Groom For Rent [ ziam au ]

②

[ Zayn ]

When I woke up, I heard the obnoxious ringing of my phone, "Why the hell didn't I put you on silent?" I groaned before reaching for it.

"Hello?" I rasped out, "Hello boy, when are you going to pay your ten million pound debt?" a stern female voice spoke at the other line.

"Ten million?" I sat up and ran a hand through my messy hair, "You heard me, you owe me ten million." she said once again.

"I owe you ten million?!" I asked disbelievingly, "You do. Ten million pounds, Mr. Malik." she gave a bitter chuckle.

Then it all came back to me.

-------------------------------------------

Harry and Louis took me to a casino to play poker after we finished drinking.

--

"Go mate, you've been there!" Louis said in a hushed voice as I peeked at my cards.

2 A's.

"All in, love." I winked at her before she gave me a smirk and placing down a Jack and a 10.

--

"Z, straight flush." Harry's jaw dropped, "I believe I win." she took the chips while the lads and I exchange looks.

--

"What're we going to do?" Harry asked as I walked out of the room , fuming with anger, "There's loanshark over there." Louis spoke before stopping on his tracks.

"Just get on with it." I glared at them, before they stalked off.

-------------------------------------------

"Psh, of course I'll pay you." I scoffed, "I'll pay you right away! No problem!" I added, "Make sure you-," I hanged up before she can finish.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I slumped back to bed and cursed myself.

--

[ Normal | Third Person ]

"How can we be that stupid?!" Louis shrieked as they made their way to Zayn's car.

"It comes naturally, I guess." Zayn murmured, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"I still can't believe we gambled our client's down payment." Harry stated shamefully. This is why he rarely gets drunk, now look at what happened.

"We got drunk, alright?" Zayn sighed as he sat on the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Yeah, no shit." Louis deadpanned, slamming the door in the process, "C'mon lads, have you forgotten what day it is?" Zayn looked back to Harry, who was in the back.

Then silence entered.

That made Louis and Harry send each other confused glances, "That's right, it's your birthday! Happy birthday, Z!" they greeted simultaneously.

"And that means I can get my trust fund already. Basically, I'm a rich man and we'll be able to pay the debt from last night." Zayn saw the gates opening, "And plus, we can deliver Uncle Tom's commercial. See? No problem." Zayn shrugged before he started to exit the mansion.

"I also have tons of extra cash." Zayn winked and clicked his tongue.

--

"Should I smash it?"

"Go."

"But we haven't opened it once."

"Of course we didn't! Otherwise it would be broken, right? Just break it!"

"I-I can't."

"Liam-,"

"Nicola-,"

Then there was shattering of something glass-like.

"Thank you, Ruth." Geoff suspired before collecting the broken pieces of the piggy bank and throwing it in the trash bin.

"That's it?" Liam asked, "That isn't enough, right?" Nicola frowned at the little amount of cash.

"Do we have to move again?" Luke quizzed, "No Luke, you don't have to worry. I'll keep auditioning until I get a job and get a major role. I'll get paid a ton!" Liam reassured his family.

"Is the Payne family giving up? Never! It's just a debt! We are a family and we'll never give up!" Liam butted his hand in making the others parrot his actions.

"Let's go, one, two, three. Fight!"

--

"I'm sorry, pardon?" Zayn gave his lawyer a baffled look, "Marriage certificate?"

"Yes, it was stipulated here in your trust fund." the lawyer, John Smith pointed out, "You can get it if you reach the age of twenty-one provided you're married." he ignored the unamused expression of his client.

"Don't you think I'm a bit too young?"

"Age doesn't matter and it's just a number, Zayn."

"You're not helping, Lou."

"If not, then I'll afraid you'll have to wait until you reach the age of thirty-five." John leaned back to his seat, "Smith, are you sure that's my account?" Zayn inquired, "It was amended recently." the latter answered.

"You might want to consult your grandmother." John advised before Zayn stormed out of the room with Louis following.

"I'm really sorry, sir." Harry stated before following after the two.

--

[ Zayn ]

"Nana!" I said the moment she answered, "Yes, darling?" she asked.

"Why didn't you tell me I had to get married first before I can claim my trust fund?" I rubbed my temples as I released a frustrated sigh, "Huh?" I never gave her a chance to explain as I made my way to my car.

"That's what the lawyer told me."

"Didn't I tell you that?"

"No!"

"Oh wait, I did! I already told you! I told you that night, yesterday to be exact when you came home from a party. You were even throwing up, y'know?" Nana chuckled.

"Nana, I was drunk!" I screamed out of irritation with a bit of sorrow, making everyone around give me a look, but I had other problems.

"But still, I did tell you, Zayn."

"Nana, seriously?!" I gripped my hair and messed it up.

"Dear, I just finished with my stem cell therapy and they took away decades from my face. Please, I ask you, don't bring them back, yeah?" Nana alleged slowly.

"And besides, there shouldn't be a problem. After five years of being together, you're bound to propose and be married to Perrie, right?" she inquired.

"Happy birthday, dear. Love you, bye!" she bid farewell, "Nana, no!" I cried, but she never gave me a chance to talk as she hung up.

Unfortunately, like grandma, like grandson.

Then I screamed at the black screen of my phone, before turning back and screaming at Harry and Louis, who both flinched.

"What are we going to do?!" I asked before Louis clamped my mouth shut, "We're going to buy flowers." Louis calmly informed.

But I didn't know the reason for the flowers.

- xx -

Author's Note:

I honestly don't know a thing about poker, so I specifically watched that part from the movie just to write it.

3 / 2 / 14