. He wanted to turn around, run home, and keep pretending that he could protect Maggie. He wanted to forget all about the murders and the fact that Maggie could be next. He just wanted to keep her as close as he could for just a moment longer.
He didn’t have a chance to do any of those things though, because through the wood, he heard the light padding of her footsteps as she bounded down the stairs.
The door popped open to reveal Maggie, who wore the same sweet smile she always did. She looked ecstatic to see Zayn, and that only made him feel worse about what he had to do. He’d never be able to see that sweet smile again, at least not when he was the one to cause it. She’d hate him, no doubt.
“Zayn,” she whispered, the edges of her lips wrinkling up as her smile widened. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
He chuckled, attempting to match the smile she had, which would surely disappear as soon as he broke her heart. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Of course not,” Maggie said, shaking her head as she stepped to the side. “Come on in.”
Zayn shook his head back, while holding out his hand. He knew if he went inside with her he’d never muster up the courage to complete his task, so he had to refuse.
“I can’t stay for long, actually. I was just wondering if we could talk for a minute.”
The soft glint in her eyes went crooked as her eyebrows furrowed, and Zayn couldn’t help but think that it looked like she knew. She couldn’t, though.
“Yeah, sure,” she said as she stepped outside. She moved over to the porch swing, which had started a slow movement with the wind. “Do you wanna sit?”
Zayn nodded and took the seat next to her, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. The closer he got the more the mark on his hand began to burn, and the more he wanted to stay with her.
The tension was thick, being produced by both Zayn and Maggie. Zayn from his conflicted emotions, and Maggie from what she feared was to come. After a long pause, Maggie cleared her throat as she looked over at Zayn. He refused to look back, because he knew that it would only make things more difficult.
“What did you want to talk about?”
The moment she spoke Zayn felt a pressure in his body that he’d never felt before. It was as if the world was collapsing on him and it nearly left him breathless.
His intentions had been to get it over as quickly as possible, avoid eye contact, and never look back, but the moment Maggie spoke, all of that went out the window. He could hear the worry in her voice and all he wanted was to make it go away. He didn’t want to be the one to leave her, but he didn’t feel he had a choice.
The last thing he wanted was to look in her eyes and see the pain in them, but he forced himself to look so he could see her one last time.
“Maggie, I –” He paused, forcing himself to take a deep breath, because at that point his voice was so shaky he could barely form words. “Maggie, I’m so sorry.”
He choked out the last words, while looking away from her eyes and back to the floor. He couldn’t get out anything else, because the air around him was clenching his body too tightly, and he could hardly force himself to move.
“Sorry about what, Zayn? What is it?”
He couldn’t look back up at her again. He just couldn’t. All he could do was stare at that spot on the porch where the paint had chipped. He couldn’t take his eyes away and forcing the words from his lips was a daunting task in and of itself.
“Maggie,” he breathed out as he forced his eyes closed. He pretended he was somewhere else, talking to someone else – someone whom he didn’t care about breaking. “I’m sorry, but we can’t be together.”
As soon as the words fell from his lips, he wanted to take them back. He wanted to push them back inside so he could pretend he hadn’t said them. He wanted none of it to be real, so he could wrap his arms around her and have her be with him again.
He wasn’t sure what he thought she would say, if anything. He wanted her to beg him not to do it, so he could have a reason to call the whole thing off, but he was sure it wouldn’t happen.
There was a long pause before anything happened. It was a pause that felt long enough for mountains to move and for the sea to rise. Spring could have turned to summer, and summer to fall. Decades passed before Maggie finally whispered back to him.
“Can I ask why?”
Zayn let out a deep breath that he didn’t know he’d been holding. “I just don’t think it’ll work, Mags. I just don’t think we’re right for each other.”
He could feel her tense up beside him and he hoped that she wouldn’t take it to heart. He wanted her to forget all about it and wake up tomorrow like the whole thing had been a bad dream.
“Okay,” she said, after another long moment. Zayn could hear the pain in her voice, and it moved from her and shot straight to his heart. “I guess I’ll see you around then.”
Before Zayn could say anything else, she had lifted herself off the swing, causing it to tilt back a bit. Zayn caught it with his feet before whipping his head to the side to watch her walk away.
More than anything, he wanted to reach out to her and tell her to come back, but he didn’t, because he knew how wrong it would be. It didn’t seem fair, though, and he wished things could be much more different than they were. He wished be together and be happy, because in the end, it was what they both deserved.
With every step he took, he was one step closer to Maggie’s house and one step closer to the fate he knew he couldn’t bring himself away from.
He had to break things off with Maggie. In the end, he knew that would be for the best. But, at that moment, it seemed like the most difficult thing in the world.
If he wanted to keep her safe from whatever was going on in his coven, he’d have to stay as far away from her as possible. His talk with Harry only furthered his belief in that. It was going to be difficult, and it was going to take every ounce of courage he had, but he knew it was what he had to do.
Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly through the grass leading up to the Snow’s house. His heart was racing at a frantic pace, which caused his hands to tremble, but he forced himself to knock on the door.
As soon as his knuckles hit the wood, he regretted it. He wanted to turn around, run home, and keep pretending that he could protect Maggie. He wanted to forget all about the murders and the fact that Maggie could be next. He just wanted to keep her as close as he could for just a moment longer.
He didn’t have a chance to do any of those things though, because through the wood, he heard the light padding of her footsteps as she bounded down the stairs.
The door popped open to reveal Maggie, who wore the same sweet smile she always did. She looked ecstatic to see Zayn, and that only made him feel worse about what he had to do. He’d never be able to see that sweet smile again, at least not when he was the one to cause it. She’d hate him, no doubt.
“Zayn,” she whispered, the edges of her lips wrinkling up as her smile widened. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
He chuckled, attempting to match the smile she had, which would surely disappear as soon as he broke her heart. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Of course not,” Maggie said, shaking her head as she stepped to the side. “Come on in.”
Zayn shook his head back, while holding out his hand. He knew if he went inside with her he’d never muster up the courage to complete his task, so he had to refuse.
“I can’t stay for long, actually. I was just wondering if we could talk for a minute.”
The soft glint in her eyes went crooked as her eyebrows furrowed, and Zayn couldn’t help but think that it looked like she knew. She couldn’t, though.
“Yeah, sure,” she said as she stepped outside. She moved over to the porch swing, which had started a slow movement with the wind. “Do you wanna sit?”
Zayn nodded and took the seat next to her, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. The closer he got the more the mark on his hand began to burn, and the more he wanted to stay with her.
The tension was thick, being produced by both Zayn and Maggie. Zayn from his conflicted emotions, and Maggie from what she feared was to come. After a long pause, Maggie cleared her throat as she looked over at Zayn. He refused to look back, because he knew that it would only make things more difficult.
“What did you want to talk about?”
The moment she spoke Zayn felt a pressure in his body that he’d never felt before. It was as if the world was collapsing on him and it nearly left him breathless.
His intentions had been to get it over as quickly as possible, avoid eye contact, and never look back, but the moment Maggie spoke, all of that went out the window. He could hear the worry in her voice and all he wanted was to make it go away. He didn’t want to be the one to leave her, but he didn’t feel he had a choice.
The last thing he wanted was to look in her eyes and see the pain in them, but he forced himself to look so he could see her one last time.
“Maggie, I –” He paused, forcing himself to take a deep breath, because at that point his voice was so shaky he could barely form words. “Maggie, I’m so sorry.”
He choked out the last words, while looking away from her eyes and back to the floor. He couldn’t get out anything else, because the air around him was clenching his body too tightly, and he could hardly force himself to move.
“Sorry about what, Zayn? What is it?”
He couldn’t look back up at her again. He just couldn’t. All he could do was stare at that spot on the porch where the paint had chipped. He couldn’t take his eyes away and forcing the words from his lips was a daunting task in and of itself.
“Maggie,” he breathed out as he forced his eyes closed. He pretended he was somewhere else, talking to someone else – someone whom he didn’t care about breaking. “I’m sorry, but we can’t be together.”
As soon as the words fell from his lips, he wanted to take them back. He wanted to push them back inside so he could pretend he hadn’t said them. He wanted none of it to be real, so he could wrap his arms around her and have her be with him again.
He wasn’t sure what he thought she would say, if anything. He wanted her to beg him not to do it, so he could have a reason to call the whole thing off, but he was sure it wouldn’t happen.
There was a long pause before anything happened. It was a pause that felt long enough for mountains to move and for the sea to rise. Spring could have turned to summer, and summer to fall. Decades passed before Maggie finally whispered back to him.
“Can I ask why?”
Zayn let out a deep breath that he didn’t know he’d been holding. “I just don’t think it’ll work, Mags. I just don’t think we’re right for each other.”
He could feel her tense up beside him and he hoped that she wouldn’t take it to heart. He wanted her to forget all about it and wake up tomorrow like the whole thing had been a bad dream.
“Okay,” she said, after another long moment. Zayn could hear the pain in her voice, and it moved from her and shot straight to his heart. “I guess I’ll see you around then.”
Before Zayn could say anything else, she had lifted herself off the swing, causing it to tilt back a bit. Zayn caught it with his feet before whipping his head to the side to watch her walk away.
More than anything, he wanted to reach out to her and tell her to come back, but he didn’t, because he knew how wrong it would be. It didn’t seem fair, though, and he wished things could be much more different than they were. He wished be together and be happy, because in the end, it was what they both deserved.
♠ ♠ ♠
Nooooo! The precious little babies!Not them );