January. // z.m. au

IMPORTANT!!

Hiiiii guys! I know you're all probably wondering why the hell this story is being updated again, but when I was writing the epilogue, I originally had something else planned for it, and then I decided that what I was going to write would be much better as another chapter of its own. I just couldn't let Jan/Zayn go that soon.

*Mattybraps voice* you thought it was over ;)

Anyway, as my treat, here's one last special chapter just for you. Please enjoy!

I'd said this plenty of times before, but right now as I stood in the bathroom with door locked, my bottom lip caught in between my teeth, I'd never been so nervous for anything in my entire life than I was now. But it wasn't a bad kind of nerves, not the one where you felt sick to your stomach or felt like you wanted to just crawl in a hole a hide away for the rest of your life, no. But it was a good nervous―a happy one, an excited, fizzy feeling in the pit of your stomach kind of nerves. I was buzzing, really, on the inside, but on the outside I looked like a nervous wreck.

I wasn't though, I was far from being a wreck. I was a bubbly bottle of champagne ready to be opened, cork popping out like a rocket ship zooming across the sky. And the more I thought about it, the more reality truly sank in, I found my lips curving upwards into a joyful grin, and I couldn't help but think about how I'd never been so filled with all these blooming emotions until this very moment.

My eyes trailed from my hands held out in front of my to the large mirror planted on the wall. I studied myself, could pinpoint the cheerfulness in my irises, before I took a deep breath in and prepared myself what was next to come.

I was ready, and when I finally let Zayn in on what had got my mood so high, I was one hundred percent sure he'd be ready, too.

***

I tried to be as nonchalant as possible as I entered the living room where Zayn sat. I'd spent a good fifteen or so minutes in the bathroom trying to sort myself out, but I was positive that I wouldn't be giving myself away too soon. I smiled to myself fondly as I watched Zayn fool around with Trouble where he sat down on the hard wood floors. I took a seat on the sofa behind them instead, deciding that I would be much more comfortable watching them play around than engaging in the activity myself.

It still felt weird sometimes how perfectly normal things felt between us now even though our lives together have changed so much since Zayn and I first met. And now here we were, living together and married, but nothing felt more right than this. If you would've asked me years ago where I saw myself being now, I definitely wouldn't have come up with anything remotely close to my life now. But I wouldn't change it for the world no matter what.

Zayn then turned his head around to face me, interrupting my daydreams along the way, with a small smile on his face―one that made his eyes crinkle at the sides and his cheeks scrunch up in the most adorable way. And yes, after all this time, Zayn was still extremely cute and I'd never think otherwise as long as I lived.

"Took you long enough," Zayn snorted, turning back around towards Trouble, scratching the top of her head gently. "You okay?" He asked, making my heart swell. He was so caring, it hurt.

"Mhm," I nodded as I leaned back into the sofa. I folded my feet underneath my body, tucking them in to keep them warm. "I'm okay."

And I smiled privately to myself while Zayn's back was still turned to me because I was more than okay and he'd figure that much out soon enough. My stomach was fluttering like a million butterflies were floating around inside of me, but I was prepared nonetheless. I couldn't wait to let him know what was predominantly on my mind.