Chapter 27 Ten Years Earlier #2
“You know what I mean!” I try to rebuke him, but my delight at the gift is overriding anything else. “These are so expensive! You could have bought yourself a phone with that money!”
His smile drops slightly and he leans forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. He looks sideways at me. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? Zayn! I love it!”
“Then it was worth every penny.”
I swipe at the fresh wave of tears running down my cheeks. “Thank you.”
I kiss him on the cheek and continue thanking him until he laughs and brushes me off. “What else did you get? And how were your pancakes this morning?”
I answer him distractedly, too focused on my new kindle to think about much else as I unbox the sleek black gadget.
A while later, before the lunch bell is due to go off, I slip my present into my bag and turn to face Zayn, who’s telling me about his meeting with the school guidance counsellor.
Of course after looking at his grades, the counsellor told him he could be anything he wanted to be.
He’s considering medicine. That’s as far as he gets before I stop listening to what he’s saying and get lost in the vision of him sitting here, in our favourite spot, on my birthday.
His black hair glossy in the sunlight, his smooth forearms resting along his thighs as he talks uncharacteristically animatedly about his plans for the future.
In this moment, there’s one thing I know for certain. Zayn is my future.
And tonight, I’m going to show him.
My plans go flying out the window the minute Zayn walks into Anna’s basement that night.
The hour-long shower I took this afternoon to shave, exfoliate and moisturize every inch of my skin in preparation for tonight is eviscerated from my mind at the sight of his freshly blackened eye and busted lip.
“Zayn?” I cry, leaping from the old couch and rushing to him. “What happened?”
Anna switches off the music and I hear her and Percy hovering behind me as I cup his face gently between my palms. His jaw is clenched and anger radiates off of him in waves as he stares at a spot over my head.
“Mum’s boyfriend,” he mutters between his teeth. I see a tremble rip its way through his shoulders as he shoves his hands into his pockets.
“Oh, Zayn.” Carefully, I place my hands on his chest and rest my head against his shoulder. I don’t know if he’s been hurt anywhere else, but I don’t want to risk it, so my touch is feather light against his grey hoodie.
“I’m fine,” he grits out, taking my shoulders and gently pushing me back. “Don’t worry about me. Come sit down.”
He directs me back to the couch and I feel the sting of tears behind my eyes at the injustice of it all.
Anna and Percy hover awkwardly before taking a seat on opposite ends of the couch facing of us.
The relaxed, happy atmosphere from a minute ago is shredded to pieces as we all sit in silence staring at Zayn, who leans forward and runs a fist through his hair.
“Zayn, your hands!” I say, reaching for his cracked and bleeding knuckles. Anna gasps, then rushes out of the room while I inspect the damage.
“What happened?” I ask again. I need more information this time than just ‘Mum’s boyfriend’. I feel so utterly helpless. My boyfriend gets assaulted in his own home and there’s not a thing I can do about it.
“I fought back this time,” he says quietly, letting me turn his hands over in mine. “He…” He swallows, flexing his hand in mine. “He hit my mum.”
I’ve never met Zayn’s mum. All I have to go off is the minimal details Zayn’s offered me over the last six months, which isn’t much at all.
She’s a drug addict that’s zonked out most of the time, and when she isn’t high, she’s spending her time chasing her next fix.
But although he speaks about his mum with hostility, which is understandable, I’ve always also sensed an underlying love for his mother that he tries to hide.
I think he’s embarrassed to love someone unconditionally when they treat him the way she does.
“Oh, Zayn. I’m so sorry.”
Tears run down my cheeks as Zayn shifts uncomfortably next to me. No one should have to witness or endure what he has. “It’s fine. Mum left to stay with a friend.”
Startled, I blink to try to stop my vision from swimming. “She just… left you there? With him?”
Zayn’s jaw ticks and he pulls his hands from mine, running a fist through his hair.
“What do you expect, Gianna?” he says, dryly, with a humourless laugh.
“Not everyone has parents that make them pancakes for their birthday. Hell, I don’t think my mum even remembered my last birthday.
Or the one before that. So yeah, she just left me there with her psycho boyfriend like she does every other fucking time. ”
I flinch at his harsh words and pull my hands back into my lap, a deep blush creeping its way up my neck. Zayn’s never spoken to me like that before.
“Fuck!” he swears again, then drops to his knees in front of me, pulling my hands from my lap to rest in his.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.
” He looks pleadingly into my eyes and my heart cracks in half at the sight of his eye that seems to be getting darker by the minute.
“I’m glad your parents make you pancakes for your birthday and treat you like the princess that you are.
I would rather die than you have a family like mine. ”
“Come here,” I pull him up and we stand, wrapping our arms tightly around each other. “I know. I’m sorry, too.”
“Can I help, mate?” Percy asks quietly from behind Zayn’s back, reminding us both that he’s here. We pull apart and Zayn looks at him, shaking his head.
“Nah. It’s just a normal day for me, man. I got nowhere else to go.”
Anna comes rushing back into the room with a first aid kit which I take from her.
After sitting Zayn down, I dab his knuckles with cotton wool doused in antiseptic.
I get the feeling Zayn is humouring me by allowing me to clean his wounds, but I’m glad none the less. It makes me feel a little less useless.
“Can we move on from this?” Zayn says roughly, waving a hand over his face. “It’s Gianna’s birthday. Let’s celebrate.”
Of course none of us feel like celebrating now, but we look to each other in silent agreement and Anna turns the music back on. We fall into easy conversation while I bandage Zayn’s hand and by the time I’ve put cream over his black eye, we’ve decided on a movie to watch.
I spend most of the night snuggled into Zayn’s side, breathing in his scent and basking in his warmth, the sound of his heart-beat under my ear counting every second as it passes us by.
We argue over whether or not we should add Maltesers to the popcorn (of course I win that argument, melty, salty chocolate all the way) and I scream way more than anyone else every time someone jumps out of the shadows on this stupid horror movie Weasley chose.
Secretly I don’t mind it, Zayn holds me extra close at the scary parts, and before long it’s eleven o’clock and I get a text from my mum who only just learned how to send messages on her phone.
Mum: Do you need Dad to pick you up?
My curfew is in half an hour, but I’m not ready to say goodnight to Zayn yet.
Technically, I’m the only one who has to leave as Percy’s curfew is later and Zayn doesn’t have anyone expecting him home, but when I announce it’s time for me to leave, everyone stands, the guys stretching their arms over their head.
Gianna: No thanks, Anna’s mum is going to drop me off soon.
“Walk me home?” I whisper to Zayn, slipping my hand into his. He looks at me with a quizzical brow but nods, and we head up the stairs that lead from the basement.
“Have you got a lift, Weasley?” Anna asks from the back as me and Zayn approach the landing.
“Yeah, my mum will come.”
“Cool, wanna wait in the kitchen? I’m hungry.”
“Sounds good.”
We pass the living room where I wave bye to Mr and Mrs Johns, who are still up watching TV.
Anna’s parents are much more chilled than mine and don’t mind her inviting boys over to watch movies on a Friday night.
My parents would weld my bedroom door shut with me inside if they knew the boys were here.
Anna and Percy walk us to the front door.
“Thanks for making my birthday so special, guys.” I hug them both, then wave the gift bag full of makeup and face masks Anna bought me in front of her. “And for my present. You’re the best.”
“You know it.” She laughs, leaning against the door frame. “See you guys at the library tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
Zayn says bye and we turn and head down the garden path hand in hand. He reaches for the gift bag as we turn onto the footpath that’s well-lit by street-lights.
“I’ll carry this for you.”
“Thanks.” I beam over at him. Then the light catches his busted lip and the smile falls from my face.
“What are you going home to tonight, Zayn?”
He walks silently next to me for a moment. The air around us is still but cold, and it’s peacefully quiet except for an owl hooting in the distance and our footsteps as we tread over the concrete path.
“A passed-out drunk or an empty house. I’m hoping for the second.”
We continue down the street. My house is a few blocks down, so the walk will take less than ten minutes.
“What if he’s awake when you get home?”
Zayn’s jaw hardens. “Then I’ll deal with that when I get there.”
I tighten my grip on his hand. “Stay at my house tonight.”
It’s not a question, but he answers me anyway.
“I can’t, Gianna.” He sighs. “Your parents don’t even know I exist.”
“I’m not going to ask them!” I whisper-shout at him, scared that my voice will travel down the quiet street. “Sneak in through my window. They’ll never even know.”
He looks sideways at me and cocks a brow. “Sneak into your room?” he asks, a small grin forming across his face. “What if your dad catches me? Or your brother? Or worse-” He’s laughing at this point. “Your mum.”