CHAPTER 55

ARIENNE CALLOWAY

The first thing I noticed when I stirred awake was the warmth.

It was different from the cold, soaking wet feeling I remembered last. Instead, I was wrapped in a blanket, my body dry, my skin no longer chilled. My eyelids felt heavy, but as I slowly blinked them open, I realized I wasn't in my own room.

The ceiling was unfamiliar. The bed beneath me was softer than mine.

And I was in different clothes.

My brows furrowed as I pushed the blanket off slightly, seeing that I was now wearing what looked like Jenni's clothes—a loose T-shirt and some comfortable shorts. I definitely wasn't wearing this before.

Wait... who the hell changed my clothes?

Heat crept up my neck at the thought, but I quickly shook my head. Not Zayn. No way. It had to be Jenni or Nicole. Right?

I turned my head, scanning the room, but I was alone. The room was silent, aside from the faint noises coming from outside.

Slowly, I tried to sit up.

Big mistake.

The sharp pain in my ankle shot straight up my leg, and I gasped, gripping the bed sheets tightly. Okay, standing was going to be a challenge, but I wasn't about to just lie here like a helpless baby.

Biting my lip, I pushed myself up again, gritting my teeth as I shifted my legs off the bed. My injured foot barely touched the floor before a fresh wave of pain made me wince. Damn it.

I had barely made it a few steps, limping towards the door, when a voice snapped at me.

"The hell are you doing?"

Before I could react, a pair of strong arms lifted me off the floor. I let out a surprised squeak, gripping onto the closest thing I could—which just so happened to be Zayn's hoodie.

His hold was firm, careful, but there was an undeniable tension in his body. His jaw was tight, his brows furrowed, and his eyes darkened as they flickered down to my ankle.

"Are you trying to make it worse?" His tone was sharp, but I could hear the concern underneath.

I blinked up at him, and then—because I couldn't help myself—I smirked. "Missed carrying me already?"

Zayn sighed, shaking his head. "You're fucking impossible."

But he didn't let me go.

Instead, he carried me straight into the living room, where Jenni and Nicole were sitting. The second Jenni saw me, her face twisted into a scowl.

"You are such a pain," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Why do you never just stay put?"

I grinned, hiding my face in Zayn's shoulder. "Don't be mad at me, Jenni. I was just stretching my legs."

"Stretching your legs?" she echoed incredulously. "You were literally limping out of the room like a stubborn idiot!"

Nicole sighed but shook her head with a small smile. "Just let her be, Jenni. We both know Ari isn't the type to sit still."

Zayn finally placed me down onto the couch, and I sighed dramatically. "See? Someone understands me."

"Understanding and enabling are two different things," Jenni muttered.

I turned to Nicole instead. "Where's Lily?"

"Victor took her to buy something to eat," she answered, sitting beside me.

I nodded, relaxing slightly. It felt... nice, honestly. Nicole and Jenni were both fussing over me like I was family, and I didn't hate it.

Still, I glanced at my phone, wondering about my mom.

"Have you spoken to my mom?" I asked Nicole, my voice softer.

Nicole smiled gently. "I called her earlier. She was worried, but I told her you were fine."

I exhaled. My mom worried too much. But I guess that's just how she was.

As I sat there, I couldn't help but think back to earlier.

To the car ride.

To how I had been curled in Zayn's lap, my face against his chest, his arms holding me close. I could still feel his warmth.

Shit.

I needed a distraction.

I reached for my phone, only to see an insane number of messages lighting up my screen.

Michelle. Fay. Blair.

My mom had spammed me first, no surprise there.

Fay and Blair were next, their texts a mix of worried questions and—because they couldn't help themselves—teasing remarks.

Fay: ARE YOU OKAY?! 😭😭

Blair: You better not be dead. 😑

Fay: Also... were you REALLY alone with Zayn that whole time? 👀

Blair: You were in his LAP, weren't you?? 😏😏😏

I groaned. Of course they knew.

I quickly typed out a reply before Fay and Blair could spam me with even more messages.

Ari: I'm fine. Just a sprained ankle, that's all.

It didn't even take five seconds before they both started typing at the same time.

Fay: JUST a sprained ankle??? Ari, you have to walk for the competition in three days! 😱

Blair: Yeah, you know, the competition where you have to go as the freakin' GODDESS??

Fay: What are you gonna do?? You can't limp onto the stage! 😭😭

Blair: A limping goddess? That's a first. 🤡

I knew they were joking to lighten the mood, but still, my stomach twisted at the thought. They weren't wrong—I had an important event coming up, and now my ankle was completely useless.

Shit.

I glanced around quickly before subtly slouching back into the couch, sinking deeper into the cushions. There was no way I wanted anyone, especially Zayn, to see these messages. If he found out, I'd never hear the end of it.

But when I peeked up, I found Zayn already looking at me.

His brows furrowed slightly, eyes flicking down to where I held my phone a little too protectively.

Shit. Did he see?

I cleared my throat, forcing a casual expression. "What?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes lingered for a second longer before he finally looked away, shaking his head.

"Nothing," he muttered.

I exhaled, pretending to focus back on my phone.

That was close.