by S. Morayla
“Lyrics, mostly. Nick usually comes up with the melody.” The pain in his eyes slowly dissipates into delight. Ah-ha. Like me, music helps the sadness.
“That’s awesome. Are you working on something great for your next performance?” I ask, genuinely interested.
“I don’t think it will be ready by then. I’m kind of messing around with some words in my head.” I don’t hear anything, but he pulls his phone from his pocket. A sly smile appears shortly after.
“It’s Zayne. He’s on his way to campus and wants to know if I want to go have breakfast. You up for it?”
I tap my finger to my chin. “Well, that depends on something.”
“What, do you want Zayne’s number?” A smile plays at his lips. His whole demeanor has changed. He’s more relaxed and playful.
Horrified.
Shocked.
Alarmed.
“Uh, no.” His laughter fills my ears.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. You should have seen your face, though,” he says between fits of laughter. I shake my head, trying not to join in.
“Jerk.” I throw my pillow at his face and he catches it easily before tossing it back at me.
“Okay, what’s your request?”
“We have to go to a place that has biscuits and gravy.” I laugh as his face scrunches in utter disgust.
“Who eats that for breakfast? That doesn't sound right.”
“Go wait in the hall so I can get dressed, you poor, malnourished Brit.”
Shrugging, he smiles, salutes me, and walks out the door. After pulling on some skinny jeans, I go to my drawer. Since Alex Turner decided to wake me up, I figure I should pay him homage and put on my Arctic Monkeys t-shirt. I grab my chucks and finish my look by throwing my hair in a ponytail. Out in the hall, Harrison leans against the opposite wall.
“Ready?” I shake my toothbrush and toiletry bag at him. He nods in understanding before leaning back and continuing to look down at his phone.
On my way back to my dorm room, I run into Harrison and Leslie speaking in hushed tones. I can’t make out what they are saying and I really don’t want to interrupt, but they’re blocking my door.
“God, Harrison, seriously?” Leslie’s voice rises, her eyes flicking to mine. I’m a deer in headlights, now knowing what to say.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just...you're blocking the door.” I walk closer, trepidation clear in my tone.
“It’s fine, Harrison was just leaving,” Leslie says in a scary calm voice.
“Actually, Lessie, I’m waiting for Nat. You’re welcome to come with us to breakfast,” Harrison informs her. Her sapphire eyes swing back to Harrison before coming back to mine. Her back straightens and her shoulders pull back, her head held high. “No, I have shit to do. Bye, Harrison.” She walks into the room, slamming the door behind her.
We both stand there, not knowing what to say.
Well, shit.
“Let me grab my purse and we can go,” I squeak out, though I don’t want to go back into the room
I officially feel like one of those damn chicks from any of those drama-filled shows. People are exhausting, which is why I always stayed to myself. I gather my wits, since I am kind of chicken and don’t want Les to feel as though I want any part of this shit, and walk into the room. Thick tension and anger fills the air, making it almost suffocating.
“Leslie, you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I just want to go to bed. If you run into Ana, please don’t tell her I’m here. Last thing I need is her coming here and asking fifty thousand questions.” She gets into her bed, pulls the covers over her head, and turns toward the wall.
“Okay…well, if you need me, text me.”
“‘Kay.”
I slip out of the room, closing the door as quietly as I can. I look to Harrison, annoyance clear on his face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, let’s just get out of here, alright?”
Relief.
Ease.
Calm.
The tension seems to dissolve the further we walk away from the dorms and Leslie. Reaching the parking lot where Zayne is, I look down, feeling self-conscious. “Did you tell him I was crashing breakfast?” I ask Harrison.
“Nope,” he says with a big smile, flashing his dimples. “I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Can I ask a favor, though? Please don’t mention how pathetic I was going to your dorm.” I nod my head and look at his sparkling emerald eyes. “Okay.”
My eyes swing back to Zayne.
Impressive.
Can this guy ever look bad?
He is devastatingly handsome.
Zayne leans against his bumper, looking down at his phone, his legs crossed at the ankles. I swear, it looks like he could be shooting an ad.
Marveling.
I wonder if his abs look as good as his arms. I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly feeling dry.
Casual.
Even though he isn’t dressed up, his jeans are low on his hips and damn if it doesn’t look sexy on him. His t-shirt is just plain black, but on him, it looks remarkable. Especially the way it clings to his body. It’s as if the gods took the best parts and created him from that.
Perfection.
If I were a painter, I would create dozens of portraits of him. Although, I don’t think it would capture his true essence.
He just exudes sexiness.
Zayne looks up to see me drinking him in. My eyes automatically look to his lips. His lower lip is slightly bigger than his top, making me want to grab him so I can bite it.
Ashamed.
He’s watching me devour him with my greedy eyes, it should make me feel humiliated, but I don’t care. Only when his lips turn into a smirk do I finally snap out of my gluttonous haze.
“Hey, Shorty, I didn’t know you were joining us.”
“He invited me.” I thumb over to Harrison.
Zayne looks to Harrison, waiting for further information. Harrison shrugs and claps Zayne on the back. “Ran into her on my way. What can I say? I have a way of luring women into doing what I want.” He smiles and winks at me.
Shaking my head, I laugh. “Totally. You had me at breakfast,” I quip.
“Huh, and here I thought it was because I said it was with Zayne.”
I gape at him, because holy shit! Did he just say that? I feel the heat rushing over my body like a wave.
Embarrassed.
I turn my face away from them, trying to hide the redness. I have reverted to my days of an adolescent. Kill me now!
“No, it’s because I really love biscuits and gravy.” Lame. That comeback had to be one of the worst in history. Never missing a beat, Harrison chuckles and throws back at me,
“Hey, you never know, Nat. If you ask nicely, I’m sure Zayne will let you lick gravy off him.” I look over to Zayne, whose face has a red hue to it, his mouth slightly ajar. Harrison and I burst out laughing. Zayne’s response was unexpected. He is staring at Harrison like he wants to kill him and kiss him at the same time.
“I’m good, but if I ever have the need, I’ll keep that in mind.” Sliding into the car, I give Zayne directions to Muncher’s Diner about ten minutes from campus. Uncle Vic’s condo isn’t too far from here, which is how I know about this place. They only serve biscuits and gravy on Saturdays and Sundays, but they are divine.
Worth It
“Good Morning, welcome to Muncher's Diner. My name is Linda, and I will be your waitress. Can I get y’all started with drinks?” A few minutes later, Linda comes back with our drinks. When we got to the restaurant, Harrison informed Zayne I would be ordering their food. I was a bit surprised Zayne went along with it. I mean, if I were in England, I don’t know if I’d let some guy I met a few times order for me, but it’s nice to know they feel comfortable.
“Do y’all need more time or would you like to order?” Linda pops a hip out with her pen and pad in hand.
“We’ll all have a plate of biscuits and gravy please.” I look
across the booth to Harrison, who has a grimace on his face.
“Natalee, I hope you know what you’re getting because that sounds like the worst combination in food,” Harrison says with a scowl. I look up at Linda with a smile.
“Can you believe they’ve been in America for—what, two years?—and have yet to try biscuits and gravy?” I tell her.
“What! You’ve never had this before?” Linda asks with a dramatic hand to her heart. I giggle when both Harrison and Zayne shake their heads. “You’re both in for a treat,” Linda says, collecting the menus.
“Americans eat weird food,” Zayne says with a sigh. I can’t help but laugh when Linda returns a few minutes later with our food. Harrison and Zayne look at one another before studying the plate before them.
Zayne pokes the biscuit with his fork. Lifting it up, his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Where are the biscuits?”
“You’re looking at it,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips.
“This is a scone, not a biscuit.” His whiskey eyes gleam with certainty. I follow his movement when he pulls his phone from his pocket. I look across the booth to Harrison, raising my eyebrow in question. He shrugs his shoulder, his fork making small circles in the gravy.
“This is a biscuit, Shorty,” he says, showing me an image on his phone. I assess the picture before laughing out—hard. I now understand their faces of revulsion. For Zayne and Harrison, a biscuit is a cookie—a sweet cookie, like a gingersnap. Tears stream down my cheeks as I double over in fits of laughter. I try to suck in a breath, but Zayne’s amused eyes make me laugh even harder.
“What’s funny, Shorty?” he asks, amusement thick in his voice. I can imagine his smile. It takes me a good minute before I can even speak.
“You really thought it was going to be cookies!” It’s not a question, but a fact that makes my giggles come harder, my lungs pleading for more air. Chuckles arise from across the booth and soon, we are all in hysterics.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” I say, dabbing my wet cheeks with a napkin. “Stop looking at it like it’s going to bite you and taste it.” Both guys are looking at their plates like it’s a snake, ready to strike.
Letting out a deep breath, Harrison gets a forkful of food and raises it in the air.
“Alright, mate, here goes nothing.” He chews for a bit, nodding his head in appreciation. “It’s actually good.” He raises his brows to Zayne, nodding his chin.
I wait with bated breath to see how Zayne likes it. “I like it,” he announces, and I smile triumphantly.
“I told you it’s good. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.” We all laugh and continue to eat.
Upbeat.
Chipper.
Lighthearted.
Have you ever had one of those mornings where it’s complete shit and you feel like the world is against you? That’s exactly how I felt earlier, but now, I’m glad I decided to come with Harrison and Zayne. When I was with Rhys, we’d go to lunch almost every Sunday with his best friend Jake. They’d make me laugh throughout the course of the afternoon, always poking fun of one another. Harrison and Zayne remind me of them, but I don’t feel sad. Usually when my mind conjures up memories of Rhys, a pang will hit and darkness creeps in, making me wish for solitude. Not this time. I want to sit here and soak up the memories and bromance.
“How did you guys become a band?” I ask.
“Lennon and I were pissing around with music. He would play his drums and I’d sing whatever came to mind. We met Leif at a local talent show, who introduced us to Harrison. We bonded over music and did covers and such, but we needed a guitar player,” Zayne says with a laugh.
“Is that how you met Nick?” They both chuckle.
“No, it was more Zayne’s fist met Nick’s face.” My eyes widen in surprise. I look between the both of them, waiting for the rest of the story.
“Bloody hell, Harrison,” Zayne says, shaking his head at Harrison, but I know he’s not mad by the smirk plastered on his face.
“Zayne was dating a girl named...Perris?” He scrunches his nose, looking up in deep thought.
“Penny, Harrison. Her name was Penny.” Zayne rolls his eyes and a pang of jealousy hits. Well, that was unexpected. I clear my throat, bringing Harrison eyes to my own.
“Right, Penny. Anyway, Nick thought it was a good idea to chat her up at one of our gigs. Didn’t sit well with Zayne, who jumped off the stage and punched him.”
“No, it didn’t go down quite like that. Penny was sitting with her friend and Nick came up and started snogging with her,” Zayne mutters.
“Snogging? What the hell is that?” I ask, looking between them.
“Making out. He started kissing her, like really kissing her, and I was mad that this bloke just came up and snogged my girlfriend, so I jumped off stage and hit him,” Zayne says with a shrug. My eyes are wide, not believing what I’m hearing.
“In Nick’s defense, though, he was also dating Penny. He thought she was there to surprise him,” Harrison tells me. Damn, that must have sucked.
“After we got the situation sorted, we heard Nick play. He and Zayne put their differences aside and he officially became the fifth member of the band.”
Whoa! See what I mean about interesting stories? Who would have thought Zayne and Nick had a fight. What I saw of them last night, I never would have known. You can feel the camaraderie between them. Harrison stands, excusing himself to use the restroom. Jumping on the opportunity to be alone, Zayne says, “Shorty, can I ask you something?”
I turn to face him, sitting sideways in the booth.
“Sure.”
“Did you really run into Harrison this morning, or was he lingering around your dorm?”
This can go two ways: tell the truth and break my promise to Harrison, or lie and hope when Zayne finds out, he understands.
“Yeah, I ran into him.” I know, I know. I’m an asshole, but I can’t betray Harrison.
“I just worry about him. I think Les is going to be coming back today and I know he wants to talk to her. It’s hard for us to keep an eye on him. He’s the only one of us who lives in the dorms.”
“Adriana told me you guys have a house. Why do you and Leif go to the community college, though?”
His smile is radiant. His tongue touches his teeth and I find my thoughts moving into a territory that makes my pulse race.
“Leif and I will transfer over next year if we get in, but it’s cheaper to go to community and transfer for the last two years. Harrison was able to get scholarships to pay for his expenses. Nick’s dad bought the house for us. He says when we become rich, we can pay him back.” His grin is infectious.
“That’s nice to have people who believe in you that much.” He looks at me before cocking his head.
“You don’t have that? People who believe in you?” he asks, his voice genuine with affection.
Pulling my coffee cup closer to my hands, I wrap my fingers around it. “Yeah, but it’s nice to hear it, ya know? Makes you feel like what you’re doing is for a purpose. Not just a silly dream.”
Nodding his head, I look sideways at him. The smile that stretches across my lips is unmanageable. He continues on, telling me Nick’s dad has them all work for the company so they can have money for expenses.
When Harrison gets back, we all talk about college life and what we hope to accomplish. My face hurts because I’m not used to smiling and laughing this much.
“So, you’re undecided? Your parents are okay with that?” Zayne’s eyebrows rise in surprise.
“My dad is okay with it. He’s just glad I even came to college.”
“Where does your dad live?” Harrison asks as he takes a sip of his orange juice, his eyes looking at me over the rim of the cup.
I stop mid-chew and swallow before answering. “Colorado. We used to live here, though. My grandparents, both sides, still live in the state. That’s one reason I chose to come here. I miss my Nona and Pop.” The napkin in my hand fee
ls moist—my reaction to all this talking and being in the spotlight.
“Any other reason?” Zayne asks me.
“I freaking love the sun. It’s cold in Colorado. Oh, and this diner. I love my biscuits and gravy,” I say before stabbing a bite of the savory, flakey, buttery biscuit wrapped in sausage gravy.
Zayne’s eyes stay trained on my mouth as I lift my fork to it and for whatever reason, I lick my lips. He clears his throat, adjusting himself under the table. A triumphant smile graces my lips. Even though I know I shouldn’t lead him on this way, it’s nice to know I can have this effect on a guy.
Especially the Adonis next to me.
Zayne’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down a few times. When he finally finds his voice, he speaks in a soft, seductive voice.
“I’m glad you chose to come here, Shorty.” His hazelnut eyes change to a deep chestnut brown, his lids hooded. I swallow, trying to make sure the moisture between my legs doesn’t soak through my jeans.
Desire.
Hunger.
Craving.
My body is on fire with emotions I thought had long been dormant. His hand squeezes my knee beneath the table and I gasp, my breathing becoming rapid.
Glued.
I’m unable to pull my eyes away from his.
Chained.
An invisible anchor, weighting me in this moment. Damn. If his touch can cause all of that to happen, I would love to see what happens when his lips touch my body.
Harrison breaks the trance, singing Worth It by Fifth Harmony. Zayne and I both whip our heads toward him.
“Sorry, mate, you looked like you were ready to throw her on this table and Nat was all, ‘yes, Yes, YES!’ with her dreamy eyes. I’m all for live porn, but I don’t think the manager and patrons would appreciate it.” He shrugs, forking another bite of his food into his mouth. He smiles around the fork, winking at me.
Zayne excuses himself to the bathroom.
I sit with my head on the table, embarrassed.
Excitement. I feel the giddiness ricocheting inside me. Frightening me. Is that me feeling this unfathomable happiness? I raise my head to Harrison’s gigantic smile, his dimples denting his cute face.