The long awaited update has been posted. Sorry if this was long overdue. I had finals back then the holidays then my new Ziall fic that I hope you guys read. It's called Bluer Than Blue, and it mainly involves around cross-dressing (transgender) theme. I do like writing that one and I hope you'll support that one as well.
I'm still working on writing the upcoming chapters of this book. I wonder if I should this right away. Maybe. Maybe not. I still have more ideas for this story.
Have fun reading and if you want to follow me (@Shime_TheWriter) on Twitter that's great as well!
*****
With three days remaining left of their freedom, Niall, for the most part, insisted for Zayn to visit his family in Bradford. Although, Zayn was hesitant at first but Niall was able to convince Zayn in the end. They'll never know when they'll be free again. With the upcoming looming clouds in the next couple of weeks, Niall knew that his life was about to change.
"Do I have to tell them about us?" Zayn asked, driving a rental car, glancing at the right to his boyfriend, who was busy looking at a tour guide book. Niall glanced away from the book and into his boyfriend. He knew he shouldn't be offended by that but he kind of did. Zayn made it sound that this thing between them was just a business proposal like the one he had with Perrie.
"I mean, it's up to you. If I were a member of your family, I'd be pretty upset if I found out that you were having a quickie with a homosexual," Niall commented. There was a hint of passive-aggressive in his voice.
"A quickie?" Zayn was taken aback by the words coming out of Niall. He couldn't help but to take offense on that one. After spending years with someone, you could tell little things about them such as what made them tick and Zayn recognized this one as Niall being furiously annoyed.
"If you want, you can go see your family and I'll take the first flight to London so you won't have to tell them anything." Hearing that, Zayn quickly put his foot on the brake, jerking them forward. Within seconds, they could hear loud car honks behind them. But it seemed like they didn't hear anything and all that matters were their eyes conversing at one another.
"Pull over the car before someone ran us over," Niall suggested after enduring a staring contest between them. Zayn did what Niall said. As soon as Zayn parked the car on the side of the road, Niall immediately dashed outside.
"Pumpkin..." Zayn called out, feeling horrible for making his boyfriend felt this way. He noticed that Niall was pacing back and forth as if he was going to be executed.
"Look, Zayn, I'm scared too, you know."
"Afraid of what?" Zayn pulled Niall closer to him, twirling his boyfriend until Niall's back faced with Zayn's torso and Zayn's arms going over Niall's stomach, creating them this couple intimate position.
"I'm afraid that your family will blame me for screwing up your career," Niall sniffed. Tears were forming from his blue eyes. Zayn immediately Niall turn around to see his boyfriend and it almost broke him to see him in this condition.
"Hey, it's not your fault, okay?" Zayn spoke in a gentle voice, using his thumb to wipe away the tears escaping from Niall. "I've wanted to be with you for so long and now that I had the chance so I grab it before another Aiden could steal you away from me." Niall couldn't help but to feel special after hearing those words. Then a smile appeared on him. He knew Zayn was a certified sweet talker.
"Is that how you pick up women?"
"Pumpkin..." Zayn frowned, whining. "There's only you in my life."
"There it is again..." Niall cackled, teasing Zayn as he pulled away from Zayn and went into the car. Zayn immediately got into the car as well as they resume driving.
It took them a couple more hours until they arrived at Bradford. Lots of memories struck Zayn as if it was just yesterday. He never thought that he'll be back again in this place. There were some good memories for him and some not good memories that he'd rather forget.
As Zayn parked the car in front of their house, he felt Niall holding his hand, making him look Niall in the eye and all he could see was pure genuine love and adoration.
"You know if you don't want me here, I'll understand," Niall said.
"What are you talking about? I want you here, of course. I will introduce you to my family officially," Zayn said proudly. He had done this once before with his past relationship. But this time, it felt different. It felt right.
They got out of the car, start walking in a cemented pathway until they reached the front door. Zayn couldn't understand why he was freaking nervous. It was his family for God's sake. He was sure that nothing could go wrong. Zayn pressed the doorbell once. He got, even more, nervous when he heard a familiar voice telling them to wait.
Niall knew that his boyfriend was a freaking mess right now. All he could do at the moment was to squeeze Zayn's hand to ensure that he will be right here.
"Oh my God! Zayn!" Waliyha shrieked, giving his older brother a big hug. "Am I dreaming?"
"No, it's me alright..." Zayn chuckled, getting sentimental to see his younger sister all grown up.
"Mum, there's a jerk waiting for you here!" Waliyha joked, pulling away from Zayn. Within seconds, Zayn saw his mother dumbfounded standing at the doorway. Tears followed right after then another bone-crushing hug.
"Oh my God, is that really you?" Tricia, Zayn's mother, cried—of course, it was tears of joy. It has been too long since the last time she saw his only son. The only news that she could get was from the Internet. And let's face it, Internet was the worst possible way to get information about someone.
"Yes, Mum, it's me..." Zayn chuckled, trying to get away from the hug. "Can you let go for a moment before I passed out?"
"Sorry..." Tricia pulled away. Then, she noticed that another person was standing behind Zayn, who was smiling at her. She recognized the person; she always sees this person at Zayn's Instagram account whenever she looked at her daughter's account. Most of Zayn's entry in Instagram was all about this person.
"Mum, I brought someone..."
"Oh?"
"This is Niall..." Zayn introduced Niall to his mother and sister.
"Uh... Hello..." Niall waved, laughing awkwardly. Both Tricia and Waliyha waved back, the shock was evident on their faces.
"Your assistant?" Waliyha asked after recovering from the shock. She wondered why his brother would bring the assistant to their hometown. But then, she remembered the viral video that spread all over the Internet. Niall was that guy...
"What is he doing here?" Zayn instantly recognized the venomous tone of his sister and he did not like it at all, making Niall feel unwelcome to the Malik residence.
"Aren't you gonna invite us first?" Zayn said, trying to diffuse the tension between them. He doesn't want Niall to feel resented by his family. It was the love of his life after all. His family should accept Niall into the family.
"Of course," Tricia chuckled, giving way to Zayn and Niall, as Zayn noticed his sister was just playing around with her phone. Niall saw how homey the Malik residence. There was a large sofa set sitting in the corner of the room that could cater at least fifteen people. A lampshade stood tall next to a small table that holds a wireless home phone. A yellow sticky notepad and a used pencil placed next to it. There were also small plants in the living room, giving the room more color.
"Oh, wow, Mrs. Malik, you have a lovely home," Niall commented, taking in the warm atmosphere of the room.
"Thank you, that's very sweet. You can call me Tricia," Tricia answered, smiling back at the blonde. She noticed how Zayn how looked at the blonde as if he was the only person in the room, and also saw the hand holding between Zayn and Niall. That was when she confirmed her suspicion.
"You know thanks to Zayn for not forgetting about us."
"Mum... not now," Zayn replied. He didn't like it when his mother talked like that, making him want to cry as well. He was a sucker for his mother.
"Hey, I know you!" Niall recognized the younger girl pointing at him as his boyfriend always talked about his family. Although it was their first meeting, he felt like the way Zayn's story, Niall felt like he knew them all well. It was Safaa. "You're the bathroom boy with Zayn!" Both Zayn and Niall cringed instantly.
"Safaa, that's rude," Doniya reprimanded her little sister.
"Well, he is, isn't he?" Safaa pouted, puffing up her cheeks, giving her this cute girl vibe.
"I'm Doniya." She introduced herself as she shook Niall's hand and Niall reciprocated the action with a smile on his face. Although, he was a nervous wreck, he tried to control it because he wanted so badly for his boyfriend's family to accept him. "And this annoying girl is Safaa." Doniya ruffled Safaa's raven hair.
"I'm not annoying!"
"Give me a hug, Safaa," Zayn requested. Within seconds, he got what he wanted as Safaa jumped on him, giving him this big, warm hug. There were no words how happy Zayn was. He was more than delighted that his boyfriend insisted on visiting his family. Now, he was guiltier on not contacting them often.
"Is Niall your boyfriend?" Zayn became flustered right away as soon as he heard Safaa whispering in his ear. He pulled away from his sister and looked at her in the eye. Zayn doesn't want to traumatize Safaa but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Although, Safaa was young, Zayn knew that she would understand whatever he was going to tell the whole family.
"I'll tell you later," Zayn whispered back at Safaa. He pushed himself up as soon as Safaa let go from him. "Where's Dad?"
"I'm here..." A manly, strong voice entered the living room. Zayn noticed how his old man got more wrinkles and tummy fat. He couldn't believe that he was standing next to his father. It's not that they weren't close or anything. It's just sometimes, they don't see on things on the same level.
Zayn walked closer to his father and gave a fatherly hug to his old man. "How are you, Dad?"
"Good, same as always." Yaser, Zayn's father, replied. Then, he noticed a pale, skinny boy with blonde hair, standing in the living room staring back at them. "We have a company?"
"Yes, this is uh..."
"This is Niall and he's Zayn's assistant," Waliyha answered it for Zayn but she said it in a degrading tone directing at Niall. And Niall noticed the hostility of Waliyha towards her. Now, he was starting to feel unwelcome at the Malik's residence. And not to mention, the way Zayn's father was staring back at him. But for the moment, Niall pushed all thoughts aside and just give the man a smile.
Zayn felt offended the way his sister said it. But he decided not to pick a fight with her. He was here for the main reason: to tell his family that next week his whole life would change. He hoped that his family will have his support like always.
"Uh... Are you working? Does that mean Perrie will be here?" Yaser asked. He knew the scripted relationship of his son with another female celebrity. As soon as he heard that his son has to go through that, he was upset. Yaser didn't like when his son was doing something that he doesn't want to do. He tried talking Zayn to get out of it, but Zayn was insistent that it was only for a little while but not until it lasted for years. Yaser was worried for his son.
"Not exactly..." Zayn answered, walking closer to his boyfriend. "Can you all sit-down?" He requested as the Maliks just glanced at one another with a confused expression on their faces.
"What's going on?" Waliyha asked. There was a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Just take a seat, Waliyha," Zayn asked his sister to just follow what he was asking. As soon as Zayn noticed that all his family members were sitting on the sofa, he was standing next to Niall. He could feel his heart pounding so hard in his chest. He has to get through this somehow.
"I... uh... I'm sure you have seen the viral video spreading all over the Internet..." Zayn started, gauging the expression on his family. So far, he doesn't sense any malice from them. "And yes, it was Niall and me..."
"I told you it was him!" Safaa commented, slapping Doniya in a gentle way. The way Safaa was looking at Doniya, it was kind of in a sarcastic way.
"Just shush..." Doniya reprimanded.
"So... the management found out about it..." Zayn said, glancing at his boyfriend on his left, who was staring at his family with a nervous look.
"And..." Doniya asked, hating the anticipation.
"And... uh... Niall and I are in a relationship..." Zayn finally said. He watched carefully as the shock sets in his family. Zayn waited a couple of seconds until he saw some smiling faces on the sofa.
"Oh my God! That's great, Zayn!" Zayn almost jumped from fear when Doniya stood up and hugged him, followed by his mother. He also saw a smile from Safaa but she remained in her seat. Zayn thought that these three women were approving of his relationship. However, he saw the impassive expression on his father while Waliyha was displeased. Zayn noticed the fake smile on both of his father and Waliyha as soon as they give him a hug, congratulating him. Zayn couldn't help but to feel hurt and insulted. He knew from the beginning that there would be some hiccups in this relationship but he was willing to do anything to fight for Niall.
"So are you like gay now?" Doniya asked, pulling away from Zayn; A smile was still seen on her face.
"I guess so..." Zayn chuckled, accepting the fact that he might be a late bloomer on his homosexual tendencies.
Doniya grinned as she looked at Safaa. "You know what that means, Safaa?"
"What?" Safaa replied with a dreadful expression on her. This was what she was afraid of.
"Come on, pay up..." Doniya grinned evilly as she rubbed her palms together.
"What is going on?" Zayn asked as he saw Safaa handed paper money bill at Doniya. He doesn't like what he saw right after he made a confession about himself. It looked like that there was a betting involved.
"Well, there was this agreement between Safaa and myself..." Zayn didn't like the grin on his older sister. He felt violated and offended. "We made a bet that you, Zayn, is gay," Zayn stood there in disappointment with Doniya doing something like this. "And I was right. Safaa doesn't want to believe in me."
"I don't like the sound of that," Zayn said. "This is serious, Doniya."
"Well so am I."
"I don't appreciate you making a bet out of my life!" Zayn raised his voice, startling the rest of them. But he quickly calmed down as soon as he felt the squeeze on his hand. He faced his boyfriend with a gentle expression.
"Now the secret is out in the open, and you have nothing to worry about, okay?" Tricia watched how Zayn instantly calmed down just one look from Niall. Raising Zayn was quite a challenge for her. Every time that Zayn would get upset or angry, he would storm out, and shut down from everyone but seeing this, Tricia felt that Niall was the perfect fit for his son.
"Wait, so what's going to happen now? Does your management agree to this?" Tricia asked, trying to make sense of what was happening but based on what his son has to go through with Perrie, she was not that sure that the management would just let this go. There must be something...
"Actually, they were the ones insisting this..." Zayn replied.
"So this is fake?" Waliyha suddenly appeared into the conversation, earning a glare from Zayn. Zayn doesn't know why she was hostile to his relationship with Niall.
"It's not fake. Niall and myself are together for real but management found a way to explain the viral video and so here we are," Zayn explained, hoping that Waliyha won't antagonize his relationship.
"What about Perrie?" Zayn sighed in distress because his mind was spinning in circles. He was so exhausted on defending Niall in front of her but he still has to do this.
"The management told us that they will make it appear that it was a cover-up from our relationship." Although there was truth behind it, Zayn still couldn't believe how management came up with these ideas. He wouldn't have thought of it out of the blue.
Niall was surprised when he received a hug from Tricia. "Thank you, Niall!" He just Zayn's mother hugged him, reeling in the gratitude that rained down on him although he doesn't know what it was for.
"Mum, stop harassing my boyfriend..." Zayn couldn't believe that those words escaped him by accident, making him smile, acknowledging Niall as his boyfriend in front of his family. Unbeknownst to him, Yaser was not okay with this at all. In fact, he cringed when his only son said those words.
Tricia quickly pulled away from the blonde with true happiness in her. This was the first time that she saw Zayn with a genuine smile. She was worried that Zayn might get drown with the fame and fortune but she was wrong, there was someone that will support him, cherish him, and love him even without her guidance. That was what she wanted in all of her children—at the end of the day, she wanted them to be happy with their lives.
"I forgot that I have a call to make," Zayn noticed the unfamiliarity in the tone from his father. He decided to ignore it and enjoyed what he has right now. He watched as his father disappeared into one of the rooms.
"You are the savior, Niall!" Niall had a questioning look on his face as soon as Tricia praised him.
"What for?" He asked.
"You successfully separate my son from Perrie. I can't stand that girl!" Niall couldn't help but to snicker after hearing that. Niall, too, can't stand that girl as well. "Oh, you know what, just tell me what you wanted for dinner and we'll cook it!"
"Now, you're speaking my language..." Niall grinned as the entire living room was filled with fulfilling laughter.
Meanwhile, Yaser sat on his swivel chair, looking for a particular telephone number on one of his address book. After flipping a couple of pages, he found what he was looking for. A smirk spread on his face. He must do whatever it takes to protect his son from everything.
"Uh... Hello..." Yaser spoke. "May I speak to Detective Rosewood?" Yaser waited until he heard the familiar voice of a friend from college.
"Oh hey, Rosewood, this is Yaser Malik from college. Remember me?" Yaser nodded his head. "I got a favor to ask. Could you run me a thorough background check on someone?" He found himself tapping the pencil on his hand against the wooden table.
"I have a suspicion about this boy who hangs around with my son. I just need to make sure that my son won't get screwed over..." Yaser held the pencil too tight until it snapped in two.
"Yes, the name is Niall Horan..."
*****
If you read Bluer Than Blue first than this chapter, you'll see the primary characteristic differences from the same characters. If you don't notice, I'll say to read it again (I'm shamelessly advertising my other book LOL!)
So, what do you think about this chapter?