Before You See Me

Siya's POV

There are only three days left before the performance, and I'm getting more nervous with each passing hour. I just hope I don't end up making a fool of myself.

"The fries are terrible," came Zayn's voice, snapping me out of my spiral of thoughts.

"Huh? What?" I flinched, blinking at him.

"I said the school canteen has the worst fries. But clearly, your head is somewhere else."

"It's right here, thanks for your concern," I said sarcastically.

"Wow, hilarious." He raised a brow. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing, really. It's just... we've got only three days left, and somehow we've become the center of attention already." I glanced around the canteen half the students were staring at our table, whispering like we were on display.

"And to make it worse," I added, lowering my voice, "my brother and his entire group are going to be there. I really don't want to embarrass myself in front of them."

"Okay, first of all breathe," he said calmly, resting his arms on the table. "It's not a competition, Siya. We're just performing. It's supposed to be fun. And trust me you'll slay. I'm sure of it."

His confidence in me made me smile without even realizing it.

Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "Do you still care about Rihan's opinion?"

My heart skipped.

Oh no. Please don't think I still care about Rihan.

"No, no! It's not like that," I rushed to explain. "After your long lecture that night? Yeah, I don't care about him or what he thinks anymore. I just meant in general I don't wanna mess up in front of people I know. I'll have to face them after this, you know?"

He studied my face for a second, then nodded. "Alright. Got it. Good to hear, actually."

And for some reason... I blushed.
I blushed.

What is wrong with me?

Before I could fully recover from blushing like a lunatic, Zayn leaned back in his chair, casually tossing a fry into his mouth even though he'd just trashed them.

"You know..." he began, chewing slowly, "...you really overthink a lot."

"Well, thank you, Captain Obvious," I muttered, stabbing a fry with my fork.

"I mean it in a good way. Kinda. It's like... your brain never sleeps, does it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Unlike yours, apparently."

He smirked, then went quiet for a moment. "But I get it. I'd be nervous too if my entire social circle was showing up to watch me dance in front of a crowd."

"That's not helping," I said, eyes wide.

"No, listen," he leaned in a little, dropping his voice. "You think people care more than they actually do. Most are just curious. And by the time the lights hit, no one's going to remember who messed up a step. They'll only remember the confidence."

"And if I fall flat on my face?"

"Then I'll fall too. We'll make it part of the choreography."

I snorted, not expecting that. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're dramatic."

Before I could clap back, his phone buzzed loudly on the table.

His smirk faded almost instantly.