Zayn's POV
I found myself training harder than I ever had two days after Harry and Louis' wedding. I still hadn't told Niall about the rematch because I still had a week before we had to do a public press meeting. Plus, I'd never seen Niall this happy before. He would walk around our house like nothing could bother him. I know for a fact that the alone time we spent at the hotel was what we both needed to remind ourselves the passion we felt for each other. It was like an awakening for us that we needed because things were falling into a place that we were forgetting the deepness of our love. I just didn't want to tell him because I didn't want to mess up anything for us. I just knew I had to tell him soon.
Harry had confirmed he was going to fight Liam Payne just before him and Louis' flight to the Caribbean's was about to board. The news of that hadn't become public yet; Harry made Liam agree to that until he was back from his honeymoon that way paparazzi wouldn't follow them. Harry had text me once they landed that he had a nice Louis sized hand print on his cheek and they had their first fight as a couple on an airplane because of this. However, he text me this morning that Louis decided he needed to support him because he knew this was all he wanted in his career. So it was official; Harry Styles would fight Liam Payne.
"Time! Zayn, you need to move faster on those hits! If you don't he'll have an open hit! Drop and give me fifty!" Mark yelled at me. I did just what he had told me and begin doing my push-ups. Today the boys were spending time with Niall's parents and I was getting my arse kicked by my own, kind of, parent. I groaned when I got to forty because my arms started burning.
"Keep going!" Mark yelled at me. I continued to do my push ups then got up to start doing punches on the punching bag. Mark kept yelling at me to do better than I was. I was starting to doubt if I really was the best in the world by the way I was working today. Something just felt off about me, but I wasn't sure what it was. I just kept putting all I had into the work out until I was able to stop and take a water break.
"What's with you, son? It's like you have extra bricks in your gloves today." Mark asked me as I drank some water and kept moving around. I shrugged and looked around at all the other men and women that were training.
"I guess I'm just worried how Niall will react to this. I want to do this fight, a seventh title defense will look great and it will make me look like I'm not just holding on to the title and not doing anything that makes me deserve it. I just don't want to do the whole fighting with Niall over this until I do it and he realizes that it was a good thing. He even got mad at me for mentioning Harry and Liam should fight. Imagine the reaction when I tell him I'm doing a rematch with the guy Harry just fought and broke his nose." I told Mark. He looked at me like I lost something in my mind and he couldn't believe it. Before, it was like I didn't care, but now I see how happy Niall is and I know it's because I haven't been in the ring in years. He's happy because he has his two boys, his big house and a husband that doesn't have to get beat up to pay for it.
"Zayn, what you're saying isn't you. It's someone else that wants to listen to others when you know you're better off listening to yourself. You have passion for boxing in a way I've never seen. Not only is it second nature to you, but it's something you literally can't live without. Those fights with Niall over fights are because you want him so badly to see this is what makes you the husband and father you are. This is what keeps you sane. I know this is the worst advise I could ever give to a married man, but stop listening to your other half for now. I see how much you've compromised to keep Niall happy and to keep your marriage from crumbling; now it's time for Niall to do the same for you. He's lucky that he has you to take care of him and to make sure your kids have private schools and fun birthday parties. It's time for you to think about yourself for once. You want to do this fight for your career and for yourself. You want to and you should have the chance of getting it." Mark told me and that's all I needed to push me through that mental block I was having. I love Niall and I have a great passion for what we have, but I just need to do this before I do something crazy like start a bar fight for no good reason just so I can hit someone.
The next six hours of training were hell. The burning in my muscles was a wake up call to me that I had been sitting on the sidelines for too long. Even though I think it's hell, I really ment that it was heaven to me. The pain my body had to push through as I lifted over one hundred and fifty pounds, ran four miles, did nearly a thousand sit ups and push ups and hit a punching bag millions of times; it all felt so good. When Mark called it a day, all I could think about was that I could come back here and do this all over again.
"You just need a few words of encouragement from your dad, don't you?" Mark asked me as I wiped myself off with a towel and put on a loose tank top.
"Whatever." I mumbled, taking off the tape that was wrapped around my hands. He started helping me, but there was a way that he was helping me that showed he knew that I really did see him as more than a coach. When he was done, I shuffled forward and gave him a tight hug. He mumbled that he was proud of me before letting me go to get home to my family and my in-laws. That made me want to stay at the gym even more.
When I got home I was overwhelmed by the smell of dinner cooking. I dropped my bag at the front door and peeked in to the kitchen to see if it was Niall cooking. It was his mum so I went in and cleared my throat so she would notice I was there. She smiled at me and came over to give me a hug even though I was literally covered in dried sweat now.
"You should go jump in the pool to cool off. The boys are out there." She told me, obviously not knowing that I can't swim at all and have a pretty bad fear of water. The only reason I bought this house with a pool was because Niall wanted one.
I ended up going to the backyard anyway to see Niall was laying out just talking to his dad and getting a tan while the boys were swimming. I waved at Bobby and kissed Niall's lips a few times before going over to talk to the boys. They flung water at me, which felt nice before they would talk more about their day.
"We went to this farm that has ice cream that's made right there from the cows. It was so good. You should have come with us." Ethan told me with a small pout that always got him his way. I reached to mess up his hair and smiled.
"I had to go to work, babe. Maybe we can go back there another time." I said to him. He splashed happily then swam away to go play with Rocky who had just jumped into the pool. The boys loved it when he swam with them and I could tell the dog loved it too.
"Zayn, you should get in. You look hot." Bobby said to me, making Niall move his sunglasses so he could look me over. He smirked and winked at me.
"Yeah, he does." He said in a way that you could tell he didn't mean it in the way that I looked overheated. He got a swat on his arm from Bobby before he got up to come over to me. I kissed Niall once he was in my arms and rubbed up and let my fingers dance over his back.
"Why do you look like you were the one training and not training others?" Niall asked me. I kissed him and pulled him in close, just enjoying the time I would have to kiss him before I really pissed him off.
"I'll tell you later. Did you have a good day?" Niall hummed happily and kissed me again. We both didn't know that during our happy time of getting to kiss each other and talk to each other that Bobby decided to act like a twelve year old and came over when we weren't looking. I pulled away from Niall after kissing him and not a second later I was being pushed into the deep end of the pool that was twelve feet deep.
I heard Niall scream my name before I went under then I started to panic because I didn't know how to get up after I hit the bottom. I saw Niall jump in and swim after me, getting my flailing body and pulling me to the surface. I gasped for air and chocked on the water that I was still breathing in. Bobby helped me out of the pool with a look on his face like he really made a bad decision. I laid on my back taking deep breaths as the fear in my body still shook me.
"Dad, why did you do that?! I know you thought it would be funny, but it wasn't! He can't swim!" Niall yelled at his dad. I kind of got control over myself and sat up to fix what just happened. Niall moved my wet hair off my forehead and asked me if I was okay too many times to count.
"Zayn, I'm sorry for what happened. I had no idea that you couldn't... We need to teach you how to swim. What if it's just you here with the boys and they need you to save them. Or if you fell in and needed someone." Bobby said, sounding extremely worried as well as sorry. I shook my head and tried to get to my feet but I was still a bit shook up. Both of them helped me to my feet and I took a few steps back from the pool. I noticed the boys were watching all of this and felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. I shook my head and turned to walk back into the house to change my clothes and to forget I made myself look like a fool in front of my children.
I changed into some loose shorts and a t-shirt then sat on the edge of the bed thinking how I could approach my kids about this. I wanted them to think I'm their hero, not some man that's not able to do something everyone can do. The door opened and Niall came in to sit next to me. He had a shirt on now and a softer expression on his face.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I shook my head because I wasn't okay. I had already had a lot on my mind and now being embarrassment that in a shit parent is added on top of it. Niall let me rest my head on his shoulder.
"The boys probably think I'm a let down of a dad because I don't know how to swim. They probably are rethinking if I'm really someone to look up to." I said quietly. Niall moved so I was forced to look at him in the eyes.
"They were more worried if you were okay than anything. They don't think any differently of you now. Nothing changed for them or for you. Plus, parents aren't supposed to be perfect and be able to do everything. That's what teaches kids that no one is perfect and imperfections are the new perfect." Niall told me. That made me feel better about that situation, but the other thing I still had to tell him was still weighing on me.
"There's one more thing..." I started. Niall's face fell and he held my hand tighter, as if that was going to brace him for whatever was coming.
"I have a fight scheduled for two months from now with Andre Ward. It's a rematch to give me another title defense and helps me to get my name out there so I'm not just holding the title but in using it. I need to do this." I told Niall, pretty much speeding up my words as he stood up and looked at me like he couldn't believe what I just said.
"I thought you were done! It's been years since you fought and I thought you were done! I thought coaching Harry was your new job! Why didn't you ask me about this before you just accepted it, ass hole!" Niall yelled at me. I looked down at my lap then up at Niall who looked more scared than he did actually angry.
"I knew you would say shouldn't do it, so I didn't tell you. I need this fight before I go crazy. I need to fight, Niall, and I need you to support me. If you don't want to, then you don't have to. Either way I'm getting in the ring." I said to him seriously. He paced back and forth before looking at me with his blue eyes showing me he didn't want me to do this. I pulled him into my lap and kissed his hand, right over his wedding ring.
"Just don't get too hurt out there. We need you here, Zayn." He whispered to me. I nodded, knowing that Mark would throw in the towel if things ever got to that point.
There was still tension between Niall and I when we went downstairs for dinner. Bobby was asking me about how things at the gym were going and Maura told us all a story about a time when Niall had gotten lost at a grocery store. The boys laughed at that story but Niall and I weren't laughing at anything. We just looked at each other and shared different looks. Mine was begging Niall to understand me while his only told me three words: don't do it.
A/N: double update! Yay! Drama! Yay!!! Things are getting spicy! Yay! Do you have someone from you past that you want to speak to again to fix things(a girlfriend, boyfriend, family member, friend, ect..)?!!??! Comment/Vote!
-Bri ;)