Single Father (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 8

"Louis has been my best friend since birth. He's older than me just by a little, but he's always wanted to fight all my battles. I'm not surprised he wanted to fight this one for me as well. I noticed lately he's had his eye out on hating everything with blonde hair and blue eyes. That's how Perrie looked, so don't take it personally. He's just a little on the crazy side recently because I've been... Well, the baby blues is a thing for everyone I think." Zayn chuckled to me, but it was forced. It registered in my head that that man that seems to be doing fine as a single father isn't doing well at all. He needs rest and food and to know he has help. Without that, that could be a first class ticket to depression. I saw that with my sister in law and I'm seeing it here too. Granted she had hormonal problems too after giving birth like any mother, but it was the stress of it that really triggered her postpartum depression.

"You sleep and I'll get up with her for her next feeding." I told him. I reached over and turned off the light, then started to get out of the bed so I could make a bed on the floor or something. Zayn, however, gently gripped my wrist and held me in place on the bed. With the light coming from the window I saw his sleepy eyes looking at me.

"You can stay here..." He said, but I heard how hard that was for him to get out without falling asleep. I nodded and got back under the blankets. Zayn's eyes closed the second I was laying down and I knew that was all that it took for him to fall asleep. I looked at him for a while just because he kind of in captured me in a way to want to look at him. He was gorgeous, even with his black bags under his eyes and the thinness of his body.

I only looked at him for a few minutes until my own sleepiness came over me. It wasn't a deep sleep I usually get or anything like that, it was just one where I got enough rest but was very aware of my surroundings. One of those surrounds woke me up at three in the morning with little cries. I jumped out of bed and went over to Laila. Zayn moved in his sleep a little like he knew she was awake, but she stopped crying the second I was holding her. I got a bottle that I guess Zayn had already made and popped it in her mouth.

"Let your daddy sleep. He works too hard and needs some." I whispered to the little girl. I still find it amazing that anytime I look at her or hold her that I'm still mesmerized with how perfect she is. I went and sat back in bed and placed her on my lap. One of her tiny little hands gripped on to my finger as well as my heart. Hearing what Zayn has gone through with her makes it feel like I want to hold her that much tighter just so she knows she has all the love in the world.

She finished eating so I put her back to bed and laid back down with Zayn. I only closed my eyes for a minute then was startled when Zayn's arm landed on my waist as he rolled over in bed. My heart fluttered and my cheeks blushed. I wasn't sure if I should move him, but the way his fingers curled around my waist I knew it would wake him up. I just closed my eyes again and tried to get some sleep.

Laila started whining at six in the morning. Both Zayn and I opened our eyes only to see how close we were. I knew that a few hours ago he had curled up to me with no problem in his sleep and I didn't really care, but now I think he's realizing what he had done. Zayn rolled over and sat up, but I got out of bed first to get to the little girl. I felt my cheeks were hot with embarrassment. Zayn was just sitting there with his hands nervously running over his face hand his hair. I got Laila out of bed and got another bottle to give to her.

"Thanks for tending her. Sorry about, uh, turning into a human koala. That's an embarrassing thing that I do in my sleep and now you know about it." Zayn rambled to me nervously. I giggled at him and sat next to him because suddenly it didn't feel so awkward. Granted, he's a straight man with a child and I bearly know him and just cuddled up to me like it was supposed to be that way, but it wasn't awkward anymore. I've never really shared a bed with someone that wasn't my brother and have them hold him like that. I've never properly snogged anyone either, but that's a different story. This situation suddenly felt fine because I realized it was just a Zayn thing to do.

"It's okay. When me and my brother went up to our grandparents house when we were younger and stayed there for the summer, I would always end up trying to use him as a human pillow. Of course, he would just kick me off him to the floor and leave me there." I told him. He laughed which caused Laila to open her eyes to look for the sound. She even stopped sucking her bottle to look for it. Zayn moved closer to me and touched her cheek softly before she went back to eating.

Zayn's phone started vibrating softly on the bed side table so I reached over and answered it. He talked in short sentences and listened allot. I just watched him because something about the way he looked when he was really listening kind of interested me. He sighed happily and ended the call after a few minutes on the phone.

"There's too much snow so work is canceled for the day. I guess Laila and I will both get out of your hair so you can go to work and the shelter." Zayn offered to me. I shook my head smiled at him. I knew that I didn't have to do anything today. Plus, it's dangerous to drive so I didn't want them going anywhere.

"I can call in at the grocery store because of weather conditions and Anne and Robin are the ones that have huge trucks to get through snow easily to work the shelter. You bot can stay here for the day." I said. Zayn shook his head, but when he looked down at his daughter he must have realized that being safe was better than being stubborn.

Laila fell asleep in my arms eating so I place her back in her bed and went to get my own phone to call in for work and sent Anne a text. Once that was all through I went back into the other room only to find Zayn laying back down in bed dozing off. I turned off the light and climbed into the bed next to him. He rolled over and opened his eyes to look at me. It was a soft look and a very sleepy one too.

"Can I...?" He whispered to me, but trailed off before he could finish the question. I knew what he ment so I scoot closer to him. His hands pulled he in like I weighed nothing and he situated my body so his cheek was rested in my head. My arms wrapped around his too thin waist and my head was rested between the pillow and his shoulder. It was nice to feel this as strange and sudden as it was. It just felt right and in a way it felt like I had been missing this for years but never noticed until now.

A/N: yay an update! I'm doing a little better. I've cried allot, but I'm eating again and today I got outside to release some balloons with his sister. I hope you liked this! If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?!?!??! Comment / Vote!
- Bri;)