in the hills • zayn malik

fourteen- lambent

fourteen- lambent

song for this chapter: "everybody knows" by Avalanche City

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Another week passed, and whilst there was some rain, the start of the week proved to be smouldering hot. Zayn could barely cope with the heat as he worked, and he could tell that Iris wasn't doing too well either.

He was now lying on the floor, Iris splayed out on the couch. On the ground he found some relief, but not much. The wooden floors had been cool when he lay down, but now they were the same temperature as everything else: hot.

"Is it ever this hot in London?" Iris asked, fanning herself with her hands.

"Never." He replied, chuckling slightly.

"I wish it were winter." Iris sighed, and Zayn silently agreed. He wished he could have the rain back, have the cool winds swirling around his face, the sky stormy grey and full of excitement and awe.

There hadn't been any lightening since the first time it rained, though Zayn wished there had. Iris seemed a little uneasy at the mention of it, and when he thought about it logically, he supposed he wouldn't want any lightening either.

Sweat covered him, making his clothes cling to him uncomfortably. Every breath felt like it took way more physical effort than usual, even though he was spread out on the ground.

"We need to do something." Zayn muttered, frowning as he tried to think of something that would give them some temporary relief.

"Why don't we go down to the river?" Iris asked suddenly, and Zayn smacked his forehead.

"Of course! How come I didn't think of that earlier?" He mumbled, and then smiled largely at Iris. "Great idea."

"I will meet you outside." Iris said, giving him a heart-twisting smile.

Zayn tried to calm himself down, but his heart wouldn't stop beating faster than usual. He walked outside, hiding under the shade of the house. The heat was just as unbearable outside, and he could see Lilac laying down underneath the shade of a tree.

He thought of the car, sitting in the sweltering heat. He hadn't walked down to the car in a couple of days now, and it surprised him how much he didn't mind.

If Zayn was being honest with himself, then he was scared to go back. He was scared of the consequences, he was scared of the media and what they would say. He was scared about how his life would turn out, and he was scared for Liam.

"Zayn?"

He snapped out of his reverie, turning to face Iris. She had changed into a black singlet top, with grey shorts. Her hair was tied back, and she was looking worriedly at Zayn.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked.

Zayn smiled at her, trying to dismiss the dark thoughts that clouded his mind. "I just can't wait to get in the water."

A tentative smile came on her face, and they started walking towards the river, a silence enveloping them. Zayn let a long breath escape from his lips, and tried to think of the cool water on his skin.

He began to grin when he saw the river, and before he could even take his top off, he felt Iris brushing past him, and saw her running into the water, a loud laugh escaping her.

Gulping, Zayn tried to not stare at her as she pulled her hair out of her ponytail, her now wet hair splaying over her tanned shoulders. She gracefully dived underneath the water, and he turned away, his heart beating painfully fast in his chest.