Incomprehensible [Zayn]

Chapter 37

The taxi ride to London was surprisingly long and tiring. Bradford wasn't terribly far from the city, but after being dragged out of bed at four in the morning by my over-excited mother, I couldn't help but feel like I was going to pass out. Mum and Dad had me double-checking everything from clothing to sun cream, and only at five was I finally ready to leave. Zayn knocked on the door at half past with a taxi waiting by the curb. The good byes were short and sweet before Zayn held open my door and hopped in straight after me.

After several hours in the taxi, Zayn and I jumped out and thanked the driver, splitting the share between us - Zayn insisted to pay more. We pulled our suitcases behind us as we headed down the road to Heathrow airport, hand in hand. Pulling my passport and ticket out was difficult with the large bag of presents my friends had insisted I take with me on the trip, hanging on my shoulder.

"Here," Zayn said, taking the bag from me while I fished around in my pockets for my things.

As soon as we boarded the plane, Zayn and I were separated by the mass of bodies shuffling down the aisles to get to their seats. I laughed as Zayn was squished against the side of the plane by a rather large business man. Eventually, I found our seats and I had to wait several minutes before Zayn found his way to me.

"Jesus," he muttered as he dropped down beside me. "That was a hassle."

"It was indeed," I said, taking his hand in mine. "At least you managed to find your seat in the end."

"Yeah," he laughed. "You OK so far?

I tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded, trying to ignore the throbbing in my head and butterflies in my stomach. We were seated to the right side of the plane, next to the window, giving us a good view of the airport and the people boarding the planes. After a few minutes of being in the air, I'd be fine. Yes, I was terrified of heights, but I could handle it. Hopefully.

Zayn squeezed my hand in his and kissed my temple. "It's alright," he promised, brushing my knuckles with his thumb.

"Zayn, I have been on a plane before," I said. "I should be OK."

"I'll remember that when you're screaming in my ear," he laughed before leaning his head back against the head rest. "I've been on too many planes over the years. Harry and I did a good lot of travelling together."

"Where did you go?" I asked, watching as he closed his eyes.

"Venice, Berlin and pretty much every other capital city there is," Zayn said with a smile. "Then there's the little towns and villages round about. Honestly, the world is a beautiful place."

"I wish I could travel as much," I said. "I'm jealous of you two."

Zayn laughed and looked down at me, "Trust me, Laura. You're not jealous of us - we've been travelling for hundreds of years. Squeezed in years of travelling that would normally take a human their whole life to do."

"Well, I'm jealous that you've been everywhere around the world," I corrected and he smiled at me. "I've been to France a lot, but I've never actually stayed the night in Paris before."

"Lucky you, then," Zayn said with a grin. "We'll be staying not one, but six nights."

"Looking forward to it," I said, smiling. "Where are we staying by the way?"

"A Holiday Inn called Notre Dame," Zayn said with a smile. "I do recall you mentioning you wanted to see Notre Dame."

"You're joking?" I said, grinning widely. "We're in the heart of the city?"

"Uh-huh," Zayn said. "There's a rooftop garden terrace too. I believe our room is one of the few that has a balcony over looking the Eiffel Tower."

"You need to stop spoiling me, Zayn," I muttered. "I feel bad because I can't do anything as great for you."