Crystal goes out for her daily icecream routine but something unusual happens. Dont forget to show some love! ❤️

~

when we collide
03| Tony's Cafe

"Get me something to eat!" Jack yells, jogging behind his sister as she slams the main door close not before shouting 'in your dreams'

It was a refreshing Saturday evening, extremely cold though. More cold than Crystal had anticipated before leaving the house. Shivering slightly she brings her coat closer, cuddling to it to create warmth. She walks down her porch and glances to the right to see two trucks and some guys unloading boxes from it.

Her curiosity gets the best of her as she jogs to the truck, the cold air whipping her hair.

"Hey, uh- excuse me?" A guy turns back, probably in his late twenties, passing her a smile whilst keeping the box down.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah actually are you moving in, in this house?" The guy laughs, shaking his head in refusal.

"Actually I provide the transportation service, a family though, is obviously moving in."

Crystal stares at him with wide eyes, brain filled with zillion questions.

"Mind telling me who?" she barely whispers, a smile playing on her lips.

"Maybe, if we can carry this conversation further than this?" the guy smirks back, but the smirk dozes off when Crystal glares at him.

"Idiot."

She jogs down the road making her way towards Tony's Ice-cream Parlour. It was a ritual of some sort but she took it way too seriously. It was in highschool days when Zayn and she used to come by every Saturday to have talks over ice-cream, be it any month of the year.

Zayn might have disappeared, but the ritual stays intact. Half the reason Crystal continued the ritual was solely the ice-creams not to be dramatic but she could literally die for them or why would her lazy àss do anything on Saturday?

So, in the most ungodly weather to eat ice cream she opens the door and a gist of warm air hits her instantly. The parlour was generally not so filled around this weather, which was definitely a plus point for her. A group of teens were scattered here and there while some people were seated with their laptops and pads. She joined the line and ordered for her flavour.

The cashier passed her a smile, knowing her face very well. She took hold of the cone walking towards her designated booth in the corner. Though, it wasn't empty this time. She could vaguely see a guy's back, having a cup of something.

He needs to shift.

"Excuse me?" and as she makes eye contact with a pair of hazel eyes all the air in her body gets knocked out as she stares wide eyed at him. him. Black hair gelled back and some loose strands falling on his face. Sharp jawline, cheeks with light stubble, eyes reflecting back with the same shock.

He stands up, almost in slow motion and lower jaw lightly dropped.

"Crystal, is that you?"

"YOU!" Crystal screams, getting the attention of the people sitting near by, making Zayn chuckle in response.

“Has to be you, uh- hey how's it been?" He whispers, his arms spread wide, welcoming her in, she immediately enters them, attacking Zayn with a hug. Zayn's breath was taken away, not from the squeeze but from the realization that her arms were finally around him.

For Crystal, being in his arms felt familiar to her, bringing back so many memories as she leaned in, closed her eyes and all noise in the room stopped. Zayn fell into her, realizing this moment will never be taken away as her warm embrace relaxed him. He combs her hair lightly with his fingers as she sighs in relief.

"Where were you?" she chokes as her body slightly shakes with the impact of her outburst.

"Woah, hey. I didn't practice for emotional therapy." Zayn chuckles lightly, pulling away from the embrace as he grabs her face in-between his hands. His embrace makes her feel the sense of familiarity. She stares back at Zayn as he stands there taking in her looks with his typical goofy smile.

Crystal notices how he's solidly built, towering over her of course. He's grown a bit of stubble, shoulders broader than last she saw him. He looked so charming and handsome in her opinion. Out of the blue Crystal giggles, one thing hasn't changed, that's his eye-

"No jokes on my eyelashes, Hogward." He cuts her off, narrowing his eyes playfully at her as she bursts out laughing, making him join in.

They stare again, unable to mask the happiness with words, a simple smile playing as Zayn holds her shoulder and their unbreakable eye contact continues.

"You're not going to kiss me, are you?" She asks, remembering their old memories, earning a groan from Zayn.

"You'd be lucky if did but no." he says, masking his voice with disgust. She smiles back hesitantly as Zayn points to the booth awkwardly.

"Though I have to point this out, no offence, you're still so short,
it's beyond me." he whispers, chuckling again

"Shut up." she whines, brushing the sleeve of her coat distracted.

"You're alive, it's unbelievable."

"Ouch?"

"What? I thought you're dead, the last we talked was years ago that too on a skype call." Crystal throws her hands up in exasperation.

"I know,"  Zayn hisses, “I've missed you though. I can't believe you still do the ritual thing we did in highschool, its unbelievable."

"I keep my promises, Zayn." Zayn hisses at her taunt, holding his ears in the process and mouthing a sorry which earns him a smile from Crystal.

"Wait though, what are you doing here?" Crystal whisper- yells in curiosity.

"We sort of shifted back, Mum really wanted to come back and now it finally happened. I had my own car so I'd thought I'd drop by here before going around the neighbourhood and then it hits me that it's Saturday and we did this talk over ice cream bullshít."

Crystal laughs lightly, feeling good that she wasn't the only one who remembered things.

"So I thought why not give my luck a try? So I drive here telling them I'll come in a while and with utmost hope enter in to buy the raspberry ice cream and sitting on our booth."  Zayn laughs.

"Gon'be honest though, I was slightly hurt that you weren't here."

Crystal smiles at him, sitting opposite him as she remembers she dropped her ice cream in the process.

"Still eat that disgusting mucus looking flavour?"

"Zayn it's pineapple and yes, I do. Never asked for your validation." she stares at Zayn, eyes in slits as he chuckles.

"Jeez, okay. Don't shoot me now. This one on me." He gets up moving towards the cashier to buy her, her flavour. Crystal stares down at her nails, still in awe.

Was this really happening?

"There you go." Zayn sings a song, siiting opposite Crystal and continues on his second ice cream cup. Crystal nibbles on the sweet edible, realising how it felt tastier than it did. While on her fifth lick Zayn pushes her hand, the ice cream ending up spreading over her chin.

She gasps, staring wide eyed at Zayn, who tries his best to mask a chuckle.

“We're not kids.”

“Says who? You? A struggling 5"5'?”

"Run." Crystal hisses, jumping up her side and chasing Zayn out of the parlour.

Being twenty-six and chasing a guy with ice cream on your chin in the coldest weather possible on the face of earth seemed like the silliest thing to ever do. But who cares?

༻❁༺

The voice of their feets running echoes in the lane, the neighbours passing weird looks.

It's a wonderful feeling to know that someone is there who wants to make you happy, who thinks you're worth living and for the most important part makes you believe it, that's when you feel that if they've lived with you through all the bad moments then they deserve to be included in the good ones.

And right now, when Zayn and Crystal run through the lanes, feeling the good vibes, remembering all long lost memories is when they realise how much they matter to each other.

"Oh-h my." that's when Crystal's legs give up, she pants feeling absolutely breathless because of the marathon with Zayn, which ended up longer than she anticipated. Sweat trailing down their forehead even though the weather was cold.

"I beg for your pardon but that bottle better stay sixty five nautical miles away from me." Zayn apologises, panting in the process.

It wasn't Zayn's daily cup of tea to have someone scarily near your hair with an open bottle of soy sauce and when you're a complete hair freak, you have to apologise.

Zayn can bet his life on it.

Hair matters more than clothes to him, If it comes to Zayn and he has to choose between roaming around naked or his hair messed for a whole day, it's a surety of hundred and one percent that he'll choose roaming naked over messed hair.

"My shoe laces." he says, pointing down with his index finger and pouting.

"Still haven't learned to tie laces, diva?" Crystal asks, ducking down, clutching one of the hair strands that fell on her whilst starting to tie a knot of the laces.

"Amazing trick to get the girl on your feet, huh?" Crystal squints her eyes, glancing up at Zayn whose face possesses a ghost of a smile as he shakes his head in disapproval.

"Remember in primary school, when someone stole my lunch box and I was crying like a maniac?" Zayn asks while Crystal shuffles the laces, making a knot for his shoes. A smile taking over her face. That was funny in her opinion, Zayn doesn't cry often, but when he does according to her, its like a curse and she feels like dipping her eyes in disinfectant because that situation isn't something easy to look at.

"Remember who came and gave you her cheese sandwiches which you, by the way, absolutely hated but ate because you liked how her cheeks were unbelievably pink." Crystal completes, the old memories flashing making her remember a small toddler with short hair and that cute smile, his eyes shinning and cheeks flushed red with a handkerchief tied on his small blazer.

"Honestly you looked like a dismantled mutant, with your nose dripping down all the time."

"Crystal, while tying my shoes did you all of a sudden think about this?" Zayn whispers as Crystal stands all curious.

"What?"

"How amazing it would be if you had a life?" making a bored face at Zayn as he smirks triumphantly. The only thing Crystal couldn't surpass Zayn in, was sarcasm. Also academics. Sports too. Well, let's not go there.

"You were so whipped though." Crystal utters, smirking.

“Sorry, come again?" Zayn whisper yells, "I just liked your cheek colour, deal over good bye. I mean, yeah, I wasn't the most handsome then but honey, lookie now. Lookie lookie."

"Alright!" she says in the middle of laughing whilst raising her hands up in surrender to make it look dramatic.

"Though I still love your cheek colour, all fleshy and red." he confesses pinching her cheeks.

"Fleshy?" Crystal chuckles.

"Crap, I meant flushy." Crystal narrows her gaze at him as Zayn makes a face and mumbles, "You never call a guy whipped, a big rule."

"Yeah whatever, Can we go?" she starts walking.

Taking care of Zayn is probably tougher than creating an aircraft to Mars and Crystal, for that, bows down to Trisha.

༻❁༺  ✧

The pair was sitting on the bonnet of his car, on the slight outskirts of Bradford, and from where they were seated they could see the whole of Bradford. It was late in night, it was also a shocker that their parents hadn't called yet.

Crystal's eyes caught one of the stars, and it twinkled, just for her it seemed, and she bid it hello with a slow wave of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Zayn laughs, looking up at the sky. "Nothing. Tell me about your love life?" Zayn's smile falters, as he looks back at the sky, breaking his gaze that was earlier darted at Crystal.

"Jeez, hit a nerve did I?" Crystal hisses in embarrassment.
"Naah, it's all cool. My love life? There's nothing too much too it. I did like a girl though."

"Yeah? What's her name?" Crystal smiles. Zayn sighs, now staring at his hands as he nibbled on his nails.
"Lara."

"How'd you meet Lara?" she asks as a ghost of a smile appears on Zayn's face.

"I liked her, I still do," he looks at Crystal, forcing a smile. There Crystal feels his discomfort but before she could object he continues.

"There was this guy, Tim or something, he told me that Lara really liked me. She was new at work and worked under me. So I was confused, not exactly confused like shocked, you know what I mean right?" he asks, there's a slight spark in his eyes that Crystal doesn't miss. He must've liked her so much. She nods at him, giving him a green signal to continue.

"So one day I asked her out with some courage, which by the way was the hardest thing after having my hair straightened for a day-"

"What?" Crystal chuckles.
"Doniya took revenge for some shit," he mumbles, rolling his eyes.

"But that's not the part of the story, part is that she obviously said yes, and we ended up kissing, and there it goes, after two months I asked her out again, and then asked if she'll like to be my girlfriend and she said yes. I was peerless." Zayn whispers.

"That's so wonderful." she coos.

"But then something awful happened and she broke my trust so I ended things between us."
"Jesus, what happened?"

"I don't really want to discuss that." Crystal keeps a hand on Zayn's shoulder and passes him an encouraging smile. They sit in silence for a while but then Zayn breaks it.

"She was hooking up with my boss, to get a permanent internship." Crystal gasps, eyes wide as she stares at Zayn, who still has a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He was trying super hard to be collected and keep himself together in front of her.

"That's disgusting."
"They're engaged, she works one post over me now, just beside him. I don't really talk to him now but just communicate with my higher authorities, he's the owner and he understands my discomfort. He feels I don't go well with my boss but he doesn't know the real story." Crystal stares at Zayn, pulling him in a hug as Zayn keeps his head on her chest, hands dangling loosely while Crystal holds him in an embrace, brushing his hair.

"You deserve so much better Zee. Trust me." she keeps brushing his hair as he sighs in relief.

"You know, sometimes Lara got so frustrated with me, she said that I never stop talking about you." he chuckles. She doesn't know why but that somehow warms Crystal's inside. Knowing that someone is there who thinks about you, talks about you, wants to help you and is simply happy because you exist. That feeling is joyous.

"How are you, after all that-"
"Zayn, I don't want to talk about it." Crystal mumbles breaking the embrace as Zayn sits straight.
"But it's only fair-"
"I said no." she snaps back, making Zayn sigh as he stares straight.

"Sorry, Jesus I need to collect my shit so bad." she mutters.
"It's okay babe." Zayn smiles at her but his smile falter as he sees silent tears streaming down her face.

"Oh lord, I'm here for you sweetheart." Zayn jumps down the bonnet of the car standing in front of Crystal as she sobs, holding his jacket in process as if her life depends on it.

She hadn't even realised she was crying. "I hate boys Zayn, I fúcking hate them." Crystal chokes. Zayn loses his shit, not knowing what to do.
"Please don't cry, I know that boys fúcking suck."
"You're a boy, you idiot."
"Well, that doesn't change the fact that boys suck." Crystal lightly chuckles, wiping her tears.

Crystal tells Zayn about everything going in her life. How all her marriages were breaking at the brink of being confirmed and that she didn't want to marry now and how hopeless she felt.

"Some things just aren't made to fall right so now don't you feel bad. Yeah? I'm always there for you, Crys."

"It is so incredibly selfish of me, you know?" she glances at him as he stares down at her with all of his will to not have a look of pity whilst holding her blonde locks back to stop them from falling on her face.

"To want to be someone's favourite person." Crystal mumbles. "Just find someone who makes your heart race, but not with anxiety." he speaks.

"Did you just quote my mother?" Zayn passes a silly smile to her, nodding.

"I'm thinking of not telling them about-"
"Never." Zayn snaps, making Crystal gasp at the sudden outbreak. "Never make a lie the bondage of your relation. If they can't accept your past they simply dont deserve you in their future." Brushing her hair back, he takes a place beside her still standing, arm swinged around her shoulder.

"I am content with myself. I'm not looking to compete with anyone. I'm not looking to hate or hurt. Right now I'm at peace, I hope you're too?" Crystal questions, staring at Zayn.

Giving her one of his most genuine smile, he nods.
"So tell me, where do you work?" he asks. Crystal realises how he's changing the topic but to be brutally honest, she doesn't care, she'll just act as if it's okay.

"In a café, I know very typical." I state. "that's what happens when you drop out." she confesses.
"You dropped out?" Crystal weakly nods to which Zayn sighs in exasperation. "I'm so not aware of your life. Wow."

"What about you?"

"Me?" he repeats, glancing at the view ahead, smiling. "I work at Arsty Enterprises." Crystal's eyes widen three times their size. "Wasn't that your dream job!?"

Hs smiles faintly. "and I thought she won't remember." he mutters under his breath, slightly shaking his head.

"Indeed it was." he says out loud.
"That's amazing, I'm so proud of you." Crystal smiles. Zayn feels a comfort on his chest, butterflies in his abdomen. That was the first person to appreciate him for completing his goal. Crystal makes him so happy and he's sure he'll make her happy too, find the most perfect man for her and always be by her side.

"And I'm proud by your courage, Crys." he states and sure as hell wasn't lieing.

_______________
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