Zayn's POV
Being back at work after having two snow days off was the hardest thing I'd ever done since becoming a father. Mr.Scott seemed to be lazier than usual and told me to do all the work he hadn't caught up while I also had to fill out new orders and keep track of what orders had gotten where it needed to be. Laila was a little more fussy today because she didn't want to sit in her carrier all day so I had to keep making her quiet because of all the other people working.
"Zayn, you need to get these orders in before lunch." Mr.Scott said then dropped a thick file on my desk. I just nodded and opened a new tab on my computer to send the orders out. Laila stuck her thumb in her mouth and just looked at me from her carrier with her big blue eyes like she wished I would be nicer and just hold her. I didn't want to teach her that every time she cries or whines she'll get held. I wanted her to be independent in a way because there was only one of me and I need to do other things too.
Lunch time came and rolled around, but I didn't take a break because I was nearly finished with the orders. I was pretty much the only one on the floor because everyone else had gone to the break room. I placed the last order in and sat back in my chair wishing the day could just be over by now.
"It was more fun being with Niall, right?" I asked Laila even though she was asleep. I think if she could talk she would confirm that being with Niall was allot more fun than being here. He was helpful, but because he wanted to be not because I asked him to. He also made me feel happier than I had felt just being stuck with my own thoughts constantly because I had no one that I could carry a conversation with.
There was something about the way Niall and I could talk to each other that made it feel like we had already met before. It was like a street you had driven down when you were a child that only seemed familiar when you went down at as an adult. Touching him felt the same way. I could have him in my arms and it didn't feel like I was holding a stranger. I saw in his eyes that he enjoyed it and felt it in the way he would hold me back. There was something that made him feel like I'd been with him before but also like he was still a new person. It was incredible to have that because I knew there wasn't going to be many things in life that make you feel that.
My phone buzzed softly on my desk making me think of other things than just the cute Irish man. I saw Louis' name flash across my phone so I answered it immediately. He doesn't usually call me in the middle of the day, so I went to thinking something he'd to be wrong.
"Hey, Zayn. I was just checking on how you and Laila are doing." He said. I smiled and sat beck in my chair. The feeling of relief flood through me because I knew he wasn't in trouble or needing anything.
"Everything is great. I need to take her in for her one month check up tomorrow to make sure everything is okay, but she's good. How's school?" I asked him. He mumbled that school was stupid but he was nearly on break for Christmas so it would be bearable.
"So Perrie came by the restaurant the other day with her friends..." He mumbled. I sat up straighter and reached to play with a pen to distract myself from feeling too many things that would cause me to explode.
"Did you talk to her?" I asked him. There was a long silence that was caused me to think of all the things that the small British man could have done to the girl. One of those was him jumping on her and slamming her head into the floor.
"I put extra garlic in her food before I took it out to the table and didn't ever fill up her drink. I didn't talk to her, but she didn't even look at me when they all walked in." He told me. I let out a deep breath because he didn't do anything violent. I guess he's calmed down in the month that I've been a single father. Before he was always saying he wanted to teach her a lesson or make her pay for being a bitch to our child. He was civil now with just making her have garlic breath and making sure she wasn't hydrated.
"Did you hear her ask about me or Laila?" I asked him kind of quietly. I knew that there should more bitter feelings, but part of my tired self just wanted to know if she wanted to know about me and the child we made. Louis huffed and took a minute of silence.
"That one friend of hers that I took home that night asked me about you when I was serving them asked how you were. I'm thinking she didn't even tell then she was pregnant. She probably just disappeared for a while then started coming back around. Don't waste your time thinking about her, mate. Move on to find someone better or just focus on your daughter. I have to go back to class, but I'll be by this weekend to see you both. I love you, lad." Louis said. There was a sadness in his voice that I wasn't sure why it was there.
"What's wrong?" I asked him before he could hang up. Laila started fussing so I reached down to get her out of carrier.
"I don't want you to be alone. You're so young to just be raising Laila and locking yourself into your house. I want someone to love the both of you and I want you to share Laila growing up with someone. If I could get out of school and live with you to share all those moments I would. I swear I would, but your flat is an hour away from campus. I'm going to be finished soon so I can move in with you and get a job or you both can move into my flat with me. If there isn't anyone else out there for you at the moment, I want to be there for you both. You're my best friend, Zayn. All I can think of when I'm not talking to you or with you is how you're both doing. I just want you happy." Louis finished. I cradled Laila closer go me and smiled because of my best friend. Honestly, I wanted everything Louis was saying. I didn't want that, but I couldn't be selfish and take his youth from him as well.
"We can talk about it. I love you too, mate." I said then ended the phone call. I made a bottle for Laila and gave it to her. I sat back in my chair and opened a new text message to Niall. I typed out asking him if he wanted to come over to my flat for dinner tonight. I guess Louis' words sunk in a little more and hit me that I wanted to share Laila growing up. Even if it was just with friends, I wanted it. I sent the text then sat back to just look at my little girls pretty blue eyes. I looked at her hair and noticed there were a few curls in her jet black hair by her ears. I know that I have some waves in my hair and Perrie had some in her hair so maybe together Laila would have curly hair.
My phone buzzed in my hand with a text from Niall. I smiled when he said not to actually cook anything because he would bring over some take out. I text him back that he took away the purpose of having him over, but he insisted that we both had a hard day and neither of us should cook. So I sent him my address and flat number then got back to work and tending Laila.
Once the work day was over, Laila and I went the the grocery store to get some diapers, wipes, formula and some ice cream for dessert tonight. I got back to my flat just in time to clean it up and make a few more bottles to get ready for the night so I didn't have to make them when I was half asleep later on in the night. Laila was just laying on the floor of the living room while I cleaned around her.
At around six my doorbell buzzed. I picked up Laila and felt oddly nervous about having Niall here. Laila seemed to feel that from me and she let her tiny little hand pet over my chest.
"Such a good girl supporting her daddy. I love you." I chuckled to her. I opened the door and smiled when Niall was standing on the other side with a blush on his cheeks. I welcomed him in and traded him Laila for the the bag of food he had on his hands.
"I wasn't sure if you liked Chinese food, but I just brought it anyway. There's a really good place nearby here, so I just picked it up." Niall said nervously. Both of us walked into my kitchen to set the food down.
"I've been living off of Chinese food ever since I've moved out of my parents house. I love it. What would you like to drink?" I asked him. He was looking around my kitchen then smiled when he saw the only sonogram picture I had gotten from Perrie hanging on my refrigerator. That was how she proved to me that she was pregnant when I didn't take her word on just a single pregnancy test. I had kept it in a drawer until the day I brought home my little girl.
"Did you get to be there for allot of the pregnancy?" Niall asked me as I pulled out a two sodas. I handed him his soda and opened my own for myself.
"I was an idiot and didn't try hard enough to be there. Perrie didn't really want me to be there, so I try not to blame myself. I got to be there for the birth though. It was truly incredible, but not enough for Perrie to love her. Anyway, let's eat now." I answered. He nodded and gave me a small smile.
We both ended up in my living room with the telly on some reality show that we were both making fun of and our food in our laps. Laila was quietly laying on the couch between us with pillows around her and a blanket covering her. Niall would always make sure to lean down and kiss Laila just because he could and I made sure to give Niall some subtle touches so he knew I was grateful for him.
"Laila, you're never going to wear that much make up in your life. I'll have Gemma teach you how to do some nice make up when your older. You probably won't need any though." Niall told Laila after one of the women on the show walked out with allot of make up on. I laughed and set down the nearly empty carton of rice and chicken. Niall set down his carton of food as well and took a drink of his soda. I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was time for Laila to get ready for bed.
"Do you mind if I get her read for bed?" I asked him. He smiled and picked Laila up. I got one of his hands and pulled him down the hall to the nursery that I hadn't really used other than just getting her diaper changed on the changing table and her clothes changed.
Niall place her on the changing table while I got a fresh diaper and some wipes with her pajamas. I got her out of her one piece I had her in and Niall tickled her tummy. I smiled at him and bumped him with my hip so I could finish changing her. I wiped her down with a baby wipe just to clean off her day at the office then put her in her footy pajamas.
"She's getting some cute little curls. Look right here. She's going to look like Harry." I showed Niall. His fingers gently moved some of her little curls before he giggled. I left the room to go get a bottle from the kitchen then brought it back into the room. I stood there for a minute to watch Niall pick her up gently and hold her to his chest. He kissed her and whispered to her about how much I loved her and how beautiful she was.
"I have one more bottle for her." I whispered to him. He turned to me and took the bottle from me to give it to my daughter. I sat on the reclining chair I had brought in here from my living room and gestured for Niall to come sit with me. He sat himself on my lap and giggled, but it felt perfectly fine. Laila was slowly falling asleep as she ate her bottle. Niall rest his head on my shoulder and I couldn't help myself from kissing his forehead. He didn't react to it thankfully, but for myself I felt my heart beginning to pound in my chest.
Niall and I placed Laila in her crib in my bedroom then quietly left the room. We went back to the living room to just talk. The telly was turned off and we both just got under a blanket so we could both stay warm. My right arm was on the back of the couch and Niall's left arm was too with them bearly touching.
"What's your history with dating and stuff?" I asked him. The thought just kind of crossed my mind because I wasn't sure if it was okay that I was so touchy with him if he had someone in his life. All I knew was I always felt happy around him, especially when I saw him with Laila. I liked the way my heart would pound in my chest anytime I would touch him. There was something special about him and I didn't want to pull it back. I knew I should put my full focus on my daughter, but my twenty-two year old brain told me to follow that pounding in my chest.
"I've had one relationship for one week and that's about it. I was too busy at the shelter for him so I've just kept to myself." He told me, but when it hit him that he said he had been in a relationship with another male he blushed deeply and looked away from me. I chuckled and reached to make him look at me.
"Just because I had a child with a female doesn't mean that I'm only into women. I hinted to you. Even if I wasn't bisexual, I would still think it's fine that you've dated another guy. I'm actually shocked you haven't dated more than that because you're fucking adorable." I told him then laughed. He giggled and covered his blushing cheeks with his hands.
"I'm wired and spend to much time working. It's not something that men are attracted to." Niall tried to tell me after rhe moved his hands. I smiled and inched closer to him.
"You're unique and spend allot of time giving to others. You're amazing with children, you have a fantastic laugh and you have an amazing heart. That's something I'm very attracted to. I think I'm a man so I think you're very wrong." I told him. He scoot closer to me and smiled at me with a soft look like my words really ment allot to him. I reached forward and rest my head on his cheek. He turned into my cheek, his eyes never leaving my own. There was an electric energy that picked up to begin buzzing in the room. In my mind, I wondered what it would be like to maybe kiss him. Would there be sparks or would it be something that reminds we're only friends? There were questions on both our faces and floating in the atmosphere around us, but the most important one was asked by the Irish man in front of me.
"What about Laila?" Niall whispered to me. I leaned in closer so his breath hit my lips. Niall's hands rest on my chest and his head moved just a little closer to me.
"Just let me kiss you..." I breathed out and he did. I closed the gap between us and let my eyes slip shut. Niall whined against my lips and his hands clenched into my t-shirt. My lips moved slowly against Niall's and his danced along with mine.
All my questions were answered. Yes, there were sparks. No, this didn't tell me that we should both remain friends. It felt like a familiar touch, but so new that it was more than words would ever describe. His lips felt inexperienced, but in a way it made me want to kiss him more and more to teach him. They felt addiction on my own, I could only hope he felt the same way.
We both pulled back from the kiss to catch our breaths and rested our foreheads together. Niall's blue eyes finally fluttered open and his lips smiled lightly. Both of us took in the looks on each others faces and could only lean in to kiss each other once more. It was the first time since becoming a father that I wasn't planning the next thing or worrying about tomorrow. It was the first time I lived in the moment and enjoyed it. The beating of my heart proved it.
A/N: awww! This is cute haha what is something you worry about?!?!??!?! Comment / Vote!
- Bri;)