Here we go, last chapter. Lots of POV changes, keep an eye out.
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Chapter 100 - Final Chapter
(Kat's POV)
"And I would like a caramel frap please."
"Coming right up, Kat. Good to have you back."
I smiled at the familiar waiter, Brad, as he walked away from the table I was sitting at. I turned to look across the table from me at a beaming Carlee. I smiled at her, taking in the familiar feeling.
"Ever since you left, I've come here alone every single Wednesday. You know what that felt like?" Carlee asked me, having the over dramatic look on her face that she always has when she's trying to make me feel guilty of something.
"I'm sorry," I told her, "but I'm here now."
She frowned. "But you're leaving tomorrow."
I looked out of the window besides me, noticing that it was dark because we had come here so late. The day was almost over, thanks God.
I had to admit, I did feel bad to leave Carlee alone in Bradford all over again. But I didn't want to be here, it was too painful. At this point, all of this just seemed like a memory; nothing more, nothing less.
It was Wednesday. Carlee and I were at our usual Wednesday hangout, Floyd's. I mean, it was usual when I was here but it isn't anymore. It was only her and I, and Zayn had made me go.
I wouldn't even leave him alone to go take a shower, let alone come here. But he forced me, insisting that he'd be fine at home and that he wouldn't get hurt. I wouldn't have left, but Dad wasn't home - just like he wasn't all week - so I knew Zayn would be fine.
On the bright side, Dad hadn't spoken a single word to us this entire week. I was more than grateful. He had been going wherever he had claimed to be going during the morning time, and when it came time to sleep, he'd sneak in whenever everyone was asleep. But to be honest, I could care less about where he went.
Zayn had our bags packed and we were ready to go back home tomorrow. We were both so excited to finally be leaving that we probably weren't going to sleep tonight. This was the longest week of our lives, but it was almost over now.
My attention was stolen by an Brad bringing our drinks to our table, flashing us a smile. Carlee and I smiled back and he turned around, returning to his barista duties.
"So. . ." I said to Carlee, leaning into her, "tell me everything that happened here while I was gone."
She opened her mouth, her overdramatic face on, so I stopped her.
"The fun stuff. Not the family drama. I've had enough of that."
Her shoulders fell, but then she shrugged. She propped her elbows on the table, hot chocolate in hand, and she smiled.
"Drew and I, we're getting serious."
I raised my eyebrows, "yeah? How serious?"
"So serious that our families had dinner together."
"What type of dinner? Like, Sloppy Joe's or Olive Garden?"
She grinned, "Olive Garden."
I gasped over dramatically, and she rolled her eyes. "No way! Did you guys use forks too?"
She laughed, "shut up, Kat. Not everyone's life is exciting as yours."
"Exciting?" I asked, intrigued.
"Yeah," she said as if it were obvious. "I mean, who falls in love with a badass, tatted, motorcycle riding, gorgeous hunk of a man, and picks up everything and runs away with him without telling anyone?"
I shrugged, taking a sip of my drink. "I told you."
"Shut up," she said again. "Seriously Kat, forget me, what's up with you and Zayn? Where is this heading?"
I stared at her, a bit taken back. Where is this heading? Huh. I had never actually thought about that. I mean, I guess I always figured that we'd stay hidden forever. I had never actually thought about anything afterwards.
"Zayn and I. . . We're. . ." I looked down, kind of confused. I can't believe I had never actually thought about where this was going. It was quite frustrating, to say the least.
"Do you want to marry him?" She asked, catching me off guard completely. Who just asks a random question like that without giving me any time to prepare?
I closed my eyes, exhaling a breath. I had never been asked that question before either, but I wish I had been. I had thought about it in general, but just for a while. But as I sat there, in the coffee shop with Carlee, I actually thought about it.
I looked up at her, then nodded my head. "Yes. I do."
She furrowed her eyebrows, "you do?"
I nodded again. "I want to so badly, Carlee. He's all I want."
A smile pulled up on her lips, "I kind of always knew it. You guys are perfect for each other."
No we aren't. "Thanks."
She smiled, then nodded. I pursed my lips then looked down at the grey table, taking her words in. We were perfect together, huh? Sure, when it was just Zayn and I, we were perfect together. But not with everything and everyone else.
We were like puppets; we had so many strings attached that we had lost count. All those strings were doing was trying to pull us apart, but there was just one strong string holding us together. One day, the string is going to break because of all this pressure. I just don't want that day to come.
I was knocked out of my trans when Carlee's phone began to ring. I looked at her as she examined the screen name and shot a confused look at it.
She looked up at me, extending the phone towards me. "It's Zayn."
I quickly grabbed the phone from her hand and answered it, afraid something might have happened when I had left. I knew I shouldn't have gone. I knew I shouldn't have left him alone.
"Hello?" I asked worriedly into the phone, my heart beating out of my chest.
"Kat?" I heard Zayn's voice say.
"Zayn, are you alright? Is Dad home?"
"I'm fine babe," he told me. "I promise. I just need to know if you know where my coat is?"
My heart relaxed at his words, but I grew confused. "Have you checked the bedroom closet?"
Carlee shot me a weird look and I just shrugged.
"I've checked." He sighed. "Twice."
Something about his voice told me that he was worried, and it made me worried.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I just. . ." He took a breath. "Are you sure you don't know where it is? I've checked everywhere."
"Have you checked the rack?"
"I've checked," he sighed. "I'm sorry to bother you, I just can't find it anywhere."
"It's okay babe," I tried to calm him down, "we can get a new coat."
"It's not the coat." He let out a breath, the sound of rummaging in the background. "It had something important in the pockets. I just really need it."
I nodded, "alright babe, did you ask Cora? She might have picked it up or something."
"She isn't home, but I'll ask her when she comes." He was silent for a while, nothing but the sound of his breath on the line. Then, he said, "alright, never mind. Sorry for bothering you baby. You enjoy."
"Zayn, if you need me, I can come-"
"No babe, it's alright," he assured me. "Spend time with Carlee. We're leaving tomorrow anyways. Yeah?"
I nodded even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Okay. But if you need me-"
"Don't worry babe, I'm fine." I heard the faint smile in his voice. "Have fun."
I let out a breath. "Okay. I will."
"Good. I love you."
"I love you too."
And with that, he hung up.
I looked up at Carlee, handing her her phone back. She stared at me, asking me to tell her what was up. I ran a hand over my face, suddenly feeling stressed.
"Everything alright?" Carlee finally spoke up, realizing I wasn't going to say anything.
I sighed, "he's looking for his coat."
She looked around, confused on that this was supposed to mean. She took a sip of her drink, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind the message. It was awkward for a moment, then she let out a breath.
"I'm sorry Kat, but I don't get what that means," she blurted out. I just stared at her, then she said, "is that supposed to be bad?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "He sounded worried. Am I supposed to be worried?"
"Has he ever asked you about where he's placed his clothes?" She asked, as if it was a mystery to uncover.
I shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess."
"Has it ever lead to something bad?"
"Not really."
"Then what makes this any different?"
I sighed, resting my elbows on the table. "He sounded worried." I repeated again.
She cracked a smile at me. "Kat, it's adorable how much you two care about each other. But maybe you're just overreacting."
I stared at her. If Carlee was telling me that I was overreacting, I was probably overreacting. Zayn was fine, he just lost his coat.
I smiled lightly at her, "you're right."
She shrugged, grinning. "I always am."
***
(Zayn's POV)
I hung up the phone, my heart beating out of my chest. I was freaking out. Everything was falling apart at the last minute, and I wanted to punch something.
My coat was missing. The coat that held Kat's ring in it. I had left it on the coat rack and now it was not there. Either someone took it or I had misplaced it, I didn't know. It was driving me insane.
I wanted to propose to Kat before we left tomorrow. I knew that I hadn't accomplished what I came here for, so I had decided that I should propose here in Bradford. As much as she hated to admit it, both of our homes were here. Proposing here would be like getting permission from our city, even if nobody here accepted us. It just get right.
But I couldn't propose without a ring.
So I was currently sitting in the mess of clothes that I had created. Everything from our suitcase was scattered around me because I had gone crazy and unpacked it, trying to find my coat. But I didn't have time to clean it up, I needed to find the goddamned ring.
Just as I had thought this, I heard someone walk in the house downstairs. I immediately shot up out of the mess of clothes I had created and stumbled out of my room. I ran down the stairs, spotting Cora walking into the house.
"Cora! Cora!" I called out as she began walking in her room.
She turned around at the sound of my voice. "Zayn, you scared me. Is everything okay?"
I caught up to her and took a couple of breaths because I had grown breathless from running down the stairs so fast.
"Not really," I told her, "do you happen to know where my coat is?"
She furrowed her eyebrows at me. "Your coat?"
I nodded, growing impatient, "do you know where it is?"
"Did you check the coat rack?" She asked, staring at me confusedly.
I couldn't help but feel as if I looked completely stupid to her; freaking out over a coat. But I could care less. I wasn't leaving without finding the ring.
"A billion times," I told her truthfully.
She nodded. "Okay, give me a minute. Let me check Mark's closet. He might have picked it up."
My stomach churned but I nodded. If Mark had it, I was screwed. If he had found the ring, I was never going to get it back. As she turned around and walked to her bedroom, I just prayed that Mark didn't have it.
But hopefully, he had the coat but he didn't find the ring. I just wanted to have the ring in my hands so I couldn't lose it again. It'd be on Kat's finger by tomorrow.
After a while of hopeless praying, Cora walked outside with my coat in her hand. I exhaled a breath and thanked God.
"Is this it?" She asked, holding it out towards me.
I reached for it, "yeah."
"Mark probably got it mixed up with one of his," she explained to me.
I nodded, uninterested on how it got there. I knew that I looked dumb to her but I didn't care. I just turned around and walked to the kitchen counter, spreading my coat on it so I could search it. I ran my hands over it, checking inside the pockets as well. After I felt nothing, I felt my stomach churn.
"Shit," I cursed, my heart stopping. He took it. The bastard took it.
Cora walked toward me. "Everything okay?"
I dug my face into my hands. "Shit. Shit. Shit."
"Zayn," Cora said, making me look up at her. "What's wrong?"
"The ring," I said under my breath. My hands began shaking and my mind began spinning. I couldn't think straight.
"What?"
I fell back against the counter. "He took the ring."
Cora walked up to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Zayn, you're going to have to speak up. What's wrong?"
I looked up at her, tears forming in my eyes. "Mark took the ring. It was in my coat pocket. Now it's gone."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "What type of ring?"
I sighed, looking up at the ceiling and blinking away my tears. "The ring I had bought to propose to Kat."
She gasped and grew wide eyed. "Pr- propose?!"
I nodded.
"Zayn, congrats, that's great! When are you going to propose?!"
I shut my eyes and exhaled a breath, "once I find the ring."
She grew disappointed, looking down at the floor. "Do you think Mark has it?"
"I know he does."
The nerve of this bastard. When I see him, I will kill him. How dare he take away my ring? How dare he try to pull Kat and I away from each other again. I won't let him. Not this time.
"Well, I'm sure he just has it for safe keeping," she tried reassuring me.
I laughed cold heartedly. "Yeah right."
As if on queue, we both heard rattling at the door. I glared at it, knowing that it could only be one person. Kat couldn't have reached here that quickly if she was even coming.
In a moments time, Mark walked into the house. He took notice of the scene in front of him and smirked slightly, then put his coat on the rack.
Speak of the Devil, and the Devil appears.
"You're home early," Cora said, walking up to him. I noticed the nervousness in her tone. She and I both knew who held my ring captive.
He shrugged, kissing her forehead. "I was in a good mood and decided to skip work today."
I clenched my jaw as he walked up to me, Cora at his tail. He saw my coat and smiled evilly at it. I honestly just wanted to punch him square in the face.
"How are you Zayn?" He asked, looking happy. In fact, he looked so happy that it sickened me.
I pushed my sleeves up above my elbow and stood up. I came face to face with the asshole and said, "where did you put it?"
He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to act innocent. "Put what?"
"Mark," I heard from Cora, "Zayn had a ring in his coat pocket. Have you seen it?"
"No idea," he replied a little too easily, keeping his eyes on me.
"Give me the ring Mark," I said to him. "It's mine."
"What ring?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pocket and shrugging innocently. "I have no clue what you are talking about."
I pushed him back, not thinking about it much. He stumbled backwards, but just chuckled. Cora grabbed Mark's arm, prepared to hold him back.
"Zayn," he flashed me a crooked smile, "if I were to have this ring that you're talking about, what would you do with it?"
"That is my business," I said to him. "Not yours."
This man always knew how to take out the worst in me. He was horrible.
"If it has anything to do with my daughter, it is my business," he told me.
"Mark, just give it to him," Cora tried to help.
I clenched my jaw, my pulse quickening. "Mark, give me the ring."
He stood tall, not ready to surrender just yet. But neither was I.
"You're not going to propose to her," Mark told me, "do you understand?"
Do I understand? Do I understand?! I was finished with playing the nice role. I had too much. He had made Kat and I suffer for far too long.
"You know what Mark, no! I shouted. "I don't fucking understand!" I lost my patience and I was not going back at this point. "What the hell is your problem?! Why don't you accept the fact that we're together and we aren't separating?!"
"Honey," Cora spoke to Mark, "I think you should just give hi-"
"Because I don't want my daughter to be with a man like you," he stated simply, ignoring Cora.
I shut my eyes, just wanting the ring back. I just wanted to runaway with Kat all over again. I just wanted to go back to Cambridge. I didn't want this anymore. How I wished I never came here.
"Fine," I sighed. "Fine, Mark. I get it, you hate me. And somehow, someway, you'll always find a way to ruin our lives, and that's fine too. But you have to give me the ring back."
"Why?" He smiled wickedly, "so you can propose to my daughter?"
I stayed quiet, not wanting to deal with this any longer.
"Huh?" He said, walking up to me and pushing me back. I stumbled backwards, but I already felt so numb. "So you can ruin her life?"
"Mark, stop it." Cora said, her voice stern.
"I just want the ring," I told him. "Just give me the fucking ring."
He chuckled. "Like I would ever let you marry my daughter. You aren't worthy of her."
"I know I'm not," I replied truthfully. "But I love her."
"Love isn't everything, Zayn," Mark said, his voice sharp. "Alright? Love is not everything."
I ran a hand over my face, wondering why I had ever been stupid enough to leave my ring in my coat and my coat out in the open in the first place.
"You won't be able to put food on the table because of love, Zayn. You won't," he fought.
When will this man ever just shut up?
"Mark, you should take a deep br-"
Mark ignored Cora's attempts to calm him down and walked up to me, grabbing my shirt collar. I stiffened, hating that he thought that he could have any control over me.
"You're worthless, Zayn. You don't deserve my daughter." He spat in my face.
I stared at him, wondering how anyone could be so cold blooded.
"Mark!" Cora finally yelled. She pried Mark off of me then grabbed his arms, standing face to face with him. "What has gotten into you?"
He glared at me. "You aren't going to marry her, bastard. You won't!"
"Mark!" Cora screamed.
"You can't take care of her!" Mark continued.
"Mark! Stop it!"
I stood there, soaking in his words. But frankly, I didn't give a shit. He was nothing to me and I didn't need his commentary on how I would be able to take care of her.
"You're bloody useless!" He shouted once again. "Worthless!"
Immediately, Cora's hand came in contact with Mark's right cheek. I sucked in a breath at the scene, watching as Mark's face grew stone hard. He looked down at Cora, ready to fight her, but his features softened once he saw her crying.
"What happened to you?" She cried, taking a step away from him. I stood a bit closer to Cora, knowing that this was none of my business, but I didn't want Mark to hurt her. He would regret it, and I knew how it felt.
"You're an animal, Mark! I didn't fall in love with the man that is standing in front of me today."
He stared down at her, but didn't say anything. I examined him to see if he would move to hit her or something, and I was prepared to hold him back.
"I've kept my mouth shut for too long, Mark. Too long. You need to stop this," she told him. "You need to understand that Zayn is in love with Kat, and you can't change that."
His features became stone hard, and he lifted his hand. I pulled Cora behind me and grabbed Mark's hand before he could hurt her, then stood in front of him.
"Mark, don't hurt her." I told him, as if he would listen to me. "You're going to regret it."
"Because of you, my family has fallen apart!" He yelled at me, freeing his hand from my grasp.
"No Mark, it's because of you!" Cora shouted, walking and standing in front of Mark once again. "Because of you this family can't stand each other."
He glared at Cora, but she just continued. "Kat hates you Mark. And if you keep this up, I will too."
Mark took a step back, looking around as if everything was turning against him. He ran a hand over his face, taking a deep breath.
"What am I supposed do?!" He shouted, "what do I do if I know my daughter will get hurt?!"
I sighed, "Mark, I won't hurt her."
"How do I know that?" He asked. "How do I know that you won't hurt her?"
I clenched my jaw. "Because I love her more than I will ever love anyone. Mark, she's been hurt by you more than she will ever be hurt by me."
Mark stared at me, his shoulders falling. For the first time, I actually thought that he listened to me. A look of realization hit his face and he looked defeated. For the first time, he didn't stare at me like he despised me. For the first time, he realized his mistake.
He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it on his own. It was dead silent as he exhaled a breath that he seemed to be holding for a long time. He turned around and walked away from Cora and I without a word and went into his room.
I turned to Cora and raised my eyebrows, but she wasn't looking a me; instead she just stared at the door Mark has went through. I knew that he was probably mad, and he probably wasn't in the mood to be asked about my ring; but I needed it.
I stood there in silence for about another minute before I opened my mouth to speak up and ask about my ring. But once I saw Mark walking out of his room, I decided not to be the first to speak.
"Mark, don't do anything to him," Cora spoke up when she noticed Mark glaring at me and walking towards me.
"I won't Cora." He told her. "I won't."
I stood taller as he came and stood in front of me. I noticed him extending my velvet box that held the ring in it towards me, and I took it from him, not wanting it to be some kind of sick joke.
"I'm sorry Zayn," he said, looking ashamed. He didn't even make direct eye contact with me, and it didn't even feel like he meant it, but I didn't care - I had the ring in my hand.
"You deserve her," he spoke under his breath. He looked a bit awkward actually, probably not one for apologies. It seemed as if he didn't believe himself, he just needed to say it.
"It's alright Mark," I said to him, even though it wasn't. But I didn't care. The moment I got out of this house, I was proposing to Kat.
He exhaled a breath, then placed a hand on my shoulder. I flinched instinctively and he took notice but just pursed his lips. He cleared his throat.
"You have my blessing."
My eyes widened, and Cora gasped. I stared at him, and he nodded at me. I couldn't believe the words that just escaped his mouth. It was surreal.
"Wha- what?" I said, furrowing my eyebrows. I couldn't believe it.
His features softened at my expression, then a small smile spread across his lips. "You're a good man, Zayn. You deserve Kat."
Well it took him long enough.
I couldn't help but grin, and he chuckled. "I can marry her?"
He removed his hand from my shoulder and stuffed it in his jeans' pockets. He nodded. "Don't make me say it again. I might change my mind."
I chuckled, then said, "thank you, Mark. So much."
He nodded his head, and I immediately turned around and grabbed my coat from the counter. I needed to leave and ask her to marry me as soon as I could because I was actually quite sure that he would change his mind.
"Where are you going?" Cora asked me, a grin in her tone.
I slipped on my coat quickly, placing the ring back in my pocket. I turned around and smiled at her.
"I'm going to make her mine."
She covered her mouth with her hands, sheer happiness on her face. As I walked past them and towards the door, I took a glance at Mark. He looked proud; not of me, or Kat, but himself. He finally gave in.
I walked out of the door, my heart skipping beats. I needed to propose to right now. I didn't care if she was in the coffee shop, the moment was more perfect now than it has ever been. This was our moment.
I unlocked the car, quickly siting inside. I looked to my left and soaked in the familiar feeling of the flat I used to own. I couldn't help but smile. Everything that we had left behind all became worth it. Everything was falling into place.
I pulled up at Floyd's coffee shop about five minutes later, my heart pounding inside of my chest. This was it.
I quickly got out of the car and raced to the door, running inside. I must've looked like a maniac, but I didn't care. I was going to propose to her.
I looked around, searching for her. I didn't see her or Carlee anywhere, and my stomach sank. I walked around, trying to find them, but couldn't. I grew worried, taking my phone out of my pocket and dialing Carlee's number since Kat didn't have a phone because we both shared one.
She picked up after a couple of rings.
"Hello?" She spoke.
"Hey," I replied.
"Zayn?"
"Yeah it's me. By any chance, are you with Kat?"
She was silent for a while. "I dropped her off at her house like twenty minutes ago."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "She isn't there."
"What? I left her at the doorstep."
I ran a hand over my face. She disappeared? My stomach churned at the thought of her getting hurt, but I don't think she could've if Carlee had left her at the doorstep. She had probably left herself.
Then, I had an idea of where she might have been.
I walked towards the exit, leaving the coffee shop. "Never mind Carlee, I think I know where she is."
"Are you sure?"
I smiled, unlocking my car. "I'm positive."
"Well if you don't find her, call me. Okay?"
"Yeah," I said to her, then thought of something. "One more thing I needed to ask you."
"Yeah?"
I took in a breath. "I'm going to propose to her. Do I have your blessing?"
As I suspected, she squealed on the other line. I chuckled, realizing that her permission is almost as important as Mark's. She was Kat's best friend after all.
"Of course, bastard!" She yelled as I started the car. "Marry her!"
I backed out of the driveway, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm planning on it."
She sighed happily into the phone. "Finally. It took you long enough."
I furrowed my eyebrows, taking the familiar route to a place I knew all to well. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean that you two already built a life together," she explained. "As as the great Beyoncé once said, 'If you like it then you should've put a ring on it'. And you sir, should've done that a long time ago."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Alright Carlee, whatever you say."
She giggled. "Okay Zayn, go do that. And don't forget to mention to Kat that I have to be her maid of honor."
"Will do," I smiled. "Bye Carlee."
"Bye Zayn."
Then, I hung up. Ten minutes later, I had arrived at my destination. My car drove up the gravel path and stopped in the middle of many trees.
I had reached The Heart.
I didn't bother locking my car, instead I just got out. I made my way through some trees, spotting her sitting in the grass when I reached our spot. She had her knees pressed against her chest as she hid her face in her hands.
I exhaled a breath when I saw her, praising myself for knowing her so well. Only when I walked closer to her did I realize that she was crying.
***
(Kat's POV)
I was sitting at The Heart because I couldn't go home. Correction, I already went home, but I decided to stay out. I didn't want to go home.
Carlee had dropped me home about half an hour ago and I was more than relieved to be seeing Zayn. He seemed so worried about his coat that I just wanted to help him find it. So when I opened the door, my heart dropped because I saw Zayn, Cora, and Mark all together. Cora had just slapped Dad when I walked in and Zayn was just standing there. Nobody noticed me so I decided to close the door and walk out because I couldn't stand it anymore.
I didn't understand why I walked out when there was a chance of Zayn getting hurt, but I decided that I couldn't handle dad anymore. He was too much. Dad would never accept Zayn and we would just have to hide forever. But I didn't want to. I wanted to be free.
When Cora slapped dad, I felt sick. The toughest man I had ever known had just been slapped. But I kind of felt happy.
My thoughts were a mess, and at some point, I had stared crying. So I just decided to come to the heart and sit here until I felt strong enough to return home. But I didn't think that was going to happen any time soon.
My thoughts were disturbed when I heard something coming towards me. My head shot up in defense mode, but when I saw Zayn coming towards me, I didn't think much before jumping up and running towards him.
I engulfed him into a hug, my heart pounding. He hugged me back, tightly.
"Did he hurt you?" I asked Zayn.
"How did you know Mark was there?" Zayn asked, pulling his head away from my shoulder.
I stared at him. "I saw him when I went inside but I left before any of you noticed me."
He looked down at me, then tilted his head. "Baby, are you okay?"
I nodded, taking his face into my hands. "Are you okay?"
He placed his hands on mine, moving his face so that he could kiss the palm of my right hand.
"I'm fine sweetheart," he told me. "Now you tell me, why are you crying?"
I looked down, my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach. I didn't need to worry him with my problems, but he was the only one who ever listened.
"I saw Cora slapping Dad," I spoke quietly. "And everything just hit me all at once."
He brought his fingers under my chin and lifted my head so that I was looking at him. "What's wrong?"
I sighed, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Zayn, we've been doing this for too long. And I know that even after we go back to Cambridge, he won't leave us alone."
He wiped the tears from my cheeks. He didn't speak, wanting me to continue.
"What if we want to build a future together?" I asked hesitantly. "How will we be able to do that with dad always there to stop us?"
"He won't bother us anymore," Zayn reassured.
I shook my head. "I always think that, Zayn. But he'll hurt you - or me - every chance he gets."
"He can't hurt us," he whispered.
I shut my eyes. "How much longer are you going to believe that, Zayn? He always manages to hurt us. Always."
"Baby, I promise he won't hurt us anymore. We're free."
I sighed, running a stressful hand over my face. He wasn't understanding what I was trying to tell him. He was just being Zayn; using his beautiful words to reassure me once again.
"Zayn, we aren't free. We'll never be free."
"Darling, yes w-"
"No we aren't!" I cried. I didn't mean to yell at him but I was getting overwhelmed. Everything was turning for the worse and if we go back tomorrow, something bad will happen. I didn't want that.
I opened my eyes, looking up at Zayn. I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."
He leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead. "It's okay baby. It's alright."
I stared at him, wondering once again how I could end up with such a great man. I don't want Dad to take him away from me. If I could just have one thing, it'd be Zayn. But it would be impossible to accomplish with Dad around.
I rubbed my eyes. "What do we do now?"
He smiled slightly, "I have an idea."
I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what he could be smiling about. Maybe his plan was to, you know, get rid of dad.
"What?" I asked.
"Marry me."
My heart stopped, and I blinked a couple of times. I stared at him, wondering if I had heard him right.
"Wh- what?"
Before I knew it, Zayn had gotten down on one knee in front of me. I felt my heart pounding out of my chest as he reached into his coat pocket and took out a black velvet case. I blinked away the tears blurring my vision. Was I dreaming?
"Katrina," Zayn breathed, a smile on his face. He opened the case to reveal the diamond ring that I had liked at the store once. "I love you so much baby. You're my everything and I don't want to spend a moment without you."
My eyes grew wide, and I reached over and pinched myself to double check if I was actually awake.
"I know we've only been together for a little over a year but I want to spend my life with you." He looked up at me and my eyes began watering.
"The month we spent without each other was enough for me to realize how hard it would be to spend my entire life without you, and I don't want that. I want you all to myself sweetheart. I need you.
"Your father has finally gave me permission to marry you. It took a long time, but he gave in. And now we'll never get hurt. Yeah? I promise that I'll always take care of you."
Tears were flooding my vision, but I quickly blinked them away. Dad gave in? Zayn was proposing? I couldn't believe this was happening. I just couldn't.
He smiled at me. "Katrina Desire, will you marry me?"
I nodded rapidly, not having to think twice about it. "Yes Zayn. Of course."
He grinned, his eyes full of happiness as if he thought I would say no. He took my hand in his and gently slid the ring on my finger, then brought it up to his lips and kissed it as if it sealed the deal.
"Zayn," I cried, my emotions all over the place. He stood up off the floor and I didn't wait a moment before pressing my lips to his eagerly. Without thinking twice, he kissed me back passionately.
I felt like running through the town and yelling in happiness because of what was happening. No matter how many books or movies you watch, a moment like this could never be described. I had never felt so happy.
"I love you Kat. I love you so much." Zayn whispered once our lips separated.
"I love you too Zayn." I smiled.
He pressed me against him and held me into a tight embrace. He dug his face into the crook of my neck and kissed my skin, inhaling my scent. I shut my eyes against his chest, taking in the familiar feeling.
We didn't have to hide anymore. We didn't even have to run. I was finally all Zayn's, and nobody could take that from us. For the first time between Zayn and I, we had no weight on our shoulders.
We had finally won.
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