Emma's POV
When Zayn remembered me, I felt like I just won the lottery. I was so happy, I couldn't stop the wide grin that etched itself on my face.
Just looking at him made butterflies erupt in my stomach, the tingly sensation that also mixed into my happiness.
I didn't know what to do, but it seemed that he made that decision for me, and I was back in his warm and strong embrace. He spun me around cutely and I squealed and giggled.
I pulled away and really looked at him for a second. He was about a head taller than me, not counting his hair. He had a faint stubble on his face and his eyelashes framed his light brown eyes. It took my breath away. I realized that I was finally with him again. I have been waiting for this moment for eternity and my wish was granted.
I pulled him in for another hug, and the next thing I knew, warm tears trailed down my cheeks and landed on his shoulder.
"Emma, are you crying?" he said in his distinct accent, dislodging himself from my arms.
"I'm sorry," I said. They were happy tears, and it was odd because I rarely cried happy tears. "Zayn, it's cause it's just so happy I am here with you again." I tried to explain.
He smiled widely. "Emma, I'm happy too. Really."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Oh, and remember that one time when we went to the zoo that whale scared you so much you peed your pants!" I managed to splutter out, my choked laughs shaking my whole body.
Zayn's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, horrified. His cheeks tinged with a rosy color. "I thought I told you to never speak of that again!"
"Oops," I winked.
Zayn pouted at me playfully.
"You know Em, your accent is so weird." He told me with a scrunched nose.
I narrowed my eyes. "So now you have something against American accents?" I challenged.
He held his hands up in surrender. "I never said that. In fact, I think American accents are hot." he stated while grinning at me.
I felt my face throbbing with the blood rushing up to my cheeks and tried to hide it by turning my head to the side. This was weird, I used to never blush in front of Zayn. Of course, that was before he turned 100x hotter and started becoming muscular.
"Shut up!" I scolded him and slapped his arm when I was sure my cheeks returned to their normal color.
"It's just that I miss your accent Emma. And I miss when we were kids in Bradford." He said to me. I detected a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I miss it too," I smiled up at him.
I fell back onto the bed and Zayn untangled himself from sitting pretzel-style and followed my lead. I stared at the ceiling when I could feel his watchful eyes gazing at my face.
"But it's okay because we're here now. And you're living your dreams." I said quietly, then rolled my head to the side to meet his orbs.
"Yeah, and it's great. It's so fast paced though, I never thought I would see you again." He frowned at me. "And I'm sorry I haven't kept in contact with you. When I moved we didn't have phones and when you moved I never got your number or anything. We were on our tour and management didn't want me distracted. After that, I guess I was too caught up in being a famous singer to realize what and who was really important to me and I'm so sorry." He rushed, the words coming out of his mouth so fast I had to think for a moment to process everything he said.
"Shhh." I told him and smoothed the stress creases on his forehead with my fingers. "I understand Z. It's fine." I told him and smiled genuinely.
"You're the best Emma. Thank you." he said and scooted closer to me to wrap his arms around my waist.
My eyes fluttered closed at the comfort of our position. I opened one eye and peeked at the clock. It was already almost 1 in the morning. I looked at Zayn and he basically read my mind.
His grip around my waist tightened. "You can stay here if you want. We're leaving in a couple of days." He said, and he gave me the puppy dog eyes.
I sighed and my mind flicked back to my mother and her face when she realises that I wasn't in my room.
"Okay." I found myself agreeing. I'd rather be here with my best friend and get in trouble later than be in my lonely room doing boring crap like sleeping.
I snuggled into his toned chest and inhaled his scent. I missed this so much even though we didn't usually cuddle like this when we were kids. Upon realizing this, my heart started beating faster. Am I actually cuddling with Zayn Malik right now? What does this mean?
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and the door swinging open a second later.
"Night mate, remember that we have-" a voice said loudly.
Zayn and I jerked apart from eachother and he fell off the bed with a loud thump. I sat up quickly and my eyes widened at the sight of Niall standing there in just boxers. Mother.
I couldn't stop my eyes from raking over his body and jumped out of my trance when he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Oh. Well." He said surprised. "Zayn??"
Zayn emerged from the floor.
"Niall, really?" he started.
"Hey, I know you." Niall said suddenly.
I chuckled. "I know you too." I joked.
"You're the girl who was wandering around backstage. And the one that Zayn was so desperately looking for!"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zayn face palm.
"Right well okay Nialler, goodnight to you too." He said, striding over to the door and pushing Niall out of it.
"Be safe!" Niall shouted after us before giggling and running off.
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks again and Zayn shook his head and closed the door.
"I apologize for Niall." he said apologetically.
I laughed. "He seems like a nice guy."
Awkward silence took over us as Zayn wandered back over to the bed and flopped down.
I collapsed on the bed also and resumed my previous position as I buried my face into his chest.
A few seconds of silence later I said, "So Zayn, you were looking for me?"
I found it cute that he was looking for me. Did he even recognize me at the concert?
I felt his head moving and I looked up. He met my eyes before opening his mouth.
"You looked familiar and I saw you looking for me. It looked like you really wanted to tell me something and I was curious. I can't believe I didn't recognize you right away though." He said and smiled at his stupidity.
I laughed at him.
"In my defence, you look different. Your hair is straight and lighter and you're tanner and you're taller and stuff."
I rolled my eyes. "No really? Cause you haven't changed at all. You're still the same height and you definitely haven't gotten more muscular at all. You're voice is still squeaky and high pitched and you still have an 'i' in your first name." I ranted.
Zayn grinned at me. "You're still sarcastic, that's for sure."
"I am not." I scrunched my eyebrows together.
We continued our playful banter until we both eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Buzz buzz buzz. Buzz buzz buzz.
The constant vibrations of my phone (which I had retrieved from my mom's "secret" hiding place) pulled me out of my dreamy state. I groaned loudly and stuck my hand in my pocket to search for it with my eyes still closed.
I touched something cold and grasped onto it and pulled it out. Using all of my will power, I pried open both of my eyes and squinted at the bright screen. 9:00 AM, it read.
I then noticed my surrondings. I was on a bed, in a place I've never been in before. I lurched up before dumbly realizing I was in Zayn's hotel room. I also noticed that I was right on the edge of one side of the bed and Zayn was fast asleep on the edge of the other side. Guess cuddling didn't work out.
'Call from: Mom' the screen flashed at me. I pinched up my face and cringed as I brached myself for her wrath.
I reluctantly clicked 'answer' and was immediately greeted by my lovely mother.
"YOUNG LADY. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? WHERE ARE YOU?" she screeched at me.
I winced at her loudness and hurriedly turned down the volume. I quietly got out of Zayn's warm bed and tip-toed out of his room and went into an occupied bathroom just down the hallway.
"Mom," I whispered. "I know you're mad but please listen to me!" I pleaded.
I could hear her angry heavy breathing on the other line of the phone, and when she spoke her voice was lethal. "Explain. Now."
I took a deep breath and the words flowed out of my mouth.
"WellyouknowhowZayn'sintownrightandIwantedtoseehimagainwhichiswhyjocelynandIsnuckouttotheconcertbutIreallyreallyreallywantedtoseehimagainsoIwenttothehotelOneDirectionisstayingatandfoundhisroomandheactuallyrecognizedmesoIstayedovernightbecauseweweretalkingandcatchingupbutpleasedon'tgetmad."
There was a brief pause over the phone. "What?"
"Well you know how Zayn's in town right and I wanted to see him again which is why jocelyn and I snuck out to the concert but I really really really wanted to see him again so I went to the hotel One Direction is staying at and found his room and he acutally recognize me so I stayed overnight because we were talking and catching up but please don't get mad." I said slower.
My mom exhaled loudly through the phone. "Did they even let you into the hotel?"
"Of course." I lied smoothly.
"Well, you're still in big trouble because you snuck out again when you were grounded. Also because it's dangerous to walk through the city in the middle of the night and I hope you didn't do anything naughty with Zayn or his band. Tell me the hotel and I'll come pick you up later. I know Zayn is your best friend, but you are grounded which means you cannot leave the house which means you have to stay inside the house and think about what you've done. Oh and you're grounded for another week because you broke my rules and you stole your phone when I confiscated it."
Anger surged through my body but I didn't say anything more.
"Well I'm at the Ritz-Carlton. Good bye." I said and rudely hung up.
I checked myself in the mirror and rinsed my mouth before opening the door quietly. I was pretty hungry so decided that I would help myself with the boys' food.
I walked into the empty kitchen and found an orange and some cereal to eat. After eating them in silence while checking twitter and instagram, I placed the bowl and (yes, fork) into the sink and walked back to Zayn's room. I still haven't had any new texts from Jocelyn because she was grounded and decided that I would call Devin later.
Zayn stirred when I sat down on the bed and he turned over, getting comfortable again.
"Wakey wakey" I cooed at him.
The corners of his lips curled up and he mumbled something incoherent but ignored me otherwise.
"I said, WAKEY WAKEY!" I yelled in his ear, but not loud enough so it wouldn't disturb the other sleeping boys.
He squeezed his eyes tight then opened one eye to stare at me.
He closed his eye again and twitched lightly.
I was getting impatient but was taken by surprise when he lunged out of the bed and started tickling my sides. I hate getting tickled because my breathing stops and it's so uncomfortable but I'm forced to laugh like it's funny.
"Can't. breathe. I. Surrender." I wheezed then started giggling again.
He finally stopped and watched me as I panted to catch my breathe.
I glowered at him. "You're an evil person."
He shrugged. "Sucks doesn't it."
I growled at him before sobering up.
"My mom called," I said frowning. "I'm in big trouble and she's coming over to pick me up." I looked into his eyes for help.
I was scared. What if I never saw him again? He's leaving new york soon and I can't even spend time with him. After I just climbed a freaking hotel for the boy, there's no way I'm letting that happen.
"Hey, relax" he told me and pulled me into a soft hug. "It's gonna be okay Emma. Here, give me your phone."
I obediantely handed it to him and he entered in his contact information while snapping a cheeky picture of himself for the contact icon.
"Text me, okay? I'll try to find time to come over before we go and even after that I'll always text you. And I'll try to visit and you can come visit me too." he assured me.
I nodded helplessly. He knew how strict my parents were and he also knew I was still in school. Even if I wanted to, there was no way my mother would let me travel around the world with Zayn and his boyband and miss my education.
I felt my eyes watering and he squeezed me into a tight hug. "Don't cry." He said into my hair.
I took a deep breath and pulled away. I mustered up a smile for him, "Thank you Zayn."
He nodded at me after studying my face to make sure I was really okay.
He glanced at his watch. "We have a meeting with management and rehearsals after at 11:00. We won't be back at the hotel for a while but just text me. I promise you I'll see you soon."
My heart longed to be with him more but I knew that I couldn't have that right now.
Just then, my phone buzzed once. I pulled it out and read the text message from my mother; "I'm in the lobby. Come down now"
I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and nodded at Zayn.
"I'll walk you down babe." he said, and followed me out of the door.
We passed the kitchen and many closed bedroom doors as we headed out.
Harry was in the kitchen putting jam on a bagel and waved to us.
"So, we meet again, Oh my God." he winked at me and Zayn. "But really though, what were you two up to last night?" he said and wiggled his eyebrows scandalously.
Zayn groaned and I averted my embarassed gaze. I guessed that Niall already blabbered to them all.
"Nothing, Harry." Zayn said while glaring daggers at the green eyed boy.
Harry shook his head and chuckled while he continued making his breakfast as we exited through the big doors.
The ride down the elevator was silent as I savored my last moments with Zayn. We stared into eachother's eyes until we reached the lobby, and he quickly took my hand in his.
I looked around for my mother and saw her sitting in a chair and texting on her phone, oblivious to the screeching fans outside of the glass doors who spotted Zayn.
I turned to Zayn. "Well, this is it." I said depressingly.
He gently placed his finger under my chin and lifted my head up. It was sweet that he didn't seem to care if the fans or paparazzi saw us right now and their assumptions with it.
"No, it's not over yet Emma, you silly goose." he said and bopped my nose lightly and teasingly with his finger. "It's more like a 'see you soon.'"
I smiled at his childness but agreed. "See you soon."
"See you soon Embear." He said, smiling at me.
We embraced again and I walked away from him, looking over my shoulder at him.
My mother looked up as I neared. Her mouth was in a grim line as she stood up.
"Let's go." she ordered. She was obviously dissapointed in me but I couldn't care less because I had done what needed to be done, which resulted in me reuniting with my best friend.
I trailed behind her across the fancy marble floors. She glanced back at me once before her eyes focused on something behind me. She put on a genuine smile and paused for a second. I turned around to see what she was looking at and saw Zayn in the same spot where I had left him. He was grinning at my mom and I and waving to her.
'Hi' my mom mouthed at him. He mouthed a 'I missed you' back to her before she smiled at him again and turned around to resume our journey back to the car. As I pushed out of the rotating doors and avoided the hard stares of the security guards, I looked back one more time and saw Zayn waving excitedly and childishly at me.
I stepped out in the breezy and noisy city and ignored the fans around me as I waved back to him one more time. I sent him a heart with my fingers and followed my mom after he sent me one back. I got into the passenger side of our Lexus and glanced back through the glass doors to see Zayn walking back to the elevator.
My mom pulled out slowly whilte trying not to run over the girls scattered around the parking lot and front lobby of the hotel.
She quickly looked at me and opened her mouth to speak.
I cut her off before she could say anything.
"I'm in trouble, I know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
did you like it? vote/comment/critique/message me/etc < 3
+ happy belated birthday to our baby! (: i cant believe zayn isnt a teenager anymore, this is freaking crazy.
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*important*
im thinking about ending this fanfiction soon. my idea was to show the story of emma trying to track down zayn, and not the meeting through happily after ever part and everything in between like the usual fanfiction. just letting you know, since i know ill be crappy at the boys' personality and itd kill me to try and write a whole rest of the story on it. i know, its sad! :( ill be planning the last few chapters and the epilogue most likely.
good news is, im starting a one shot songfiction book. its going to be called "Take Me Home" and every chapter will be titled the name of a song, and the chapters are all one shots. ill be dedicating each chapter/song to a lucky fanner and commenter, and the main female character will be named after you!
~ check out my message board for more information on the dedications if you would like one ~
* please dont steal my idea -___- i know this fanfiction idea isnt "mine" because its only an idea and not the actual writing, but its sad if you have to use other peoples ideas because you cant think of your own. BE CREATIVE!
love you, rachel x
this chapter is dedicated to fatima (ishine4youu) because her writing inspired mine.