//Eight years ago//

It was a scorching day in Mumbai and if you looked close enough, you could see heat waves.

Diya was sitting behind the cash register, occasionally glancing up from her textbook to stare through the window at the chaos of traffic.

Although she was in school, she worked at this store part time to make her own money and to not be fully dependent on her parents. It wasn't the ideal job she wanted. But since internships at the nearest hospital didn't accept applications any time soon, this would have to suffice.

Diya had an exam coming up and all of her free time would be filled with studying. She was deep in thought as she read her textbook that she didn't hear the the bell signaling that a customer had walked in.

________

Zayn ran the back of his hand across his forehead, letting out a breath of relief having stepped out of the heat.

"What exactly are we getting?" He asked his childhood friend, Kiara.

She looked down at the list in her hands. "Batteries, flashlights, food... Let's just split up. I'll get the food, you get the batteries and flashlights."

Zayn gave her a thumbs up as he began walking around the store. It occurred to him that he needed more tape for his scrapbook. Yes, he had a scrapbook. It was more of a dream journal to be honest and there was no way to make that sound less feminine.

If there was one thing Zayn loved the most, it was traveling. He wanted to meet new people, learn new languages, see new places. It was like a drug to him. He was addicted to it. Nothing or no one could ever make him stop. Asking him to stop would be like asking him to stop living.

His mother strongly despised the idea of it all while his father didn't mind it one bit. It was an ongoing debate honestly. One that Zayn had stopped paying attention to.

Zayn whistled to himself, walking through the aisles in search of the items needed for the trip him and his friends were going on. They were going trekking which was basically a very long journey up a mountain and they'd stop along the way to set up camp. He'd done it many times but he still got the same thrill each time.

Once he'd gotten the items, he began to search for some spray paint which he couldn't seem to find. With a sigh, he made his way to the checkout.

He noticed a girl sitting behind the cash register, her attention focused on a book. Her long hair was concealing most of her face.

"Hey," Zayn said, trying to get her attention.

Her head flew up, her brown eyes widening behind large glasses. Her eyebrows furrowed and she seemed embarrassed for some reason.

"You work here, yeah?" He asked.

She nodded and Zayn wondered if she couldn't speak or if she was just shy.

"Do you guys have spray paint?"

"Um... It should be in aisle 9. Is it not there?" She replied softly.

She speaks and God her voice was magnificent.

"Ah, the one place I didn't check. Can I leave these here?" He was referring to the basket of items.

"Sure."

________

Diya felt like she'd have a heart attack. The last person she'd expected to see that day was Zayn Malik. She hadn't seen him since graduation which was almost two years ago. He looked better than she remembered. Those hazel eyes and that famous up-do of his.

As she waited for him to return, she wondered if he remembered her or not. They didn't speak much in school but they'd been in the same classes for the longest time. And she'd always catch him cheating off of her but she never had the confidence to say anything to him.

Finally, he returned and this time a girl was with him. She was adjusting her beanie on her head and Diya remembered her. This was Kiara, one of Zayn's best friends. The two of them along with Jai were known to be the troublemakers of the school.

They both set down their things and Diya silently began to ring them up.

"Hey, wait... Diya?" Kiara asked.

Diya looked up, shocked that she had recognized her. She smiled, "Hi."

"Oh my God it's you! Do you remember me? We went to school together."

"Of course I remember you, how are you?"

"I'm great dude, how are you? It's been so long!"

"I'm good, just busy with school."

"What are you studying?"

"Medicine."

Diya felt embarrassed as she said this because she was known to be a science geek in school. In fact, in their yearbook, she was the one who had been put under "most likely to become a doctor."

It's not that she didn't like studying medicine, she loved it. She just hated the teasing and the stereotypes.

"That's awesome! And then there's me." Kiara sighed.

"What are you studying?" Diya asked curiously. She felt Zayn watching her and she couldn't help the heat that rushed to her cheeks.

"Arts."

"Well you did always love art. I remember seeing your drawings all around school."

Kiara's eyes lit up at the memory. "Yup. Are you doing anything for spring break?"

"Um, probably not. Just gonna be stuck at home studying. The usual." She shrugged. "What about you?"

"Zayn and I are going on a trip to Manali tomorrow with our friend Jai. You remember him right? You should totally come with!"

"That sounds really cool but I don't think I could come." Diya said quickly.

Kiara frowned. "Why not? It'll be fun, please?"

Diya laughed awkwardly. "You don't know my parents."

"Oh I'm sure they're not that bad. If you can come, that would be awesome."

"Okay," Diya smiled. "I'll see."

"Awesome."

It got awkwardly silent then and Diya finished putting their things in plastic bags. She wondered why Zayn hadn't said anything the whole time. She knew he was watching her.

Diya handed Kiara back her change, still avoiding Zayn's eyes.

"Have a nice day." She told them.

"You too, I hope you can come." Kiara gave her one last smile before picking up the bags.

Zayn came over to pick up the rest of the bags and Diya finally looked up.

He was holding out a brochure, his signature smirk on his face.

"What's this?" She asked, taking it from his hands.

She looked down at it and realized it was a brochure for the backpacking trip to Manali. She looked closer, noticing someone had written something.

"Hope you can come on the trip, four eyes. -Z"

Diya's mouth fell open and she quickly looked up but Zayn had already left.

She realized that he, in fact, did remember her. He used to call her that in school all the time. Although she hated it in school, hearing it again after the longest time made her smile.

~~~

Hi guys! Here's chapter one. Hope you're liking it so far. This story will include bits and pieces from the actual movie like specific dialogues and scenarios but I'll try my best to change things up and make this as entertaining as possible.

I didn't really like how the first two chapters turned out so they have now been re-written and I've also changed the point of view from first person to third person.

P.S. Check out Beautiful1DLads ' Zayn fic "Race To The Finish". If you ship Zaypika I'm sure you'll love it ;)