Zayn pushed the door open and stepped back inside first.
The music hit us immediately.
Loud bass. Laughter. Shouting. The thick smell of alcohol and perfume hanging in the air again. It felt warmer inside than it had outside, like the whole apartment was breathing too fast.
I followed him through the hallway, trying to look normal.
Trying to look like nothing had happened.
Zayn walked ahead of me, calm as ever, his hands in the pockets of his jacket like he owned the place. People glanced at him as we passed, some whispering to each other.
I hated how comfortable he looked here.
Like the chaos belonged to him.
We turned the corner toward the main room.
And that was when I saw Danilo.
At first he looked relieved.
His eyes landed on me from across the room and his shoulders dropped slightly, like a weight had just been lifted off him.
Then he noticed who I was walking beside.
The relief disappeared instantly.
His face hardened in a way I had never seen before.
Danilo started walking toward us quickly, pushing past two people standing in his way. His eyes never left Zayn.
My stomach dropped.
Oh no.
Zayn noticed too.
He slowed slightly, glancing sideways at me before looking at Danilo approaching us like a storm.
Danilo stopped directly in front of us.
"What the hell is going on?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was sharp enough to cut through the noise around us.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Zayn didn't look surprised.
If anything, he looked almost amused.
For a second the two of them just stared at each other. The tension between them was so thick it felt like the air had stopped moving.
Danilo's jaw tightened.
"Why is she with you?"
Zayn tilted his head slightly, studying him like he was deciding whether this situation was even worth his time.
Then he looked at me briefly.
"Your ride?"
The way he said it made my face heat with embarrassment.
"I'm not her ride," Danilo snapped.
Zayn gave a small shrug.
"Relax."
The word came out calm and careless.
Danilo took a step closer to him.
"Stay away from her."
People nearby had started noticing now. A few heads turned in our direction, curiosity spreading through the room like a ripple.
I felt my chest tighten.
This was exactly what I didn't want.
More attention.
More drama.
Zayn looked down at Danilo for a moment, then back at me.
And something in his expression changed.
The teasing disappeared.
He stepped slightly to the side, creating space between us.
"Well," he said casually, lifting his hands a little as if surrendering the moment, "seems like you've been found."
His voice was calm. Respectful, even.
Then he looked at Danilo again.
"No problem."
And just like that, he walked past him.
No pushing. No argument. No reaction.
Just quiet confidence as he disappeared back toward the VIP lounge hallway.
I stood there frozen.
Danilo turned to me immediately.
"Where have you been?"
His voice came out rushed now, the anger mixing with worry.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
He looked me over quickly, like he was checking if I was hurt or drunk or something worse.
"Are you okay? Did you drink anything? Did he give you anything?"
The questions came too fast.
I blinked at him, confused.
"Danilo, relax."
"I am relaxed."
"You're not."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
"You disappeared for almost an hour."
"I just needed air."
"With him?"
I crossed my arms instinctively.
"It wasn't a big deal."
Danilo stared at me like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Not a big deal?" he repeated.
"He literally embarrassed you in front of half the school last week."
"I know what happened."
"Then why were you outside with him?"
I hesitated.
Because I didn't have a good answer.
Because the real answer made no sense even to me.
Danilo's expression shifted from anger to something closer to disbelief.
"You shouldn't be anywhere near that guy."
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
"What does that mean?"
He looked around briefly before lowering his voice.
"You really don't know?"
"Know what?"
Danilo sighed.
"That dude is a mess."
I frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
He leaned closer.
"Drugs."
The word hit me harder than it should have.
"He's messed up on something half the time. Pills, whatever he can get."
Drug addict.
The phrase echoed in my head before I could stop it.
Suddenly the room felt too loud.
Too bright.
Too familiar.
Memories I didn't want pushed their way into my mind.
My father slamming doors.
My mother crying quietly at night.
The smell of smoke and medicine and broken promises.
My chest tightened.
Danilo didn't notice the shift in my face.
"He's bad news, Zelda," he continued. "You don't want to get mixed up with someone like that."
I swallowed, trying to push the memories back where they belonged.
Far away.
Hidden.
Danilo gently took my arm.
"Come on," he said softly now. "Let's get away from this side of the party."
I nodded, even though my mind was somewhere else entirely.
But as he led me away through the crowd, my eyes drifted back toward the hallway Zayn had disappeared into.
And I hated that part of me was wondering why he had walked away so easily.