ESCAPE

Chapter 22

Double update!
Tell me what you think!
I love you all! 😘

ZAYN

I entered the bathroom and sighed as I looked at my reflection.

I replayed the conversation I had with Valentina minutes ago and splashed some water onto my face.

‘Why would you say that?’, I asked.

‘What?’, she wrote.

‘That you’re not comfortable with anyone else?’, I asked.

‘Because I’m not’.

‘Val, I’m no angel for you to trust so much’, I said trying to contain myself.

She looked at me with a desperate look.

‘Listen, this is a family and we help each other. There is no solo business here. As long as the five of us are together, then this is what you get. You can’t just stick onto me for help. I’m just a regular guy. I can’t protect you without them. Hell I need protection!’, I exclaimed but I made sure that my tone did not scare her or make her feel bad.

‘Val, everyone here cares about you. Liam risked his security to find us, Harry has sacrificed his privacy to be your escort and Lou and Niall have just done an illegal thing by lying at a hospital. This was all for you. Even Paul is lying to Management so he can save us all’, I said and she hung her head low.

‘You can’t just say that I’m the only one you trust. I can’t promise to always be by your side. You have to trust us, at least the five of us’, I said and she nodded.

‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’.

I smiled at her.

‘We’re not hurt Val, we’re just confused. We know that you’ve gone through a lot and none of us want to pressure you into recovering so fast’, I said and she nodded.

‘Now will you please try to give us all a chance?’, I asked and she nodded again, this time looking up at me.
‘I can promise you one thing Val, none of us, I swear none of us would ever hurt you. We all have sisters- well everyone except Niall, so we know how to treat you well with all the care that you need’, I said with an assuring smile and she smiled brightly at me.

‘Now go over there and interact with them’, I said and she nodded with a look of new determination.

My phone rang and I smiled as I saw that it was my Mum.

‘Hey’, I said.

‘Hello sonshine’, she said and I smiled at her name for me.

No matter how sad I felt, that name from her mouth always made me feel right home.

‘I just called to ask you what time your flight was’, she said.

‘It’s at 8’, I replied.

‘You’ll be alone?’, she asked.

‘I think I’ll have a body guard’, I said and she hummed in response.

‘Where is everyone?’, I asked.

‘The girls are at school, they’re excited for your arrival’, she said and I grinned.

‘Zayn’, she said and I hummed.

‘I know that it’s difficult love’, she said and I swallowed hard.

‘I’ll be there when you go to the hospital’, she said.

‘No, it’s fine’, I said and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall.

‘No, I want to’, she said and I sniffed as I nodded.

‘You just get here safely and I’ll make sure you’re fine’, she said and I smiled.

‘I love you Mum’, I said.

‘I love you too, sweetheart’, she said and then hung up.

I walked out of the bathroom and went to the front where I heard laughter.

I smiled as I drew back the curtains to find Valentina sitting next to Louis as they played a board game which on closer inspection I realized was scrabble.

‘For someone who can’t talk, you’ve got a pretty good vocabulary’, said Harry as he furrowed over the board.

Louis smacked him with a pillow and he cried out.

‘What the hell?’, he asked.

‘What on earth did you mean by that?’, asked Louis with a frown.

‘What?’, he asked confused and then it dawned on him.

‘Oh shit, no I didn’t mean - UGH!!’, he exclaimed and buried his head in his hands and everyone started to laugh, including Val.

‘You are so gullible’, laughed Louis and Harry made a face at him.

‘Zayn! Come and join us!’, exclaimed Niall and I smiled as I made my way towards them.

‘I have something to tell you guys’, I said as I sat down.

‘Yeah?’, they asked and looked at me.
Harry smiled at me and nodded at me to carry on.

‘I’m going back to London tonight’, I said and they blinked at me.

‘Oh right’, they all said after they realized what it was.

Valentina however blinked at me.

‘Nova is in the hospital, I have to visit her. She’s critical right now’, I
explained to her and she gave me a kind smile.

‘You’ll be going alone?’, asked Liam.

‘No, I might have an escort’, I said and they nodded.

‘Whatever it is, you’ll be fine mate’, said Niall and I smiled at him.

‘Yeah, tell her that we miss her’, said Liam.

‘Tel her that I want my jacket back’, frowned Louis and we laughed at him.

‘The last time she took it she swore not to return it’, I said and he pouted.

‘It might be around there Lou’, I said and he chuckled.

‘You guys be good with each other’, I said and they made a face at me.

‘Since when did you become responsible?’, asked Niall.

‘Since Valentina decided to grace our lives’, I said and she grinned.

We reached the airport in a couple of hours and I prepared to get out.

The lads we‘rent allowed to join me in as it would cause security problems.

‘One member of One Direction is enough to make an airport go into a frenzy, I don’t need five you in there’, said Paul as I prepared to be guided out.

‘Yeah, I still can’t forget that time I was mobbed at an airport. That was scary’, said Harry with a blank expression.

‘Yeah i saw the video on YouTube! You handled it pretty well mate’, said Liam.

‘I’m still under shock’, replied Harry with the same expression and Liam waved his hand before him to bring his attention back.

When that didn’t work, Niall decided to squirt an orange peel in his eyes which sent him howling into the bathroom.

‘Unbelievable’, said Paul with a tired expression and I couldn’t help but laugh at them.

Valentina approached me with her board and she gave it to me.

Safe journeys.
I hope you’ll feel better when you see Nova.

I smiled as I gave her a small hug.

‘Thank you. Take care of yourself and remember what I said’, and I winked at her causing her to smile.

‘Let’s go’, called Paul and with a final wave I followed him into the airport.