No Matter What // Zayn Malik

Chapter 9

I love Zayn. A lot. Just want you all to know this is just for the plot. I don't think he'd ever play a girl like that. If he did, he'd probably try make things right again. ;)

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Olivia's POV

"I really don't wanna go." I complained to Josh. I watched his lips and saw him laugh.

'Sorry, but you have too.'

I begged and pleaded but he just kept telling me I had too. I probably could've suckered Ben into letting me stay home but Josh never fell for my puppy dog eyes and fake tears.

'You have your aid?' He asked.

Nope, I thought. Shoved it in the back of my dresser so I don't have to listen to Miss Perrie Edwards today.

I smirked to myself as Josh glared at me. I tapped my feet against the bar stool, picking at the sandwich he'd made me. I looked anywhere but at him. Just to bug him more. I couldn't read his lips then. I knew he was talking, but I just laughed.

"Sorry, I can't hear you Josh!" I said, smirking more. I'm sure he was pissed. "See? This is why I love not wearing my hearing aid!"

Josh didn't seem affected by it much, making me a little upset. I wanted to bug him. It was funny. I hopped off my stool and started to walk off to the bathroom until Josh practically tackled me and threw me over his shoulder. I screamed at the top of my lungs as he ran outside, and stood right by our pool.

The message was clear. I didn't need to hear a single threat come out of his mouth.

''Tell me where the aid is, or I'll ruin your hair.''

* * * *

I sat in the front seat with wet hair, and a change of clothes. I looked at the piece of paper Josh handed me.

"Gosh, you're stubborn. :P"

"Love ya, Josh!" I started to put my dripping wet hair into a ponytail. I had time to change, but not blow dry.

He wrote back to me quickly at a red light. "Why don't you like wearing your aid? Don't you like hearing? :/"

I sighed. He wouldn't understand. I guess it was just me. "For me, hearing isn't . . . necessary." I bit my lip. Did that make any sense?

"I mean, without my aid, I'm treated like a normal kid. No pity, no 'aww, that's terrible', no weird looks when there's a little machine in my ear. You don't really get it Josh. I've just kinda . . . learned to love the silence."

I thought back to the first time I put the hearing aid in. I braided my hair as I remembered walking out of the doctor's office with my parents.

I heard my mum's voice and my dad's after they put it on. I faintly heard Ben's. I heard my mother's cries. Tears of joy. Josh was on tour so he wasn't there and I couldn't hear his voice. I imagined it'd be deeper then Ben's.

As soon as we got out the door and I was adjusting to the new sounds, birds chirping, the sound of footsteps, the little things I never heard, fans bombarded us because we knew Josh. We weren't expecting it at all. The loud screams shot at my aid, causing a lot of pain in my ears. I remember crying and my dad pulling me through the crowd. The fans didn't stop. The pain was excruciating. The day I got home I tore the thing off and shoved it away. It only brought me pain. Since my brother was famous, I knew it'd be my new lifestyle. Screams all the time. I felt like I was better off without it. I worked hard to learn sign language and reading people lips.

I remember all the frustrating nights, head buried in those 'Sign Language for Dummies' books and watching a lot of TV to practice. It paid off. It hurt though. I'd never be able to hear again, but after being deaf since birth, your whole life is silence. I was so used to the silence, I didn't want to let go. Plus the world was noisy and loud anyways.

I snapped out of my flashback.

We had pulled up to the Starbucks where I'd be meeting Perrie. Josh quickly signed to me, 'We'll talk more later. Have fun, sis. :)'

I rolled my eyes and jumped out of the car. To my surprise, Zayn was there. I started to ask Josh if he did something, but he was already gone, car driving away into the distance. My hair flipped in the wind as I turned around and jumped onto the sidewalk.

Zayn gave me a small smile as I saw him at a little table outside a little coffee store. I noticed he had just put out a cigarette, shoes crushing the white stick and the smell lingering in the air. I coughed, hoping to make him feel guilty. I didn't like it when he smoked but I knew it helped him relieve stress.

'Wanna relieve your stress? Dump your rude girlfriend!' It took every fiber in my body not to yell that.

"Hey," he signed. I smiled back, and he returned it. Well, this wasn't too awkward. "Josh said you didn't have your aid. I guess I'll translate. If you need it."

I nodded. "Where's Perrie?" I asked, then realized what I said. Zayn and I both started laughing. We watched Phineas and Ferb all the time together with bowls of sugary cereals in our hands. I stopped laughing before him and bit my lip. He quickly moved his hands in the air and I felt my eyes water.

"I miss you. I'm sorry. I was a jerk. I'm sorry for just-" he stopped. "Everything. I shouldn't have played you like that."

Even though he was just moving his hands in the air, I could just tell he was genuinely sorry. The way his hand dropped and slowly went up to the next sign. I could feel the pain.

"I thought y-you didn't care." I mumbled, looking down.

"I did care. Still do. Liv, you're my best friend. I'm sorry I hurt you."

I punched his arm, as hard as possible. I'll admit it felt wonderful. He recoiled and rubbed where I hit it, with a small smirk. "I deserved that."

"You're a jerk, Zayn!"

"I know."

"I hate you and you p-played me!"

"I know." He looked down at his shoes. He knew what he did was wrong.

"You cheated on your girlfriend!" I almost choked on the word girlfriend.

He just nodded as I let out a sigh. His hands didn't move. He accepted it.

"I'm so tired of this Zayn! I didn't wanna come today because of you! I didn't wanna come to that meeting yesterday, because of you! I didn't want to do anything be because of you! You called me a c-ch-charity case-" I could barely bring myself to say it. "You know I'm deaf! Y-You were one of the few who didn't see it as some w-weird freaky thing I-I couldn't control!" I stopped to take a breath, feeling my chest rise and fall.

"I-I just-" I saw him looked absolutely hurt. Like he'd been slapped in the face. I quickly used my hands and tried to mess up his quiff as much as possible, running my hands and tangling it. He winced as I attacked his hair but I was kinda pleased with myself. He deserved it. He deserved it all.

"But, I forgive you." I said finally, shrugging a bit. Zayn looked up at me, messy hair and all, I noticed his teary, red eyes. He'd been crying. His lips turned up a bit and he smiled. I reached over and gave him a hug. He immediately wrapped his arms back around me and I could feel the bristles of his beard tickle me. I smiled. "You need to shave."

He signed to me quickly. "I'll shave mine when you shave yours."

I pushed him out of our hug. "RUDE!" I shoved him playfully, with a big grin on my face. He laughed and we both kinda stood there looking at each other. After fixing his hair, Zayn quickly pulled me in another one of his bear hugs and I didn't resist. I heard a camera flash from nearby. Oh forget faking it. This was real. My hands found my way around him and we stayed this way for a while.

He pulled back and made more signs to me in sign language.

"I missed this. I missed us."

"Me too." I said back. "Me too."