It's Always You

Chapter 5

Alana took a long ragged breath with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks when Audrey hugged her into his chest, “Hush now Alana.. You know how exactly Mia becomes a force to be reckoned with when she is angry...” He said rubbing her back. “Don’t take her words seriously, darling..”

Audrey had followed Alana to her flat thinking that she might need someone to comfort her. She looked so enervated and terrorized by Mia’s sudden outburst.

“No.. It was me who pushed her to the limits..” She admitted in a low whisper.

“You are her best friend and you were just trying to protect her, Alana..”

“Didn’t you hear her, Audrey?” She sniffled her cries. “She was right. I went overboard in the name of friendship. Being someone’s best friend doesn’t mean I have go around poking my nose into their life. I have no rights to control her life and I have clearly been doing that to her all this while.”

“Look honey, you need to stop thinking about it. In my opinion you did nothing wrong but talk to her when the time is right and apologize if you feel the need for it. I promise she would understand you..” He insisted, handing over the box of tissue from the nearby table.

Alana nodded and grabbed a few tissue from him, “Thanks Audrey for coming here today..” She wiped her face and got up to go into the kitchen. “Want some coffee? I can drive you home after that..”

“Are you sure you can drive? I can take a cab if not..” He sauntered behind her to the kitchen.

“I am upset not paralyzed, Audrey. Of course I can drive you home..” She chuckled and switched on the coffee machine.

Alana placed the cup of coffee on the small table in her balcony where Audrey was seated. “Are you still thinking about it, Alana?”

Alana smiled at Audrey and took a seat in front of him, “Mia must like that guy a lot for screaming at me like that. I have never seen her so angry in my whole life..” She said sipping her coffee.

“Oh yeah, that she does..” He agreed with curt nod. “You should have seen her that night at Rony’s party. She couldn’t take her eyes off Zayn but what concerned me was that he didn’t give a damn about any of the girls around him, including Mia. I even saw him going home alone that night when all the other guys were taking a girl with them. I wonder, what might be the reason for a straight and attractive male like him to behave so?”

“How do you know he is straight?” Alana asked.

“We know it instantly babe and I am damn sure he isn’t gay..”

“Then why isn’t he doing relationships?” Alana suddenly seemed to show too much interest in gossiping about Zayn but Audrey was sure she was doing it for her friend and not for any other reason.

“In my opinion, either he doesn’t believe in relationships or he is already in a relationship..”  

“Oh God, what if he is already in a relationship, Audrey? I just don’t want Mia to get hurt..” she breathed softly holding the cup near her lips.

“Alana I know your intentions are good but Mia wouldn’t find it out until she gives it a try. And even if he is in a relationship, I believe Mia is strong enough to handle the heartbreak. So, leave it to her and stop worrying about it..”

“You are right, Audrey. I should stop worrying about it and let Mia do what she thinks is correct for her, instead of worrying and taking the decisions on her behalf..” Now that the topic of Zayn had come up, she thought she should tell Audrey about him working at the store.

“Audrey.. I have to tell you something..” She began after swallowing hard. She had known Zayn for just the past two days but she somehow felt like she was betraying her friends by not telling them the truth.

“Is it about your childhood love?” He asked with a childish grin.

“Mia told you about him!! I can’t believe she would do that..” Alana rambled on, looking furious.

“Don’t get mad on her. It’s not her fault. I literally pried her to tell me why you are the way you are and she also told me about. .the.. you know..” He paused and cleared his throat before he continued, “..but Alana you can trust me. Your secret is safe with me and I wouldn’t bring it up again if you don’t like it..”

She rolled her eyes and calmed down. Audrey had been with them for a while now and knowing fully well that he was a great friend, she grabbed his palm. “I do trust you, Audrey and as a member of our gang, it’s time for you to know  our darkest secrets. So, it’s alright..” She shrugged.

“So, now I’m officially into the gang?” He asked in amusement.

“Absolutely..” She answered extra dramatically but fell silent the very next moment, “Audrey, I have to tell you something..” She said again.

“Oh yeah, tell me sweety..” He turned his body fully towards Alana.

“I.. Uhmm..” Right on cue Audrey’s phone rang interrupting their conversation.

“Excuse me, babe.. I need to take this call..” He got up and walked away.

Alana sighed in frustration and leaned back into her seat. “Why is this becoming so difficult?” She asked to herself.

A minute later Audrey came back. “Hey Al. My car is surprisingly ready to be taken home today. The guy said he will be closing the workshop in half an hour, I need to hurry. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He said gulping the remaining coffee hastily.

“Alright.. See you..” Alana replied biting her inner lips. She wanted to so badly stop him and tell him that Zayn and she were working together for three days now but she let him go instead.

“Sleep and don’t think too much about what Mia said today, okay?” He uttered turning the doorknob but stopped and turned back to Alana, “Babe, you wanted to tell me something earlier. Sorry, it totally slipped out of my mind..”

“Never mind. It’s nothing important. You should hurry now if you want to make it before the garage is closed..”  She smiled politely. All the courage she had gathered in her heart then had tucked back into her heart once again.

“Alright, bye then..” He barged past her in a rush.

As soon as she walked back she saw it was time for her to go to the book store. She stuffed her bag with assignments that she had to do for the week and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. She decided to walk to the store that day instead of driving there.

Upon entering the store, she looked across the desk and found it empty. Nothing was in sight except for Zayn’s bag which was lying at the foot of the chair nearby.

“Mrs. Dawson?” She called out.

“I’m here Alana..” She answered from somewhere inside and Alana trudged towards her voice. Her eyes immediately locked with Zayn’s who was standing on a large stool, fixing the lights on the ceiling.

“Hi..” He almost said breathlessly, inserting the replacement bulb into the socket. Mrs. Dawson was standing down and gripping the stool.

“Hi, what are you guys up to?”

“Zayn is helping me fix all the fused bulbs. He thinks some renovation to the store would attract more customers. He is also planning to paint the walls afresh and create a reading corner by adding colorful chairs and table. What do you think, honey?”

“Ohh.. that’s a great idea!! Sure it would give the store a better ambience to sit and read.. When do we start the work?”

“From this weekend, that is if you are okay with it.” Zayn sent a quick glance at Alana to make sure she was okay with his plan. When he got an assuring nod from Alana he returned back to his work. “The painting work can be done in a couple of days and then we will be left with organizing the reading corner which can be done after our college hours. Meanwhile we can go select paint and all the other stuff we need for the renovations.”

“Just keep my budget in mind while you purchase everything..” Mrs.Dawson attempted to warn in a playful tone to remind them not to go boundless over the shopping.

“Okay, I think I know a few places where we can find what we need at a cheaper price. We can go there tomorrow if you are free..” Alana suggested looking at Zayn.

“Sure.. We can go after our classes get over. So that we can come here by six..”

Alana nodded. “Alright..”

They had begun their work after that as the customers started pouring into the store. Alana was finally able to take her mind off what had happened between Mia and her at the college but for not long enough. As soon as she became free again, her mind went back to the incident causing her violet orbs to stare into space mindlessly with both her hands clasped into one another, nervously fidgeting them.

Zayn noticed how quiet she was and made his way near her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He questioned taking a place beside her on the small couch.

“Nothing..” She muttered, refusing to tell him anything. How weird, she thought. They had fought over a guy they barely knew. Not exactly fought over but Zayn was somehow the reason for their argument and here he was asking what was wrong.

“Then why do you have that long face which surely doesn’t suit you?” He demanded. 

Clutching the book that she had in her hands, she looked down and deciding  not to reply to his questions.

“You know, you can tell me if you want, Alana..” He got the book from her hand to grab her attention fully towards him.

She wondered why every time he was acting like he was her savior but surprisingly his tone was so gentle and intimidating that she wanted to talk to him about it, at least half of the truth.

“I had an argument with my friend..” She opened up.

“You mean with Mia?”

Out of pure shock, Alana snapped her head to face him and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “How do you know who I am referring to? Are you stalking me or something?”

He stared at her before his pink lips quivered as he tried to control his laughter but finally failed in it miserably. “Seriously Alana? You think too much of yourself. Why would someone want to stalk you? I mean I have literally seen you with just the two of them, Audrey and Mia. Moreover Mia had talked to me a couple of times during our classes. The whole campus knows that you guys are close friends..”

“I have my reason for being suspicious..” She muttered bitterly.

Zayn chuckled, although the humor failed soon enough when he saw the look of agony and seriousness in Alana’s eyes. He instantly knew that something was definitely wrong and he had hit the wrong spots, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you with my words. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t wish to. I thought you would feel better if you talked to someone..”

For the first time Alana raised her eyes to meet his deep blue orbs and saw in them something she hadn’t seen in a long time, comfort and understanding.

“We had our first argument over a guy..” She mumbled shamefully.

“You girls like the same guy?” He winged his brow with a smirk.

“No not that.. She likes someone that she wants to pursue but I kind of stopped her from doing that but I swear I was just trying to protect her from heartbreaks. Now she thinks I am controlling her life..” She said looking down on her palms.

“You aren’t controlling her, Alana. You are trying to keep your best friend safe but you cannot always make decisions for others even if it would hurt them. Sometimes they have to undergo the pain themselves to understand..”

“You mean I have to let her suffer before she realizes what I was trying to tell her?”

“Yes..” He nodded.

“..but what if she gets hurt badly? I don’t want to see my friend like that because no one better than me knows how difficult it could get if you are put in such a situation..” She commented without maintaining an eye contact with him but she could feel his intense stare on her.

“See this is why she feels you are controlling her life.” He sighed. “Do you know the guy?”

“Not personally but yes I do know him..”

“And do you think he would hurt your friend in anyway?”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, ‘How much more could this conversation get ironic?’ She wondered.

Alana gazed into his deep eyes and studied him carefully for a whole minute before she eventually opened her mouth to answer him, “He looks like he wouldn’t hurt her..”

“Alana, I truly believe that you have the best intentions for her at your heart but what if she gets lucky in love and there is a chance that she could be happy with this guy, then don’t you think you taking away that chance of happiness from her?”

“I might look like a control freak b***h to you right now..” She blurted out.

“That’s not what I am thinking about you right now..” He sent a small smile as a response to her with his excitement clearly visible in his eyes. “Mia is very lucky to have a friend like you..”

Alana rolled her eyes and smiled at him almost innocently. “Are you trying to flatter me with your words?”

“Of course not..” He commented flashing a soft smirk which almost melted Alana’s inside. She involuntarily began to think how it was possible for someone to look so attractive effortlessly. “That’s a nice bracelet that you have there. Is it special because I have seen you wearing it before?” He questioned pointing at her wrist.

“Oh thanks..” She smiled, playing with the trinkets on it. “Does it have to mean special if I wear it everyday?”

“Doesn’t have to be..” He paused, “I guess you are not among the girls who change their jewels and accessories to match with their dress colour..”

She chuckled playfully, deciding to leave him unanswered, “I think we should get back to work before Mrs.Dawson comes to kick our ass..” She shrugged and walked to the cash counter.

When she went to bed that night she was in a good mood, almost forgetting her previous worries. She hadn’t felt that way with anyone in a long time. No guy had managed to become close with Alana to converse so freely and make fun of her, not even Audrey who was more like her girlfriend with whom she could freely chat and gossip.

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The next morning in college, Alana met Audrey and Mia at their spot. They were laughing over something that Audrey had joked about. The moment Mia felt Alana’s presence she scowled at her, her hazel eyes darkened with what supposedly seemed like anger.

“Hey guys!!”

“Hey princess..” Audrey exclaimed but Mia seemed to ignore her totally by turning away from her. It was pretty obvious that he felt bad for Alana when she was being disregarded by Mia. He jabbed at her arm in an attempt to make her say something in return but to no avail.

“Mia..” Alana muttered pressing her lips together into a thin line. Her throat began to tighten up to think that her best friend would not even want to look at her.

“Audrey, I have a class. See you in the afternoon..” Mia began to walk away but Alana was fast enough to grab her wrist. She wanted to end whatever misunderstandings they were having right then and there. In her opinion their friendship was much stronger than Mia was giving credits to.

“Mia, wait. I have to tell you something..”

“What, that I’m a b***h like Tanya? That’s what you wanna tell me? Or do you wanna lecture me about how cruel guys are and stop me from talking to every guy I like?” She spat, almost angrily.

“Mia, stop creating a scene and listen to what Alana has to say..” Audrey said with a slight anger laced in his tone.

Alana looked around and saw people gathering around them, staring like they were two lunatic girls having an ugly fight over a guy.

“No.. That’s not what I was trying to tell you, Mia..” She muttered, loosening her grip over Mia’s wrist. “I want to apologize for yesterday and for all these days that I have been trying to control you in the name of friendship. I now understand how I made you feel and I’m sorry for that. I always believed that I was protecting you from all kinds of pain but I never knew I was suffocating you with my attempts to keep you safe..” 

In the past it was like Alana always dealt with Mia’s problems even without Mia asking her to but she now understood, she couldn’t possible go on like this forever. Time’s changed and they had grown up. Over involvement in each other’s life would only create such problems in future.

“I promise I would never stop you from approaching a guy, Mia but don’t be mad at me for too long. Forgive me just this once.” Alana said, lightly gripping both her arms and she immediately noticed a tear strain streaking down Mia’s cheek before she threw her arms around Alana’s neck.

“I’m sorry, Ala.. I’m sorry for being this rude to you when I know what you did was to always protect me..” Her voice strained and forehead creased as she pulled away to look at Alana. “Oh God, I made you cry. I’m so sorry Alana..” She added when she saw how hard Alana was biting her lips to control her tears.

“No, I was the one who was being wrong and I’m sorry for that. You were right.. Just because I do not want to be in a relationship doesn’t mean everyone around me has to do the same. Who am I to stop you from being happy?” Alana whispered.

“Don’t say that. You are my best friend and you have all the right to..” She replied sympathetically.

“Do you really like Zayn?” Alana asked in a low whisper so that no one would know who the guy these girls were fighting over was.

“Yes Alana.. I really like him, a lot actually and I would be over the moon if he asks me out.” She grinned from ear to ear.

“I am happy if you are happy..” Alana sighed and pulled her friend into a hug.

“Yay!! So, you two girls are back to normal?” Audrey squealed in excitement pulling both of them into his arms.

Alana’s giggles died down her throat when she remembered that she was still hiding the fact from her friends that Zayn was her co-employee at the store. She wondered how they would react if she told them about it. It would make her look more like a b***h than before. She wanted to tell them but she felt tight lipped for some unknown reason. 

 A/N:

Hey readers!!

Thanks for the encouraging words from you all. It really helped me a lot and also thanks for patiently waiting for the update. 

Hope you liked this chapter. Please leave your comments and feedback. 

“Sorry, give me a second..”