A/N: Thank you to whom ever voted! (: I'm glad you liked the chapter! Comment or vote or anything really!!(: <3
Chapter 9:
Zayn’s Point of View
I felt my face get red and I ran out of the room wanting to get away from Niall. There was no question about it. I had feelings for Sophie, but she was happy right now. She was happily with Niall and who was I to destroy what they had together.
“Mate,” I heard Harry call after me. “What was that about?” He followed me as I ran onto the empty stage. The arena was empty except for Harry and me on the stage. “Zayn Malik, stop running away from me!” Harry yelled. He was on the opposite side of the stage than me.
“What do you want Styles?” I yelled back. I felt bad for yelling at him, though. “Just leave me alone.”
“No, tell me what’s wrong! What was that about?! You practically yelled at your best mate and now you won’t talk to me. What is the matter?”
I looked at Harry, who honestly looked like he wanted to help, but he wouldn’t understand. Every girl fancied Harry. None of us lads had a chance with any of them, usually, when Harry showed up. I shook my head as he walked forward. The selfish thoughts of Sophie and I being together filled my head. “I fancy her, mate.”
Harry nodded. “I know.”
“It’s not even just fancying her anymore. Hazza, I’m in love with her.”
Harry continued nodded. “I know. I’ve always known.”
I sat down with my feet hanging off the edge of this stage. I looked out into all of the empty seats. “In a matter of hours girls will be in here sitting down. All of them fancy us and want to be with us but the only girl I want to be with is Sophie. I want to be with her more than anything. I want to steal her from Niall.” My selfish thoughts grew and grew till I was convinced that was the right thing to do.
“Woah! Hold on there.” Harry put up his hands. “Mate, you can’t do that.” He shook his head. “I know it’s hard, but you need to put aside these feelings for her. You are the closest with Niall out of all of us. What do you think he would do if you tried to steal Sophie from him?” He sounded cross. “He would be more upset with you than he ever has been.”
“I can’t do it mate.” I said to Harry. “It hurts just to see them together.” I took a deep breath and told him the story of the day that I told her that I loved her. “She was 15 and I was just 16. I walked over to her house and saw her in the backyard, crying. Her parents fought all the time and her twin brothers Oliver and Noah were always left when their parents got into arguments with each other. Sophie would always come over my house, but that one day I wasn’t home. When I saw her crying, it just broke me. I invited her over my house and we watched films.” I took a deep breath because I had never ever told anyone this before. “I told her that I loved her and, at first, she didn’t believe me. But eventually, she believed me. She didn’t want to date because she knew that dating then could have ruined our friendship. That was when I decided to audition for X Factor. Soph had previously wanted me to, but I chickened out. I decided that I would audition for the next X Factor and win, for her. Once I won, we would start our relationship and then get married and start a family. Her meeting you lads was because I wanted to see how my best mates would all get on. That was my mistake, Sophie and Niall hit it off and I thought for sure they would start dating. Then she met Steven and they dated. I pushed my feelings aside twice, I don’t want to do it again.”
Harry stood up. “Push them aside again.” He shook his head. “She isn’t worth it. You two are best mates and that’s all you can be until her and Niall break up. Just be there for her, Zayn. She will eventually come around.” He tapped my shoulder. “Let’s go to sound check.”
At sound check we all formed a circle while Simon gave us a pep talk. He told us about the lineup for the concert and told us to go get ready. As Sophie and I prepared to step on the stage for the first song, Up All Night, Sophie walked over to me.
“I apologize for Niall. He is just way over protective. I don’t think he understands that we are just friends, nothing more.” She seemed to be trying to convince both me and her.
“It’s alright. I just hope he’s not too cross with me.” I pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.” I released her and looked at her. She was wearing her dress and the tiara was on the top of her head. She looked like a princess, Nialler’s princess. “Good luck.” I said as the music started.
All of us lads started singing the first song as the girls did the danced e had previously rehearsed. Danielle and Anne Marie danced like professionals, which they were, while Eleanor and Soph messed up once or twice, although it wasn’t very noticeable. When it came time for Moments, the mics were set up the same as when we were practicing.
Liam walked on the stage as the music started playing. The lights were turned down and there was a single spotlight on Liam. “Shut the door, turn the light off. I wanna be with you, I wanna feel your love. I wanna lay beside you, I cannot hide this even though I try. Heartbeats harder, time escapes me. Trembling hands touch skin. It makes this harder. And the tears stream down my face.”
A spotlight opened on Harry as he took a deep breath. “If we could only have this life, for one more day. If we could only turn back time.”
The rest of the spotlights turned onto the rest of us as we sang in unison. “You know I’ll be your, life your voice, your reason to be. My love, my heart, is breathing for this, moment in time I’ll find the words to say, before you leave me today.”
I was positioned in the middle of Liam and Louis as Sophie and Niall took turns singing. Niall was first. “Close the door.”
Then Sophie, “Throw the key.”
Back to Niall, “Don’t want to be reminded.”
“Don’t want to be seen.”
“Don’t want to be without you.”
“My judgments clouded, like the night sky.” Sophie’s voice rang out and I couldn’t help but smile. Sophie then sang Lou’s solo with Louis humming in the background. “Hums are silent. Voices numb. Try to scream out my lungs, it makes this harder. And the tears stream down my face.”
Harry began to sing once again. “If we could only have this life, for one more day. If we could only turn back time.”
“You know I’ll be your, life your voice, your reason to be. My love, my heart, is breathing for this, moment in time I’ll find the words to say, before you leave me today.” Then the chorus came and I was preparing for my solo that was coming up.
I glanced at Sophie who was smiling. I pulled my mic off of the stand and walked over to her as we took turns singing. I started. “Flashes left in my mind. Going back to the time. Playing games in the street. Kicking balls with my feet.”
Sophie quickly continued as she stepped forward and we were in front of the lads. “Dancing on your toes, standing close to the edge. There’s a pile of my clothes at the end of your bed. As I feel my self fall..”
“Make a joke of it all.” I finished just in time for the chorus.
“You know I’ll be your, life your voice, your reason to be. My love, my heart, is breathing for this, moment in time I’ll find the words to say, before you leave me today. You know I’ll be your, life your voice, your reason to be. My love, my heart, is breathing for this, moment in time I’ll find the words to say, before you leave me today.”
We finished the song and Sophie jumped up and down. “Thank you lovelies! It’s so nice to see you tonight. I really hope you enjoyed our little edited version.” The crowd yelled and screamed. Sophie’d mouth dropped as tons of ‘I love you’s were being yelled at her. She smiled and started laughing. “I love you all too!”
The music for Na Na Na started playing as the crowd yelled and clapped their hands. Liam started to sing as Sophie ripped off the bottom of her dress and started jumping around and shaking the audience’s hands. Liam had finished the verse and we started the chorus.
“We’re like na na na. Then we’re like yeah yeah yeah. Always like na na na. Then we’re like yeah yeah yeah.”
I saw Soph jump up and down and do her own little dance right before I started singing. “No we can’t make up our minds because when we think we got it right we go.”
“Na na na. Na na na. Na na na. Na na na.” We all sang.
After the song ended Niall jumped up and down. “Now incase you did not know, the lovely lady singing with us tonight is, my girlfriend, Sophie Rae. She has agreed to sing a few songs by herself tonight. Give it up for my amazing, fantastic girlfriend, Sophie!” Niall ran over to Sophie and gave her a kiss on the head. “Go get ‘em princess.” The crowd just seemed to go wild. They really loved Niall and Sophie together.
From the side of the stage, I could see that Sophie had reattached the bottom of her dress. She walked forward to her bright pink, sparkly mic and stand. “Hey y’all!” Sophie cried into the mic. “I’m going to start my run with some country music. Here’s Taylor Swifts’ new song Eyes Open.”
She took a deep breath as she removed the mic from the stand. As she sang every audience member was clapping and singing right along with her. I looked at her expression and it was priceless. She was almost in shock that she had the ability to cause a terribly large group of people to sing right along with her.
I felt Harry pat me on the back. “You must be super proud of her, aren’t you?”
I smiled at him. “I’m proud of everything that she has done in general. With us and with West End.” As I finished talking with Hazza, Soph was finishing the song. Her smile was the biggest that I had ever seen.
“You guys are fantastic! I love you all so much! I have never actually been a part of a real concert before because I’m just a part of West End shows and nobody ever sings along with those.” She laughed. “My next song is one you lot, who saw my lads on X Factor, would know.”
Sophie looked at the band and nodded as they started to play Torn. She tapped her foot and started to sing the verse. She interacted with Eleanor, Danielle, and Anne Marie on the stage, as well as with the audience. She walked up the catwalk and sang to members of the audience as they screamed. I saw someone throw a shirt with ‘I love my leprechaun’ written across the top with large letters and started laughing to myself.
Once that song, and a few others, was over she decided to finish with another X Factor favorite, well her favorite song anyway. The music for Your Song started to play and I couldn’t help but smile as my mind entered a flash back…
~Flashback~
I rode in the car with the lads. I couldn’t believe that we made it to the finals of X Factor. The lads and I had taken turns visiting our families and friends in our hometowns. When we entered Bradford I couldn’t wait to see Sophie. I hadn’t seen her since I auditioned for the show. The black car pulled up to a hotel and the fans were screaming and holding up signs. I was completely shocked because I had no idea the support for us was so big in my hometown.
The lads and I stepped out of the car and immediately covered our ears due to the music. We quickly found out luggage bags and ran up to the hotel room as fast as we could. Once upstairs I checked my phone and saw a text from Sophie.
From—Sophers: Get outta my town Malik (; You’re causing much commotion xx
I laughed and came up with a response.
To—Sophers: I no wanna xx meet me at my house in 10? I missed you
From—Sophers: Are your new bestfriends joining us?
I rolled my eyes. It was the same old Sophie, super paranoid about losing me because of the X Factor reactions to us.
To—Sophers: No. They are utterly exhausted anyway. Get your family to come over my house. It can be like a little reunion. xx
From—Sophers: Sounds good. I HAVE REALLY GOOD NEWS! xx See you soon.
I typed out the message: See you soon. I love you so much. But deleted it and didn’t send it.
“I’m going to visit my family and an old friend. I’ll be back for dinner.” I told Niall as I ran out the door and past all of the screaming fans.
I ran as fast as I could to my house. I stopped in front of it and couldn’t help but smile. I ran inside and started yelling. “Mum, da, Doniya, Waliyha, Safaa, Sophie!” I walked into the kitchen and saw my family and the Raes’, who were practically my family, sitting around the dining room table. On the table were two cakes. One had ‘Congrats Zayn!’ written in electric blue icing and the other had ‘Congrats Sophie!’ written in pink icing.
I walked over to my mom and sisters and hugged them. “Where are the other lads?” Safaa asked looking around me to see if I was hiding them.
“Wha? Am I not enough for you?”I teased her as I wrapped her in my arms and hugged her. “I missed you.”
“We missed you too.” My father said as he walked over and hugged me. “Congratulations son. We are so proud of you.” I smiled as him, but that sweet family moment was interrupted by Oliver and Noah Rae, Sophie’s twin older brothers.
“Where are the other lads, by chance?” Oliver inquired.
“They are exhausted and sleeping in our hotel. I just missed my little Sophie so much.” I hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
“Gross. Get a room, mate.” Noah scoffed.
“Or better yet, just get your grimy hands off our sister.” Oliver suggested, “I’m just pulling your leg there.” He responded when seeing my expression. “Just don’t do non of that in front of us.”
I pulled them in for a hug. “I missed you lads.”
Oliver was the first to respond. “We missed you too. Can you believe we had to take care of Soph and all of her girl drama?” He rolled his eyes.
“Thank goodness the season is almost over or I would have no idea what to do with her.” Noah continued. “She has been the death of us.”
“Oui!” Sophie punched her brother in their stomachs and I laughed. Soph shrugged. “They get what they deserve I guess.” And winked at me.
I pulled her into a hug. “I missed you, love.”
“I missed you too!”
“What’s your big news?” I inquired, remembering her saying that in the text.
Sophie was almost jumping up and down. “Well, while you were off, living your dream, I decided to give mine a shot. I auditioned to West End and I go in! I didn’t just get in, I will be playing Nessarose in London’s’ shows!” She was elated and jumping up and down.
I hugged her. “That’s bloody brilliant, Soph!”
I knew I couldn’t tell her that I loved her and about the promise I made her before I auditioned. I was going to be on tour with the X Factor and she would be with West End. Dating wouldn’t work out.
After we ate the cake Sophie and I went into my living room while my sisters and her brothers went upstairs and our parents sat in the kitchen laughing. I sat on the piano bench next to Sophie. I opened the music booklet to ‘Your Song’ by Sir Elton John and she started to play.
“Soph.” I whispered in her ear. “We are going to sing this in the finals, but don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.”
Sophie laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“I’m going to be singing it for you.” I said before I kissed her lips and she kissed me back. Our lips moved, as if they were in sync.
My mum walked into the living room. “And that’s the second time.” She said before walking out.
Sophie shook her head. “Zayn, we can’t. Not now.”
I nodded. “I know. I love you Sophie. Make sure you listen to the song on the final. I will being singing it for you.”
~End Flashback~
Sophie finished up her part of concert and us lads went on stage for a few more songs. After the show was over I went out with Liam, Danielle, Eleanor, Louis, Harry, Anne Marie, and Maisie. Sophie and Niall went back to the flats and I didn’t want to know what was happening. All I wanted to do was meet a girl and fall in love, even if it wasn’t real love.
As we walked outside I light a cigarette and put it in my mouth. It was a shame that I wouldn’t be able to drink the memory of us being together away. Liam would stop me before I could. But, I was determined to get as close as he would let me get.