London Bridge

chapter three

"Welcome home, Scarlett!" A chorus of people cheered from inside the doorway. All five boys stood there, clumped together, with Zayn holding a bouquet of roses.

The bag that once hung over her shoulder was now on the tiled floor and her arms were around Zayn's body. Her neck was buried in his but this was much different than when she was hugging Zachary. Sure, she enjoyed both of their cologne. But Zayn was different. He always smelled like his body wash which almost covered up the cigarette smell. Somehow, the mixture was amazing.

One of the boys cleared their throat after the long hug took place. Scarlett pulled away, giving Zayn a quick peck on his lips before narrowing her eyes at Harry. "I'm watching you!"

"Maybe we missed you too." He opened his arms and she gladly walked into them. She went around to each boy, repeating a joke that was between them. It had been less than a year since she looked them up on the internet but they were honestly five of the best people she has ever known.

"We're glad you're back." Liam smiled. As she rested her head on his shoulder, she peeked into the living area. A sign was hanging up saying "Welcome Home" written in different colored sharpies. The basic furniture was pushed out of the way and the coffee table sat in the middle of the room with food all over it.

"Is this all for me?!" She moved towards the sea of food, nearly drooling. The boys joined her after they said hi to Zachary. "You guys must have practiced cooking! I feel like a proud Mom."

They got situated around the table and served pieces of the chicken onto their plates, along with all the goodies. Scarlett instantly dug into her meal since she hadn't eaten that much in hours. The plane food didn't appeal to her. Louis asked how the flight was and Niall was wondering where she would be staying.

"As of right now," she took a sip of her water to wash down her chicken. "I am staying with Zach for now. That was how I convinced my parents I could come. But after I get a job and earn enough money, I can find my own place."

The rest of the conversations focused on less serious topics. They joked about new interviews and things that happened while they hang out. But of course, being around the same people for such long amounts of time can get annoying. So as dinner wrapped up, they all carried their dishes to the sink and dispersed all throughout the hotel suite.

Scarlett entered the kitchen and filled the sink up with water and dish soap. Zayn came up behind her and kissed her cheek. "You wash, I dry?" She turned to face him with her puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." He took the towel but gave her another long, sweet kiss before standing next to her.

She put all of the dishes into the water, taking out one at a time, scrubbing it and then rinsing it. "I'm so glad we're together again."

"Me too. It has been way too long."

"Only a couple of weeks. I'm sorry that I can't stay with you at your place."

"I'm fine with it. Your parents were so generous letting you move over here. And I know without Zach, you wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be together."

"Zach really does a lot for us, doesn't he?" She rinsed off a few more dishes and handed them to Zayn.

"Yeah. I kind of want to thank him in some way."

"Well, I know that he is upset himself that he doesn't have a girlfriend. For some reason, that is what keeps him sane." Scarlett disliked that quality in Zachary. He always had to be in a relationship. She didn't understand why he couldn't just depend on himself. "Do you know anyone?"

"There is a new girl who is working at the studio. I know he has met her a few times. She's nice. Maybe her?"

"That is great. I love that idea."

"Do you wanna come to the studio with us tomorrow?"

Scarlett looked at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe he asked. Paparazzi have to know that they are working on new songs so she should normally steer clear from it. "What?"

"It would be a good idea. You can watch us work. Watch Zach work."

"But how?"

"I don't know. We'll figure out something." She was quiet for a minute, scrubbing away at the dish. "Well?"

"Okay, I will."

The couple finished dishes a little while later and sat on the couch with each other for hours. They hadn't heard from the gang in awhile so they assumed that they were playing a game in one of the bedrooms. When Zayn and Scarlett were joking around, Zachary came out to join them.

"Sorry to interrupt you two but I have an early day tomorrow so I'd love it if we could get going."

"Of course!" She pushed herself off of the couch, her hand still attached to Zayn's. She made her way to find everyone else, saying bye to all of them.

"I don't want to leave you just yet. I'll walk you down." The singer said while opening the door. She grabbed her bag that was still on the tile and they followed Zachary to the elevator.

As they stepped out into the cool air, Zachary gave his valet card to the man and Zayn lit a cigarette. Scarlett eyed the gate, making sure that fans couldn't see them. "Call me before you go to sleep?" He nodded. The car pulled up right next to where they were standing. Zachary got in and rolled down his window, waiting for her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"I love you." He pulled her closer for a kiss.

"I love you more. Gotta go." She gave him a hug before she skipped to the car door. Zachary pulled out of the back lot and out onto the street. Even though it was only ten o'clock, fans still lined the front of the hotel.

An hour later, Scarlett was settled in to Zachary's guest bedroom. Her empty suitcases lay on the floor while her clothes are scattered across the bedspread. She decided it was finally time to call her mother, since she hadn't talked to her since that morning.

"Hi sweetie." Her mom answered. "How was your flight?"

"I slept most of the time. It was boring. But mom, the boys cooked me a lovely dinner! It was such a great welcome present."

"That sounds great. Are you with Zachary now?"

"Yeah, he hasn't really spoken with me. You know how he is when he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"His parents are worried about him. He needs to get out of this stage."

"I know. Zayn and I think we know what we should do."

"Sounds promising. You'll have to keep us updated. Do you have any plans yet for your London experience?"

"I'm going to the studio tomorrow with everyone. Not really sure what else."

"Send lots of pics! I want to know you're getting something out of this. So when you break up with Zayn, you'll know this wasn't a wasted trip."

"What do you mean when I 'break up with Zayn'?" She threw the shirt that she was holding back onto the bed.

"You know I didn't mean it like that."

"I know Daddy never wanted me to do this but at least he's quiet about it. You just go and say it upfront."

"It didn't come out correctly."

"I'm getting tired. I'm going to bed. Goodnight. Love you."

"I love you. Know that I didn't mean it." She could hear her mom sigh before she hung up. Scarlett chewed on her lip trying to hold back tears. Piles of clothes were still on the bed so she kept herself busy and put them in her dresser before Zayn called. If her parents weren't happy with this decision, how was she supposed to be?

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authors note:

Hey everyone! I just wanted to thank you for reading this. Your comments are wonderful and I'm loving the feedback.

How did you guys like this chapter? I tried to make it longer.

What do you want to see more of?!

Chapter Four is coming soon. :)

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