I know everyone you know

you know everyone I know

our venn diagrams are one circle.

You grow up when I'm not looking

We grow apart without knowing,

and all of a sudden I'm leaving.

So I say I'm sorry I can't, I've got plans

'cause I watch the time slip through my hands.

- "Portugal" || Walk the Moon

____________

"Hey-Hey, Ana! Wait up!"

Anais hits the doors, groaning internally as her steps slow on the damp pavement. She knows that voice anywhere.

There's no escaping that voice.

And it's that boyish smirk he wears as he jogs down the steps to greet her that has Anais cursing herself for feeling the feelings she's still unable to shake.

He comes to her side and drapes his arm around her shoulder.

He grins. "Anais."

"Lucky."

"Ana."

She lifts an eyebrow. "How's your girlfriend?"

"How're you? Haven't seen you around, lately."

"O-kay," and she wriggles from his grasp. She faces him. "Not that this isn't fun, but I'm headed to the library."

"Cool. I'll come."

"Ha ha," she points to him. "You won't. See you-Bye, Lucky."

"Whoa, Anais!" He jogs after her. "What's with you, today?"

She grits her teeth. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

"Because we always hang out," he replies. "I haven't seen you in weeks, Ana. What gives?"

Your fucking girlfriend, idiot.

"I've been busy," she shrugs. "It happens."

"You're always busy," he sighs. "And I still used to see you more."

He stops, grabbing her wrist. "Have you been ignoring me?"

Obviously, genius.

"What makes you think that?"

"You're a shitty liar," he laughs. Lucky raises his eyebrow. "What happened to not bottling emotions?"

"I'm not bottling emotions right now," Anais says through clenched teeth. "I'm just trying to stay calm so I don't get arrested for slapping you across your stupid face right now."

Lucky drops her wrist. "Why would you..." He shakes his head; this is Anais. "Come get lunch with me."

Anais laughs aloud. "Fuck no."

"C'mon, Ana," he pleads. "It's just lunch."

"And hell's just a sauna. Get the fuck outta here."

He seems so confused. "Anais-"

"I'm going to the library, Lucky."

"Fine," he runs his hand through his hair in the way that (used to?) make Anais drool. "Some other time, then?"

She turns, walking away. "Bye, Lucky."

But he grabs hold of her forearms and doesn't let go. "Please?" He begs, blue eyes so bright it's like staring into the sun, or something. "Please, Anais? At least let me take you for a coffee?"

"I don't know..."

He ducks his head, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Please? We can go to Nero; that place you like? I'll buy you a blueberry scone and a Cafe Mocha with soy, extra hot...?"

Damn it; her favorite.

"It's the least you can do, right?"

"Actually," she jerks from his grip, "the least I can do is nothing, Lucky."

He rushes towards her. "But, you'll think about it?"

And damn him, she nods. Anais Mali is in no way over Lucky Blue Smith.

"I'll think about it."

Lucky's face transforms.

He smiles. "Think about it, then."

"Yeah, I will."

And Lucky does something even weirder: he lunges forward and kisses her, right then and there. He plants a quick kiss on her cheek that leaves her speechless.

I mean, it's just her cheek, right? He probably thinks of her as a sister, yeah? It's a quick kiss from a friend. Louis kisses her all the time and he doesn't mean anything by it.

So, why does this feel different?

She shakes her head. "You've got a gi-"

"See you, Ana," he interjects, backpedalling down the crowded street with that smirk of his. "Don't forget to think about me."

Anais turns. She's been unconsciously thinking about Lucky for nearly the past two weeks and consciously for the past year.

So, what's changed?

He's got a girlfriend...What does he want now?

And these thoughts swirl in her mind for the first hour she's sitting in the library. She's got an essay to write, but her sketchbook is open in front of her laptop. Her thumbnail is in her mouth and she's been staring into space for the last five minutes.

It's really bothering her-Lucky's words.

"Anyone sitting here?"

Anais looks up. Zayn's standing to her left, backpack on his shoulder. He's just finished up his Calc homework and was about to head out to the art room he likes to frequent until he saw Anais.

She shakes her head, moving her bag from the chair so he can sit. "No," she replies absentmindedly. "Yeah-Go for it."

Zayn sits beside her and taps his fingers on his books.

She turns back to the essay she's not writing.

"So..." he clears his throat softly. "What'cha working on?"

Anais sighs, leaning back in her chair and running both hands through her hair. "This essay that'll never get done."

Zayn leans forward on his elbows. "That's probably not what you want to say."

She deadpans, turning the computer to face him. "I've been here for an hour. This's all I got."

Zayn reads:

Greek and Roman Mythology

Professor Poole

February 10

Anais Mali

And then, centered a few lines down is, TITLE.

He laughs aloud.

Anais sighs into her hands. "Stop," she whines. "Don't laugh at my mid-life crisis."

Zayn smiles down at his Calc textbook.

He lifts his eyes to hers. "You're only gonna live 'til 40?" He shakes his head. "Should I be looking for a new lab partner, then?"

"Ha ha," Anais replies. "Very funny."

"I know," Zayn nods. "I'm hilarious."

Anais snorts, staring at him.

He stares back.

Her eyes are very big and very brown, he thinks. Perrie's were blue, but brown-that's the thing about brown eyes, they're never just brown. Beneath the bright lights of the library, Anais' eyes are like, like-

"Are you bipolar?"

He chokes, all thoughts leaving him. "What?"

"Shh-You're in a library, Malik."

"Thanks for the reminder, Mali," he replies and her grin stretches wider. "What the fuck makes you think I'm bipolar?"

"Because," she shrugs, "for our first few classes you barely spoke words and now..."

"Now, what?"

"Now, I dunno," she shrugs again. She pulls back and stares at him. "I'm kind of enjoying you, I guess."

"Wow," Zayn shakes his head, pointing to her darkening computer screen. "You've really got a way with words."

"Oh," she laughs, and hearing her laugh makes him laugh because he hadn't expected her to. "That was a low blow."

And they sit there, grinning at each other...until Zayn clears his throat.

"I'm not bipolar."

"Good-'cause honestly, that'd pretty much suck for everyone involved."

"Oh my god," he sighs, scrubbing his face with his hands. Anais stares at his tattoos and she's about to ask about them when he says, "I'm not bipolar, just..."

"Shy?" She nods. "I can tell."

"Not shy."

She cocks a brow. "You're sure 'bout that?"

"I'm not shy," he replies defensively. "Just...just, reserved I guess."

"So, shy," she kids. Then, she frowns. "So, why did my friend think that you're some cliché 'bad boy' with an attitude problem? Is it the tattoos?"

"'Cause if you ask me," Anais continues, noting how Zayn's smile has contorted into a grimace, "you literally couldn't hurt a fly."

"I don't-" He stares at her, frowning a bit because Anais is grinning. "Like, couldn't or wouldn't?"

"Couldn't," she states, and Anais is grinning because Zayn's rolling his eyes and fighting a little smile. "Didn't expect me to say that, huh?"

He shrugs. "Guess it's just not what I'm used to."

"Yeah, well," Anais laughs, raising her arms with a stretch, "you should try it sometime."

"What?" He snorts. "The brutal honesty?"

"Of course," she nods. "Next time someone asks how you are, try telling them," she grins again and there's a devilish glint in her eye. "Next time someone you hate asks 'What's up,' tell them it's the stick in their ass."

And that catches Zayn off guard so he laughs aloud, and people are staring at them; a mixture of glares and questioning glances thrown their way across the library.

"Hey," he replies, after he composes himself. He taps her hand and points to her blackened screen, "Type, Mali."

"I can't," she whines, "I like procrastinating too much."

Zayn laughs again, his shoulders shaking, eyes squinting with his tongue tucked behind his teeth. Anais grins because she's not used to him looking cute.

Bad boy my ass, she thinks.

"I'll leave you to it, then," is what he says, rising now to his feet.

"But we were having so much fun."

Zayn pauses. "I'm always fun," he says, alluding to her near-death experience on the roof.

"Fine, fine," she pouts, and a part of Zayn is happy that she's pouting, although a larger part of him is wishing she'd ask him to stay on longer-they were having fun. "Leave me to my misery."

He grins with a head shake and an additional, "Anais..." as she looks up at him and smiles with teeth and wide eyes-it's a sight that he'd like to draw or photograph to draw later because that smile is just...it's nice, he's realizing.

"Hey," he says at once, because he's just had an idea. "Have anything to do tomorrow night?"

Anais wrinkles her nose. "Uh...no?"

"Good," he taps his fingers a final time agains the table. "Meet me here then, around eight?"

"For what?"

"Anais," he shakes his head. "Shame on you-forgetting about our lab already."

"Zayn, we're literally not going to be able to see anything. Didn't you realize that?"

"No," he says. "I know where to go."

She peers up at him, obviously unconvinced.

"C'mon, Mali," he grins. "Do you trust me?"

"Uh..."

"That's a 'yes,' then," he laughs.

He grins that grin again, the one with squinty eyes and visible teeth. "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Okay, Zayn."

"Bye, Anais."

-~*~-

Oh ho ho-okay now I'm starting to love these two together and I love Lucky too even though Anais has no idea of his intentions lololol.

Photo of Lucky.