He grabs our luggage and rolls his eyes at me. “Don't worry. Our flight back has a short layover in the middle.”
“Oh good.”
Lacing his fingers with mine, the two of us make our way through the airport. It's really nice, being able to hold his hand like this without having to worry about someone noticing and telling Easton. The only time we get to do this at home is when it's too dark to really be able to see who people are, or when we drive at least a half-hour away from home.
As we take the escalator down, I can already see Knox and Delaney. They're standing over by the door, and Knox has a huge sign in his hands that reads Congratulations on your sex change, Z. Zayn chuckles and shakes his head as we walk over to them.
“You're the worst person I know,” Zayn tells Knox.
He smiles proudly. “Did you expect anything less?”
“Not even a little.”
The two of them hug in the middle of the airport like they didn't just see each other a couple months ago. Delaney and I both watch them embrace, but unlike me, she actually decides to tease them about it.
“Don't you just love gay couples?” she all but shouts. “Their love is always so genuine.”
I laugh as they pull away and Zayn takes a giant step back. Meanwhile, Knox glares at his girlfriend.
“Brat.”
She kisses his cheek. “You love me.”
Knox looks over at me as Zayn wraps an arm around my waist. “I guess I can't call you Little Donovan anymore, huh?”
“I mean, you could,” I answer. “Might make Z feel like a pedophile, though.”
Knox purses his lips thoughtfully. “No change, and make him uncomfortable. Sounds like a win-win.”
Zayn groans. “If I had known the two of you were going to gang up on me, I would have picked a different destination.”
“Like Aruba?” I quip.
“Wherever you want, baby.”
Knox pretends to gag. “Oh, Christ. You turned him into a sappy little shit, didn't you?”
I keep my eyes on my boyfriend and bite my lip to try to contain my smile. I fail.
“He's perfect.”
THEIR CONDO IS BEAUTIFUL, in a way that manages to showcase each of them. It doesn't take longer than a millisecond for me to recognize Knox's artwork framed on the wall, but it still has the elegant touch Delaney brings. Even with as much as their styles clash against each other, in this place, they fit together perfectly. Kind of like the two of them.
Being here is the most relaxed I've felt in weeks. No responsibilities. No secrets. Nothing to worry about. And yet, I can't help but think about if this will be Zayn and me one day. Will we end up with our own place together, decorated to showcase the best side of each of us?
I'm sitting in the living room, lost in thought, while Zayn and Knox are outside smoking. Delaney comes up and plops down onto the cushion next to me. I look away from my phone's screen that turned off at least ten minutes ago and smile.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asks.
I shrug. The first time I met Delaney was at the club we went to before school started. But, if she's anything like her twin sister, then she has to be pretty cool.
“Did you ever wonder about if you and Knox would make it?”
She chuckles softly and nods. “Only about every other day. We didn't exactly have the most stress-free relationship.”
“I just can't help but wonder if this will be us someday. You and Knox look so happy together, and I want that, but I don't know if that's what Zayn wants.” I press my fingertips against my forehead. “It sounds stupid now that I say it out loud. I mean, we've only been dating for a few weeks.”
She shakes her head. “Not at all. I only knew Knox for a month before I was sure I fell in love with him, and you've known Zayn almost your entire life. It makes complete sense.”