Chapter 24

"You sure this is your first time bowling?!" Zayn threw his hands in the air for dramatic effects.

"For the eighth time Zayn, YES!" I rolled my eyes with a smile as I sat down on a seat nearby to drink some water.

"And yet you knocked all the pins for the fourteenth time?! In a row?!"

"I didn't count." I laughed at his golf ball sized eyes.

"I'm hungry. Should we get something to eat in the snack bar?"

"Sounds good."

This was the second date Zayn took me to. He had picked a bowling alley so we both could have a fun time together. He was really good at bowling but somehow I revealed to be better than him even though it was my first time.

We went to the snack bar and picked up something to munch on before going to a table at the corner. It had been hours since I ate so it was really refreshing.

"I noticed that you're so relaxed and happier these days. Did something happen?" He asked while opening a can of soda for me.

"Yeah you could say that. Brandon is done with Tina." I chuckled to myself from happiness, recalling the first incident between them after that day.

~ Flashback ~

I was taking out the books I need for the first few lessons with Brandon when a high pitched voice came from behind. I cringed and heard Brandon sighing.

"Hiii Branny~"

"What do you want?" Brandon turned to her with a scowl that was making his cold expression even more icy.

"Let's go to class together!" Tina squealed clapping her hands together.

"Are you really human? How can you casually talk to me after what you said yesterday?!"

"Oh c'mon Branny, would you like it if I ever called you to go to someone's gave?"

"It's not just 'someone' for me Tina. They're precious to me. And you just... I'm really done with you. Don't talk to me again." I could see that Brandon was trying so hard not to kill her then and there.

"You're getting so worked up over nothing Branny~. Just loosen up." Tina kept on talking as if all this wasn't a big deal.

"Kara, you said you wanted to kill at first sight right? Here's your chance." With that, he turned to leave.

"Are you serious?! I can do whatever I want with her?!" I looked at him with delighted eyes like a kid who got a giant plushie for her birthday.

"On second thought, NO! I don't want you to be a lowlife like her. Let's go."

Oooo burn! Way to go bestie!!

"That was some savage words yo! Cool!!" I playfully hit Brandon's arm as we walked to the class. 

~ End Of Flashback ~

"Wow that's good news I guess." Zayn said.

"You guess?! It's the best news I've heard in months!" I exclaimed. "I was getting really pissed off because of Tina and now that she's out of Brandon's life, I can finally breath peacefully. Brandon deserves so much better. Him being with someone like Tina just made my skin crawl actually."

Zayn stared at me intently for sometime, eyes full of something I couldn't figure out. "Kara let me ask you something but you have to answer this honestly okay?"

He got serious all of a sudden and my happiness just died away in an instant at his thoughtful look. I started to get nervous without even knowing what the question was. I just nodded as a cue for him to ask. 

"Do you like Brandon?"

Do I like Brandon?

"Well he's my best friend since I was little so of cours-"

"Not as a friend Kara." He cut me off. "You know what I mean. Do you see Brandon as a guy?"

Oh...

"I... I-I don't know actually." I replied honestly.

"You're not denying it though." Zayn's face turned a bit sad as he said that.

"No I-I mean like... I've been with him for years and nothing happened but since sometime ago it started to feel different. Is it possible for me to suddenly feel something towards a guy I had only a pure friendship after all these years?" I blurted out in one go.

Why am I so nervous?

"What changed?" Zayn asked softly looking me in the eyes. I looked back at him for sometime before answering.

"Well I felt happy. It wasn't the goofy-happy I felt before but a warm one. I started blushing every time he came close to me or did a sweet thing like in that diner that day. I felt safe with him thinking that he would even risk his life trying to protect me. Every time he mentioned Tina just ruined my mood and him being with her made me irritated for some reason. I was euphoric when he said he was over Tina. It wasn't like this before and I don't know why this is suddenly happening."

I finished my long explanation and observed Zayn's face for any clue on what's in his mind about all this. He seemed a bit hurt.

Well he did say he likes me...

Gosh why do I always say the wrong things to the wrong person?!

I should control my mouth more and think a thousand times before I speak!

"I think you're falling for him." He said, surprisingly more calmer than I expected.

"What?! But why would I suddenly?"

"I don't know that but I suspect it's the experimental girlfriend thingy." Zayn shrugged his shoulders.

He could be right. The times for the change and the experiments match perfectly. Maybe those experiments made me see a new side of him.

But Zayn...

How do I reject him without hurting his feelings? Will our friendship be over now? I thought maybe I'd fall for him when spending more time with him but this just took an unexpected turn...

"Umm... Zayn I-"

"It's okay Kara. Don't say it." He held out it palm to stop me from saying further. "I'll get over it. Somehow. Just give me some time. And don't worry, this won't affect our friendship as I said that day."

Him saying those words with a smile which was obviously a cover up for his hurtful expression was eating me up inside. I felt as if I was the worst person in the world at that moment.

"I'm really sorry Zayn." I turned my head down when I couldn't look at him with a straight face.

"I'm not gonna say I'm okay right now because I'm not but I don't want you beating yourself up. Can you just smile so I won't feel bad?"

Gosh I feel so terrible...

I slowly looked up and gave him a small forced smile, earning a thumbs-up from him. His smile grew wider but didn't reach his eyes like it always did before.

Then he stood up from his seat and went back to bowling. His back was facing me but I knew he wasn't smiling. His head hung low for a few moments before he slid the ball, knocking all the pins in one try. Zayn kept staring at the knocked down pins for minutes while I watched his sad back with guilt eating me up.

I'm so sorry...