Heyy guys! Okay first im super super suoer sorry that it took me forever to update. School started and my teachers have been crazy, giving me ridiculous amounts of work. I shouldnt of have singned up for an ap classes -.- whatever! Writing is my outlet. I dont know how often i'll be able to update now. I can promise you that they'll be a new chapter at least once a month. I'll really try my hardest to make it more often. And second, oh my gosh do i seriously have 3.7k+ reads on this story! GAhhhh! i love you guys so muchhh! And this chapter is dedicated to all of you guys because you're all so amazing! I hope this chapter makes up for my tardiness. Enjoy!
Chapter 18
Leah’s POV
“No no no no, this can’t be happening.” The camera flashes were non-stop. It seemed like more and more came every second. Leah’s eyes instantly met the man that gave her an attitude at Zayn’s house. She knew she was in deep trouble now.
“I knew it was you! From the second you walked away, I knew. And you even still have the scarf on to prove it,” he gloated. Suddenly, he grabbed a fist full of Leah’s scarf and hair.
“You thought you were such a clever bitch, didn’t know? You thought you could slap me and get away with it?” the man hissed in her ear.
Leah froze. Those exact words were said to her before. So many memories were triggered. She winced in pain, not only because of the hair-pulling but also the flashbacks that popped up in her mind. They still hurt after all those years. They still continue to cause agony.
“Hey get the hell off her!” she heard, snapping her out of her thoughts. Before she could figure out what was going on, Zayn push him to the ground. She watched with wide eyes as his fist connected with the man’s face. Another fist flew, and then another. Zayn would knock him unconscious if this continued.
“Zayn! Zayn, please stop,” Leah finally said. She reached out and pulled him back. “Come on, you’ll kill him!”
“Good!” he grunted but he got up like he was asked.
“Can we just go, please?” she begged, clinging on to his arm like there was no tomorrow. There was no doubt this was going to make the front page of every magazine and newspaper. They needed to get out of here before anything worse could happen.
“Wait,” he said. He walked up the man who was still one the floor. For a second, Leah thought Zayn was going to get another swing at him. She was ready to pull him back again but to her surprise, he just wagged his finger at him “If you ever touch her or any girl like that again, I can personally promise you that I’ll end your life. Get a proper job, you dick!” The man nodded his head like he was a scared puppy.
“Let’s go,” Zayn had slinging his arm around Leah’s waist.
They walked in silence on their way to Zayn’s place. Leah personally was scared. She never saw that side of Zayn before. It was a huge surprise and with Leah’s past, she wasn’t a huge fan of surprises. However, Zayn’s arm around her gave her a usual feeling of comfort. The things this boy does to her. The feelings he gave her, she’ll never understand.
As they approached his front door, Zayn grabbed Leah’s hand and led her inside. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I’m going to make some tea. Would you like some?” he said.
“Erm yeah sure.”
When Zayn walked into the kitchen, Leah took the opportunity to look around his flat. It wasn’t nearly as big or as fancy as hers, but it was nice I guess. Her eyes wondered to all the pictures on his walls and on the side tables. There were loads of them with his family. Three girls that looked similar to him, probably his sisters, were in the most. She saw some with a couple, probably his parents. But the cutest was the one with him as a toddler in the arms of his grandfather. His chubby baby legs had rolls of fat on them. He was laughing so hard that his eyes were squinty. His grandfather was making a funny face, which was probably the reason baby Zayn was smiling.
Leah picked up the picture and found herself smiling. Even in pictures this boy’s laugh was contagious. It’s remarkable that even as a baby, Zayn wasn’t anything less than stunning. He had his cheeky grin even back then. Some things never change.
“That’s my favorite picture of me and my granddad.” Leah turned around to see Zayn set the tea kettle and two cups on the coffee table.
He walked up to her and took the picture out of her hands. Leah studied Zayn’s face as he looked as the photo. Emotions ranging from happiness to sorrow flashed through his face. He gently set it down at the spot Leah picked it up from.
“He just recently passed away last year.” Zayn said in a low tone.
“W-what?”
“He was sick for a while so we should have expected it. I try not to think about how he’s gone and be upset about it. He wouldn’t want that. That’s why I bring that picture when I travel; to remember good times I had with him.”
“Zayn, I’m so sorry,” Leah said in the most sincere voice as he reached out for his hand.
“It’s not your fault.” Leah nodded and gave his hand a tight squeeze. She could swear that Zayn’s eyes began to fill with water. But before a tear could spill put, he quickly blinked them away. She gently ran her thumb across Zayn’s hand, neither of them looking each other in the eye.
Finally Zayn spoke up, breaking the silence. “We should probably drink the tea before it gets too cold.”
“Right,” Leah agreed.
When the two teenagers sat on the fluffy couch, he poured both of them a cup-full. Leah quickly chugged it down. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was. The warm tea felt amazing as it went her throat.
“Would you like another glass, speedy?” Zayn teased.
Leah stuck her tongue out in response. “Actually I would love another one. You make great tea!”
“Thank you, thank you,” he said.
“So um listen. I really appreciate what you did out there for me. You didn’t have to really. All of this is going to-” Leah cut herself off when she saw Zayn’s knuckles turning white from clenching kettle so tightly.
“ZAYN!” He snapped out from whatever he was thinking about and quickly dropped what was in his hand. Hot tea spilled everywhere but neither of them cared at that moment.
“Sorry I- I just,” he said, sighing. His fingers ran through his already messy hair. “He deserved it. He can’t touch someone like that. He can’t touch YOU like that. NO ONE can ever touch you like that.”
“I’ve been through much worse,” she silently said to herself.
“You shouldn’t have to worry about that,” Leah said.
“What did that bastard say to you?” he questioned.
“What?”
“When he grabbed you, he whispered something in your ear. What did he say?!”
“It was nothing.” Leah really didn’t want to tell him. She didn’t want to explain why those words brought her so much pain. She didn’t want him to know.
“Don’t you dare lie to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw the way you froze. I saw the fear in your eyes. What did he say? Was it something insulting? Did the son of bitch threaten you?!” Zayn’s hand curled into a tight fist.
“Zayn! You need to relax. If I tell you when you’re in this state, you’ll probably run out of here and actually kill him!”
His eyes softened a little and his fist relaxed. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while. Don’t think I’m crazy.” He said
“What is it?’ Leah said curiously.
“Promise me you won’t think I’m crazy. I don’t want to lose you as a friend.” He begged.
“You’re scaring me, what is it?”
“Just please promise me!”
“Okay, okay. I promise,” she said.
Zayn took a deep breath. He’s obviously been keeping this in for a long time. “Were you…” he signed again, fumbling with his words.
“Were you ever harmed, you know physically by someone?” He paused. “By your boyfriend?”
Leah eyes shot open so wide that they almost popped out of her head. Her mouth involuntarily parted. How the hell did he know?! She remained silent, not knowing how to respond.
“Ever since I came to America, I’ve been having this reoccurring nightmare. I keep seeing this young girl running for her life from a guy, her boyfriend, her abusive boyfriend.” He continued
“Okay?” Leah managed to get out. It had to be coincidence. Other girls have had bad relationships in the past.
“Leah, I’m pretty sure the girl is you,” he said.
“Crap.”
“You think I’m crazy now, don’t you? I should have listened to the boys.”
“You told your friends about this?!” Leah exclaimed. How many people know? She placed her hand on her forehead; It was already burning up from the amount of stress she went through in just one day. Leah quickly stood up and walked to the other side of the room, her back turned to Zayn.
“Yeah, they told me it can’t be true,” he said cautiously as he got up on his feet. “Is it true?”
For about the hundredth time today, warm tears slid down Leah’s cheeks. It was over. Today was definitely the worse day ever. She heard Zayn’s footsteps getting closer to her. A warm hand touched her shoulder, turning her around.
Leah quickly looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. “You can trust me.” He said.
Her tears were spilling out faster so Zayn pulled her in. She sobbed into his chest for a while as he drew circles in her back and whispered comforting thing to her. He knew; there was no point of trying to deny it now.
Leah finally pulled away when she was about done crying. “Do you w-want to know, w-what the paparazzi s-said?” she said between her hiccups.
Zayn nodded, trying not to make her feel pressured or anything.
“He said ‘You thought you could slap me and get away with it?’”
“So he did threaten you?!”
Leah ignored his comment. “Do you w-want to know why it s-scared me so much?”
“Why?”
“T-those exact same w-words were said to me b-b-before..” Leah trailed off.
“Before?”
“B-before my boyfriend h-hit me for the f-first time.”
*Flashback*
It was a chilly night in February. Gentle flurries were falling from the sky. Everything looked so peaceful, so calm. It was about 11 pm and 15 year old Leah was getting ready for bed. Charles was already fast asleep. As she was brushing her hair, her iphone 3 began to ring. The caller ID read Mikeybaby <333. Her flawless boyfriend was calling. Instantly an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.
“Hey Mikey!” she chirped into the phone.
“Hey baby,” he slurred out. “I love youuuuu!”
“Are you okay, babe?”
“I’m coming over in- uh. I’ll be over soon. Get ready, we’re going out,” he continued to slur.
“Are you drunk?” she questioned. Mike is 18. He can’t drink legally yet. If he got caught, he’d be in a whole mess of trouble.
“No, no of course not baby. Just get ready. I wanna go on a walk.” The way he couldn’t pronounce his words correctly proved him wrong.
“No, you are drunk!” Leah protested.
“Oh my gosh, just shut up and get dressed! I just wanna go on a goddamn walk!” he exclaimed. Then he hung up.
Leah was left shock. He never did anything like that before. In the 6 months they’ve been dating, he’s never raised his voice at her. What the hell? Who gave him the right to talk to her like that? The shock turned into anger. Leah was definitely giving Mike a piece of her mind when he gets here.
She put on a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and slipped on a tank-top with her favorite white-wool sweater over it. A cream colored scarf around her neck and sand bailey button uggs completed her outfit. Leah sat on her couch thinking about all the nasty things she could say to him for being so rude. 10 minutes later, her doorbell rang.
When Leah opened the door, he looked like a complete stranger. The first 5 buttons on his plaid shirt were undone in a very sloppy manner and he had a big stain on the wife-beater that he wore under in. Mike’s normally bright, glowing green eyes were dull and blood shot. His hair laid like a messy mop on top of his head. He even had a bottle of what looked like tequila in his hand.
“Baby!” Mike greeted with a crooked smile.
“What’s wrong with you?!” Leah shot back. Angrily crossing her arms, she walked back into her apartment.
“What do ya mean? Come one, let’s go,” he said as he too walked into the apartment.
“No! First of all you were insanely rude on the phone and then you show up drunk with a bottle of tequila in your hand! Are you crazy?! You could get into so much trouble!” Leah shouted.
“What’s the problem, baby? I’m just having funn,” Mike said as he wrapped his arms around Leah’s body and grabbed her butt.
“Get off of me!” Leah pushed him off and slapped him. Unexpectedly, he caught on her wrist and gripped it tightly.
Mike pushed her tiny body against the wall. His eyes had a crazy look. Leah didn’t recognize him. Her perfect boyfriend never did this before. “What did you just do to me?!” he screamed. The smell of alcohol in his breath was overbearing. Leah was so scared. Tears started pouring out without her even realizing it.
“Mikey?” she said in a soft voice.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, bitch?” He said, pushing all his weight on her.
“You’re hurting me. Please stop,” Leah begged.
“SHUT UP!” Mike exclaimed. He threw her across the room, making her knock into the coffee table. Her sobs became harder. Who was he? Why was doing this? As Leah tried to pick herself up, Mike pinned her back down to the ground with one hand. He opened the tequila bottle with his mouth, and using his free hand, poured the content of the bottle all over Leah.
He grabbed a fist-full of her scarf and hair, yanking her up off the ground and choking her. “You thought you could slap me like that and get away with it? Don’t you ever do that to me again. You’re a worthless bitch! You hear me, WORTH-LESS.” Mike hissed in her ear. He pushed her back onto the ground and slapped her right across the face.
When Leah’s tear-blurred eye met Mike’s, he expression changed. The mental look in his eyes softens. He lifted his hand. Leah flinched at the sight, thinking she was going to be hit again. To her surprise, Mike gentle pushed her hair out of her face and placed a kiss on her cheek. He lifted her back off the ground and knelt beside her.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean it,” he said as he strokes her soon-to-be swollen cheek. Mike placed another kiss on her forehead and held her hands. He actually looked sincere. “Please stop crying, babe. I love you. Let’s go on that walk now.”