My jaw dropped as Zayn pulled the car to a stop outside our destination. As I unclipped my seat belt and stepped out of the car, my eyes didn't move from the beautiful sight in front of me. The country house was obviously old - but beautiful nevertheless. It was white with black roofs and window frames, and was probably the biggest building I'd ever laid eyes on that wasn't a school or office building. And Zayn wasn't kidding when he'd said that it was in the middle of nowhere.
"This place is - it's beautiful." I remarked breathlessly as Zayn stepped out of the car and walked around to meet me at the other side.
"It's not the most beautiful thing here though." Zayn stated, gazing into my eyes. "This mirror really is stunning." He stated with a smirk as he glanced the one of the wing mirrors of his car. Arrogantly, he flicked his collar and I rolled my eyes at him.
I sent a playful shove to his shoulder. "If you two are finished, let's go inside."
"Yes ma'am."
There were a few people outside the front of the building already, just talking or having a cigarette. In addition to this, Zayn and I weren't the only one's arriving right now. Before we made it to the doors, someone stopped and spoke with Zayn while I stood awkwardly next to them playing with my fingers. A few awkward minutes later, the older man patted Zayn on the back before walking away and Zayn turned to me with a sheepish expression.
"Sorry about that."
"It's fine."
"Come on," Zayn demanded, slipping his hand into mine and pulling me towards the building. "My Mum's waiting inside."
Nerves were causing me to tremble slightly. Zayn and I weren't even dating - I didn't fully understand what we were, especially while I was confused enough as to why he was holding my hand - so didn't have a clue as to why I felt so nervous towards meeting his family. I suppose I always felt this way meeting new people, as most people did, there was always this aching fear that they wouldn't like me.
"Are you sure it's okay I'm here?" I asked in a worried tone as we walked through the doors.
Zayn stopped walking and looked at me with a slightly confused expression. "Of course it is. I wouldn't have invited you otherwise. Why are you asking?"
"I don't know, it's just... I've never did this before. Like, been to any event like this." I responded, looking down at the floor. Every young teenager/woman I'd seen had looked stunning, and obviously put a lot of effort into their outfits - I was average compared to most people I'd seen, maybe even below average.
"You need to stop that, angel." Zayn said in an exasperated voice, but there was a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Stop what?"
"Looking for constant reassurance. You don't need to, I want you here, yeah?" It was as if he could read my thoughts, and before I could question how he guessed so easily he answered for me. "You get this look on your face whenever you get insecure or worried about something. Really, there's no need to be - I promise. You'll be fine." Zayn squeezed my hand gently and I instantly felt more relaxed about the whole situation. Thankfully, I smiled at him and he started to rub his thumb over my hand soothingly.
We were directed into a large hall, where there were lots of tables and people surrounding a large dance floor next to where the DJ was situated.
"So is this like a birthday or a wedding or what?" I asked as we both glanced around for somewhere to sit.
"Birthday. One of my great Aunts. Over here." Zayn directed us to an empty table for two near a long table what I assumed would turn into a buffet. After we'd sat down for a few minutes Zayn walked off to get us drinks and I was left on my own. I was tempted to play a game on my phone while I waited, but I didn't want anyone to think that I was rude. So instead, I was left awkwardly glancing around the room. A glass was placed in front of me and I looked up to smile at Zayn in thanks.
"Aren't you going to go say hi to your Mom or something?" I asked Zayn as he sat down.
He simply shrugged in response. "I had a long drive, I'm sure she'll understand that I want to sit down for five minutes."
"Fair enough."
We sat for a few minutes or so just chatting about school and stuff, and Zayn pointed out certain family members to me.
"Oh." He said, as his eyes landed on a thirty-something looking woman standing next to a tall, pretty girl with black hair that looked about our age.
"What?" I asked.
"I just, um - " He puffed out his cheeks and ran his hand through his hair, "I need to find my Mum. Want to come with me?"
"Yeah, sure. Of course."
Briskly, Zayn grabbed my hand and began guiding me through the crowd. Every so often, I had to apologise for bumping into people because Zayn was causing not to walk completely straight. All of a sudden, he halted which caused me to smack into his back. He muttered an apology before he turned his attention to a woman seated at a table with about seven other people.
"Zayn!" She cried, a wide smile appearing on her face at the sight of the boy. I felt a small smile appear on my own face as I saw both their faces light up at the sight of each other. "It's been so long." I heard her murmur as she stood up and pull him into a warm hug.
"I know Mum, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You've been working hard at school, I bet." She held him at arm’s length and scanned over him in that way mothers did. Soon after, her eyes averted to me and her eyebrows raised a little. "Who is this beautiful girl?"
Zayn flashed me a grin. "This, beautiful girl, is Georgia." Despite the fact that he'd complimented me many times before, it still cause butterflies to form in my stomach and for my heart to leap every time.
"Hi sweetheart, I'm Tricia." She explained, shaking my hand.
"It's lovely to meet you." I replied with a smile.
Almost immediately after her hand left mine, Tricia's hand rose and gently smacked the back of Zayn's head. Pressing my lips together, I tried to stifle a laugh at the sudden outburst.
"Ow! Jesus, Mum!" Zayn exclaimed with a shocked expression.
Tricia simply rolled her eyes at him. "When were you going to tell me? How long? How did you meet? I want to know everything you've apparently been hiding from me about this young lady."
The smile was swiped from my lips and my mouth opened slightly in shock. When I glanced at Zayn his eyes were wide and he quickly glanced at me then back to Tricia. "It's - we're not... um... she's not - "
"We're not dating." I answered for Zayn, my voice steady. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I felt Zayn's tension release from his body.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't know that Zayn - never mind." She answered with a sheepish smile. "You two should have a seat; it must have been a long drive." Tricia gestured to two spare seats at her table.
A nudge was felt against my arm, and I glanced up at Zayn with a raised eyebrow. He mouthed 'I told you' before pulling out a chair and taking a seat, which I mimicked with the seat next to him. He said hello do a few other family members at the table before he started to speak to his Mom again. Since I was curious about as to why Zayn had needed to find her so suddenly, I listened in. I just presumed that Zayn wouldn't mind since he'd offered for me to come with him.
"Why are the Peters here?" His voice was harsh and spiteful when he said the name; I'd never heard Zayn talk like that before. He practically spat out the name.
Tricia tensed up and looked sympathetically at Zayn. "They're friends of the family, sunshine. It wouldn't be right not to invite them."
"Yeah, but they didn't have to bring her."
"She's their daughter. I'm sorry that you have to go through this again, if I could fix it I would."
"You can fix it. You could kick them out."
"I can't, Zayn. You just have to be the bigger person, yeah? I don't expect to to speak to her - but if she tries to talk to you please try to be decent. For me?" She covered Zayn's hand which was rested on the table with her own and gave it a comforting squeeze.
They were obviously referring to the girl he was looking at before - the pretty one. I wondered who she was, and why Zayn seemed to want to avoid her so badly. For a second, I considered asking Zayn about it but if he disliked her then it probably wasn't the best idea. Soon, my thoughts drifted away from the mysterious girl that Zayn didn't want to talk to, to the fact Tricia had believed we were together. Did we look like we were a couple? Did a lot of people think that? Something inside me liked the idea of people thinking we were a couple, not that I ever expected anything to really happen between us.
Going back to reality, I noticed that the tone of Zayn's conversation with his Mom had changed, and they were talking about school now. Tricia ended the conversation, saying that she wanted to go talk to some more family members. Zayn turned to face me, and casually slung his arm along the back of my chair just like when we'd went bowling.
"She's really sweet." I said, referring to Tricia.
"She is." Zayn replied fondly.
**********************************************************************
We'd been at the party for roughly an hour and a half, and I was really having a great time. Most of the time was spent with Zayn and I just talking to each other, and I met a few of his cousins and two of his sisters. Everyone I'd met was so kind, and I could see where Zayn got his (very rare) sweet side from.
"Do you want to dance?" Zayn asked randomly. When I hesitated, a scowl appeared on his face. "Don't bitch out on me now, Henley. I'm the one that doesn't like dancing, remember? You had to help me out, we got all close... I tried to touch your - "
"Okay! Let's go!" I interrupted, pushing myself to my feet and holding out my hand towards Zayn. As I pulled him towards the now crowded dance floor, I heard him chuckle quietly behind me.
"We've danced a lot." I muttered as his hands found my waist and I slid my arms around his neck.
He shrugged as we started to move. "Maybe that's our thing. Besides pissing each other off."
"That's true." I laughed.
Even with our little dance lesson, Zayn still wasn't very good at dancing normally. Yet, he had absolutely no problem with grinding, apparently. But still, we had a lot of fun and spent most of the time laughing at Zayn.
"Spin." He demanded holding up his arm.
"What?"
His eyes rolled at me. "I want to try this. Spin."
"Manners never hurt anyone." I muttered as I did as he asked.
"I don't do manners."
"I noticed," Before Zayn and I could return to our previous position, I stepped away. "Where's the bathroom?"
Zayn pointed me in the direction and I was about to follow them but was stopped by his smirk. "Remember to check the sign on the door. You have a habit of not doing that, remember?"
My eyebrows raised at this. "I can't believe you remember that."
"How could I forget how we met, angel? Remember; if there are urinals, you're in the wrong place."
Ignoring his comment, I shook my head before walking in the direction where Zayn had pointed me. It seemed so long ago - when Zayn and I had met. I'd only been here for a little less than four months. But the more I thought about it, I realised how much time actually had passed. This was the longest that I'd ever went - that I could remember, anyway - without seeing my Dad. It felt like my Mom and I had finally made it, it just really fucking sucked that Victoria never got the chance too.
At the thought of my sister, I felt a familiar sting at the back of my eyes. All of my strength was used to stop the tears from spilling over. Not here. Before I entered the bathroom I double checked the sign on the door just so that Zayn had nothing to laugh about again. The bathroom was fancy as I'd expected before entering.
Sighing loudly, I stopped in front of the mirror and fixed my hair since it had started to fall flat from the amount of time I'd been there. I hadn't actually needed the bathroom; I just wanted a few moments to myself and out of the crowded, loud room. The tap had just started running when the door swung open. When I glanced up subconsciously, I almost froze on the spot. It was the girl that Zayn had asked his Mum about earlier. She eyed me up and down before smiling politely. She gave me an uneasy feeling, even though I had no idea what happened with her and Zayn. They obviously had some kind of history.
Realising that I was staring, I returned her smile before I pulled my hands from the water and stepped towards the drier - feeling rather uncomfortable if I'm being honest.
"You're Zayn's date, right?" She spoke loudly, breaking the silence.
Not even going to bother confirming that we weren't dating, and really just wanting to leave, I replied quietly. "Yeah, I guess."
Her head tilted curiously as she searched my face. "You're cute."
"Um, thanks?"
"You both are. You're cute together."
"Oh, yeah - no. We're just good friends."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "From what I hear Zayn isn't just friends with girls. Any more at least. Oh well, good for you. You fixed him." The last few words sounded bitter, as if she didn't wanted him to be 'fixed'. What did she even mean by that? Why would Zayn be fixed? I knew he used to sleep around and stuff, but was she referring to that?
"I'm Lilly, by the way." Her bitterness turned sweet, and she held out her hand. "And you are?"
"Georgia. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Georgia." Lilly smirked as she spoke, shaking my hand. Feeling awkward, I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. Lilly must have sensed this, as her smirk became more prominent and she spoke up. "Tell Zayn to say hi - it's been so long."
"Yeah, I'll do that." I said, and watched as she walked into a stall and didn't bother with a goodbye. Blinking a few times, I gathered my thoughts before pushing back into the room. All thoughts of Lilly were wiped, when I saw Zayn talking to some of his cousins. He looked so happy the whole night and it was obvious that he loved his family a lot. I wish I had that, but I didn't talk to any of my family besides my Mom now. How happy he was reminded me of when he was drawing, he looked so carefree and content.
His eyes moved towards me and he grinned when they met mine. He dismissed the people he was talking to and walked towards me. I was trying to decide whether to tell Zayn about what had happened in the bathroom with Lilly. I felt like he needed to know, and I was really curious about what she had meant about him being fixed.
The grin disappeared from his face and turned to concern, his eyebrows furrowing. "What's up?"
How did he know so quickly? "Want to get some fresh air?" I asked, deciding on telling him in a location where the chances of Lilly trying to talk to him were slim.
Seeing that I wanted to talk about something, Zayn guided me outside. "Okay, seriously. What's up?"
"It's nothing bad, honestly. When I was in the ladies room - "
"Oh, so you got it right?"
"Dude."
"Sorry, go ahead."
"Anyway, I was in the ladies room and that um, a girl came in and started talking to me about you. She said her name was Lilly. I just uh, thought you should know because I noticed you were trying to avoid her and yeah."
Zayn had tensed up considerably ever since I'd mentioned her name. He was silent for a few moments and I was beginning to wonder if I shouldn't have said anything. Eventually, he spoke in a quiet voice. "What did she say to you?"
"Something about you being fixed because you were here with me."
Zayn snorted. "Of course she did. Nothing else?"
"No that was it. And she thought we were a cute couple." I blurted out the last sentence before I could stop myself.
"She's unbelievable." Zayn muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm guessing you're wondering what this is all about?"
"Well, yeah I am. But if you don't want to tell me you don't have to. I don't mind."
"No, this probably makes zero sense to you right now. I owe you an explanation." Zayn sat down on a bench against the outside wall and I took a sat next to him. "Remember when we went to London?" I nodded with a smile and saw that Zayn was smiling too - but he hadn't realised I'd noticed. "On the Ferris wheel I told you about that girl that was using me to get her ex-boyfriend back. Basically, that's her. I didn't expect her to be there; I didn't even realise her family were still friends with mine. And about the fixing me thing, I guess I kind of developed some - " He thought for a second before continuing, " - trust issues after that. It's just hard being around her."
"I'm sorry. This must really suck for you."
"It's fine, it's been fine so far."
"If it's any consolation - she's a total idiot."
He looked at me curiously, "How so?"
"For using you. You're a great guy, Zayn. You don't deserve that."
Zayn looked up at me with a dazzling grin, and my breath hitched at the sight. "Sorry I didn't hear that. I'm a what?"
"I'm not repeating it."
"Come on, angel. I promise I really didn't hear it."
"Nope." Is said popping the 'p'. It was good knowing that Zayn didn't feel weird after telling me about Lilly. Suddenly becoming aware of how cold it was I started to shiver. Zayn noticed and slide him arm around me and I murmurred a thank you. How close he was made me feel nervous, but it was too cold out there to protest. I would have suggested going back outside, but I liked sitting with him like this far too much. "Zayn?"
"Mm?"
"How are we getting back to the school?" The thought had occurred to me for the first time that night.
"My car."
"You've been drinking."
"Shit." Zayn sighed. "I never thought about that, I'm sorry. Everyone else had been too. Fuck - I never thought this through." We were silent for a minute or two before Zayn got an idea. "There is another option. This place is a hotel too."
Zayn and I in a hotel room alone really didn't seem like a very good idea. But I didn't really see another option. "I don't have any money - "
"I'll pay."
"You don't have to do that."
"Would you rather sleep in my car?"
"Fair play."
We went back inside while Zayn went to reception to sort our room out. Usually I'd do everything I could to stop this from happening, but my judgement was impaired since I'd had a decent amount of drink and frankly I couldn't be assed finding another option. After Zayn had sorted out the room and said bye to his relatives, we were heading up stairs to our room. Nerves were swirling through me at the thought of sharing a room and possibly a bed with him. At least I didn't have to worry about what I would be wearing.
"I have some gym shorts and a shirt in my car." Zayn had suggested when I brought it up.
"Wearing your sweaty gym clothes? No thanks."
"Well your other option is naked. So good for me, I guess."
"You should probably go get those gym clothes."
Now, we were walking through the door to the room and it was beautiful just as expected. This must have been really expensive, I really needed to pay Zayn back. Groaning, I kicked up my shoes and felt the amazing release of taking of painful heels.
"What do you want to do?" I asked, taking Zayn's gym bag from his hands and heading towards the bathroom.
"You're a asking an eighteen year old guy what he wants to do in a hotel room, alone, with a girl."
"Yes. I am." I retorted, closing the bathroom door behind me. It was rude that I was getting changed straight away, but I felt so uncomfortable in my dress all night.
"I don't know. We could just watch TV or something."
As I pulled Zayns V-neck white shirt over my head, I took a second to smile at the fact it smelled really good - like Zayn, obviously. Laying my dress carefully over my arm, I left the bathroom to find Zayn lying on the bed, with the top few buttons of his shirt undone and flicking through channels on the TV. How could someone look so perfect lying so lazily?
Before he could notice that I was staring, I looked down at the floor and made my way over to the wardrobe and hung my dress inside.
"You look good in my clothes." Zayn said, waggling his eyebrows.
I dismissed the comment, and moved to sit next to him on the bed. "What are you sleeping in anyway?"
"Well you're wearing the only clothes I have, so..."
"Oh."
"What? Are you worried you're going to find me so irresistible in my underwear, angel?" Zayn turned so that he was facing me with a smirk.
I shifted away from him a little. "No." I muttered, pinning my eyes to the TV.
"Of course."
We were quiet for a few minutes, watching the TV. I realised how boring this was - and I couldn't go to sleep since I wasn't even tired. Trying to enjoy whatever shitty show was on, I puffed out my cheeks and moved so I was positioned with my back against the headboard.
"This is the worst show ever." I stated, scrunching my nose.
"I know," Zayn sighed and switched the television off. "We should play a game."
"Like what?"
"That 'too hot' game sounds fun. I've never played it before." He said with a smirk.
Sending him a dry look, I shoved his shoulder. "So you want to make out?"
"Basically."
"We're not playing too hot."
"You want to, though." He added smugly.
"No I don't."
"Why not?"
"Because we're both under the influence of alcohol." I explained. If I was being honest, I really did want to. But I genuinely pinned it all on the fact I'd been drinking, even though I hadn't even drank that much. It was easier to pretend that the drink was the only reason I really wanted him to kiss me.
"Well yeah, but we didn't drink that much. Enough to stop me from driving - but that got us here, yeah? I'm perfectly aware and so are you." Zayn edges closer to me, and positioned is body so that he was half hovering over me with his right arm supporting him. He was biting his lip as he looked down at me, and brushed hair away from my face where his hand stayed holding my face in place. Not that I would have moved anyway, not with how his proximity had me frozen and my heart beating so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. "I'm aware of this..." He leaned down and pressed his lips against the exact same spot as he had earlier that night, "... And this..." He repeated the action, only this time lower down my neck. My lips were pressed tightly together to prevent myself from moaning out loud, "... And this..." This time I felt his breath against my collar bone which was on display due to the V of his shirt, but he didn't kiss me. Instead, he pulled away with a concerned expression on his face. "What's that?"
"What's what?" I asked breathlessly, still reeling from the previous steamy state we'd been in. My whole body felt like it was on fire, and I was resisting the urge to grab him and crush my lips into his.
"Just above your collar bone..." He explained, examining it. My breathing hitched again. This time it was for a different reason; knowing now that he was referring to the three scars situated there. "They look like cigarette burns."
Swiftly, I yanked the edge of the neckline over to cover the marks. Avoiding Zayn's concerned gaze, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat with my back to Zayn.
"Georgia..." Zayn's voice was filled with worry, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to stop the memories from flooding back.
They'd been from my father about eight months before. I'd came in at two in the morning from a party that I'd snuck out to attend. Which, in retrospect, was so utterly idiotic of me to do. But he wasn't usually home for another few hours, so I didn't expect him to be seated in the living room waiting for me. He'd screamed at me of course; calling me a slut and pathetic. He'd used the cigarette he was smoking against me. I remembered my Mom crying after she'd came downstairs after hearing me scream out. It was one of the most horrible things I'd ever been through, which was a lot considering what I'd been dealing with my whole life.
"Georgia?" Zayn said again, sounding louder and more concerned.
Composing myself, I stood up and turned to face him again. "It's nothing. It's, uh, my friends and I were drinking and it was an accident. I-I don't even remember it happening." I desperately tried to lie, praying that I didn't sound as high pitched and stutter as much as I thought I did.
"Something's telling me that's not it." Zayn stated, also standing from the bed and stepping towards me.
He reached out to touch me arm but I quickly moved away. "I'll be back in a minute. I need to use the bathroom." I said in a rush, and practically ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I pressed my back against it and tried to control my breathing. I don't know how long I was in there, but once I felt somewhat calm again I took a deep breath and pulled the door open, hoping that Zayn would just let it go. To my surprise, the room was empty. I was about to call out before I noticed a note on the bed.
"Saw vending machines downstairs, gone to get some food. I’ll be back soon. Z x"
Feeling thankful that I had some more time, I smiled to myself and mentally thanked him. Pushing away all thoughts of my father, I walked towards the window and pulled the curtain over to admire the countryside at night. Growing up in New York, i hardly ever got the chance to see a sight like the sky here. All the lights and noise of the city prevented me from seeing skies like this. There were so many stars. Movement in the garden below me caused me to shift my eyes down. At first I thought it was just some of the last guests from Zayns aunt’s party, but our room faced out the back of the house and it made no sense. All I knew was that there was what looked like a figure standing underneath a tree in the garden; and that it creeped me out. I convinced myself that it was just another plant or smaller tree and closed the curtain. The uneasy feeling was still prominent in my mind, and it wouldn't leave no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I was just being stupid, that my mind was playing tricks on me.
Feeling cold, I decided to lay down under the sheets of the bed. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been, forgetting about the scars and letting Zayn see them. To be fair, I was a little distracted at the time. My cheeks heat up at the memory of him kissing my neck. All that was circulating in my mind at the time was how much I wanted him to move up and kiss me for real. With thoughts of Zayn, and Zayn kissing me, my eyelids became heavier and heavier until I fell into the comforting dark of sleep.
A/N - I DIDN'T REALISE HOW FREAKING LONG THIS WAS OH MY GOD (it's exactly 5,000 words though, skill)
But yeah, more kissing... kind of... I'm sorry... kind of... I'm really proud of this, and it's probably my favourite chapter so far if I'm being honest! And this was a reeeally quick update too ahhh!!! And ooooooh it's starting to get spooky with the creepy shadows and whatnot oh NO
And Lilly? Damn she's a bitch
If you don't know what Too Hot is, it's a game where two people kiss/make out without touching, and the first person to touch the other loses :)
Also can we PLEASE talk about the GIF I added in the multimedia for this? DAMN SON
Anyway, thank you so much for your support! ILY ALL SO SO SO MUCH! VOTE, COMMENT , FOLLOW N THAT YEAH!!x
P.S - #97 in Fanfiction??? THANK YOU!