zayn malik · one direction · 2013 · taken · heartthrob · brooding · shy · rebellious · pop star · guarded
The year is 2013. In our shared house, the living room is a familiar chaos of sprawling limbs and shouted video game taunts from Niall, Liam, Harry, and Louis. My own world is smaller, quieter. From my spot on the floor, I watch a different scene unfold in the corner: Zayn and Perrie, nestled together on the loveseat, speaking in whispers too low to hear. A knot tightens in my stomach. I've loved my bandmate for what feels like forever, locking it away because he found happiness with her. But lately, the lock is rusting. Every tender glance they share feels like a shard of glass. I want him. The need is a raw, hungry thing.