Parson Upton
Year 2023, Month September
Chicago, Illinois
~~

“Well, Parson, you were supposed to work this week and the week after but Styles wants you to take some time off and go to his gardens with him,” Zayn swallowed, “And I’m supposed to come too, only because he wants me to protect you.”

“If he’s going to be there then why do you have to come?” I asked, wincing as the woman behind me washed the crusted blood off of my back from… last night’s experience. Zayn chuckled and crossed his arms when I looked over at him. “I’m being serious. Why the hell would you come, thinking that you’re going to tell me what to do when you don’t reign over me, if he’s going to be there? He would be able to protect me, so I wouldn’t need you.”

Zayn’s arms dropped, “He did that, didn’t he?” he pointed to the slashes on my back and I thanked the woman before slipping my shirt back on, “Is that why you’ve been taking up for him? Because he used his whip on your back?”

“You’ve whipped me before,” I told him, walking over to my bed and sitting down.

“On the fucking wrist! And it wasn’t even with a real whip!” he yelled at me and I rubbed my temples. “Just because he uses a fucking whip on you doesn’t mean you have to take up for him all of the time. You’re turning into a real slave.”

“The other slaves are just as real!” I yelled and he paced the room in front of me, “You can’t say shit because―”

“You have to be ready in thirty minutes. We’re taking the limo out to the gardens and I don’t think that Styles would like it if you were late. I’ll be back when you’re ready,” Zayn barked before running his hand down his face and leaving my bedroom. What was that about? He started an argument like he wanted it to start… but then he just ended it before I could get a word in… Something has been going on with Zayn ever since that incident in the backyard with the waterhose, and I don’t know what’s going on with him. When I think about Zayn, I think about when he shot Louis… and when I hold onto the hope that Louis might not be dead, Zayn tears down hope’s walls by saying, “I killed him.” Zayn didn’t have a bag over his head, I did. He knew exactly what was going on and he didn’t even hesitate to kill Louis. Which hurts… what did Louis ever do to him? I know that they were buddies in the past, I guess, but Louis was only trying to protect me… Now Louis won’t ever be able to protect me again.

Also, when I think about Zayn, I think about that night when it was after I brought up Louis to Harry. When Zayn asked me what I did, and how I fucked up. It was the night before we went out to the fields in the backyard. He spent the night in my room with me like Louis did the last few nights I saw him, except: he was completely wasted. He brought a twelve pack of beer into my room after leaving to go the bathroom, and he asked me if I wanted any. When I refused, he tipped almost all of the bottles in less than an hour and he was stumbling around my room, looking at everything as if it was all brand new to him. Then he laid down on the bed with me, shirtless and vulnerable, and he began to tell me about his life. How his father was an air pilot and how he died in a plane crash, and how his mother was an alcoholic and how she died in a house fire. He told me that he had three sisters―one named Halley, another named Houston, and the other one named Halexis. When I asked him why they’re names started with the same letter and his didn’t, he just shook his head and moved on. His favorite sister, I believe, was Halexis. She was the youngest of the four and she was the smartest out of all of them. Halley got pregnant by Zayn’s best friend, and he hasn’t talked to either of them since; he believes the baby is at least twelve by now. Houston moved to England with her husband about two years ago, and she’s the only sister that Zayn actually keeps up with. When he told me that, I asked why he didn’t keep up with Halexis, because she was his favorite. He then opened the last beer of the pack, but he drank it slowly. He told me that Halexis was the smartest school-wise, because she was getting offers from colleges all around America, but he said she was dumb when it came to life choices. Then he told me how Halexis died. She was killed in a gang shooting because she was deep in debt and she owed the gang a lot of money. That’s when Zayn had become nostalgic, and he needed comfort. I hugged him, sure, but when he tried to come onto me in a sexual way, I pushed him away. I told him I wasn’t seeing him like that, and he just nodded his head and turned over on the bed to go to sleep.

I will never forget Zayn’s family story, but I kind of wished he would have told me about his life and how he came to work in this kind of world―stealing men and women for slavery and for pleasure, and killing people for no real reason.

While reminiscing of the night I had with Zayn, I changed my clothes into a cute purple strapless dress, and I waited for Zayn to arrive in my bedroom for us to leave. I felt sorry for Zayn, and I would have kissed him if he was sober, and if I knew that he wanted to in the first place… but now that I watch him and look at him to study why in the world he wanted to kiss me at all, I wonder why I didn’t let him come onto me instead of pushing him away. I wondered what it would’ve been like to let it go past me instead of making it stop. I was knocked out of my thoughts when Zayn opened my bedroom door and motioned for me to walk out and follow him. I went to put my arm in his but he kept his distance from me, and then I realized why. I figured that if he was so drunk that night that he wouldn’t remember anything that happened, but then I realized that he remembered everything that happened that night.

“Zayn, can you tell me what’s wrong with you? Why you’re acting so… weird?” I asked him and his eyes glanced to me, but then he shook his head. Does he know that I remember what happened? “I think I know what’s going on with you, Zayn.” He stopped walking and looked at me, making me step in front of him and smile.

“You don’t know what’s wrong, goldie. I don’t care how much you know me,” he swallowed and looked down, gotcha, “I know how much I told you, and I don’t want you to think any less of me. My sisters and my family are none of your business and I am not going to apologize for what I did to you because it was the beer talking to me.”

I let out a breath of relief for how much I didn’t have to pry him into telling me what was going on. He opened up to me, just like that. “That’s all I needed to know,” I said before walking down a few of the stairs but he grabbed my arm and forced me to look back at him.

“That’s all you have to say?” he asked and I nodded my head. What did you want me to say?

“What more was there to say?” I asked, crossing my arms and making him swallow hard again. “What were you expecting me to say?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to say anything… I was just… nevermind, let’s go,” he said before grabbing my arm and forcing me down the stairs. “Everything is locked upstairs, no one will be able to get through their metal doors unless they pick the locks on the outside, and I don’t know how the hell they would do that,” Zayn said to Harry once we approached him.

My cheeks grew chilled and pink when I noticed the look that Harry was giving me. I hugged myself and cleared my throat, afraid to say anything to him without saying the wrong thing. He reached for me and I closed my eyes, pictures of him whipping me in the back of my mind and making me shudder. When I opened my eyes, he grabbed a hold of my hand and I swallowed, looking at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. His eyes were beaming with happiness, although I didn’t know why… when he brought the top of my hand to his thick lips, he brushed them against it and pressed a sloppy kiss on my hand, making chills grow on my arm. He took a step towards me and swept his hand across my arm, giving me more goosebumps as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“How are you this morning, Diamond?” he whispered and I forced a smile when he smirked and looked down at me from where his lips were against my forehead.

“I-I’m fine,” I squeaked and he put his forefinger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him and into his full, green eyes.

“Good,” he whispered, swallowing before placing my arm in his and walking forward, making me go with him. “Today we are going to the gardens, there you will meet a few women who will be coming home with you. But more or less, you will get to spend some time out of the House,” he chuckled and glanced down at me, “I know how much you’ve been waiting for that.” No shit. “So, when we get there, I want you to take in the scenery and spend as much time as you can with everyone around you because I don’t know the next time we’ll leave the House.” My heart dropped at the thought and I cleared my throat.

“Okay,” I started and he looked down at me completely, making me smile, “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, “It’s the least I could do after the little fight that we had the other night. I needed to make that up to you…” I began to cough and he placed his hand firmly on my back, making me cover my mouth so that I wouldn’t let out a cry. Fuck that hurt, “Oh, I’m sorry, Parson. I’m reckless today.”

“Let’s just… get to the gardens or wherever we’re going,” I said before we got into the large white limo that was sitting at the end of the long driveway.

~~

“Oh, my gosh,” I said as I stepped out of the limo and into the entrance of the gardens. It was so beautiful. “This is… I have no words… this is just so… mesmerizing.”

“I knew you would love it,” Harry said as Zayn stepped in front of us and walked ahead, making me frown. “Here. Take this,” Harry spoke to me again before reaching behind him and picking a flower, and then handing it to me.

“A magnolia,” I cooed, running my fingers over its petals and smiling, “This is my favorite flower. They’re so beautiful.”

“I may not know everything about you, Parson, but I know a lot,” Harry said before motioning for me to follow him and I did. Although when I saw Zayn pacing the greenhouse on the left, I began to walk to him. “Where are you going?” Harry asked me and I jumped where I was, dropping the magnolia in my hands but quickly picking it back up.

“Uhm, I’m going to check out this greenhouse,” I told him and his eyes flashed with an emotion that I couldn’t quite read.

“You know exactly what will happen if you try to run away, right?” he asked, his voice rough and dark. I nodded and he arched his jaw, “Alright. Meet me in the front of the gardens when you’re done in there. I’m trusting you, Parson,” he said before walking forward and towards the end of the gardens. I then jumped and ran into the greenhouse that Zayn was in.

When I walked into it, I slammed the door shut and locked the door, making Zayn glare at me and try to leave. “No, I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

“I already told you what’s going on!” he yelled, but then he furrowed his brows, “And since when the fuck do you care what’s going on with me? I bet you couldn’t honestly give a shit less about my life!”

“Oh really? Is that why I listened to your life story; your mess?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips and making him squint.

“I didn’t tell you my life story, I told you my family’s life story, duh!” he screamed and I put my finger over my lips to tell him to quiet down, “Oh now you’re going to tell me to be quiet? Listen here, Parson,” he took a step towards me and made me lean against the door behind me, “You’ve got some nerve coming in here anyways. What are you trying to do! Get punished again! You can’t be seen alone with me unless it’s in your room or in the House at all, because I will get killed, and guess what? You’ll get whipped again!” I closed my eyes and winced at the memory, opening my eyes again as he nodded his head, “Yeah, you didn’t like that did you?”

“Why do you get mad at me like that? I didn’t do anything to you,” I snapped and he put his hands up, and quickly ran them through his hair.

“Parson, be honest with me?” he asked me and I sighed before nodding my head, “Did you feel threatened when I was with you that night I was drunk? In any way?” I shook my head that time and he let out a breath of relief, “I don’t like being mad at you, because when I’m mad at you, I end up wanting you… and that’s fucking retarded because I barely even know you and I just want to come onto you all of the time,” he gasped after talking so quickly and I furrowed my brows, shocked at his honesty, “Please don’t take any of that in the wrong way. I can’t help myself, because everyone thinks you’re beautiful, and I don’t know why, but then again you are very beautiful. Dammit,” he stopped and closed his eyes, “I am losing my fucking mind because of you, and I don’t even know you as much as I thought I did…”

“Zayn…” I muttered and he looked at me, licking his lips, “I… I want you to kiss me.”

“W-What? Parson, did you not hear what I just said? I don’t even know you! And you don’t even know me!” he yelled and I nodded my head.

“I know… but, I want you to kiss me,” I said louder and he ran his hands through his hair and shook his head.

“No, no! I am not getting killed because you want me to fucking kiss you!” he yelled and I leaned my head against the door I was using to lean my weight against and he began to breathe harshly, “No… fucking hell.”

“Okay, you don’t have to, I was just telling you that I wanted you to,” I said, putting my hands up and running my hand through my hair.

“You know what?” he pointed to me and squinted his eyes, “Fuck you.”

“E-Excuse me?” I was in shock with his words and he licked his lips again, “That was completely uncalled for! I didn’t deserve any of that! J-Just who do you think you are?”

“Shutup, Parson!” he yelled at me and I was on the borderline of second guessing my want for him to kiss me as he inched closer, “I am already so sick of your bullshit!”

“My bullshit? Are you fucking kidding me? You can’t―”

“Shutup Parson! How many fucking times do I have to tell you!” he was so close that he was yelling in my face and I felt my blood boiling because of him. I had become angry, and I immediately wanted to open the door behind me and run to Harry so that I could breathe.

“I can’t believe you, you are utterly pissing me off,” I snapped and he stepped right in front of me, slamming his hand down on the door beside my head and making me jump. It didn’t make me any less pissed at him, but it did scare me from the look on his face.

“It doesn’t feel good being pissed off all of the time, does it?” he barked and I unlocked the door, turning the handle and making both of us stumble. Then he grabbed the door handle before I could run away and his arm caught my waist, making him pull me back into the greenhouse as he slammed the door shut and locked it back. What…? I stood in the middle of the greenhouse where I was pushed with my eyes wide and his head down; his eyes glued to the ground, “I guess since I’m here… I’ve already been killed.” I parted my lips at his statement―only because I was confused.

Zayn walked up to me and looked down into my eyes, “But we’re all going to get killed one day whether we like it or not, so there’s no point in wasting your uneventful life on something that doesn’t even mean anything to you.”

I showed a small smile and he gathered my face in his hands before pressing his warm lips firmly against my own.

Notes

Kal xx