Charlie's POV
I think her actions stun the both of us to the point where neither one of us know how to react.
"Why are you like this?" I mutter from the ground. I haven't even found it in me to get up. She stands there staring, and the really shitty part is that there is no remorse whatsoever on her end. Shock, but no remorse. "What did I do to you?"
She can't even answer me, which just proves that she has no reason to hate me, other than the fact that she's jealous. And that's awful- being jealous of her own daughter. She's supposed to want the best for me, be my biggest fan...like she always was...until I got pregnant.
Though I have this gut-wrenching feeling that even if I didn't get pregnant, she would have resented me anyway, or at least grown to. Because of Genevieve.
"You-"
"You know what?" I start, wiping at my nose, "I don't want you there, anyway. I don't want you anywhere near me- God-" I pull at my hair frustratingly, "I- why did I even listen to them? I should have known better than to try to get through to you. I should have known the minute you stood up in court and said those things about me like you didn't give birth to me that this was a bad idea. Hell, I should have known the minute you threw me out when I needed you the most that you didn't have my best interests at heart." She continues to stare impassively and I finally make to stand up. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
It's quiet. Shocker.
"Actually, I'm not interested in anything that you have to say. I'm so done with this- with you," I continue, shaking my head. So fucking done. I refuse to keep putting my effort into this because it's a waste of time and valuable energy. I think I see a flicker of regret in her eyes, but that couldn't be because she's heartless. And not to mention, just as soon as the look appears and I try to figure out what it means, it's gone. "I hope you feel like shit," I spit. "God, you...you disgust me! You weren't even gonna tell me my step-dad was dying because of your pride, for fuck's sake! Who does that? You're a...disgusting. You're disgusting, and to be completely honest, I'm ashamed to be your daugh-"
Her jaw clenches. "Not nearly as ashamed as I am to have a whore as a daughter- one that I never wanted in the first place."
I shake my head in frustration. "Have a great life, mom. I pray that someday you let go of all of this hatred, because if not, you're going to die a miserable, miserable woman."
She merely gives me a shrug before backing into the house and slamming the door. I'm so floored by her cold-heartedness that all I can do is let out a dry chuckle and begin stalking off down the sidewalk. Screw the cab, I'll walk.
//
Yeah... I didn't make it too far from Queens to Manhattan before I decided to flag down a cab. And okay, I definitely looked like a crazy person muttering and cursing to myself as I walked down the streets of the city. I mean, I knew it was bad when this lady pulled one of her kids closer to her when walking past me.
So needless to say, I'm fuming by the time I get home. But honestly, like, fuck her.
Like, even if by some small chance she came to her senses- and I can't emphasize how small that chance is, I would have a ridiculously hard time mending my relationship with her. Arguably a harder time than mending the relationship with my dad, and that's saying something.
"I was just texting you to see if you needed some backup," Zayn says to me as I stomp into the livingroom. "You know I have no problems telling Nora to go to hell and the best way to get there..." his voice trails off as I march past him.
I can't even bring myself to say anything to him until I calm myself down, so I head right up to our bedroom and pace a little before plopping down on the bed. I wince a little as I sit down, remembering that my butt is probably skinned. I only look like I had the ultimate fight with the sidewalk...and lost.
I'm examining my hands when I hear a sharp intake of breath. "Shit, did you kill her?"
I look up at him and he throws his hands up in surrender. "Okaayy, so I take it it went we-"
"Why did you tell me to invite her?" I cut him off. "You know how she feels about me and you thought it would be smart to invite her to the wedding? Why do you think it's so important to fix our relationship?"
He looks taken aback by my outburst. I don't know why I'm using him as an outlet for my anger, but. "I...um. I know your mum is important to you, despite everything going on and I just thought-"
"You just thought that she would somehow have a change of heart?" I blurt. "After three years of despising me, you thought she would be like 'sure, Charlie. I'll come to the wedding! Do you want a fucking microwave or a fucking vacuum cleaner as your gift?!"
"I-"
"Or did you think that the kids need a relationship with her? Because let me tell you, they don't need her- they're perfectly fine without her. There are plenty of people who love them!"
"Uh-"
"Stop trying to fix this! This can't be fixed because she's a...a fucking monster!"
"I-why are you screaming at me?" He asks calmly. His hands are out in front of him like I'm gonna strike him at any time. I mean, I might.
"I don't know!" I shout. "I'm so God damned mad!" I slam my fists on the bed. "Ouch."
He takes his chances and walks the few steps over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Breathe. You're gonna wake my babies up and I finally got them down for their afternoon naps. They drove me fucking nuts today."
I close my eyes. My nostrils are flaring, I'm sure. "Fuck," I mutter. I didn't want to cry over this because she's most definitely not worth it. But damn it to hell if she doesn't bring out the worst in me.
"I know, love," he consoles, pulling me flush against him. "It fucking sucks when your parents aren't the people who you need them to be. You think, like, well hell, if the people who brought me into this world can't even stand me, then I must be a fuckup- that clearly, you're the problem." I just sniffle. "But when it comes down to it, babe, people are shitty and that doesn't exclude those closest to us. And you're quite special so it's her loss if she doesn't want you in her life."
"I hate her."
"You don't, though," he counters. "And that, my whale, is the worst part of it all."
"Yeah, well, she hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, baby. She's just...she's probably angry at herself for fucking up with both of her children so she projects it onto you."
Well lucky me.
I blink up at him. "When did you become so smart? And stick up for my mother?"
"Hey I resent that. I've always been smart," he chuckles. "And as far as your mum is concerned, I don't like her. I'll never like her and she can kiss my whole entire ass that I don't have. And I'd bet money on that being a mutual feeling." I snort at that as his jaw clenches "Now I'm particularly pissed off about your skinned-up palms. Because if she put her fucking hands on you jaan, I swear I'm gonna lose my shit."
"She just pushed me and I...slid a little," I whisper, distancing and examining myself. "My palms are skinned and my butt and thighs are a little sore, but nothing I can't handle."
He starts mumbling to himself in Urdu. "I'm gonna just...I'll be right back."
"No, don't go over there. She's-"
"I'm not," he snaps. "I'm going to get the first-aid kit."
He returns momentarily with the Paw Patrol kit we bought not too long ago and I giggle. "Really? The Paw Patrol one?"
He motions for me to sit back down on the bed. "Well with the three little monsters always running around, I keep it nearby."
"Thanks, but I think I've got it. Nothing a little Neosporin and a bubble bath can't fix." Now if only there was a way to heal three years' worth of draining from a relationship.
"Shh." He waves me off, forcing me to sit back down before dropping to his knees in front of me. He turns my palms up and examines them. Just a little scratched up, so that's good. He sprays some peroxide over the scrapes, for which I should have further prepared myself. "I'm furious and it's taking every ounce of patience that I have to not go to Queens and drive the fucking car through her fucking house. God damned mother fucking fuckers always testing the new Zayn."
"The new Zay-ouch."
"Yeah," he says easily, putting antibiotic ointment on the cuts and spreading it with a gauze pad. His features soften slightly. "I'm trying, I mean. Like. Shit's hard, babe. But I think I'm doing better at keeping my temper in check. Half of the shit that I want to say, I don't, so that's good." He looks up and grins, looking super adorable. "Progress, eh?"
And all I can do really, is smile at the man in front of me, despite the shit show that just occurred, because Zayn and I have most certainly grown so much independently. Before we both would have internalized everything until it destroyed us. Before we would have both just kept screaming at each other until someone said something hurtful. Now we can calm ourselves down and no longer want to make the other person feel like crap. And even talk things out instead of keeping it all in. It's not perfect, but we're getting there. Go us.
"Proud wife." I go to kiss his forehead, but end up kissing his hair. He doesn't respond, so I just continue to observe him dressing my wounds. He seems to have quite a bit of experience with this type of stuff, and I'm sure it stems from long before the kids came around. "So they were bad today?"
"Hmm..." The tip of his tongue pokes out as he concentrates on putting a bandage on my palm.
"The kids?"
"Oh God. I don't know what the hell got into them, but Li and Adrian were running from one room to the next, tearing shit out, climbing on the piano and on the stools in the kitchen, trying to draw on the walls. They even got into the bathroom and started playing in the toilet. Who the fuck does that? What are they, dogs? And when Marley got here, forget about it. For some reason unbeknownst to me, they thought it'd be a good idea to try to jump from the coffee table onto the couch. And get this, they even thought they were gonna let themselves out back to play. But I shut that shit down right quick."
"Oh my."
"Yeah. Loons."
"And you want more..." I say without really thinking. He must catch wind of my face setting into a frown because he tilts my chin up and pecks my lips.
"Hey, no. No. I told you, when the time is right, we'll keep trying. And if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. Allah's will." He shrugs his shoulders. I grip his cheeks between my hands (softly because pain) and kiss him, deepening it because it feels right. Not everything may be going according to plan right now, but this here is something I can count on. God, I love him so much.
"What was that for?" He grins, our lips still brushing.
"For being the shit," I state, matching his grin. "Look at what you've done; I never used to curse."
"Right? And now you use your mouth for all sorts of glorious things."
Zayn's POV
"Alright, clan. What'll it be?" The kids, Charlie and I stand in front of the Halloween store in a last minute attempt to find Halloween costumes. I've always been last minute, but Charlie usually has this shit figured out- at least she did last year and the year before that. Though with the miscarriage, her parents and the wedding, everything else was put off slash forgotten about...
...we actually didn't think anything of it until Marley came home from school one day and asked me if we were taking him out 'wid all da oder kids to get da candies.'
Yeah.
So here we are, both Charlie and I still in our work clothes and the kids full of newfound energy.
And once we actually thought about it, we were both shocked as fuck that it's the end of October. Where did the time go?
"Um...well, I mean..." Charlie starts. "I could always make the costumes? We could just get some fabric or something and wing it." Buying something sounds so much easier, though.
"Are they matching?" I ask her, folding my arms across my chest.
"Uh-" She starts, but Marley quickly cuts her off.
"I gonna be what my daddy gonna be!" He says, swinging his hand in mine. I wasn't going to dress up cause like...it's more for the kids. I look at Charlie and I see that she most definitely had the same thought process. We didn't dress up the years before-actually, neither of us dressed up since sophomore year (the dreadful party that I don't like to think about.) "Cause my daddy is da bestest daddy of all da oder daddies."
I glance at Charlie, and yeah I thought we were on the same page, but I guess not cause she just smiles and bats her lashes. "El did say she was having a halloween party. So that sort of means we have to dress up, right?"
Hell. "Well," I start, not sure where I'm going with it.
"Please, daddy! Come on. We gonna be da same!" Mar continues to plead his case. Sigh.
And how can I say no to that? To my kid? Not when he's giving me the Zayn Malik pout and the Charlie Dunn puppy-fucking-dog eyes.
I pretend to go over my [non-existent] options. Let me think...we could be his favorite characters, but like, who the fuck's dressing up as Clifford? Or Arthur?
Marley giggles.
And so does Charlie.
Sigh times two.
We walk into the store and I take a look around. If we're gonna do this, it's gonna be the shit-like, no other father-son duo is gonna look like us.
"Cherries? Dress." Adrian grabs Charlie's attention, pointing towards the display of Elsa and Anna dresses.
Charlie grins at him. "Oh yeah? Well, let's see if we can find one that you'll like." She begins pushing the double stroller with him and Liyana in it over towards the kids' costumes, leaving Marley and I by ourselves. My face falls flat. "Thanks, babe. You're such a big help," I call after her. She looks back at me and blows me a kiss.
Oh, it's gonna be a long evening.
//
"Mar, I think we've outdone ourselves."
"Daddy, you and Eranor did it! We lookded da same!" Mar giggles as I observe us in the mirror. "I thinked mummy gonna liked my...my...what dis is called?"
"Costume."
"Yeah, cossume. She gonna liked mines and yours too."
When Mar and I decided on our costumes, I felt kind of bad that it was gonna be just the two of us dressing up together and not the whole squad. But it didn't even matter in the end cause Adrian wanted to wear a dress.
He wanted to be Elsa at first. But then he saw the Fred Flintstone costume hanging up in the store just beyond the Frozen display, and wanted that one instead. I'm guessing that had something to do with our family movie night last night in which we watched The Flintstones.
So given that, Charlie thought it would be cute to dress him and Li up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Liyana couldn't care less, obviously- my kid a million times over- so here we are.
(And if Liyana being my kid isn't made more obvious by her picking up her club and hitting the shit out of Adrian in the leg with it, well, then.)
"And I think my work here is done," El chuckles, standing just behind Mar and I. Yeah, so we enlisted the help of Eleanor because I don't know the first fucking thing about sewing fabrics together. And I wanted to surprise Charlie with our costumes because my name is Zayn Malik and I want approval from my beb.
What?
"Now. Don't be late to the party. It starts at eight sharp and I made turkey meatballs that look like eyeballs." Sounds appetizing. "And Niall's coming down, so you know nothing's going to be left if you don't get there at a respectable time."
//
"My God damned head is pounding."
"Welp, Mister Big Shot- Mister I can outdrink Niall any day. You know he's a tank..." I can hear the grin laced throughout Charlie's voice. I'm glad she's enjoying my pain. It's great. Really. "Shouldn't have drank so much. You know you're a small lil' itsy witsy tiny string bean- not to mention, you haven't drank like that in so long. Now perhaps you should have taken the high road like me, Charlotte Mallory Dunn."
I let my head fall against the small bistro table and pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, but not before glaring at her.
Who the fuck conducts business at this hour? The day after Halloween? It's sort of a given that everyone will be nursing hangovers.
Though as an aside, from what I can remember, I had fun. More fun than I've had in quite a bit of time as an average twenty two year old.
And as another unrelated aside, Charlie dressed up as a fire woman nearly made me cum in my pants. Yep.
Anway, Talia. That's who would conduct business at this hour. She called Charlie's phone bright and early, going on and on about sampling food. When I insisted (in the midst of hurling over the side of the bed) that we reschedule, she insisted that we must have the food finalized today because 'time is of the essence and we're already incredibly behind.'
Behind, my assole.
"I'm gonna puke," I mumble.
Charlie fucking laughs.
"Please don't." It's a different voice this time. And it's just too chipper and way too perky and just too damn much for right now- nine o'clock in the morning, to be exact. Yeah, I know. Charlie greets Talia, but I don't even lift my head. I can't. Like, I literally cannot.
"Thanks for coming, guys. I know it was short notice."
I snort. "You don't say." Ouch. Make it stop.
"Well, someone's brooding."
"Someone has a hangover," Charlie says, and I feel her hand rubbing between my shoulder blades. I mean, s'nice, but like.
"Can we get on with it so I can reunite with my bed." We even got rid of the kids for today. For reasons that I choose not to question, last night Liam and Danielle said they would watch the younger two while Marley was in school. Maybe everyone but me knew I would feel like shit today.
"Okay, okay. So...I know we decided that we would mix Americanized and traditional Pakistani food for the reception. Now, not to toot my own horn and say I'm the best-but like, I'm the best," And I can definitely see her flipping her hair over her shoulder, "because somehow, I was able to get the guy I was telling you about who can do both!" She claps her hands and I wince. No sympathy, whatsoever.
"Seriously?" Charlie says.
"Yeah and today we'll sample, you'll tell me what you like and don't like, and then we'll formulate a menu. And guess what?"
I lift my head. "Omg what?" I squeal, the sarcasm dripping from the feminine tone that I've taken on.
Both Charlie and Talia glare at me for that one. "He'll do the cake too, so that saves us an extra step." Talia cocks her head to the side, never breaking my gaze. "Now. I was thinking that we should do a four course meal- two American and two Pakistani, but starting with a light salad and ending with the dessert sampler and a small slice of cake."
Ah, food. A big, juicy cheeseburger sounds like, perfect right now. With cheese fries. I wonder if Charlie would be open to having cheeseburgers at the wedding? Probably not, she doesn't like cheese. Then again, she's a simple girl, so maybe. But the further we get through this process, the more lavish this wedding seems it's going to be. And if we leave the food up to Talia, we'll probably end up with fucking cucumber sandwiches in the shape of hearts and-
"Babe?"
"Huh?" I meet Charlie's eyes.
"How about one traditional appetizer and one American appetizer, then one light main course of each type?"
My stomach starts to bubble. Jesus Hell. Cancel that cheeseburger I mentioned. In fact, cancel this entire sampling because I'm about to shit all over the place. My God.
"Ew. She must really love you if you can discuss your bowel movements and she's not grossed out."
Please, I've seen her at her worst. She was literally having diarrhea and throwing up while I held her hair back at one point. Love at its finest.
And maybe I said that out loud. My head falls back. "Fuck."
"Maybe we should resc-" Charlie starts to say, but she can't even finish before Talia is smiling and there are about seven different dishes placed down in front of us.
"Too late for that," Talia responds. "I promise it's not going to take long. A couple of dishes, a few different types of cake and we're out."
Charlie and Talia busy themselves digging in, but I just can't bring myself too. Charlie's leg brushes against mine as she animatedly speaks with Talia about the different flavors and textures of the entrees and eventually the cakes. My babe looks so happy and I haven't seen this much life in her since...well, probably since the engagement.
She shyly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before crossing one leg over the other, absorbed in whatever the fuck Talia's talking about, her smile never fading. I can't believe I was ever a jerk to her. To someone who doesn't have a cruel bone in her body, a pure soul. Like, thinking back, I called her horrible names and let her down too many times to even count and I can't believe she still sees the good in me. It still fucks me up that she forgave me, let alone chose me. Like, she actually chose me. She could have anyone out there and she's choosing to spend her life with me. And damn it, I'll worship her always.
On paper, I feel like we were never supposed to be together. I had it all and she had nothing. I was a dick to everyone around me without a care in the world and she cared just a little too much. She had nothing, yet she managed to give me everything. And the craziest part is that I never knew it was what I needed- that she was what I needed.
I guess that we needed each other. Need each other?
I've fallen in love with every part of her. The way she bites her nails when she's nervous, the way she talks too damn much sometimes, her shyness, her insecurities, her stubborn ways, how she can be too trusting at times; but then there's the way she puts her all in to everything, her nurturing side, her beauty. All of it makes up my perfect loon, I guess.
Damn, my vows are gonna be good.
My arm falls over her shoulder and I kiss the side of her cheek, nuzzling my nose along her jaw line.
"You okay?" She stops mid sentence, focusing her attention on me with concern all over her face. And there's totally some buttercream frosting on her cheek. I grin, reaching up and wiping it off with my thumb. "Cause I think we're just about do-"
"I love you," I murmur.
She narrows her eyes, stopping in mid sentence once more. "Okay. Oh." I just chuckle, not caring at all that Talia's still there, watching the exchange.
Talia clears her throat. "Okay, I seriously need you two to stop being goals for a second because you're making me think I have a chance of not ending up bitter and alone."
A/N: I don't even know what to say. I guess that I had writer's block (and I still don't know if I'm completely happy with this, but w/e) and I have two jobs, which is about as much fun as it sounds.
Anyway, I hope you like it? If you're still reading, thank you! And please vote and comment!
And if you wanna see the costumes, check out the Instagram page- TheWorstFanfic
Also, I'm really excited about the next part. The gang's back together and I think it should be a good one. So I'm gonna start working on it now!
[And it's definitely, definitely not going to be another 4 months :)]