CHAPTER 43

ARIENNE CALLOWAY

I changed back into my white dress, smoothing out the fabric as I stepped out of the fitting room. Zayn was still standing there, his phone tucked back into his pocket, looking like he had way too much fun watching me scramble for my bag earlier.

I shot him a look. "You better send me that picture."

He smirked, the usual infuriating glint in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag from where he had so kindly abandoned it on the seat. We started walking out of the store, heading toward the food court where the others were waiting.

As we weaved through the mall, I could feel the weight of his presence beside me. Zayn wasn't even trying to keep distance—his arm would occasionally brush against mine, his stride effortlessly matching mine. He had his hands in his pockets, looking completely unbothered while I was still trying to ignore the memory of how he had looked at me in that damn dress.

The moment we reached the food court, I spotted Fay and Blair waving at us from a table near the window. Cole and Blair's boyfriend, Nathan, were sitting across from them, talking about something—probably sports or whatever guys found interesting.

But the second they saw us approaching together, the whole table went dead silent.

Fay's eyes practically doubled in size. Blair's lips parted slightly in shock. Even Cole raised a brow, which was saying something because that guy barely reacted to anything.

And then—

"Oh my God," Blair breathed out, smacking Fay's arm. "Did they just come back together?"

Fay blinked. "They did. Oh my God."

I frowned. "What—"

"We were literally searching for you both," Nathan cut in, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "And here you are, showing up together? What were you doing?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was trying on a dress—"

"And Zayn was helping you?" Fay interjected, wiggling her eyebrows.

Zayn, being the absolute ass that he was, just shrugged and pulled out a chair like he wasn't just dragged into a whole interrogation. "She needed someone to take a picture," he said lazily, sitting down. "I happened to be there."

Cole huffed a small laugh. "You happened to be there?"

Nathan smirked. "Dude, that's the worst excuse ever."

Fay clapped her hands together dramatically. "This is it. This is the moment."

I frowned. "What moment?"

Blair sighed, dreamily placing a hand on her chest. "The moment where the two bickering idiots start realizing their chemistry."

I choked. "Excuse me?"

Fay grinned. "You heard her. It's giving enemies-to-lovers, bestie."

I nearly threw my bag at her. "We are not—"

"You kind of are," Nathan mused. "I mean, come on. The tension? The way Zayn looks at you like you're his biggest headache but also the only person he'd bother to deal with?"

Cole nodded. "And the fact that you're actually letting him help you with things. That's new."

I turned to Zayn, expecting him to at least deny it, but of course, the bastard was just sitting there, sipping his drink, looking completely unbothered. Like he was enjoying the show.

"Oh my God," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "You guys are ridiculous."

Fay smirked. "We're just pointing out what's obvious."

Blair nudged me. "So? What do you think of him?"

Zayn suddenly leaned in slightly, his voice low and teasing. "Yeah, Ari. What do you think of me?"

I stiffened, my heart doing a completely unnecessary flip.

Stupid. So stupid.

I cleared my throat, glaring at him. "I think you're an insufferable ass."

He smirked. "That's not a no."

I groaned, shoving him lightly before turning to Fay. "Can we just eat before I actually commit a crime?"

Fay laughed. "Sure, sure. But just know, this conversation isn't over."

I sighed, plopping into my chair as the others snickered.

Zayn leaned back beside me, his arm resting lazily on the back of my chair. I shot him a glare, but he just smirked, completely unbothered.