What does it take to get in some sense inside you? A bestfriend is what. What happens when Crystal's secret of heartbreak is finally revealed. Reminder to be the amazing readers you are and to vote and drop that bomb feedback in comments. Also,
all the readers do read the authors note down. Love you all❤️

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when we collide
05| big girl pants

Monday morning blues. But Zayn has no work today. He could cartwheel his way to cloud nine with such happiness. It was eight in the morning as he exits his house, glancing to notice the curtains in Crystal's room are still shut. Shaking his head he makes his way to the main market. Coming back to Bradford for a week Zayn could never miss eating the chocolate muffins from the local bakery.

They were always his favourite.
The early morning light shines through the windows as the owner and employees prepare for the regulars to come and taste their latest pies. Wood salvaged from a barn for their seats, giving the room a rusty feeling. Zayn could fúck this place, that's the amount of pleasure it gave him.

He stood in line to order, his day going so refreshing and smooth. But how is it ever possible for his day to go smooth? Right behind him stood a kid with his mother probably around seven, sobbing and screaming at the top of his voice.

"Mum I want blueberry muffins!" Zayn could roll his eyes to another dimension as he feels his brain slitting in two halves from the ear piercing cry. The child's low pitched voice frustrating him to no end.
"Honey we're in the line, just wait."

"Excuse me? Can you like tell your child to cry less loudly?" Zayn asks, making a very painful face as he stares at the child and then glares at him. 'He already has one icecream in his hand' Zayn's left off guard when the child drops his ice cream on his shoes. On purpose.

Zayn gasps, as he stares at the child almost boiling in anger.
"Honey, what is this? Say sorry."
"No." he crosses his arms and passes Zayn a challenging face. Zayn sighs lightly, turning back around to take his turn as the girl behind the counter passes him a tissue with sympathetic eyes.

"I'll take two chocolate muffins." he says flatly, almost mumbling as the girl leans from his counter to take a look at Zayn's shoes. She presses her teeth together in awkwardness and moves to carry the order out.

"Also, how may blueberry cupcakes do you have?"
"Sir we make fifteen daily, we're left with ten." Zayn nods, turning around to glance at the kid who's jumping in irritation and hunger.

this is so heartless, but fúck it.
"Pack all of them." he mutters as the girl behind the counter stares at him varily. ". . . Alright." Minutes later she comes back with the big box, charging the cost and staring at Zayn as if he grew two heads. He exits the bakery as the cries of the kid become a past.

"I'm such a sadist," he whispers, chuckling all the whilst. "Well I kinda like it."

"Everyone, I've blueberry muffins let's party!" Zayn shouts at the top of his voice as he enters his house. Yaser stares at him as he pulls his spectacles down. "Where'd you get the money to shout out all of us."

Zayn's smile falters as he passes a bored look to his father. "Blueberry cupcakes for everyone except Yaser Malik." Yaser lightly chuckles turning back to reading his newspaper as Doniya appears giving Zayn a confused look.

"You shouting out all of us out of the blue? Mum is it raining unicorns today?" Yaser laughs high-fiving his daughter as Zayn sighs. "Leave my son alone, all of you."

"He is alone. If we don't consider the girls." Trisha stares at Yaser with wide eyes passing the code to terminate. "What's with the big eyes mum, just say mission abort." Zayn says flatly raising his hands up in exasperation and falling on the couch.

"Honey, I love cupcakes. What flavour?" Trisha smiles sympathetically at her son as Doniya opens the bag.
"Zayn your taste is worse than Mrs Morgan right next door. She's seventy five but still won't eat blue berry cupcakes. That's so gross."

Zayn stands up, snatching the bag and looking at his mother in signs that she might ask for one saving the little esteem he was left with that hadn't flowed down the drain but all that he got was a sympathetic smile. Again.

"I want a fifty-five pages of theses with screenshots of when I asked for your uneccessary opinion, you dipshit." Zayn hisses, continuing his walk of shame across street as he hears his father's scolding on his profanities. Screw y'all.

After three knocks, Cecile opens the door smiling widely at Zayn as she sees the bag in his hand.
"What might we have here?"

"Ten blueberry muffins and a mid twenties guy with the shittiest mood possible on the face of the earth." Cecile laughs, opening the door wide open for Zayn to enter as he falls on the couch.

"Hey young man, seems like you're up?" Sebastian asks, as he enters in his crisp suit and gelled hair.

"Sebastian please adopt me."

"That escalated quickly." He chuckles lightly as he moves to examine the bag on the tabel. "What a beautiful morning, cupcakes waiting for me." Taking one out he mumbles a quick 'thank you', patting Zayn's shoulder lightly as he brushes his hair, giving a quick peck to Cecile and exiting the house.
"Why you so moody Zayn?" Cecile says, sighing as she passes a sympathetic smile to him. It's not like he caught some disease, christ, what's with the sympathetic smiles today.

"Oh no, not really I'm just pissed it's an off for me and today is the day that I decide to wake up early." Cecile mumbles something as she stands up walking to the kitchen all the whilst looking at Zayn.

"What are your plans Zayn, now that you shifted back?" she tries to initiate a converse with him
"I haven't, my family has. I'm still staying in London." Cecile furrows her brows as she nods.

"Didn't you sell the house there?"
"I have my own place. It was a ten mintue drive to their house." Cecile nods, eyes widening as she feels impressed by the fact that Zayn owned his own house but her eyes widen even more when she glances at the time.

"This girl will be late again." she whispers, keeping the spatula down and running past the counter. "Zayn, wake her up?"
"I was waiting for you to ask." Zayn chuckles, sprinting upstairs to her room. Opening it without a knock he jams open the door to witness Crystal scream.

"You arseholé, you knock before you come in get out!" Crystal screams as she holds her wrapped towel around her body for her sake. Zayn's eyes widen as runs out slamming the door back and giving out a breath of relief.

A minute or two passes and Crystal's door opens, her hair damp and eyes in slit.
"Perv."
"Excuse me but you never call a guy a perv." Crystal rolls her eyes as slaps his arm.
"Ever heard of knocking?" Zayn rolls his eyes back throwing his arms dramatically in air. "Is that spanish?" Crystal shakes her head in disapproval.

"Lord your mother told me to wake you up, so I thought you'll still be asleep." Zayn confesses, looking down at Crystal whose eyebrows knit together.
"She already woke me up an hour back." she mutters looking down to think hard.

"Must've slipped her mind." Zayn says coolly, shrugging his shoulders. "I've brought blueberry muffins by the way." Zayn says, his smile touching his eyes. "You sure you brought them, or someone forced you on gunpoint?"

"Not even a single word in that sentence was funny babe."
"Don't babe me."
"Oh and what is it? A fanfiction?"
"Oh my god, you've not seen Dad's study room right?" Zayn stops walking as he slams into Crystal's back. "Isn't that like the most obvious fúcking thing?".

"Jesus, did a crab bite you in the áss?" Zayn rolls his eyes again.
"I hate kids so much Hogward." Zayn explains his extremely awkward encounter with the kid as Crystal laughs her lungs out.

"You're so evil!" she says all the while drowning in her fits of laughter as she opens the door, Zayn at her tail, jogging to the curtains and sliding them as light enters the room. A glass panel in the wall adds a lively color to the soft hued room while a light that looked like a mini chandelier was mounted on the ceiling. A pair of mid-century modern armchairs provides a spot to relax as the warm blue-colored comforter contrasts with the midnight-colored flooring and rich wood centerpiece made the room stand out.

"Now hows this Malik?" Crystal questions looking back but there is no one in sight. She finds him gazing at the picture made by him. "How's that Malik?" She asks, but he's smiling like crazy to give her presence any attention.

"I asked you!" She yells, pushing him back and forth, showing no effect on him as he continues drooling.
"Zayn?"

"Fúck."
"What?"
"Shít."
"That's it? You'll just throw profanities in the air?"

"We were in highschool, holyshít in highschool. That's so long, This is amazing!" he yells, clicking a picture and then moving his fingers near the painting.

"Can I touch it?" A giggle escapes her mouth as she rubs Zayn's shoulder. "Isn't that the most obvious fúcking thing." Crystal quotes him as he rolls his eyes is response.

"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Crystal nods.
"So, here I go."
"Here you go."
"I'm doing it."
"You're doing it, Lord touch it already!" and with that said, his fingers come in contact with the painting.

"Holyshít, this was one of my earliest painting." he breaths, looking around to notices small pictures on the cases. He jogs to them and starts curiously looking. Crystal can't help but smile at him. He looks so content to her.

Zayn laughs grabbing her attention, as he glances in her direction. "See!" she walks to him and glances down, a giggle escapes her mouth as she stares at the toddlers in the school uniform. The boy with his bag larger than him, and the girl crying.

"Look at your face, I can't." Zayn chuckles pointing at her younger version in the frame.

"What's there to laugh, it was the first day, and you pulled my hair if you remember, why are you so evil?" Zayn laughs again.
"Can you stop laughing? It's annoying." Crystal elbows Zayn.

"What I'm just being me." Zayn slaps Crystal's hand as he dodges her kick. "Yeah and who are you?"

"Awkward, moody overly sensitive, sarcastic," he smirks.
"But dope." brushing his clothes with his hands Zayn completes. "As fúck."

"Crystal, are you taking an off today?" Cecile asks, as she enters the room, one eyebrow raised
Crystal gasps, visibly swallowing the lump in her throat as she whisper asks. "Even though I don't want to know, what's the time?"

Cecile smirks, keeping her hands on her waist as she shifts her weight to other foot. "Nine thirty, sweetcheeks."

"WHAT? WHY HAS NO ONE-"
"Well you wanted to have this rendez-vous." Zayn interrupts her emotional crisis, shrugging his shoulders. Crystal runs downstairs almost tripping on her own feet as she sits on the dining table trying to eat her toast supersonically.

"Honey what did you think about the proposal I kept yesterday?" Crystal almost chokes on the toast as she swallows it with much hardwork and gives her mother a 'mission abort' look.

"What proposal?" Zayn interrupts, taking a banana from the basket and peeling it.
Cecile awkwardly gazes at Zayn and then as if the light bulb finally shines over her head with the most intelligent idea ever discovered by mankind (according to her) she says, "Honey there's this amazing boy, great job, handsome and I'm sure will keep Crystal very happy. I told her to give it a go-"

"Mum, I'm not marrying anyone. Not now at least. I'm so over boys." Crystal mumbles with a mouthful of toast.

"I think you should give it a try." Zayn suggests, finishing his banana as he walks to Crystal and takes a seat beside her comfortably while Cecile stares at them from the kitchen.

The only person who can make Crystal try her luck with Zayn, is Zayn. Bingo.

"I don't want to. I'm only twenty-two." She mumbles, walking to the kitchen and washing her hands. "Sweetheart you're twenty-six. Stop fooling everyone."

"Who knows the guy might be good. C'mon girl just give it a try." Crystal sighs, staring at Zayn as he makes this motivating face where his eyes are wide and a smile plays on his lips. "I'll think." Crystal glances at the clock and all the blood rushes to her heart. "OR MAYBE I'LL SEE YOU ON MY DEATH DAY."

"You can take my car." Zayn interrupts, shrugging his shoulder as he throws the keys at Crystal who almost bounces in shock, catching them.

"Y-your car? Why don't you drop me?" Crystal questions, not really getting the reason as to why Zayn is lending her drive his car knowing what a terrible driver she is.

"Honey, you're openly giving a serial killer a contract to kill your car, I must inform the police." Zayn chuckles lightly as Crystal stares at her mother with a bored face.

She shakes her head, tightening her hands around the keys as she passes a smile to Zayn rushing towards her mum as they pass a quick peck on the cheek then moves to give Zayn a back hug as he lies sparingly on the couch and runs.

"Eat some cupcakes on the table please." hearing this, Crystal grabs three cupcakes from the bag and without turning runs out.

"THERE BETTER NOT BE ANY DENT ON MY BABY, HOGWARD!"

"I think you don't -"
"Trust me, I know she's a terrible driver. Just watch." Cecile furrows her brows at Zayn then walks to take the dishes in.

"Where's Jack?" Zayn questions, trying to start a conversation because there's no way he'll go back home.

"School." mumbling a 'oh right' Zayn looks around. He really should head somewhere because what is he going to do here anyway.

"So Zayn, you're seeing someone?" Zayn coughs awkwardly, as he glances at Cecile who's extremely chill about the topic like they're school buddies who take tequila shots everyday on their rented house's roof.

"I- no, not really." rubbing his hand on the back of his neck nervously he thinks it's his cue to run the fúck out of there.
"What about marriage?"

"Really haven't given it a thought." Zayn mumbles, as he gets up stretching and yawning.
"I'm just single, ready to get awkward around anyone who finds me attractive or I find them attractive." Cecile laughs lightly as Zayn exits the house taking a breath of relief.

What is wrong with elders nowadays?

Hibernation; the utmost peace and tranquility a person can get. So all Zayn did the whole day was sleep. He woke up around four when his stomach was growling, moved down to eat something and then went back to sleep. He really wasn't in the mood to do anything.

Later the evening, he started with his presentation. This time he wasn't going to put his position in danger. He really wanted that promotion. So he spent his whole day in his den until his mother interrupted.

"Honey, Crystal's down waiting for you." He lifts his head up from the laptop screen engrossed in it deeply as he nods, throwing the packet of chips down. Trisha cringes as she sees the condition of the then perfect room.

"What happened here?" she whispers as Zayn passes her.
"Me is what." he replies running down the stairs to see Crystal outside the main gate.
"Hello Hogward. You look really cheerful this beautiful night."

Crystal sighs, pardoning his sarcasm as she looks at Zayn. "So there might be a small dent on the car. I'M SO SORRY."
Zayn sighs then looks at Crystal, whipping his keys out of her hand as they walk out.

"You reached on time?"
"Yes, like a minute before. You saved my ass."
"There's no ass to start with but okay." Zayn says, chuckling as Crystal moves down taking off one pair of her shoe and throwing it at Zayn who easily catches it.

"So you've to repay me now."
"Repay you? What do you want, me running in the street in a chicken costume?"
"That'd be one hell of a sight but no, something else."

"W-what?"
"You're going to go meet that guy tomorrow." Zayn says, the words slipping out of his mouth with such ease that Crystal takes a take two to comprehend what he said.

"Are you for real?"
"Yes princess." Crystal sighs, the wheels turning in her head to think and then as if they stop at the right spot, she whispers.
"You fixed this?" she asks as a pang of shock rushes her body.

"You knew I'll dent the car." Crystal swats Zayn he dodges all her tries running across street, Crystal hot on his tail. "I know I'm a genius. Anyhow, now that I've sacrificed my car to the need," Taking a deep breath Zayn distances himself for safety measures. "Go meet that guy, tomorrow." Crystal stares at Zayn, her lower jaw hanging in air. Zayn blinks his eyes rapidly as he stares back at Crystal.

"Out of all people I thought you'll understand where I'm coming from but-" Her mouth opens to continue but drops right back as she's not able to make cohorent words. She pushes Zayn with huge force as he stumbles back, storming to her house.

"Crystal, I know you!" Zayn yells, crossing his arms as she comes to an immediate stop but doesn't turn. "I know it's not about marriage but about the fear of rejection."

"No, it's about you boys being the world's biggest population of assholes and deciding shit on what your assumptions are." turning back she starts walking to her house but is pulled right back when Zayn grips her wrist and pulls her into him. He holds her shoulders and shakes her as if it'll get some sense in her.

"Crystal grow up, go find them big girl pants and wear them! When are you going to get over the fact that yes you might have dated one asshole but that doesn't mean all boys are!" Crystal slightly pushes Zayn and glares at him.

"You know shit about anything Zayn. He destroyed me. Do you think it's a joke when the guy you're madly in love with makes a fúcking video of you both, making out and puts it on a pořnographíc website because he gets a dare?" Crystal yells, eyes slightly glistening in tears as she stares at him.

"You need to understand that it'll be fine sweetheart, everything will be fine." Zayn tries soothing her

"Zayn, we dated for more than a year and half and he ruined it in just some minutes doing something I least expected. Do you know how hard it was to cope? I'm still not able to bring that video down because I always chickened out of going to cyber police or something, did you see the dissappointed face dad had? do you get to see when I tell guys what happened and they pass this awkward smile to me?" Crystal sobs lightly, using the back of her sweater to clear her tears. Zayn opens his mouth to say something but closes it when nothing comes out.

"You know I can't see you cry and breakdown like this over that douchébag." he says. "You're not even in my arms."

Crystal slides towards Zayn and fall in his arms. He tightens his grip and hugs her, kissing the top of her hair.

"I feel so worthless sometimes when boys look at me like I'm some used object, Zayn," Crystal mumbles, her words coming out inaudible as her head lies comfortably in Zayn's chest, looking up in his eyes she notices they were watery. "You... you also leave me, like you walked away in highschool. You deserve so much better than an oversensitive-"

"You're not worthless babe, at least not for me." he confesses, holding her hands in his. "You're anything but worthless for me."

"Look at you Zayn, you're funny, smart, intelligent, working in a multinational company of your dreams, you're handsome. You're perfect Zayn." Zayn chuckles lightly. "No one's perfect, Crys. I'm not funny, I'm just mean and people take it for sarcasm or wit, I never give in my projects on time, had to google how to boil eggs and working in my favourite company? Yes it's a dream come true but it never feels satisfactory when my father hasn't once told me that he's proud of me and in highschool? I looked like a soaked raisin. Everyone comes out and goes in phases." Zayn whispers, staring directly into her eyes. He tucks her hair back and stares at the tears streaming down her face under the street light.

"Crystal you- you don't notice how amazing you are, You know I think your name's the most appropriate for you. Your heart's like a crystal that keeps shinning like a bright light even in the most darkest circumstances. There might not be any light for it to shine doesn't mean it's not a crystal anymore. The way you can light anyone's mood by just swinging your lips up and forming a smile. I know how it feels when people go away or hurt you. Trust me." Zayn breathes loudly, sighing as a pain spreads his chest. "It's agony for a month then painful for a week then you begin to forget and then it seems as if it never happened, as if it happened to someone else and you start shrugging as if you've not lost something forever or your trust isn't completely shattered." Zayn glances up at the sky, a smile forming on his lips as he looks back at her.

"They think I'm weird." Crystal mumbles, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips.

"People at work think I'm bipolar and a heartbroken creep," sighing he continues they're eye contact and smiles widely this time.

"People think that we are weird, creepy but Crys, its okay," he soothes her, looking directly in her eyes, clutching her face in his hands "It's okay to live a life others don't understand." he smiles even widely, making Crystal smile back. It's weird now that Crystal thinks about it, how he always knows the right thing to say. How her bestfriend is the absolute god of optimists and she's the queen of the pessimists. Well opposites attract.

The lot sits on the porch of Crystal's house and a comfortable silence lingers.
"Remember you're the world's most precious thing, you're beautiful Crystal," he speaks, staring at the sky while Crystal stares at him. "No one can bring you down except you."

"Thanks." she breathes, keeping her head on his shoulder. The situation looked so genuine to her. She stares at the sky and feels this hot stare in her peripheral vision. She feels Zayn's stare at the side of her face.

"You're... You're not gonna kiss me. Right?" she asks biting her lower lip harshly to control the smile. He shows an amused face.

"In your dreams, Hogward." he says, shoving her head away continuing to stay still, no one feeling the necessity to break the silence and so in that moment of silence sitting beside Zayn she concludes that the biggest lesson she has learned is, it's okay. It's okay for her to be kind to herself, to be wrong, to be mad, to be the epitome of flawed. It's okay to be happy and its okay to move the fúck on.

"But seriously, Kiss!?" Zayn furrows his brows accusingly as both of them burst out laughing.
Both of them decide that one of the favourite feeling is laughing with someone and realising half way through how much you enjoy them and their existence and they could really get used to each other.

"You know what, I'll go in a bomb áss dress and slay that man tomorrow." she smiles passing a high-five as she stares back up. Who knows this is it? The one. Her man.

____________
First of all, a MASSIVE THANKYOU TO zaynstaurus AND mindofjohanna Y'ALL BABES HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE TO ME THROUGHOUT COMMENTING ON ALL THE CHAPTERS. y'all are the reason I'm so motivated so a big shoutout to you! If you ever ever need a graphic (be it icon, banner, background, cover) just ask I'll make it free of cost for you loves!

Also, the things CECILE DID: that. So zayn and Crystal finally get to know the news in the next chapter and you're up for a rollercoaster dbxbbx im ao hyped. I SO EXCELLED MYSELF BECAUSE A 4500+ words chapter???? Wow???

Also, huge love to people who have been voting or are ghost readers. It'll be amazing if you'd pass feedback but i hope you're liking the story so far?

Theories, ideas?

Until soon x❤️❤️❤️❤️