Just By Being You || z.m.

See Beneath the Surface

I burst through the door, kicking my shoes off as I ran for my bedroom. Not that I was a bit excited about going to the beach with Zayn. From the top drawer I grabbed my pink polka dot bikini that I had bought before Rae had left for her vacation. She insisted I buy it after I had tried it on and today I'm thankful she made me get it. I tied the top behind my back after I had shimmied on the bottoms and covered them with my shorts. I pulled out a black tank top and pulled it over my head when I heard a knock at my front door. I had been in such a hurry to get ready that I barely noticed the throbbing in my temples. There was no cancelling on Zayn so I decided to just suck it up. I threw my feet in my flip flops as I hurried to open the door. I grabbed my bag and aviators off the table by my door and took one last deep breath before I opened the barrier. Zayn stood in my doorway wearing black swim trunks and a dark red cut off t-shirt. His aviators sat perfectly on his nose until I opened the door. It was odd to see Zayn in anything but leather and dark chinos but he still looked incredible. He gave me one of his famous smirks as he looked me over. Something about him looked childlike, almost vulnerable.

“What?” he asked with a deep chuckle.

“Nothing, it’s just, you look cute.” I answered giggling.

“Cute?” he asked raising his eyebrow.

“Yes cute.” I said with a wink.

“Oh dear, let’s get going before you call me adorable or something silly like that.” He joked.

We walked down to the street and I saw his motorcycle sitting by the curb. I mentally smacked myself for not remembering that Zayn had a motorcycle. I was extremely afraid to ride one but I knew I would be safe with Zayn. He noticed my hesitation as he walked towards the bike.

“Come on love I promise it will be safe as long as you hold on to Me.” he said leading me to his motorcycle.

He climbed on and handed me a helmet. I climbed on behind him, snaking my arms around his waist. It was a beautiful warm summer day but there were some storm clouds and by the time we reached the beach there was a full on downpour. I wish that we would have just taken my car instead of being totally exposed to the elements on Zayn’s motorcycle but in a strange way I felt free. We decided not to stick around and wait for the storm to clear because knowing California that could take hours. Zayn and I decided it would be best if we just went back to his apartment to dry off and warm up. By the time we reached his flat the rained had let up, just my luck. We walked up some stairs to a large black door. Zayn fished out keys from his back pocket, turned the correct one in the lock and pushed the large barrier open. Grabbing my hand he pulled me in behind him and stopped to kick off his shoes. I was too busy observing the interior of his flat to notice that Zayn was kneeling in front of me. His large warm hand gripped my ankle as he lifted my foot, causing me to fall forward with my hands landing on his shoulders. My flustered actions earned a husky laugh from Zayn. I watched as he carefully slid the flip flop from my foot and his caramel orbs locked on mine. A smirk curled on his lips as he repeated the action on the other foot. He stood from in front of me, left a soft kiss on my cheek and walked on down the hallway. My eyes fluttered open and I released a trapped breath as I went in search of Zayn. I noticed his living area walls were covered in pictures and the trend continued as I made my way down the hall. One picture in particular made me stop and stare. It was a picture of Zayn, a middle aged woman, who I assumed was his mother and three other girls who looked like sisters. Two of his sisters were kissing each of Zayn’s cheeks as the other sister and mom were leaning in from behind. Zayn’s eyes were squeezed closed, his tongue was pressed to the back of his teeth and all the ladies in the photo seemed to be genuinely happy, as did Zayn. I had never seen him smile so big and I wondered if he was homesick. I jumped as I felt arms snake around my waist and a strong chin rest on my shoulder, I placed my hands over the much larger ones that were rested on my stomach.

“Are those your sisters?” I asked still staring at the picture.

“Yes and my mum.” He answered with evident hurt in his voice.

“Do you miss them?” I asked already presuming the answer.

“More than anything.” He replied making my heart crumble.

“Why did you leave them?” I asked in fear of hurting Zayn even more.

“I erm… I promised my mum that I was gonna be famous or at least make enough money to support her and my sisters so she didn’t have to work so hard or struggle anymore. So far I'm not doing a good job.” He explained.

I had no words I just turned to face him. His gaze had turned to the ground and he looked so sad and vulnerable. I cupped his cheek and turned his head to face me. I could tell he was fighting tears but as for me I couldn’t fight them anymore. His thumb wiped away a tear as he continued to look at me.

“You haven’t let them down Zayn.” I assured him.

He responded by pressing his soft pouty lips against mine. After we both pulled away Zayn rested his forehead against mine as a smile appeared on his face.

“Come on let’s find you some dry clothes.” He laughed as he looked at my soaking wet attire.

I noticed he had already changed into a pair of sweats that rested perfectly on his hips and a jumper. He looked incredible even in sweats. All of his tattoos mixed with his ear piercing and his dark hair were all the ingredients for a bad boy but deep down Zayn just wanted to feel love.