It's Always You

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The following morning, Alana made a call to Mrs.Dawson to remind her that she was on her way to the book store.

Mrs.Dawson seemed to be in a hurry when she said, “Alana, the store is already open. I am caught up with some work in the bank. So I wouldn’t be able to come there today. I hope you will be able to manage.”

“Then, who is at the store?”

“Zayn is there to help you with your work..” Alana was horrified when she heard her say that.

“Zayn?” Alana’s breath knocked out on hearing his name. She clutched the steering, with a bewildered expression on her face.

“Yes honey, he has six years’ of work experience in a public library and moreover we need someone to replace Craig. I thought why not Zayn. He did a pretty good job yesterday..” Mrs.Dawson explained.

“Ohh?” Alana mused. First of all, she was never comfortable working alone with a guy after that particular incident which would remain a nightmare for the remaining days of her life. She instantly felt hysteric and her thoughts went back to the painful memory which she had tried so hard to not recall.

Her next problem was, how she was supposed to face Zayn when she had lied about finishing her job? On top of it, she had boasted herself for having a Ph.D. in maintaining books at a store when she had worked there for a mere three months.

“Hello, are you there dear?” The elderly woman asked her concernedly on the other side.

“Y-Yeah yeah.. I’m driving..” Alana replied jerking out of her thoughts.

“Alright I’ll come in the evening to collect the keys from you guys. Take care, darling.”

“Okay, see you soon..”

Her driving speed slowed down to a great extent after that call. She wanted to turn back and drive home so that she didn’t have to show her face to Zayn. But from the previous encounters with him, Zayn looked quite decent to harm her in anyway.

‘That’s what you thought about him too, Alana..’ Her own thoughts lashed out at her before she shook away all the negativity from her head. ‘Not everyone is like him and I have no other choice right now. I have promised to help Mrs. Dawson. Now, I cannot back out like a coward.’

After getting down from her car, she put her hand into her sling bag to check for her pepper spray can that she usually carried with her wherever she went.

When she walked into the store, she saw Zayn arranging the books while humming a tune. She stood behind him for a good few minutes before he finally turned and noticed her presence.

“Good morning!” Zayn waved his hand as he saw her standing quietly.

“Hey!!” She squirmed uncomfortably in front of him. She didn’t fail to observe the smugly snigger that immediately followed and she was dying to wipe the traces of arrogance from his strikingly good-looking face. “What?” She asked annoyed.

“I thought, last night I heard you say that you had finished the job here..” He teased her along with an irritating grin on her face but Alana had to admit that he looked so damn cute with his lips crooked up like that.

“I-I..” She cleared her throat in an effort to come up with something to tell him but she failed miserably. “Only a few shelves were left undone. That didn’t mean I lied to you..”

He let out a throaty laugh, “Really? You have just done these two shelves which is not even a third of the work assigned to you. Admit it Alana, you could have done it if you had listened to me yesterday.” He mocked at her which pissed her off even more.

“Jerk..”

Zayn chuckled behind her when he heard her mumble that before walking away from him. He didn’t stop and kept following behind her to the next aisle. “Alana wait..”

“What now?” She grumbled without throwing a glance back at him and kept strolling around.

“Okay, okay. Listen Alana, I’m sorry for teasing you but we can get this done easily if we work on it together.” He suggested.

“Well, I don’t want to work with you..” She snapped back at him.

 “Let me inform you that we will be seeing each other every day starting from today..” He reminded her calmly.

“So, it’s better we learn to stick to our businesses without muddling with each other..” She started climbing on the ladder to put the books that were disarranged on the nearby counter.

“Of course..” He rasped, pressing his lips into a thin line before going back to work and leaving her all to herself.

No matter how hard Alana tried, she couldn’t get anything done for the first few hours but she made no effort to approach Zayn and thankfully, he came nowhere in her sight. He kept humming songs after songs and she luckily felt well entertained throughout.

It was almost after two in the afternoon when he finally made her know of his presence by clearing his throat. He saw the shelves looking better than they did before but there was still so much to be done. When he saw her struggling to put the books on the top most shelves, he offered to place them there and to his utter surprise, Alana agreed. He gradually began to help her little by little and she stopped protesting when she realized that she wouldn’t be able to complete her task without his assistance.

They didn’t know how long they worked together but when she looked around for Zayn, he was nowhere to be found.

After a few minutes, Alana saw him come back into the store with a brown paper bag in his hands. “Hey, it’s past lunch time. I got us some meal. Would you like to join me?” He asked.

“No, I’m good. You carry on..” She openly but politely refused his offer. However her stomach grumbled loud enough for Zayn to hear, when the smell of something sweet hit her nostrils, embarrassing her even further.

Zayn grinned widely, “Come on, Alana. You are definitely hungry and I don’t think I can eat all of these alone. So, can you give me a hand in finishing these?” He dangled the paper bag in front of her.

Alana gave up being stubborn and nodded her head to join him for lunch. She decided to treat him some other day in return.

Zayn turned the sign board to ‘closed’ and led her to the back of the store where he had saw a small couch. He placed the food on the table, “I’m starving..” He said pushing one of the boxes towards Alana.

“Thanks..” She mumbled and grabbed it awkwardly. They ate in complete silence with frequent gazes thrown at each other. Zayn finished his burger in just a few bites and waited patiently until Alana finished hers while she nibbled on it leisurely. Then he plated the cheesecake that he had got for her thinking she might like it.

“Ohh no, no.. I’m already full. You should have it..” Though it looked mouth-watering, she pushed the plate away.

“I don’t like desserts..” He thrusted it back to her.

“Why did you buy it when you don’t like it?”

“I.. thought you might like it..”

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds which made Zayn a bit nervous, “Huh-uh, don’t think I’m trying to impress you with the cheesecake. You can leave it if you don’t want to eat..”

She grabbed the fork and dug into it without further delay, “What if I was not fond of sweets?”

“I don’t think so.. You look like you were born to eat desserts..” He joked and it seriously made her laugh whole heartedly.

“Are you a mind reader or something?”

“No.. I am just good at guessing and sometimes my luck turns out in my favor..” He grinned.

“You should really taste this. It is amazing.” She signaled at him to have some.

“I know. I have tasted it so many times before..”

“Where did you buy it, by the way?” She asked taking another mouthful of the cake.

“Thanks..” He shoved the fork into the cake and seized a small bite into his mouth. “I got it from Food Kemp, a small restaurant on the next street. When I came to Los Angeles for the first time, this was what the old lady at the restaurant offered me. I am not exactly a dessert person but I still enjoyed it to the last bite..”

For the first time Zayn saw Alana nod at him with a teeny tiny smile, “So, did you recently move to Los Angeles?” She initiated the conversation.

“Yup..”

“Where were you staying before?”

“Selma, Alabama. I had to come here for pursuing my education..”

Alana suddenly felt like she was prying too much into his personal stuff, “I think we should get back to work. Thanks for the fulfilling lunch..”

“The pleasure’s mine..” He muttered after which they engaged in the remaining work.

As a courtesy, Alana got some fries and coffee in the evening. They once again sat together and took a break but didn’t talk much like before. By seven in the evening, the books were systematically arranged.

“You kids have done an amazing job!!” Mrs. Dawson’s remark startled them from behind.

“Oh thanks, Mrs. Dawson..” They said in unison.

“You two must be hungry. Let’s go to Karen’s kitchen, dinner is on me tonight..” She informed and soon all three of them walked to the diner which was a couple of blocks away from the store.

“So Zayn, where do you stay?” Mrs. Dawson enquired.

“I have rented a flat near our university..” He answered.

“And where are your parents living, son?”

“After my father passed away, my mom and I moved to Alabama. My mother still lives there and works as a housemaid. I go there once a month..”

“Oh sorry to hear about that..” Mrs.Dawson said with an apologetic look on her face. Alana looked up and found all sorts of naked emotions on Zayn’s face: hurt, longing and grief. Losing a parent at such a tender age could be a so difficult on anyone but he had still managed to be successful.

She thought sometimes she complained even when she had everything, in fact too much of everything and felt bad for Zayn. She tried to keep her face as stoic as she could. She didn’t want to show him that she was pitying him.

“You okay?” He asked when he noticed that Alana was staring at him without blinking for a whole minute.

“Huh?” She finally blinked, slightly taken aback.

He raised a brow at her, “I asked if you are okay?”

“Y-Yeah, Yeah..” She stuttered and continued to eat.

Mrs. Dawson paid the bill and walked them back to the store where Alana and Zayn had parked their vehicles. Going back, they thanked Mrs. Dawson and bid their farewell.

“How are you going home?” Alana asked Zayn when she saw no other car being parked nearby.

“I have got my horse over there..” He flashed a silly smile at her.

“Horse?”

He walked towards his black motorbike before he threw the helmet on his head, “See you..” He waved and hit on the road with a vroom.

“Horse..” She murmured with a smirk and got into her car to drive back home.

It was a long and tiring day. She was exhausted and was in a desperate need of a warm shower.

Falling asleep after that nightmare was harder for Alana. It had been a few years now but even now every time she closed her eyes, flashes of those night would pop in front of her eyes. At times she even experienced panic attacks about which no one was aware of, including her parents.

It all started with nightmares which the doctor said was normal for people who underwent such trauma. Initially, she had paid frequent visits to her doctor but soon felt it useless because nothing seemed to work for her. Rather her conditions which included post traumatic disorder, depression and stress piled up on her plate.

Counselling didn’t seem to work at all and tablets added to agitation and hair loss. It only made her more vulnerable. She hated being vulnerable and that’s when she decided to stop seeking anymore help.  

She remained awake that whole night. She was becoming more exhausted than she was before from all the toss and turns on her bed. She got out and picked up her laptop to watch a movie.  She began to watch the Chilling adventures of Sabrina and binge watched an entire season.

She was finally able to sleep at five in the morning but she didn’t realize when she knocked out as she was still in her sitting position with the laptop still on her lap.

Her alarm went off exactly at seven in the morning but she was more than grateful because many of the nights she was deprived of even those two hours of sleep.

Checking the clock, she realized she had plenty of time to get ready and she decided to chill in her bed for a few more minutes. She took a quick shower, skipping to wash her hair since she did it the previous night. She threw open her closet and picked out a light blue V-neck top and a pair of high waist jeans. She brushed her long, frizzy red hair and let it fall down to her waist.

She grabbed a bowl and made choco-pops for breakfast. She sat on the stood and checked her phone for the first time since she woke up. Seeing Audrey’s texts, she rang him up.

“Hello beautiful!!”

“Hey handsome!!” She greeted back..

“Alana honey, can you pick me up while going to college? I have sent my car to the service station and it wouldn’t be back till this evening..” He said.

“What would I get in return?” She smiled mischievously.

“Say it babe and I’ll put the whole world on your footsteps..” He replied with exaggeration, causing her to cackle with laughter.

“Okay, how about the limited edition, Earnest Hemingway’s In our way book that you have?”

“Noooo way. You are never getting that..”

She scoffed in response at the way he elongated the ‘no’. She had her eyes on his collection of rare books for a very long time but Audrey wouldn’t lend it to anyone, no matter how close they were.

“Talking about the whole world but can’t lend a book to your friend..” She groaned playfully.

“My book collections are out of this world, honey. So forget it and ask for something else..”

“I want nothing else..” She mimicked him, “Just be ready on time. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes..”

“That I can do..”

She giggled and mumbled a ‘bye’ before she ended the call.

Once they got to college, they met Mia who was waiting for them at the lawn. From there they went straight to their class. It was only during lunch break, all three of them got back together.

“You know what happened today?” Mia questioned excitedly as soon as she grabbed a seat next to Audrey and Alana.

“What happened?” Asked Audrey boringly.

“I talked to Zayn in Calculus class..”

“Really? What did he say?” He leaned forward showing sudden interest towards Mia.

“I asked for his notes and he handed them to me, causing his fingers to grace my skin tenderly..” She explained over dramatically making Alana roll her eyes. She wondered what the big deal about it was. His fingers had grazed on hers a thousand times yesterday at the store when he was helping her with the books.

“Darling, it means, you talked to him not the vice versa.” Audrey winged his brows at her which earned him a smack on his head from Mia.

“Whatever.. That b***h Tanya was trying so hard to initiate a conversation with Zayn but she wasn’t successful. She was literally throwing herself at him but unfortunately for her, he didn’t mind her presence at all. He is like no other guy I have met before..” She went on talking non-stop about Zayn during the whole time.

Audrey gasped, “Isn’t that a great news if he isn’t interested in girls?”

“I don’t think he isn’t interested in girls, Audrey. I think he isn’t interested in girls like Tanya, who throw themselves so easily at him..” Mia replied. “Anyway, I have a class..” She got up hurriedly.

“Mia, aren’t you free now?” Alana asked looking at her wrist watch.

“Oh, I was but not anymore. I have taken up special effects computer class from this month..”

“Special effects computer class? What the hell is that?” Alana questioned.

“Uhmm.. It’s similar to animation course. Zayn is also in it..” She winked at her friend.

“Seriously Mia? How do you think you are any different from that Tanya?” Alana shrieked out in annoyance.

“What? I am nothing like Tanya..” Mia countered.

“You are behaving exactly like Tanya, throwing yourself at him..”

“What is wrong with you, Alana? Just because you are not interested in relationships doesn’t mean everyone around you has to follow you. I have had enough of your s**t, Alana. You think you are trying to protect me from heartbreaks but in reality, you are keeping me away from my happiness..” She turned on her heals and left the place angrily like never in her life.

“Alana honey, are you alright?” Audrey shook her by holding her shoulder to snap her out of her thoughts. “I think it is that time of the month for her. Don’t mind her..” He began to console her when he saw the tears pooling in her eyes. Mia had never talked to anyone so harshly before.

“I’m Okay..” Alana nodded and left the place feeling miserable than she ever did before.

A/N:

Hey Readers!!

I’m back but I’m extremely sorry for not updating the book for a whole week. I was dealing with my anxiety and depression. I really needed this break and I don’t know if I’m still back to normal.  So, please be patient with me and forgive me if I am not able to update regularly this month. I promise you all that I will keep trying hard and give my best to you. 

I know this chapter might not be up to your expectation, again it's because of the block in my head. :( but you can encourage me by leaving your honest reviews and feedback about the chapter. 

Loads of love,

SwaRam