Acting Royal #Wattys2017

Chapter 52

ZAYN

Zayn was still reeling from the weeks events. First, Rafiq had caught Amir putting something in his father's food which had turned out to be Arsenic. Amir had been poisoning the king for months and months, slowly killing him to get him out the way.

And then a few days after that scandal broke, the photo's of Sophia having an affair came out. It felt like time had stood still for everyone that week. His father had been saved just in time too, now that the doctors knew what had been happening, they could start trying to treat him, although they had said that much of the damage was not reversible.

The moment that he'd seen the photos of his wife and her driver, his first thought had been of Jenny. He was no longer going to be married and Amir was no longer a threat. It was like all the things he had been hoping for finally came together, and now that he was king, he no longer needed his fathers permission to marry Jenny. He was free to do what he wanted. And all he wanted to do now was fly back to South Africa, find Jenny and plead with her for a second chance. But...

What if she had moved on and arriving on her doorstep a year and a half later would just fuck her life up? Zayn went looking for Rafiq, who had been acting strange these last few days. Not that everything wasn't strange, but he could see that something was going on with him.

Zayn found Rafiq in the library sitting very oddly by the window looking out over the gardens. He was holding what looked like photos in his hands.

"I was looking for you." He said moving towards Rafiq.

Rafiq looked up and Zayn stopped. "What's wrong?" There was something so odd in the way that Rafiq was looking at him.

"It's been a big week." Rafiq said.

Zayn nodded. "It's been, hectic."

"To say the least." Rafiq echoed.

Zayn watched as Rafiq fingered a pile of pictures he was holding in his hand.

"What's going on?" Zayn asked suspiciously. Something very eating away at Rafiq and he coud sense that it had nothing to do with Amir and his wife, soon to be ex-wife.

"I have to tell you something." He said slowly and carefully.

"Ok. You're sort of scaring me." Zayn said, there was something in his eyes that unsettled him completely.

"But before I do I want to you know that everything I do, everything I have done is always in your best interests."

"I know that old man, why are you getting so sentimental on me now?"

Then Rafiq reached out and grabbed Zayn's hand. "You are like a son to me, you know that?"

Zayn squeezed his hand back, "Yeah. I know that. I feel the same way, you've always, always had my back and you're always right- even though I hate to admit it most the time."

Rafiq pulled his hand away and pushed a photo across the table towards Zayn. "This is a picture of the man I've love my whole life but couldn't be with."

Zayn took the photo and looked at it. It was a photo of a much younger Rafiq with his arm around another good-looking guy.

"I've never shown anyone that, until now."

Zayn looked up at Rafiq and felt touched by this. The fact he was sharing something so intimate and personal with him.

"He's not at good looking at you, though." Zayn smiled at him and passed the photo back.

"We couldn't be together. It was such a secret. He was forced to marry someone when his parents found out and it became dangerous and unsafe for me to contact him, or keep in touch. So that was it."

Zayn nodded and felt his heart tugging.

"I wish I could get a second chance though, if I was given one, I would take it."

Rafiq then pushed two more pictures across the table and Zayn gasped. He had no idea what he was looking at for a few moments and then...

"Is that... is she.... is...." He stuttered at the picture stupidly.

"Pregnant." Rafiq said.

Zayn felt his heart explode, "Is it, mine?" he asked, his voice was shaking.

Rafiq pushed the other photo over. It was of a tiny baby. It stared up at the camera with big green eyes and in that moment Zayn was completely overcome. He grabbed his chest as the feeling hit him. Love. Pure unadulterated love.

"It's...?" He looked up at Rafiq stuttering again.

"She. Abigail."

Zayn grabbed the photo and pulled it all the way to his face and stared. She was the most perfect, beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"I didn't tell you, because I didn't want Amir to ever know, not until it was safe. You understand, right?" Rafiq sounded desperate, like he was afraid Zayn was going to hate him.

Zayn looked up and nodded. "You.... you, it was the right thing to do.... is she, I mean...?" He was making no sense but Rafiq seemed to understand him.

"I met her. I held her and she is perfect. Jenny is well, she looked good. Tired, but really happy."

Zayn continued to nod. Almost dumbstruck. "I.. I... what must I...?"

"You must go to her. Go to her and try to make it all right." Rafiq said.

Zayn leapt across the table and hugged Rafiq and then without saying another word, he left.