Chapter 1

Zayn opened his eyes. He must have accidentally slept while he was heading back home on the bus. He blinked his eyes a few times and looked around the bus, seeing less than ten passengers around him. He looked out of the window. The world outside was cloudy as if it was telling Zayn it was going to rain sooner or later. He thought that he was relieved that the bus had not reached his stop yet. Otherwise, he might have missed his stop if he napped any longer. He took out his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was almost five in the evening. His mother must be at home reheating the dishes for his father, who should probably be on the way back home from work. Zayn took his items and get off his seat to stand near the door. He pressed the bell and soon enough alighted the bus. From the bus stop, he quickly walked home.

"What'd you cook?" Zayn asked his mother as he peeked under the pot covers.

"Just chicken curry. I did fry some eggs too," his mother answered as she was picking the laundry that was hanging outside. Zayn just nodded before heading back into his room.

Zayn closed the doors behind him and went towards his study desk, where he had put the items he had bought. He decided to keep and put aside those items whilst preparing his schoolbag for tomorrow. Zayn rarely has any motivation to do packing and preparing, but the new year vibe probably had him going, just like every other new year. He was not sure why he would prepare himself when he was gonna be one untidy teenager again. After packing, he opened up his laptop.

'Oh wait... I haven't eaten dinner.' Zayn scurried out of his room to eat with his family. His parents were already on the dining table, about to dig in without him.

The family of three ate their meal silently; only the sound of their utensils clattering and scrapping could be heard. It was normal for this family to eat silently unless there was something huge has happened that one of them would love to share. Aside from that, they prefer a peaceful meal together. Zayn quickly finished eating his share of rice and chicken curry before going back to his room.

"Alright," Zayn sighed, "Time to pack my school materials for tomorrow." He picked up the plastic bags that contained the school materials he had bought and placed them on his study desk. He took them out of those bags and shoved the plastic bags aside, before taking his five years old worn-out navy blue school bag that he loves so much. He stuffed it with those newly-bought materials and some textbooks that were on the shelf next to his study desk.

Bzzt bzzt. His scratched smartphone vibrated upon a message that it received. Zayn ignored and continued to pack his school bag. 'The more focused I am and the faster I do things, the more time I have to myself later,' he motivated himself.

Bzzt bzzt. Bzzt. bzzt. It vibrated twice. Zayn paused for a moment but did not bother to look at his phone. He tried to refocus again. Slowly, he continued to put a book in his hand into his bag. Frustratingly enough, the phone decided to continuously vibrate with no pauses this time round.

"Oh, why is this peaceful night disturbed." He stuffed the last book on him into his school back before stomping towards his bed to get his phone.

He switched on his phone to see a hundred consecutive messages from dear Kim. His eyes widened, speechless from looking at his phone screen. 'What the heck is this guy thinking?' Zayn unlocked his phone and called him immediately.

Ringing...ringing...ri-

"Yo what-" Kim answered, unfinished.

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT, YOU ANNOYING PIECE OF SH-!" Zayn raised his voice, but not loud enough for his parents in the opposite room to hear.

A pause followed.

"Nothing, really," Kim gave a lifeless answer. Static noise through his phone can be heard following Kim's response.

Zayn took a deep breath. "You sure about that?"

"...why not?"

Zayn paused for a moment, waiting for Kim to say something, but it seemed like Kim meant it.

"Wait, ac-" Kim finally speak up but Zayn had already hung up his phone.

'Did he say something?' Zayn thought, but he did not care as much. Zayn quickly packed what's left into his school bag before zipping it up and placing it next to his room door. He then sat on his comfortable office chair and booted up his laptop.

"Finally, some me time."

Zayn opened up a particular software and the screen flashed into an interface of a digital audio workstation. He cracked his fingers before starting what he loves to do: producing songs. Zayn had been a music lover since young, and figured out his true ambition, to be a music producer and artist, when he found his first music idol. From then, he had taught himself how to play the digital keyboard and the use of a digital audio workstation to understand a little bit more of the music that he was not taught in school: electronic dance music.

Editing musical notes on a MIDI map interface, dragging, pasting and cutting audio files around the multitrack and, sometimes, dancing to the songs he created all by himself gives Zayn a form of relief after a long day at school or after running a tiring errand.

Despite being talented at making such good songs as a self-taught producer, Zayn had never shared any of his songs with anyone. Not his mother, not his father and not even Kim. Zayn was too shy and humble as a person to brag about his creations. Nevertheless, his shy nature did not stop his creativity from running wild.

As he was deep in his thoughts with his eyes closed trying to find a new source of inspiration, his mind somehow found its way deep into the thoughts of the elegant teenage train girl. The mysterious yet familiar girl whom he saw at the train station. No matter how many times he was able to see her, she had never failed to catch his attention, causing him to lose his surroundings. His heart began to beat faster again. Inhale.... exhale...

Zayn's eyes widened as he fell back into reality. He shook his head before he turned his chair to face the keyboard next to him, and started playing his heart out. His mysterious multiple encounters with a delicate teenager became a source of inspiration for his new song, as his fingers started dancing through the keys of his digital keyboard.

"Who would've thought she would become my inspiration one day..."