Chapter 14 ― Mila

“Are you excited?” Moni asked whilst I kept looking for my phone. Seriously, how could I lose it so easily? And I needed my phone; I used it for everything.

“Why do you ask?” I inquired innocently though I knew perfectly what she was talking about.

Moni snorted like a lady never should do and hit me softly in the arm. “First off, we’re officially free!” she almost screamed and I giggled without stopping to look for my phone. “Second off, they are coming back today. You’re gonna see them again! I can’t believe a month has passed,” she rambled making me laugh.

“It’s not a big deal, Moni,” I told her kneeling to look for my phone under the bed. “Can you call me again? Maybe I’ll hear it now.”

“Sure,” she replied calling me with her phone that she never lost. Lucky bastard. “And it is a big deal. You’ve been talking to Harry everyday and with the other lads quite often, too. That curly seem your new BFF and I’m worried he’s stealing you from me! And now we’re gonna spend holidays with them. I’ll have an eye on that boy,” she said threateningly which only made me laugh. Hey, my phone! The damn thing was behind the nightstand.

“Silly, you know that no one will replace you,” I told her but she kept looking at me with her arms folded. “Now let’s go if we expect to get to the airport in time.”

Yes, we were going to receive them at the airport as a surprise. Alex insisted I had to go and she even talked to Moni to help her convince me. Those two were united in this OTP thing. We hung out some days —those few days we had a few hours for ourselves— and more than once both girls started chanting ‘OTP, OTP, OTP’. So Moni now was in Alex’s side but I didn’t understand them, it was clear that Zayn and I were never going to work out for very simple reasons. He was crazy for Alex, not me. Plus, I didn’t like Zayn that way. Although I hoped we could make aside our differences —and by differences I meant his inability to see me— and become friends.

“My OTP will reunite today!” Moni squeaked like a silly fangirl getting over all her speech about me replacing her with Harry. “Let’s go! Hurry up!” And then the brunette practically ran out of my room. I worried about my best friends sometimes, even more when she had drunk so much coffee in one day.

I walked behind her telling myself that the knot in my stomach had nothing to do with the fact that I was seeing Zayn again and that I hadn’t thought of him more than what I thought of the other lads. I talked to him a few times and my heart didn’t leap every time I saw him on the screen or when he smiled at me.

Ugh, who was I trying to fool? I had all those silly reactions when I saw him and I did think of him more than I should. I couldn’t stop my heart from skipping a beat when he smiled at me so genuinely, like he was really glad to see me. I didn’t know why I wanted him to notice me, to see me so badly. I didn’t know why I cared so much. But I did, even if I tried to fool myself about it.

When I got to my car, Moni was already there, plugging in her iPhone. We were meeting with Alex and Belle in the airport. Phebs couldn’t make it because her boyfriend had invited her to meet his parents. Things were going pretty serious there and she told us that she was going to introduce him to all of us very soon. I was really eager to meet him because Phebs could only say wonderful things about him. In fact, I felt like I already knew him.

The lads didn’t know we were going to meet them there. Alex had planned all this with Paul without them noticing it so it was going to be a surprise. I particularly was really enthusiastic about seeing their faces after so many hours in a plane. I wanted to make fun of Harry.

“Are you sure they are taking this exit?” Moni asked to Alex who seemed really into something that was happening in her phone.

“Yes. Paul just texted me saying they are coming,” the black-haired girl replied putting the phone back in her pocket. “Be ready. Just letting you know, I will jump on Niall and I won’t be sorry for our cheesy moment. Got it? Yes? Perfect.”

I laughed to myself. Who would have thought that someone who always wanted to puke when she saw couples snogging or being all lovey-dovey now would be as cheesy as them? Love certainly changed people, Alex was a big example of that.

I ignored my heart that, for some stupid reason, was beating faster and I focused my attention on the entrance where they should appear. By all I knew, they made a whole fuss so no one would know what time they were arriving to London but probably there were some very dedicate and obsessive fans outside and if they were, we were going to need to hide. At least we were there to be the first ones to say hello.

I heard Alex’s squeak before seeing them walking towards us and then I saw as Niall threw everything to the floor and ran to catch Alex in his arms. I always thought that kind of scene only happened in movies, but I just had been witness of one. I smiled like stupid whilst seeing them having their moment. I knew they had missed each other terribly, Alex wasn’t as happy when Niall was around, but she was strong and never told him how much she needed him with her. She always smiled at him and encouraged him, telling him they were going to see each other soon. She remained strong even for her birthday which she couldn’t spend with Niall.

“Mila?” I heard a slow and deep voice and turned around to see a quite sleepy and surprised Harry looking at me. I smiled brightly and held my laugh at his messy curls.

“Hi there, hipster,” I said and his smile grew bigger as he walked to me to crush my bones in a bear hug. “Can’t breathe!”

“I missed your sarcastic face!” He told me and I just laughed but my eyes were looking over his shoulder and met Zayn who was looking at Niall and Alex. That poor masochist boy, why couldn’t he let it go?

Maybe he felt my gaze or maybe he couldn’t take it any longer, but he turned around and his eyes immediately met mine as if I was calling him. The painful expression disappeared and a smile adorned his features. I smiled too whilst Harry was still crushing my body like a bloody anaconda.

“So glad you’re here! Oh, Moni!” Harry said as he saw my friend. They grew on each other as well, with all our video-callings and jokes. The brunette was getting along with all of them pretty well. He let go of me and went to hug my best friend, leaving me there with my aching bones. He was pretty strong for a skinny teenage boy.

“I have my eyes on you, Styles,” my friend threated him but Harry just ignored her and it was her turn to be crushed. I laughed and waited because I saw Liam coming in my way. He was smiling brightly and I just did the same as his arms wrapped around me.

“So good to see you, Mila!” He said hugging me tightly.

“Same here. Welcome back,” I told him hugging him back. “Did you have fun?” He just nodded at my question, his smile as big and cute as usual. I couldn’t stop thinking of a cute little puppy when I saw him smiling like that I just wanted to cry.

“It was great. Hey, isn’t Phebs here?” He asked, his eyes wandering around the airport, looking for the blonde girl.

“She’s at her Lucas’ house, meeting his parents,” I told him and something weird happened, I saw something changing in his expression, like he didn’t approve of what I told him. “You okay, Liam?” I inquired and he just nodded before walking away to greet Belle.

I kept looking at him, trying to figure out what had happened when Louis came to hug me. I didn’t hate the Doncaster boy, but sometimes he annoyed me greatly when he started with the whole Peter Pan complex, so we weren’t as close. Even though, we had our moments sometimes. He was a good partner in crime.

After Louis left me, Zayn was standing in front of me with a sweet and warm smile, like he was really happy to see me but I couldn’t be sure. I was never sure with Zayn. “Hi, Mila. I’m glad you’re here,” he said, but was he? Was he really happy to see me or it was because I was there to distract him from Niall and Alex?

He opened his arms and I stopped thinking about everything and just hugged him. Did it really matter if he was or wasn’t happy to see me? He just came back from a long month in America, away from his family and some friends; the least I could do was to greet him properly. “Welcome back,” I said as his arms surrounded me and pulled me close to his body.

I had to admit it, it felt good, it felt damn good to be in his arms, with my face buried in his chest, his scent surrounding me and it smelled so sublime. My whole body was tingling and I felt this knot in my stomach tensing and tensing. Something was going to break loose inside of me, I knew it but whilst he was hugging me, I couldn’t care less.

For some reason, hugging Zayn felt different from hugging the other lads. I felt completely different when it was Zayn the one holding me close with his face almost hidden in my hair and his soft and warm breath tingling in my ear.

“Lads, we should go now,” a deep voice said and just then I realised Zayn and I were still hugging. I stepped back immediately feeling my cheeks get warmer. I avoided all eyes and just looked at my shoes. I, obviously, also avoided Zayn’s stare on me though I could feel him perfectly. “Girls, you probably should go first so if there are some fans they won’t connect you with the lads,” Paul carried on and I nodded though I didn’t know what the other girls said nor did.

“As tomorrow we’re going to Harry’s, we’ll leave you alone tonight to get some rest and prepare your things for tomorrow’s trip,” Alex informed and I knew she was still next to Niall.

“Oh, but won’t you come to my flat?” And that was Niall. I glanced a few seconds just to see how he was pouting at her. Alex just smiled. “I’ve missed you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you there later,” she replied giving him a light peck before coming to where Moni, Belle and I were standing. “The rest of you, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

I dared to look at Zayn and as I suspected, his eyes were on me, his look so intense that it vied with Harry’s, and the curly-haired boy knew how to stare in someone’s soul. I wanted to know what was going on in his mind in that moment. I wanted to know what Zayn was thinking. Normally I could read people quite easily, and understand them wasn’t hard either, because I was a very empathic person —sometimes too empathic and that gave me load of troubles—, but with Zayn it was getting harder and harder to read him and I didn’t know why.

As we walked ahead I wondered how many things were going to change in these days at Harry’s house and I questioned myself if I was ready for it.

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Dedication for @charliester3 because she's an incredible reader

Bel, xx