“Remember what I said, Zayn?” A familiar, accented, voice asks from outside Mar and I’s flat. Wait- Zayn. That’s that dude’s name that gave me his number and- oh. The blush rises up onto my cheeks before I can stop it, and the doorbell rings.
“Hellloooo.” I say, in my best impersonation of a cheery, carefree 26-year-old’s voice. Hint: not my voice. In front of me stand Mar’s leprechaun- I’m sorry, Mar’s Niall. Apparently, even though she has completely ‘forgot’ to tell me, they’re dating. He’s pretty sweet, form what I can tell.
He’d never hurt Mar.
Then, behind him, I see the very person I wish hadn’t come. His jet-black hair is styled to perfection, and his brown eyes stare into me as if they can see my soul.
“Hey, Jules!” The upbeat blonde greets me as he pushes past the threshold. Mar runs out of her room when he calls my name, her reading glasses still perched on her nose. “And there’s my Mar!” He gushes, poking her pointy nose. I can hear them giggling, but I know I can’t be a part of their happy, loving relationship. Zayn, still standing on the threshold, seems a lot more open and joyful than he did at the premier.
“Hi, Julianna. Sorry I was a bit… weird at the premier. I want to get to know you better.” He smiles widely at me, and flashes his brilliant white teeth. He holds his arm out again, but this time I take it. He’s friends with Niall, so he can’t be that bad, right?
Right.
“Well, Zayn, I sort of want to know a bit more about you too. Sorry I was a bit… weird at the premier,” I wink at him, and for once in my sorry existence I feel happy. I’m joking, actually joking with someone! “But I want to get to know you better too.” He quickly releases my hand and steps backwards. My body grows cold, and my visage becomes hurt, I can tell by how his eyes hurt.
“No, babe, I’m not leaving… I just want to start over. Now close the door, and we can pretend we’ve never known each other before.” Confused, I close the door firmly behind his retreating back. He doesn’t knock right away, so I go sit down on Mar’s fluffy couch. Just as I get comfortable, he knocks.
“Sorry bro, I don’t let strangers in.” I joke, opening the door only a crack. His soul-seeing eyes peer in, and he pretends to step back.
“Whoa… no one told me a super model lived here!” He gasps, obviously joking. I roll my eyes, push open the door and pull him in. Once he’s in my apartment, I drop my hand off his like it’s a hot potato. Zayn acts like nothing happened.
“And nobody ever told me that someone who cracks cheesy jokes was going to stop by today,” I try to joke again, lightly punching his arm. But as soon as my fist is about to make contact with him, I stop. My fist draws back, obeying my brain, and falls loosely to my side. Zayn acts oblivious to my struggle.
“Hey there, beautiful. Wanna go out and be naughty?” I bite my lip, thinking.
“Depends, baby. Where are you planning?”
“Well, love, I was going to take us to the mall so we could prank my mates, but we could go picnic too.” I shrug, but the picnic sounds sweeter to me. Suddenly, my hand moves from my side and ruffles his hair. On his face rises a small smile, and my hand stays there, locked in his soft locks.
“Mar-Mar, c’mon!” The Irishman complains from the hallway, but neither Zayn nor I move. We’re immobile, stuck together by our eyes. “Hey, Jules- how’d you get Zayn to let you touch his hair? He won’t let anyone touch it!” I sigh and go t move my hand, but someone else’s hand reaches up and covers mine so it can’t move.
“Let’s go, Niall.” Marie whispers into the Irishman’s ear, and they leave us. My hand falls from Zayn’s hair, and he looks happy.
“Hey, why do you only let me touch your hair?” I ask him, honestly interested. He shakes his head, and plops down on my couch. I look at him in disbelief… what a male! “Well if you won’t explain your thinking, then let’s go have a picnic.” I announce, pulling him off the couch. Surprisingly, he doesn’t resist.
“Okay, then, milady, why don’t we get in my car?” He asks, bowing as he opens the front door gallantly. I curtsey for him, and stride out the door. He grabs my hand, and we both settle into his car.
“Where shall we go, milord?” Zayn inserts his keys and smiles cheekily at me.
“To my fair moat, though none can measure up to thy fair beauty, kind lady.” I giggle a bit, and cover my mouth as he puts the car in gear. We chat about random things; school, books (he likes Harry Potter too!!!!), friends, and food. Even though we learned nothing about each other’s past, we learned about our presents. And that’s all that counts, for now.
“Wait, Zayn… we left all the food at my castle!” I cry, before correcting myself. “I-I mean, we left all the food at my place.” A light blush begins to creep up my neck; I can feel it. Beside me, he chuckles.
“’Tis no problem, fair lady. Shall we go pick up some food instead?” I nod my head, and open my mouth before he cuts me off. “It’s on me.”
“Well, milord, that’s not what I was going to say… I was going to suggest food places.” He shrugs, and I giggle. Gosh- what’s up with all of my giggling today? What am I turning into, a girl?! “How about Nando’s?” Over on Zayn’s side of the car, he groans.
“Oh, please not Nando’s… I eat there all the time, because my ba- because my mate, Niall, is like married to that place.” His hand is now on my leg. When did this happen? How could I not notice an event like this occurring? My hearts beats a bit faster, but I keep our banter friendly.
“Well then, how about the Rainforest Café?” His hand starts to make my leg warmer. “They have some pretty awesome wraps.” He nods his head, looking out the window on my side. “Um, Zayn, the restaurant is going to be that-a-way.” I correct him, but he doesn’t redirect his gaze, he just smiles. What’s possibly outside my window? I turn, and there’s… nothing.
Oh. Oh. He was looking at me.
“So you figured it out,” he says in a deep voice. I feel my blush grow deeper, and I sink back into the seat.
“Uhm, I’ll have a chicken wrap?” I ask Zayn, trying to break the tension. What had I expected? Him to answer with what he wanted, not break out into peals of laughter.
“Oi, chicken brain!” I shout at him. “Eyes on the road, bro.” He ceases laughing, well, for the most part. “I don’t see what’s wrong with stating what I’m getting for lunch…” I mutter under my breath. Zayn’s body shakes with laughter- again.
“Nothing’s wrong with that, babe, but…. You’re pretty damn funny.” I shake my head.
“I’m not that funny…” He turns and looks at me with those soul-searching brown eyes. Can brown eyes be soul-searching? I thought only blue eyes could be soul-searching… but if anything, these eyes that stare into mine there’s no tomorrow are soul-searching.
~*~
Over the next few weeks, Zayn and I became real close. We went to the beach together, went to the cinema to watch that new Avengers film, played some video games, and event went to the library, since I’ve long finished the three books I took from Adam’s house.
Speaking of the devil.
~*~
“Julianna?” Zayn asks tentatively, popping open the front door. I call back to him and he steps inside, putting his keys on his honorary peg, right next to mine. “Hey, I was thinking we could hang out today? Maybe stop by the mall?”
I step out of the kitchen, and he rushes to me, bending down on one knee. “Babe? Are you alright? What happened?” He asks, frustrated, as I sob. I drop into his arms and he carries me, bridal-style, to the gray leather couch. I curl up into a ball on it, pushing myself deeper into my state.
Why am I crying? Today is the day Adam first asked me out. The day I let myself make a choice that would ruin my life… forever.
“Uhm, today is the day, today is the day that…” I stumble, not being at all articulate. He murmurs quiet words of comfort as he rubs my back. The tears spill over my cheeks, wetting my flushed face, and I breath him in; his scent, his feel. How he makes me feel everyday; like I’m not alone. Like I have a friend. Like I’m not some girl who got beat up every day because of my ex-boyfriend.
“It’s alright, you don’t have to tell me now.” He whispers, and I roll over on my back so I can look up at him.
“No, I have to tell you.” I sob, sitting up as he pulls me onto his lap. I lean back into him and being my story.
~*~
Our story starts in America, Perkins Public Middle School, grade eight. I was in love with the unattainable bad boy- Adam Bennett. He was popular, attractive, and basically lived the life. Something went on with him? People knew in .00000001 seconds.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe a bit. My point is that Adam was the golden black boy of our school- and by “black” I mean “misbehaved.” I admired Adam Bennett from afar for three years- until the 11th grade. I was eating lunch with my mates, Marie Chase, Isabella (Belle) Foster, and Aislinn Hamilton. One of the bitches- or gingerbreads, as we called them- walked over to our table and asked Aislinn why she was pregnant.
Aislinn, a virgin, and ever-insecure about her weight ran off sobbing. Marie, Belle, and I stood up in unison, looking at the gingerbread right in the face.
“What the fuck?” Marie asked. The bitch backed off, but we followed.
“Got bored of being a slut?” Belle asked. “Did you figure out that you needed someone to call pregnant before word gets out that you’re pregnant, so you won’t look as much of a slut?”
“I’m just glad you gave me the excuse to do this, Reynolds.” I sneered, calling the bitch by her last name. The three of us had her backed up against the wall, and I could feel the steam coming off my face as I pulled my fist back, my thumb outside the other fingers just as my father taught me all those years ago. I let go all my anger, and forced my curled up hand into face. She let out a whimper as I withdraw from the punch, smiling at her.
“Julianna?” Adam asks, coming up beside me and my friends, “will you be my girlfriend?”
“Well, yeah, man.” I answered in the heat of the moment. He whisked me, Marie, and Belle away to the “cool table,” where he and his badass friends sat.
From there on, everything went downhill. I lost my virginity to Adam in the 12th grade, got pregnant, and then lost the baby. Adam began hitting me during my first year of college. He wouldn’t let me go anywhere anymore, even to visit my parents. I sunk into my shell, his shell, and waited.
I waited until I found the courage to face him.
~*~
Zayn pulls me closer to his chest, stroking my silk-straight black hair. Asian hair, my always-perfect goes-with-anything hair. He’s whispering into the top of my head.
“Baby… why didn’t you tell anyone… Baby, you could’ve told someone, don’t cry, babe.” He murmurs, pulling me tighter by the minute. “The bastard.” He nearly yells, but away from my ears, as not to hurt my eardrums. I just sit there and cry, sob out my life, while violent coughs rack my body. Zayn holds me tight, not letting me go.
Don’t ever let me go, please. I’m staring at Zayn, and then Zayn is staring back at me. Oh, no- I must’ve said that out loud.
“I won’t ever let you go, Julianna Moore. I just have to do an errand first.” He says. The air rushes up under me, and suddenly I’m on the warm couch, and Zayn is striding into the kitchen. “Marie, what was her old address?”
“Zayn, I can’t tell you, I can’t tell--”
“What is it, Marie?” He asks again, this time frustration filling her voice.
“F-f-fourty-two thirty Willow Drive.” She blurts, and I can hear her short, shallow breathing. Zayn stalks back out of the kitchen, ripping his keys off his peg.
“That bastard.” Is the last thing I hear from him. Marie comes down, and sits with me. And that’s how we wait; hands clasped, anxiously waiting for something, anything, to tell us about Zayn was doing.
Ring. Ring. Ringgggggg.
I jump up to answer the phone, and then I realize it’s my cell phone. I answer the call, even though it’s an unfamiliar caller.
“Hello, is this Julianna Sofia Moore? We would like you to come down to the Ellis-Harrison hospital immediately, Ms. Moore. You are listed as an emergency contact for Zayn Malik and we need someone to sign forms for him.”
But after she says “Zayn,” I’m out the door, keys, phone, and all. He needs me. My protector, my champion, he needs my help.
I’m coming, Zayn.

Notes

Please vote or comment if you enjoyed! <3
~Mallery