My plans go flyingout 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 beenhurt 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 uncomfortablynext 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? Withhim?”
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’mgladyour 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 thefeeling 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.
