He might be your lovestory, not necessary you're his. Don't forget to press the ⭐ to vote and also drop in comments! X

~

when we collide
15| december ten

Car screeching is what wakes up Crystal from the semi-sleepy stage she was in. Her heart somehow feeling whole again as she wraps her ever favourite shawl and sprints for the main door.

Opening it so hastily that it almost bangs on the wall she's thrown off guard when cold wind strikes her face almost immediately.

And exactly at one in the morning with her breath visible in air, a pang of hate flows in her veins when she makes eye contact with Zayn as he closes the door to the car seat and locks the it.

“You're awake?”  she hears him ask, as he walks slowly and stares varily at Crystal.
“Uhm—Crys?”

She couldn't do it anymore, she had lost every ounce of patience and fight in her. Collecting all the courage she possesses in her she eyes him nervously. “Do you hate me or I don't know. . . necessarily don't like me?”  she notices how Zayn eyes her skeptically.

“Of course not.”  he replies softly. She breaks eye contact and inhales slowly. He wasn't allowed to do this. Those beautiful hazel eyes could manipulate her to kill herself. The beautiful hazel eyes no one tried to get to know or understand.

“How can I hate you, Crys? You care about me, you're so kind to me.”  she feels a pang of hurt strike like an arrow through her heart. She was kind. She was her best version for him. She was a cigarette.

“Then why are you so mean and cruel to me?”  she whispers slowly, as slow tears brim down her face. “Crys—”
“Go die.”  she bangs closes the door and locks it. It's only a second before Zayn starts knocking on the door.

“Are you really locking me out Crys? It's freezing outside. The temperature is in negative. Just let me in I'll explain.”  she hears his muffled voice plea from across door. “More like make an excuse.”

Zayn knocks some more and then backs off rushing to the window door in the backyard but much to his displeasure finds it locked as well. He notices Crystal walk in the room, arms crossed together and face red due to crying.

“Crystal, please.”
“Do you realise how scared I was?”  she whimpers, light sobs escaping her mouth as she sits across the window door. Zayn feels his skin imprint in goosebumps as the cold wind washes pass him.

But something tell him it's more than the wind. Maybe those tears really hit him hard.

“Who told you to take such a big house? Why aren't you fúcking responsible like you should be?”
Zayn sighs and sits on the veranda of the window door, grasping his coat closer to him and glancing at Crystal who sits right on the opposite side of the door. He keeps the two packets he held down on the ground and tries to muster his best puppy face.

“Just let me in and I'll tell you.”  he bargains, feeling his nose turn pink and extremely cold. London weather was a disaster. Even more disastrous in December.
“You're lying. You won't tell me shít. You deserve this.”  she says, sniffing as she keeps her hands on the glass door and stares at him angrily as she presses her nose on the glass door.

Zayn somehow tries to keep in the chuckle that almost escapes his mouth. She looks beautiful to him, nose pressed on the glass pane staring at him like the door was the only thing stopping her from killing him.

Zayn nods lightly and then looks around sprinting to the little shed he had in his backyard. Crystal stays hesitant in opening the door but when two minutes pass and she's still not able to locate Zayn she opens the door and shivers crazily when the wind hits her.

Walking little further she almost chokes on her own saliva when she sees Zayn on a wooden ladder almost on the top but three jumps away from his room.  “Zayn, what the héll!?”

He throws the two packets up which successfully fall in the balcony and then leaps in air and Crystal screams when he grasps the grill and the ladder falls straight on the ground. He pulls himself up and falls on the balcony of his room. “Are you out of your mind, Zayn!? You could've hurt yourself!”

Ignoring her scream Zayn enters his room after opening the balcony slider door and Crystal sprints inside to his room not before closing the window door of the backyard. She almost slips and trips on her shawl but comes to an immediate halt when she notices Zayn outside his room.

“What are you doing?”  Zayn shrugs his shoulders and passes a goofy smile to her. “Were you trying to kill me?”

Crystal crosses her arms and stares at him dropping daggers on him and Zayn's heart almost leaps by the intensity of it.
“Crys. . .”  she walks closer and her arms almost instantly enclose him catching him off guard as all the air in him gets knocked out.

He hears her sniff and shiver and his long arms circle her, making their way around her back making her completely melt from his warmth, he runs his hand down and up her back in a soothing motion.  “Don't do this stunt again I'm- I thought there- it was—”

Zayn sighs, hearing her ramble was the last thing he'd like. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. This place can get scarily alone I'm— you know what?” he backs away a little, clutching her hair behind her face Crystal manages to look up, her eyes slightly puffy due to crying.

“Go in.”
“Didn't you lock it?”
“That means I did right by doing so.”
“You suck big time, Zayn.”
“Go in, Crystal.”
“No.”  Zayn huffs, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Crystal, go in.”

“First tell me where you— ZAYN!” clutching her wrist in his hand he starts pulling her to his room but she starts pulling back.
“Come on, move Crystal.”  he whines, trying to pull her in and she pulls herself back.

“This isn't funny, leave my hand Zayn.” and just as Crystal stops pulling herself, both with the immense force Zayn pulls her with fall straight inside his room.
“Crystal your hair.”  he whines, body pressed under hers. When Crystal removes her hair to the back is when their eyes meet. She stares at his face and realises how it's the first time she's seen him so close. His light stubble inviting her hands to touch and feel the roughness.

Her nose red and the skin around her eyes is blotchy and red. He notices how her eyes are a light version of brown when she cries, almost hazel. People would look at her and feel she's ordinary with the brown eyes and light brown, almost blonde hair.

But to Zayn, she was the loveliest girl ever.

He breathes lightly as his eyes falter down to her lips and then strike up to her eyes, biting his lower lip nervously.

“This floor is very comfortable?” Crystal mumbles awkwardly making Zayn smile lightly and shake his head. “You might wanna get up or you got some other plans. . .?”  he drags his sentence making Crystal swallow the lump she just notices in her throat.

“W-what plans?”
“Like looking straight.”  Furrowing her brows she glances up and that's the second time she chokes on her own saliva.

The bed was shifted slightly away to get a better space. Silk white sheet was loosely draping down the sofa and one of her favourite wine in two glasses with low lit candles.

And the huge bouquet with red roses and white carnations, her favourite flowers.

What the héll?

She notices a small card on the sofa and sprints towards it, stepping on Zayn's stomach unintentionally.
“FÚCK!”  he cusses, turning around and grasping his stomach as he looks at Crystal opening the card that read 'happy birthday'

She turns around, almost hesitantly and Zayn manages to pass her a smile in midway of his organ malfunction crisis.
“Happy birthday, bestfr- wow here comes the two minute noodles.”  he gags, coughing lightly. He stares up to notice her looking at him, a small smile on her lips and her eyes glistening with tears.

Standing up and brushing his stomach lightly. “That was a nice return gift.”  Crystal chuckles lightly, shaking her head. But maybe, Zayn hinted at something more. 

“I don't know what to say—”
“A thank you maybe?”
Crystal rolls her eyes playfully.
“Thank y—”
“Maybe a hug?”  dropping the card she walks and embraces him, kissing his cheek slowly.
Zayn stops for a second, stopping himself with much effort to turn whilst she was about to kiss his cheek because— wow no she would've slapped him.

And that's not what bestfriends do. No they don't do that.

“Where did you get this food from? You didn't make that yourself did you?”
“No way! I can't boil eggs to save my life but yeah I did—” he nervously brushes his neck and avoids eye contact.

“WHAT?”  Crystal yells, her eyes large in excitement as she without noticing grabs the hem of his suit catching Zayn off guard. Wow okay why is this so—

“ZAYN WHAT DID YOU COOK?” she almost starts jumping and Zayn couldn't help but feel his heart racing fast. He knew he'd rather break his heart than hers.

“I tried baking a cake, this is your cue to laugh.”  When Crystal screams obnoxiously loud is when Zayn steps back with wide eyes.

“GET IT GET IT!”
Zayn shakes his head, laughing at her when she starts jumping, her excitement peeking out of her eyes wildly. “Woah okay, you two year old.”

He grabs the cake from the car and rushes back to the room and peeks in to see her touching the flowers of the bouquet, he notices the shy smile on her face and couldn't stop himself from smiling.

“I'm going to warn you, Margaret told me this looks toxic.”  he whispers putting the cake on the ground as he sits on the silk sheet in front of her and video calls her father.

“I CAN'T HEAR YOU!”  Jack yells through the phone, almost immediately as the call connects making Zayn roll his eyes. “Maybe because I didn't say anything dumbàss.” Jack rolls his eyes and the phone is snatched from his grip.

“Crys, sweetie happy birthday. I called earlier to wish but Cecile told me Zayn asked everyone to not wish you until he asks.”  he shakes his head. “Your mother snatched the phone out of my grip.”

Crystal couldn't muster the amount of happiness she feels when she looks at her family sitting there. “CRYSTAL SWEETHEART, happy birthday!” Doniya yells through the phone making Crystal giggle.

“Woah call the zoo, I spot the escaped pig.”  Doniya rolls her eyes at Zayn's comment. “Fúck off dipshít.”  Trisha swats her arm angrily. “Zayn enough of this nonsense. Sweetheart happy birthday!” she says passing a kiss to her. Zayn leans closer to Crystal to fit both of them in the frame and when Zayn unintentionally puts his hand over hers rather than the ground, both look down and then up awkwardly.

“Where's the cake?”  Zayn retrieves the box making his phone still down on a wall so it faces them and tries to put it down. “You can blow the candles but I'll suggest not to eat it.”

“Wow, what is that? Unstable puke?”  Yaser comments, making everyone laugh and Zayn rolls his eyes. “Yaser don't.”
“Yes dad, seeing how I have to swallow this back everytime you say something, I thought that's edible?”

“ENOUGH, CRYSTAL BLOW THE CANDLE!”  They yell, making her smile as she nods excitedly. She blows the candle and cuts the cake which doesn't look that bad except the frosting going everywhere and anywhere.

She cuts the cake and instead of passing it to Zayn takes a bite herself. She tries holding back the gag she feels but a chuckle leaves her mouth making Zayn stare at her anxiously.

“What?” she chuckles and cuts a piece moving it towards his face and he bites it and spits it right after. “Don't tell me I did what I did.”

“Yes, that's salt.”  Crystal laughs making Zayn roll his eyes and falls back on the ground to groan. He hears a group of laughter from the phone and disconnects the call without warning. Sighing he turns around to see Crystal take another bite.

“Crystal, the fúck?”
“What?” she says, chewing the cake with a poker face forcing Zayn to remember all the chemistry he had done in highschool to recall whether flour and salt messed up your head or no?

“That is gross.”
“This is the best I've ever had.” she whispers, taking another bite whilst staring in his eyes. He smiles lightly and shakes his head. “This is revolutionary. Salty cake. You made a revolution, Zayn.”

“Yeah.”  he laughs breathlessly. “I'm so revolutionary.”  they eat the food which was slightly cold but considering how Crystal kept him out for a while they let it pass. They sip on the wine and he tries to understand why she was still eating that toxicity and joke of a cake.

“Come on now.”  he mumbles after fifteen minutes, throwing the leftover chinese takeout in the packet and standing. Crystal swallows the food and stares confusedly. “Where?”

“Your gift, Crys.”
“Wait, this was the gift.”
“This was a surprise, Crystal. Not a gift. Come on, movvvve it!” he says pushing her slowly as she stands. “But—”

“No buts! Go wear something pretty and we'll go.”
She stares at him dumbly. “But it's almost two, are you taking me for dinner?”

“Wow Crystal! Shock me by being intelligent for once!” Zayn sasses, faking a shocked voice making Crystal swat him and walk off. Minutes later she walks out wearing a red bodycon dress with some thick black stockings. Slipping into some knee high black boots she grabs her brown coat and red mittens and walks to the livingroom.

“I can't believe you, Zayn.” he turns around and smiles.

“Did I tell you that you look astounding and magical in red?”  Crystal's cheek instantly feels warm and she shakes her head slowly. “I didn't? Yeah because I don't lie.”  he snickers when Crystal slams one of her mittens on him and he wears it.

She loses it. Zayn. Red bunny mittens. Can the ground swallow her already because he looks undeniably cute. “I'm wearing these! These are revolutionary.”  he almost screams, smiling widely at her as he pulls the small ears on the mittens.

Is this guy real?

“Let's go.”
“Zayn I don't think you'll find some restaurant when it's literally two.”  Zayn rolls his eyes, passing her a smile and moving behind her to wrap a blindfold on her eyes.

“KINKY?”  Crystal yells and she feels him visibly stop and still.
“Wait. . . You're into it? Blindfolding?” she asks awkwardly, touching her blindfolds. “I think we should go.”  she hears him say and she muffles a laugh while she tries to walk. “Zayn, help?”

Awkwardly palming himself he walks to her and gently slips his hand in hers whilst guiding her. Unknowingly, Crystal notices how warm his hand is. The feel of his hand in hers was ethereal. Her fingers twitch to intertwine with his but she stops herself.

After a drive of what feels like fifteen minutes to her she feels the car stop. “Let's go.”  Zayn whispers and Crystal doesn't miss the excitement dripping from his voice. She feels her side of door opening and she exits the car, clutching Zayn's shoulder.

She hears a bell ring as the door opens, announcing their entrance. “Wait Zayn, if we're breaking in someone's property I've got ten pounds on me I'm taking a taxi back to home.”

“I feel like I should've covered your mouth instead of your eyes.”  Crystal swats her arm in his stomach and Zayn yells in pain. “Girl what.”

Chuckling lightly Crystal stands when she feels Zayn distancing from her back. “Zayn? Where are we?”  she asks, moving to touch around when she touches something cold, realising it's marble. She even moves around to feel a computer right on the marble and realising it's a counter.

“Zayn!?”  she yells but she doesn't get answered. Taking in a breath she opens her blindfold and it takes her eyes a minute to get over the bluriness and see carefully. She looks around and notices booths, right in front of it a billing counter.

Who's café is this? Wait if this is a café where's the coffee machine?

She walks around finding the place immensely beautiful as the moonlight pierced in through the glass windows. She looks outside to notice their car and the empty London streets. “Zayn? Who's café is this?”  she yells turning around and colliding with Zayn making a gasp release from her mouth.

“Can you stop scaring me?”  she whines making Zayn chuckle as he walks behind the counter and jumps to stand on it. “This isn't a café, I mean it was but no more.”

Crossing her arms Crystal stares at Zayn talking about things she could really care less about because what does she have to do with someone's property?
“So?”

“Now it's going to be turned into a bakery.”  Zayn says, smiling down at her and she shakes her head walking to one of the booth and straightening the cloth spread on the table. “And you're asking me to work here? Who's place is this?”

She says glancing back at Zayn who passes her a small smile and she notices a weird warmth in his eyes making her turn immediately to the cloth.

“Yours, sweetheart.”
And exactly for the third time, she chokes on her saliva. All the breath in her lungs gets knocked out as she slowly looks up and then when she gains the power to face Zayn, she slowly turns around finding him sitting on the counter, smiling warmly at her.

“What the fúck?”
“You wanted a bakery of yours, right? Remember you told me when we came here. I've been searching for a place since weeks. Even took off from work, At the end I had to go to Margaret for help, even though she reminds me how I came to her for help, everyday, but—”  Zayn shrugs his shoulders, a goofy smile playing on his lips.

Crystal stares at him dumbfoundedly. She's aware of the tears that are strolling down her cheeks recklessly and she knows no one ever did something like this for her.

“Why did you do this?” she whisper asks, her throat clutching around her as she loses her voice.

“Because.”  Zayn makes a thoughtful face and then smiles at her. “Because why the héll not!?” this boy, this goddamn boy.

He buys her a fúcking bakery in London with his investments and he's laughing. Crystal stops dead in her track because it was too much to take in and holy héll his laughter. She knows no one could look that good laughing as they sit on the counter of a caf- bakery wearing a suit, tie drooping low, hair going haywire.

She hears how he goes nonstop about all the equipments in the kitchen which obviously he's describing wrong but Crystal couldn't help but feel warm because how adorable he looks with his voice raising in excitement as he talks about it. Even if he has no clue.

Everyone's dictionary has a different meaning for perfect, someone says flawless, someone says something that has flaws but still shines. For Crystal, it was simple.

Z-a-y-n

An amazing mixture of a beautiful, caring and warm guy with a perfect attitude, sarcasm and asshole-ish behaviour.
She wants it all.

She wants the pointless texts and fighting, late night two minute noodles or chinese takeouts, holding hands with him to let him no she won't trade him for the word. Weird pictures, trespassing properties of brothers.

The sarcasm, the wrestling, the ego, the feelings she's trying to hold uncontrollably. The way she inches closer to him to feel safe, laughing when he falls or trips down stairs or drops a vase and jumps so high in fear that he could reach mars.

“Uh. . . Crys?” she notices how she's an inch away from him, not noticing how she walked till here all the while staring at him.

“Yeah?”
“You like it?”  he asks with a slight nervous tone and Crystal couldn't help but smile as she jumps on him with such impact that he almost loses his balance. She feels his chest rising as he shares a fit of laughter strongly holding her from the waist.

“I think you do?”
She wants to be one of those bestfriend couples. She noticed everything and she didn't want to stop, even if she had to eat salty cakes for a lifetime.

“WHAT IS THIS PLACE?”  she yells when Zayn takes her to the backyard of the place. It was decorated amazingly. A barren land behind with trees lining around the boundary with loose fairy lights. The way the tress were sculpted and the lights were hung. It was magical with a small table and chair.

“Wanted to be the first customer.”  he whispers, walking to the table and making his stride look authoritative.
“Miss Hogward, I think I'm ready to order.”  he says boldly making Crystal giggle as she makes her way.  “What would you like Mr. Malik?”

Maybe you out of that dress but bestfriends don't do that. “What's the best you have?”  he asks, raising his brows up. Crystal makes a thoughtful face and then replies surprisingly fast. “At such short duration, chocolate nemesis is the ideal option.”

Zayn makes an impressed face to that. “Wow! I've no idea what that is but sounds delicious.”  Crystal bursts out laughing as she shakes her head. “I thought we were in character.”

“Sorry.” she mumbles between her fits and after collecting herself somehow she nods and starts walking to the kitchen but stops immediately. “But, ingredients?”

“Everything's there.”  she smiles lightly and walks to the kitchen leaving Zayn alone with his thoughts. He smiles lightly because she really didn't look that happy in a while and he couldn't stop smiling.

This was amazing, just as he planned. He shoots a quick text to Margaret thanking her for helping him with property search and the cake. She was right, that was too crushed for sugar.

At least he gets to eat a good dessert. He holds the key in his pocket and smiles slowly. He helped her make her dream come true. He finally did something to make someone happy. Make her happy. After all this while of making her cry and be disappointed he did something he was proud of.

He checks his email quickly and notices a mail from the official I.D. of his office. Opening it quickly he notices how it's the invite for the official yearly party they throw.

This time it was going to be even more extravagant due to them winning a tenor with The Met Art Gala faculty. His eyes pop out of his sockets when he reads the invitation again. Specifically, a single sentence at the bottom.

“. . . and to honour one of the most dedicated and hardworking delegates, Mr. Zayn Malik to be reputed to the panel of directors during the hosting.

To celebrate, the tenor and all the achievements. This invite goes for the invited person plus one. Please show. . .”

Zoning out Zayn snaps back. He's going to be honoured during the felicitation? Like? this invite goes to everyone. Everyone sees his name. His breath skips as he imagines it all.

He has it all. Literally two months back he was at the brink of losing everything. All dedication and motivation to live life. And now? He takes a deep breath in. Noticing how the party is December ending. he loses his shít.

“Here you go—”  he screams on the top of his lungs catching Crystal offguard. “CRYSTAL HOGWARD READ THIS!” 

“Okay.”  Crystal squeaks, merely over a whisper owing the sudden intensity of his voice. Her eyes skim through the whole invitation finding nothing interesting when her eyes land on one sentence particularly in the middle and her mouth opens wide. She looks up at Zayn with shock to see a glint of excitement as he waits for her reaction.

“DID YOU SEE?”
“Albert Paniko.”  she whispers, making Zayn knot his eyebrows together. Albert Paniko was one of the richest and most contemporary artists of the years passing. Zayn had somehow managed to score a pass to his art gallery in highschool and had the chance to see him from a hall apart distance.

That guy was his inspiration.
He bored Crystal day night talking about that meeting.
“What?”

“He's the guest of honour, Zayn.”  Zayn almost faints as he snatches his phone back trying to locate the sentence and he jumps on the chair. “WHAT THE—”  he jumps down to pick her up, making her gasp as he twirls her around. “Crys Crys Crys.”  she laughs as she holds his shoulders whilst he pushes her up like a child and pulls her down.

“I cannot believe this, Crystal. This is all because of you. I-I don't know how to pay you—”
She silences him by keeping her palm on his mouth.

“Zayn, really?”  he bites his lower lip and leans in making Crystal's breath stop in her throat as he slowly moves forward and stands almost an inch away. “This is all because of you.”  he whispers slowly, making Crystal giddy.

Was he going to kiss her? Because she'll scream. Boy will she.

She feels her knee weaken when she feels his lips hardly any far, his breath hitting her lips. Her eyes close almost immediately.

And then, Zayn leans and pecks the corner of her lips staying still for a second and then a chuckle leaves his mouth. “Wow shit, I almost kissed you, Crys.”  Crystal opens her eyes to meet his, a playful glint in them and he shakes his head.

“How crazy oh my god, let's forget that.”  he says, chuckling as he walks to the cake she put on the table. “This looks good.”  she doesn't turn back. Not because she didn't want to face him but because she didn't want him to catch something that was written all over her face.

“You know you're my favourite, Crystal.”  she hears him say. Slowly turning she looks to see him seated on the chair as he bites on the dessert and signals her to join him. Forcing a smile she sits down across him.

“Favourite what?”
“I—” he stammers. “I don't know. Favourite personality, favourite name on my phone, favourite cook, favourite friend.”  he laughs as he takes in another spoon. “Just fill in the blank.”

She laughs lightly as she stares to the left at the back exit and glances at him from the corner of his eyes as he bites on the dessert now discarding the spoon.

How bad she wanted to tell him everything. Everything.

She wanted to tell him that his smile was magical and could light alleys of darkness, shining through midnight and how his eyes are like sanddunes where she's repeatedly trying to find her oasis. An oasis of the feeling reciprocated to hers. His eyes like molten chocolate that she could swim in for days and weeks.

How he makes her happier than any person and sadder than anyone did. How he's raising this storm for her where it's a mix of adventure she's willing to take but he's full board. Housefull.

Somewhere in conversation she wants to sneak in how she wants to steal his heart the way he did hers. Was it possible for her to not have a single shred of effect on his heart when he totally turned hers upside down?

She breaks off from her trance when she notices Zayn passing her a look like she's a bit crazy.
“What?”  he asks, laughing lightly.

“Nothing, just thinking how amazing of a bestfriend I have.” she replies, making him smile as he whispers a 'likewise' diving into his almost finished dessert.
Crystal stares at his hand noticing the ring shining and mocking her.

He smiles at her again, while she realises she might have broken a piece of her own heart mid sentence.

____________

FIRSTLY, HAPPY BDAY CRYS!❤️

HOW ARE MY FAV PEOPLE IN THE WORLD DOING. GUYS YOUR FEEDBACK IS UNREAL IVE NEVER RECEIVED SUCH PRAISE ON MY BOOKS AND I'M SHOOK. LITERALLY.

I LOVE YOU ALL SM.

thoughts on chapter? Theories?

Also, is there something specific you'll like Zrystal to do? I'm doing this fan inspired chapter so drop in your ideas and i might put them on the next chapter.

What do you think is going to happen? Any idea?

Character questions? (INLINE) ツ✧

LAST CHAPTER CHARACTER QUESTIONS.
LARA:
Q. You are a bitch.
Wow, you rly don't know what I've in store sweetie.

ZAYN:
Q. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being highest, how gorgeous is Crystal.
She's gorgeous, you know that. Definitely a tenner. I'm really hyped for the dress she bought for the official party. She didn't let me see but the manager said it's the prettiest one they had. Wow i need to stop rambling you literally asked a number im dumb.

JACK:
Q. WILL YOU DATE ME (asked 3x 😂)
Woah, i would've given it a thought but im scared that my family might get us married seeing their history ツ

All the love for the support, until next time xoxo❤️❤️❤️