The silence in the room was too thick. For a second I wished Zayn would just say something, anything. Yell, scream, ask a million question, tell me how he knew Eric was here, anything. But all he did was sit in the living room in silence.
Once Eric left, Zayn had noticed I was holding my shoulder so he helped me sit, got an iced pea-bag and helped me put it on my shoulder applying pressure.
We sat there like that for what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes. It was so awkward, it almost felt like he didn't just save me.
"Are you okay?" Zayn finally broke the silence.
"Yeah, just my shoulder. It hurts." I said my voice a bit weak from all that crying and screaming.
"Does it hurt when you move it?" He asked getting a little closer to me and trying to move my arm from my shoulder making me wince in pain.
"Yes," I gritted my teeth to hold my pain inside.
"Do you want to go to the hospital to get it checked?" His worried voice warmed my heart, although it shouldn't but somehow it was like a reassurance that he still cared for me.
"No, it would probably just go away by itself." I smiled trying to hide my pain from my shoulder and my happiness about having him here with me.
"It won't. Go change, I'm taking you to the hospital." He insisted.
"Zayn, promise its fine. I don't want to go." I urged him. I really was too tired and I didn't want to go anywhere.
"Are you sure?" He asked again.
"Yeah." I smiled at him. Silence fell between us so I decided to talk again, "Thank you. You know, for...saving me."
"Of course babe. I'll save you any day." He smiled back at me, my heart swelling from just the way he is looking at me.
"My own guarding angel." I mumbled trying to lighten the mood a little.
"I prefer super hero." He smirked making me giggle. He was a dork. "Your smile is beautiful. I know it's only been a day but I missed it."
Looking at my hands, I felt my heart flying inside my chest but at the same time I felt guilty for making him think I doubted him. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry." We both said at the same time.
"I want to go first." I interrupted him and he nodded allowing me to speak, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I saw that girl. Honestly I didn't think you were cheating it's just I got jealous and I don't know, I just didn't want to start a fight because of something that was probably stupid."
"It's not stupid babe. But you know I'll never hurt you like that, right?" He asked taking my hand in his for reassurance.
"I know." I nodded not meeting his gaze feeling like maybe I did over react about the whole thing.
"I'm sorry too. Maybe I shouldn't have lost my cool with that guy, Seif. I just don't like him." Zayn said making me roll my eyes.
"He is a nice guy." I defended Seif as always.
"He likes you." Zayn rolled his eyes.
"He does not." I insisted.
"He does. Your heart is just too big, you think everyone has pure intentions." Zayn said.
"He does have pure intentions, you don't know him like I do." I was persistent because I was sure of myself. Seif just didn't have any friends. I was his only friend and from what I understood he was going to be engaged to that girl Maha in the future, although they don't even look good together one bit.
"I don't want to fight again, Maggie. You know I don't like the guy. Let's just leave it at that." Zayn sighed trying to end that conversation knowing it was going nowhere.
"I don't know why you don't like him, you two could be friends. I can see it."
Zayn laughed so loud I took a step back just to take all of him in, "Friends? Me and Seif? Are you serious?"
Frowning at his reaction, I hated how he saw Seif as so much less, "Yeah. What's wrong with that?"
"Hm, I don't know, he's in love with fiancé?" Zayn said sarcastically.
"He is not!" I rolled my eyes at how silly he is being right now.
"Whatever. Have you called your mom?" Zayn changed the subject not really wanting to fight. And neither did I so I just went with it.
"No, why?" I asked confused.
"She was the one who called me telling me someone was in your apartment. She must be worried sick." Crap. My mom was with me on the phone throughout the whole thing. She must be going crazy thinking something happened to me.
"I'll call her now." I hurried grabbing my phone.
"I'll go have a cig while you talk to her." Zayn informed me going to the window. He opened it and just leaned against it while lighting his cigarette.
Dialing my mother's number, it didn't even ring a full ring before she picked it up, "Maggie? Are you okay?" She asked worried.
"Yes mom, I'm fine." I replied sighing. I was contemplating whether or not I should tell her about Eric. I quickly dismissed the idea knowing Ella would be pissed if I told my mother, "I was almost mugged but Zayn came just in time."
"Oh god, baby. I can't believe the world we're living in. Someone just decided to come mug the apartment while you are in it? He must've known you were alone. God, he must've been watching you." My mom cried in the phone making up even worse scenarios of what happened.
"I don't know mom, but it's okay now. Zayn came." I tried to assure her.
"Aw, bless him. Thank god he answered the phone just in time. God only knows what would've happened if he didn't come. You could've been killed or raped. God, I can't even imagine." She gasped rambling on and on about what could've happened.
"Mom I'm okay now, nothing happened al hamdulillah." I said again just trying to calm my mother.
"Your apartment is not save anymore. You can't keep living by yourself like that. And even when the girls come, you are three girls all by yourselves." My mom said with too much worry.
"Mom it's okay. I'll probably just lock the door from now on." I said keeping my mother on a low scale of panicking.
"That's not enough! God saved you this time but we can't be too sure about the future. We'll look for another place tomorrow." Mom insisted.
"Mom, we don't have to-"
"Nonsense. You almost died today!" She insisted.
"Mom." I tried to put some sense into her but she stopped me.
"Not another word. Tomorrow when you come home we'll discuss this with your father." She said ending the conversation.
"Tomorrow?" I asked confused.
"For the Ibrahim's wedding." She said to me like I should already know it.
"I'm not going to make it mom. I'm too tired." I tried getting out of it using what happened today as an excuse.
"What? No, you have to come home anyway. I'm not leaving you stay there alone while those Malik girls stay with their families. If you are still not able to attend tomorrow then don't but either way you are coming home."
"Mom,"
"No, I'm not accepting any excuse. You are coming home and that's that." She said sitting her mind already.
"Okay mom." I sighed just going on with whatever she wants. I'll probably cancel tomorrow anyway.
"Is Zayn still with you?" She asked suddenly.
"Yeah." I mumbled looking behind me to see Zayn still leaning on the window just looking outside with the last of his cigarette between his lips.
"Good. Ask him to stay over. I don't want you staying alone today." She was just worried and I knew that but she was beginning to annoy me right now.
"No mom, I can't. it's haram." I rolled my eyes already too tired of my mother's worries.
"So? It's for your own safety." She insisted and I just was about sick of this conversation so I decided to just tell her anything.
"Okay mom. I'll see what's going to happen but right now my head is spinning so I'm going to go lay down, okay?" I tried to end this conversation as it was giving me heading already. I knew this was only the beginning of a long series of calls and texts of suggestions to make me safer.
"Oh baby. Okay, you go lay down. I'll call you later to check on you." I knew it.
"Okay mom, bye." I hung up and just laid down on the couch feeling a headache from the call already coming.
"Did you assure her you were okay?" Zayn asked once he noticed I was done with my call.
"Yeah, but I didn't tell her about Eric. I just told her I was robbed." I told him to make sure he doesn't tell her himself.
"Why?" He asked confused taking a seat next to me.
"Because, Ella doesn't want anyone knowing about her and Eric. Especially my mom." I explained to him.
"Why though? Being in an abusive relationship isn't her fault." Zayn asked still confused.
"He's not just abusive Zayn. He is a dealer. Ella has always been my mother's none biological daughter and she doesn't want to disappoint her." I tried to explain more but he didn't seem like he was convinced.
"Whatever suits her flow, but someone as dangerous as Eric need to be reported. He is not going to stop at what he did today." I knew Zayn was right, what Eric did today was only the first step of many he was about to take to get to Ella and now the he knows I'm helping her he would come after me as well.
"I know." I sighed, my head spinning with so many things.
"I'm getting you a bodyguard." Zayn said matter of factly.
"What?" I asked confused and surprised at the same time.
"I don't feel like it's safe for you to just be on your own when Eric is going to be on your tail. HE is dangerous." Zayn stated.
"Yeah but a bodyguard? That seems like a bit much." I admitted. To be honest, I didn't even like the idea of having someone following me to protect me. If anything it would make me feel scared, like I'm in real danger.
"It's not. I know a few good ones. They are really nice." He shrugged like it wasn't weird to have someone be with you all the time for protection reasons.
"I don't know." I sighed feeling too tired to argue. The world was spinning a little and arguing just took all the energy inside of me.
"Don't worry about it. I'll see what I'll do later. You seem tired. Do you want to go to bed?" He asked worriedly giving me a weird look.
"Yeah," I mumbled trying to get up but slowly because I was afraid I would fall once I was on my feet. Luckily I didn't.
"C'mon, I'll help you." Zayn stood up and took my hand making me lean on him for support while he walked me to my room.
"God, look at this mess." I cringed once I saw the state of my room. He really didn't need to throw everything around and break my lamp while searching in the room. Just one look around and he would've known she wasn't there.
"You are worried about the mess?" Zayn chuckled at my expression when I gave him an unamused look as a response, "I'll help clean it in the morning, don't be so grumpy."
"Thank you." I smiled slightly at how adorable he was being.
"You are welcome. I'll leave you to change and be comfortable." He said once he made sure I could stand on my own.
A thought crossed my mind that Zayn would be staying here to make sure I was okay and mixed feelings filled me. On one hand, I thought he was so nice and adorable for being this protective of me but on the other hand I knew it was haram.
I had to do something yet not be rude, "Zayn, would you please, um, close the apartment door before you leave? I' don't think I could go close it behind you." I looked at him expectedly waiting for his reaction.
"I wasn't going to stay the night, don't worry. I told you we are doing this the right way." He smiled sweetly looking at me making me blush. "Sleep tight, I'll come tomorrow to check on you."
"You don't have to." I said feeling guilty knowing he would probably come as soon as I wake up. He would probably cancel his plans as well.
"I want to. I just have a couple of days left and I want to spend them with you." He reassured me making my heart swell. God he could be such a romantic sometimes.
"Night babe. I love you."
***
A/N
Just a filler but it's important. I'll try to pick up pace for this story.
BTW Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating x
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