DESTINED SOULMATES

CHAPTER 011

Zayn’s pov

I stepped out of my bedroom and did a quick stretch as the early morning Maldivian sun filled the room. The smell of coffee wafted my nose and it pulled me to the kitchen like a magnet.

Ariana was already there, sitting at the small table with a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked up briefly as I walked in, her blue eyes meeting mine for a split second before darting away. Her fingers drummed lightly against the ceramic mug, a clear sign of her nerves.

A smirk formed on my face. ‘Interesting.’

“Morning, blondie,” I said, pouring myself a steaming cup of the beverage before taking a lazy sip. I could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she struggled to make sense of my new tone.

“Morning,” she mumbled, her voice polite but a bit strained. My smirk came back on my face. She clearly wanted to use formality as her shield today. Well…I intended to break it.

I sat across from her, stretching out like I owned the place—which I technically did. “Did you dream about me?”

Her head shot up, eyes widened in surprise. “What?” she asked softly.

“You heard me,” I said, taking another slow sip of my coffee.

“I—uh—no,” she flushed, glancing away again. “Of course not.”

‘This was too easy.’

I chuckled, tapping my fingers lightly on the table. “Shame. I had the most explicit—uhm sorry—vivid dream about you.”

Her brows furrowed in a mixture of embarrassment and confusion as she hung her head low. “I’m sure you did,” she muttered under her breath but I was able to hear what she said.

She was trying so hard to keep herself together, to stay in control and not give in to whatever effect I was having on her. But I could see it—the cracks—and they weren’t easy to miss.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, she cleared her throat and slowly brought her head up. “Don’t you have somewhere to be today?”

I leaned back in the chair, studying her reaction with amusement. She seemed to notice and her lips twitched in frustration. “In a rush to get rid of me?”

“No,” she blurted out quickly, a little too quickly. “I’m just curious.”

“Curious about me now, huh?” I teased, letting my voice drop lower, softer. She blinked, visibly flustered.

“It’s not really like you to sit around,” she murmured, avoiding my gaze.

“Maybe I’m enjoying the company,” I said, my voice smooth and silky as I watched her blush deepen. “Or maybe,” I added with a smirk. “I just like watching you squirm.”

Her head snapped up again, a mix of disbelief, shock and outrage flashing across her face. I chuckled lightly, swirling the coffee in my cup as I watched her carefully. She was surprised, no doubt.

This wasn’t the Zayn she was used to.

And that was good.

‘It’s not like I have a choice,’ I thought, taking another sip. ‘I don’t have much time left to play it safe and take it slow.’

The tension between us stretched and it was tinged with electricity. She was really fighting to stay composed, but I wasn’t going to let her off that easily. Not today.

After breakfast, I leaned back in my chair as I watched Ariana finish cleaning up the dishes. She moved with an almost stiff precision, still clearly shocked by our earlier exchange.

“We’ve been cooped up in this house for too long,” I said, finally breaking the silence. “How about we hit the beach today?”

Ariana paused, glancing over her shoulder. “The beach?”

“Yeah. You know, sand, sun, water. Classical tropical paradise stuff.”

She hesitated, biting her lip like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to agree. “I don’t know…”

I stood swiftly and I caught her off guard as I closed the distance between us. “Come on, blondie,” I coaxed, letting the new name I made up for her roll off my tongue. “It’ll be fun. We could use some fresh air.”

Her eyes flickered up to mine, a hint of uncertainty and intrigue swirling in them. She sighed softly. “Fine.”

“Great,” I smirked. “Now, how about you go change into something….comfortable.”

---

An hour later, we were walking along the sandy beach, the light breeze tugging at Ariana’s hair. I caught her sneaking glances at me several times, like she was still trying to figure out this new version of me.

“So,” I started, trying to start a conversation, “how old are you anyway?”

She shot me a sceptical look. “You don’t know?”

“I’m asking, aren’t I?”

A sigh left her lips. “Twenty-four.”

“Hmm,” I nodded. “And your birthday?”

“Why do you care?”

“Just trying to make conversation,” I shrugged, flashing her a grin. “You should try it sometime.”

She rolled her eyes but answered. “June 6th.”

“Gemini,” I said absently. She blinked at me in surprise.

“You know zodiac signs?”

“I’m full of surprises, blondie.”

Before she could respond, I pulled off my shirt and tossed it over my shoulder—the heat was already getting to me and I couldn’t bear it anymore. I saw the way her eyes widened, and for a moment, she just…stared. Her gaze roamed my chest, lingering on my abs like she was committing every detail to her memory.

I cleared my throat, making her snap out of her trance as she averted her gaze. “See anything you like?” I asked in a teasing voice.

“You’re ridiculous,” she flushed.

“You weren’t complaining the last time you saw it.”

The lovely shade of red on her cheeks deepened, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the sight. She started to walk ahead, clearly trying to escape. But then, I noticed a group of ladies further down the beach, whispering and throwing not-so-subtle glances my way.

Ariana seemed to notice too as she looked back at me for a brief moment before she faced forward and kept on walking—a bit faster this time. Her expression had darkened and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Was she jealous?

Before she could walk farther away from me, I reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Relax,” I murmured near her ear. “I’m all yours.”

She stiffened at my touch but she didn’t pull away. For a second, she leaned into me, like she wanted to believe it as we kept walking in sync. I saw the looks of anger and disappointment flashing across their faces and I couldn’t hide the smirk that formed on my lips.

‘Sorry, ladies.’

----

We found a spot near the water and settled in. Ariana sat down, crossing her legs in the sand. Her outfit—a pair of tiny, white shorts and a blue off-shoulder top with floral patterns on it—left little to the imagination. The smooth curve of her bare shoulder, the hint of cleavage peeking out…

I swallowed hard as my mind drifted back to last night. To the way her body had felt beneath my hands, so soft and warm. And then when I started to gently squeeze her already-hard n****e….

‘Focus, Zayn. Focus.’

I shook off the thought, forcing myself to remember why I was doing this. Why I HAD to do this. But damn, it was getting harder. Much…much harder.

A stifled laugh from Ariana broke through my reverie. Her eyes were fixed on her phone, and her shoulders shook as she struggled to contain the laughter bubbling inside her. Eventually, it slipped out—soft, gentle, and carefree.

I blinked, caught off guard as realization hit me. That was the first time I’d ever heard her laugh.

And damn, it sounded….magical. Cute, even.

Her eyes sparkled as she glanced at me, catching me staring at her. “What?” she asked, still smiling with the cutest set of dimples I’d ever seen in my whole life.

I leaned back on my hands, my eyes still fixed on her. “Nothing. Just didn’t know you could laugh like that.”

A small frown appeared on her face, ruining the beautiful smile that was once there and I inwardly cursed myself for it. “I’m human, you know,” she muttered as she shifted her attention back to her phone.

“Debatable.”

That earned me a glare, but the corners of her mouth twitched, betraying her amusement.

I should have left it there. I should have let her have that moment. But as I watched her and the way the wind kept playing with her blonde hair that glowed like gold under the sun, something tightened in my chest.

Her laugh was like a song I didn’t know I needed to hear. And that scared the hell out of me.

Because I knew I shouldn’t let it get to me. I couldn’t.

I couldn’t let this….whatever it was…drag me under.

I had to stay focused. I had to remember why I was here and what I needed to do.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at her one last time before turning away.

‘Stay in control, Zayn. You don’t have much time left. Remember why you're doing this.’

More like… for who I was really going through all this trouble for.