DESTINED SOULMATES

CHAPTER 012

ARIANA’S POV

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling so thirsty. My throat felt like a desert, and I needed water—badly. Letting out a groan, I sat up and rubbed my eyes, blinking at the darkness.

The villa was quiet, except for the faint hum of the air conditioning and the gentle lapping of the ocean.

I slipped out of the bed and quietly walked towards the door. As I came out of my room, a soft creak caught my attention. I turned in the direction of the sound and realized it was coming from Zayn’s room.

His door was slightly open and it swayed gently as if it had been left open in a hurry.

A small frown crept up my face and I hesitated. ‘Should I check up on him?’

It was probably nothing. But something about the stillness suddenly felt…off. Curiosity—or maybe—concern eventually got the better of me.

I moved towards his room and pushed the door open a little before I peeked inside. The bed was empty. No sign of Zayn.

‘Where could he be at this hour?’

I bit my lower lip, contemplating if I should just ignore it or go looking for him. Closing the door quietly behind me, I went back to my room to quickly grab a cardigan because outside would be freezing cold by that time. I finally decided to go look for him—at least to check if everything was alright.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way outside and then turned the corner.

And there he was.

Zayn stood by the pool, bathing in the moonlight as he gazed up at the stars. His hands were in his pockets and he wasn’t wearing any shirt.

The way the light danced across his bare skin was…distracting.

I shook my head, trying to snap out of it. “Couldn’t sleep either?” I called softly as I stepped closer to where he stood.

Zayn turned, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Something like that.”

I stood beside him, wrapping my arms around myself as I shivered slightly from the cool breeze. “Aren’t you cold? It’s freezing out here and you’re not even wearing a shirt,” I asked, my voice soft but laced with curiosity.

Zayn didn’t look at me, he kept his eyes still fixed on the sky. “The moonlight isn’t just something you see. It’s meant to be felt,” he tilted his head up to the sky and closed his eyes as if he were basking in its glow.

I followed his gaze briefly, looking at the stars scattered across the night sky before I tilted my head to watch him. The moonlight cast an ethereal glow over his face and highlighted his relaxed features. He looked…different tonight. Almost vulnerable.

“You sound like someone who really loves the moon.”

His eyes fluttered open at the words and his lips quirked into a smile. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut,” he admitted out of the blue, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “I’d spend hours charting constellations and I used to dream of walking on the moon…or even being the first person to land on Mars.”

I blinked and c****d my head back in surprise. “Seriously? ....You? An astronaut?”

He nodded and finally shifted his gaze to me, a faint smile still tugging at his lips. “Yeah. I had this telescope my mom got me and I would spend hours looking at the stars. But then, my father…” his jaw tightened. “He called it a silly fantasy and sent me to business school instead. Said he needed sons who would focus on his legacy and how to make it greater and not sons who would focus on stars.”

For a moment, I pictured a younger version of him, eyes filled with so much wonder and hope as he gazed at the sky. Then, a wave of sadness washed over me and I could feel my heart aching for him. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard.”

Zayn shrugged, but his expression was far from that of indifference as he faced the sky again. “It was what it was.”

The silence between us stretched, but it was not uncomfortable. Just…heavy. I stared at the stars, lost in thought. “I know what it’s like to give up on dreams too.”

I saw Zayn’s gaze shift back to me from the corner of my eye. “What do you mean?”

A sigh escaped me as I struggled to form the words. “I had to drop out of college because my stepmother said there wasn’t enough money for both my stepsister and me to attend. She said it made more sense for my stepsister to continue since she had more ‘potential and youthfulness’ to bring our family’s name back to its former glory.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth. “But she ran away, and no one knows where she is now. My stepmom claims she sends postcards of her ‘living’ her life, but I don’t believe it.”

His eyes widened, genuine shock flashing across his face. “You dropped out of college?”

I nodded, staring at my feet. “I had always wanted to be a gynaecologist. I had always dreamed of helping women bring life into the world. But I guess…some things just aren’t meant to be.” I could feel the torrent of tears that threatened to be unleashed at any moment, sting at the corner of my eyes.

Memories that held years of pain and emotional abuse came flooding back into my mind like a broken dam, and my lips quivered as I fought back the tears and pain choking me.

Zayn was quiet for a long time. When I finally looked at him, I caught something strange in his eyes—it was a mix of anger, determination and….softness.

“You can still do it,” he said quietly, but with a certainty that made my chest tighten. “I’m going to help you.”

The words hit me harder than I expected. “No, Zayn, it’s too late for—“

“I want to help you,” he cut in, his voice firm but gentle. “It’s the least I can do after…everything.”

The way he was looking at me made it hard to breathe. I nodded slowly and quickly looked away as I sniffled. Tears had already welled up in my eyes and I didn’t want him to see me like that.

“Are you crying?” he asked, leaning slightly towards me.

“No,” I said quickly, wiping my eyes.

“Aww,” I turned back to him and saw the way his lips curled into a teasing pout. “Tears? For me? I’m truly touched.” He placed his right hand over his chest as he feigned being hurt. “But you’ve gotta be careful now, you’re getting dangerously close to ruining my reputation as the ‘emotionally distant guy’.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “You’re impossible.”

“And you look so cute when you’re annoyed.”

That did it. Without thinking, I shoved him—hard.

But Zayn, unexpectedly being the new Zayn he was, grabbed my wrist before I could pull away. A silly smirk formed on his face, and that infuriating glint in his eyes came back.

“Careful there, blondie. I’d hate for you to—“

The next thing I knew, we were both falling. The world tipped, and then—

Splash!

Bone-chilling water enveloped me, stealing the breath from my lungs. I came up sputtering and coughing as I pushed wet hair out of my face. “Zayn!”

He surfaced next to me, shaking water from his hair and laughing like that was the funniest thing ever.

“You pushed me,” he accused, eyes still sparkling with amusement.

“You pulled me into the water!” I splashed water at him and he retaliated, sending a wave of water my way.

For a while, we were caught in that ridiculous game, splashing and laughing like little children. The icy temperature didn’t matter at all. Nothing did, except the way my chest felt lighter—like I could breathe freely again.

Eventually, we stopped, and the both of us were just floating as we caught our breath. I was still bubbling with laughter when I glanced at him, and he was already staring at me.

I slowly stopped laughing and the silence between us felt different now. It felt…softer. Fragile.

His gaze was intense but not in a way that it felt overwhelming. It felt like he was looking for something, and for once, I wasn’t scared by it.

“Do that again,” he said softly, his black eyes still boring into my soul.

“What?” I asked with confusion in my voice.

“Laugh,” he whispered. “I want to hear you laugh again.”

Heat rose to my cheeks and I could barely hide the stupid smile that formed on my face. “Why do you want to hear me laugh again?”

“Because it’s….magical.”

My heart stuttered and my brain seemed to have done a backflip as the warmth of his tone wrapped around me. We stayed like that for a while, eyes locked on each other with the world fading away. Time seemed to stand still as we just floated across from each other.

It was just….us.

----

I reached the edge of the pool, shivering and chattering my teeth as Zayn helped me to climb out. The chill air bit into my skin, and I hugged myself, trying to stop the shaking. Zayn stood in front of me with his curly hair clinging to his forehead and water dripping down his toned body that glowed under the moonlight.

He grabbed a towel from the chair nearby and handed it to me. “Here,” his voice sounded a bit husky.

“T-Thanks,” I stammered, still shivering from the cold. He quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his shoulders, but I could still see the contours of his muscles beneath. I just had to look away before he caught me staring again.

We walked back inside the house, the sound of our wet footsteps echoing in the quiet night. I wanted to say something, but the words got clogged in my throat. Everything felt….different.

At the door of my room, I whispered goodnight night to him, barely trusting my voice. He stopped and turned to me. His eyes held a strange warmth—something I had never seen before.

“Goodnight, Ariana,” he whispered.

With that, I slipped inside my room and placed my back against the door, my heart pounding. I could still hear his voice, I could still feel the way he had looked at me.

Shaking my head, I got out of my wet clothes and changed into something dry and comfortable. But it didn’t matter how warm the blankets were, they just couldn’t stop the thoughts swirling in my head.

Zayn Blackwood.

There was something about him. Something that dragged me towards him even when I tried to keep my distance. I couldn’t help but wonder if he really meant what he said about helping me achieve my dreams, or if it was just another part of the façade.

But it didn’t feel fake. Not that night. Not when he looked at me like that.

I groaned and curled into a ball. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way his eyes softened, the way his laugh echoed in the night. And the way he asked me to laugh again because he thought it was magical.

There was something between us, something undeniable. And that pull…it wasn’t going anytime soon.