k i w i

- 50 -

- zayn -

"She fucking loves me..." I muttered to myself, dropping my head on the steering wheel as I waited for my dad. "She loves me."

Thinking over her words, I lean back and run my hands through my hair and face, not caring to mess my hair. I was exhausted and wanted to go home.

A loud tap on the window startled me, looking over, I saw my dad. Unlocking the car, I started it as he got in. "Where's your mind, Zayn? I was knocking for quite a while."

"Sorry." I muttered, putting it in reverse as he buckled up. "Long day today."

"When is it not?" He asks, sighing loudly and leaning back. "You closed the deal, son?"

"Um, I did." I tell him, biting down my lip as I drove home. At this point, my wall was up, I no longer wanted to talk about work. "I, erm, I am gonna take a maternity leave, dad."

His laughed filled the car, it offended me a bit at how mocking it was. "For what, Zayn? Arabella is the mother, not you."

"I want to help her out!" I exclaim, looking at him a second before focusing on the road again. "I'm the dad, I want to be there for my baby."

"You work mornings, you can be there in the evenings." He points out, shaking his head and unbuttoning his suit jacket. "I didn't take one for you guys and look at it, turned out great."

Great? Yeah right.

"We were raised by mum and Lydia." I mutter back, rolling my eyes as low key as I could. The tension filled the air as he sat in silence, this action a bit scary. "Anyways, are you even gonna be there for the reveal?"

"I'll try." He finally speaks, "What are your plans here, Zayn? I've heard somethings about you two going around-an engagement?"

"Her aunt thought we were engaged." I reply, remembering the charity event. "We were gonna say otherwise, but she was gone."

"Do you even know this woman, Zayn?" He asked, I saw him looking at me sternly from my peripheral vision. "She owns half the Astor Empire- she can ruin or make us."

"So you just want me to marry Arabella?" I ask at him angrily, gripping my hands on the steering wheel. "For the business? Have you even considered if we love each other?"

"No, but you obviously like each other enough to make a child." He replies back, "Its either marriage or I take you off the business."

Shaking my head back, I kept myself quiet. I know that if I opened my mouth, it would be something nasty.

The twenty more minutes was silent, I had to crack my window open from how suffocating the air was. Once in our driveway, I parked the car and almost jumped out once I turned it off.

Opening the door and stomping inside, I stopped to give mum a kiss on the cheek and proceeded upstairs angrily, just wanting to see Arabella at this point.

Entering my room, my heart swell up when I saw her curled up in the middle of bed, her words echoing back inside my head. I walked forwards, taking my jacket off along with my shoes, going and sitting besides her.

Kissing her cheek, I whispered in her ear her name, watching her stir. "I'm home, doll."

Her brown eyes then looked up at me, the sleepiness looked like a glow on her. Her lips swollen, cheeks red, and hair messy.

"You're here, Z!" She whispered excitedly, moving to hug my leg. "How was your day?"

And at those words, I began to vent about everything. My father yelling at everyone for a mistake he did, going to meetings, trying to close deals, and punching data into computers. It was all exhausting.

"You didn't had coffee, right?" She asked, putting her head in my thigh and rubbing my other leg. "Remember our deal?"

I grinned down at her, "Of course, doll. No coffee until the baby is here."

"Good." She says, yawning a little. "Have you eaten yet? Your mom's pasta is delicious."

"Not hungry." I say, shaking my head and continuing to twirl a hair strand. "Are you hungry?"

"A little, yes." She says back, burying her face between my leg and the bed. Her hand patted my other thigh, "But I want fruit."

"I'll go get us some." I tell her, letting her get off my legs, I stood up and walked out. I went down to the kitchen, mum putting the leftovers in tupperware. "Hi, mum."

"Are you going to eat, love?" She asks stopping herself, raising an eyebrow, I shook my head and she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not? You're always hungry when you get home."

Looking around, I lean agains the counter besides her. "Dad threaten me on the way here." Hearing her gasp and drop the spoon, I rolled my eyes at her dramatic reaction and shook my head. "Not in a bad way, mum."

"Any threat is bad." She said back, hitting my arm and continuing scooping. "What is it?"

"Marry Arabella or get my part of the business taken away." I say running a hand through my hair, beginning to do what I was here to do. "I can't marry her now, mum."

"I know." She says, "But you will eventually, right?"

Stopping myself from cutting up a kiwi, I turn to her. "How do I know that I love her?"

"Oh, honey." Mum closes the container, she makes me look at her in the eye, her eyes holding the same light as Arabella's. "Who is the first person you want to talk to? Who is the first person to pop in your mind when you wake up? Who is the first person you're always thinking about?" She smiles at me, "To me, it has always been your dad."

Leaving me alone, I replied to her questions: Arabella, Arabella, and Arabella.

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