(Zayn's POV)
I never thought I'd be sitting here, thinking about a girl who isn't even remotely interested in me—well, at least not in the way I want her to be. Amira, the girl who haunted my thoughts even when I wasn't trying to think about her. Yesterday, when she came into my room to tutor me, it was like my brain short-circuited. Watching her walk in, so cautious, so careful not to be seen—like we were doing something wrong, something forbidden. The irony was, we weren't doing anything close to what the rumors might say if anyone caught us together.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, towel around my waist, she turned around so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. She tried to act all offended, but I could tell she was affected. The way her cheeks flushed—yeah, that wasn't something she could fake. I teased her, telling her to be on time next time, and she snapped back, all defensive as usual. That's what I liked about her, though. She never took my shit lying down.
She looked so flustered when I changed into my pants right there in front of her, her face turning a deeper shade of red. She tried to insult me, saying I should change in the bathroom like a "civilized" person. But it was my room. I could do whatever the hell I wanted, and I let her know that, too. Watching her struggle to keep her composure was almost as fun as teasing her.
I locked the door after she came in, just to rile her up more. She panicked, asking me why I did that, as if I had some twisted intentions. But no. I wasn't interested in the kind of rumors that would spread if people saw us together behind a closed door. Even if we were just studying, this world would still spin stories, and I didn't want that for her. Not yet, anyway.
She looked at me with wide eyes, clearly uncomfortable, but I didn't care. I was enjoying every moment of her being in my space, close enough that I could smell her perfume—a soft floral scent that lingered in the air around her. I wanted to get closer, but I restrained myself, for now.
Amira tried teaching me—well, she attempted to. I couldn't help but smirk when she started throwing science terms at me. Momentum? Inertia? Ohm's law? Who the hell cared? I didn't. But seeing her face when she realized I had no idea what she was talking about—that was priceless.
"How the hell did you pass the exams?" she asked, genuinely baffled.
"My father's one of the trustees," I replied, shrugging. It wasn't a secret. I didn't give a damn about school. It was just a place I had to be until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life—or at least until my father decided I was ready to take over the family business. Until then, I'd coast by, like always.
But something about Amira made me want to try, at least in front of her. Not because I cared about physics or passing exams, but because I cared about the way she looked at me. I wasn't about to let her think I was just some dumb rich kid who had everything handed to him. Even if I didn't know the answers, I wanted her to see that I could learn. That I could be better.
The session went by quickly, though I didn't retain much of the information. My mind was too focused on her—her voice, the way she furrowed her brows when I didn't understand something, the way her fingers brushed against the edge of the table as she turned the pages in the textbook. She was captivating without even trying, and that was what drove me crazy. The fact that she had no idea how much she affected me.
When she left, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I knew I had to see her again. Not just for tutoring, but to feel her presence next to me, to have her close. So the next day, I made it a point to sit near her in class. Joe, my usual benchmate, was quiet, as always. The guy barely spoke, and when he did, it wasn't anything worth remembering.
I sat next to Amira, slipping past the person who normally sat there without much thought. She didn't even look at me. Her focus was entirely on Eva, her so-called friend, as they worked through some math problems. I didn't care about Eva. She was just another obstacle, but one I could easily deal with if necessary.
Then, of course, the clingy girl—my supposed girlfriend—came up to me, annoyed as hell. "This isn't your place, Zayn. Let's go back to your usual spot."
I ignored her. The last thing I needed was her whining in my ear, especially with Amira sitting so close. The clingy one stormed off when she realized I wasn't going to listen to her. Good riddance. Joe stayed quiet beside me, probably sensing the tension in the air, but I didn't care about him either. My eyes were on Amira, even if I wasn't looking directly at her.
I noticed Ethan wasn't here today either. He was probably too busy with his own drama to show up, but when he finally did, he walked straight towards us. He glanced at Amira and Eva, then at me, his face twisted with something—annoyance, maybe? Jealousy? Who knew? He sat further away from us, keeping his distance, and I couldn't help but smirk. He had no idea that he was doing me a favor by staying away from her.
Class started as usual, and the physics professor came in, ready to bombard us with questions. I knew Amira was going to answer one of them—she always did. It was part of what made her so damn attractive. She was smart, confident, and didn't shy away from being the best.
But today, I beat her to it. The professor asked a question about Newton's laws, and I answered it before Amira could. The whole class went silent for a moment, probably shocked that I even knew what Newton's laws were. The professor praised me, and I felt a rush of satisfaction, not because I cared about the compliment, but because I knew Amira was watching.
I could feel her eyes on me, even though I didn't turn to look at her. I sat there, pretending to be nonchalant, but I knew what I'd done. I'd shown her that I wasn't as clueless as she thought. And when I finally glanced at her, I saw the surprise in her expression. Her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. She was trying to figure me out, and I loved that.
I didn't need to say anything. I knew she was proud that I'd listened to her. That I'd actually learned something from our session, even if I hadn't shown it at the time. And in that moment, I realized that I wanted more. More of her time, more of her attention, more of that feeling of being the one who made her look at me like that.
The class went on, but my mind was already somewhere else. I was already planning our next session, thinking about how I could get her alone again, how I could make her see me as more than just some arrogant guy who sat in the back of the class.
Because the truth was, I was falling for her. Hard. And there was no way in hell I was going to let anyone else have her. Not Ethan, not anyone. Amira was mine, even if she didn't know it yet.