Incomprehensible [Zayn]

Chapter 15

THE FIRST THING I HEARD when I woke up, was the crackling of burning logs. Through my closed eyelids, I could see a bright light dancing around the room and I groaned as I struggled to  open my tired eyes. When I finally did manage to open them, a gasped escaped from my lips as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. I knew for a fact that I wasn't in my own home, and the thought frightened me. It frightened me so much, that I sat bolt upright from where I had been lying, immediately trying to think of a way to get home.

However, as soon as I had sat up, I was being pushed back down again and I jumped when a dark shadow appeared above me. I was about to scream out for help, but then I recognized the person above me, his eyes a dead giveaway, and I relaxed slightly. Zayn was sitting in front of me on the edge of an old looking coffee table, one of his large, cold hands resting on my shoulder as he gently pushed me down once again.

"Where am I?" was the first thing that I asked, my voice slightly croaky from not being used for a little while. I cleared my throat  looked over at Zayn who smiled sheepishly at me.

"My house." he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Zayn's house? I thought. Twenty-four? I took the time to have a good look around the living room that we were sat in; the walls were painted a pale cream colour, enlarging the rather small looking room, and paintings framed in old carved mahogany were placed neatly around the room. Next to the fireplace, were two extremely large book cases, both full of old looking, hard back books, ranging from all shapes and sizes, colours and genres. Placed on the coffee table and any other free spaces in the room, were pieces of paper with multiple sketches on them.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, confused. "You could have taken me home."

Zayn chuckled. "I don't think your parents would have approved of me carrying their sleeping daughter up to their doorstep."

I bit my lip and nodded - he was right. If my parents found me asleep in somebody's arms, they would have been furious at the both of us. I tried to sit up once again, to get a better look at what was behind Zayn, but he gently pushed me down again, and that's when I felt the weight of something on my stomach. I pulled back the knitted quilt that had been draped over me, and looked down at my stomach where a hot water bottle had been placed. I shot Zayn a questioning look and he smiled back at me.

"You did say that you had an upset stomach at the cinema so when you fell asleep in my car, I just left you sleeping because I didn't want to disturb you. Then I brought you inside and got the bottle for you." he explained as he gestured to the rubber bottle that was just starting to sting my skin. "I've heard that hot water bottles work wonders for people with sore stomachs." he finished and I nodded slowly before I pulled the quilt back over me, encasing my shivering body with warmth once again.

"Well, thank you Zayn - for everything, but I really should be getting home now." I said as I dug my hand into my jeans pocket and pulled my phone out. I unlocked the device and my eyes widened when I saw that it was just after eleven. Shit, I thought. My parents were going to kill me.

"No, you should rest." Zayn protested as I made another attempt to sit up. "You still look really pale."

I was about to argue back, but I already knew that it wouldn't make much of a difference. My parents were probably worried sick about me, and Marielle . . . Oh, God. Marielle! I had just left her at the cinema by herself! How was I supposed to explain to her that Zayn had magically appeared and took me home after finding out I had an icky tummy? She was going to kill me. I'd also left all of my shopping bags in the cinema with her. Great.