Kerosene ~Zarry~

Chapter 3.

"She was an angel, as always." Sabrina exaggerates happily, as she opens the door wider to let Zayn into her spacious home.

"I would hope so." Zayn smile softly at the beautiful woman in front of him.

There were no feelings between the two, they're both just beautiful creatures.

"She's upstairs packing her bag. You can go up if you'd like." Sabrina says politely, and steps aside to let Zayn walk up the stairs after he gives her a short 'thank you'.

"Beautiful?" Zayn pokes his head in the doorway and calls out softly.

Alana looks up and gasps, before excitedly running to her father. Zayn walks into the room and meets her halfway, crouching down and opening his arms wide.

Alana jumps up into Zayn arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and his arms around her small waist. Zayn smiles and closes his eyes when he feels Alana snuggle her face into the crook of her neck.

"Missed you." Alana whispers, moving to rest her head on her fathers chest.

Zayn sighs happily and sets his chins softly on top of his daughters head. "Missed you too, beautiful." Zayn whispers back. "Always."

When the two get home, Zayn heads to the kitchen with Alana following behind.

"Dada?" Alana's small voice was heard.

Zayn turns his head to look at her briefly, "Yes, beautiful?" He asks her and turns back around to get out the pots for dinner.

"Do you have work tomorrow?" Zayn's head turns quickly to look at her, as he hears the sadness in his daughters voice.

"Um," Zayn clears his throat before turning his whole body to face her. "Yeah, babe. I do." He watches as Alana nods sadly.

Before Zayn had a chance to comment on her reaction, Alana is padding off to her room. Zayn stares off for a few seconds, thinking of what could possibly be wrong.

Quickly turning around, Zayn finishes making dinner, with a frown on his face.

Once he's plated everything, Zayn makes his way up the stairs to check on his daughter. As Zayn rounds the corner, he hears a soft voice, and stops to listen. Alana's door is open slightly.

Alana sits in the middle of her room on the floor, flipping through a scrap book of pictures, while softly singing to herself.

Zayn smiles at her beautiful little voice, and knocks softly on her door before pushing it open slowly. Alana looks up at him as Zayn smiles softly at her, but quickly frowns when Alana doesn't return it.

"Alana," Zayn starts as he walks toward her slowly. He crouches down to her and speaks softly, "What's wrong?"

Alana only gives him sad eyes, and looks down at the book in front of her. Zayn's eyes follow his daughters.

As he realizes what pictures the scrap book is filled with, he looks back into Alana's shiny blue eyes that were threatening to spill the tears at bay.

"Oh, Lana." Zayn breaths, as he sits down and quickly pulls Alana onto his lap, wrapping her in a warm embrace and rocking them back and forth as she begins to sob quietly into his chest.

"Miss mommy." Alana's small voice fills the room. So pain filled, too broken.

Zayn shuts his eyes tightly to keep the tears back, doing his absolute best to stay strong for Alana. He continues to rock them back and forth, while rubbing a hand up and down Alana's back as the other holds her tightly.

"I know," he starts before kissing her forehead. "I miss her too." Zayn whispers out his confession.

The father and daughter sit in the middle of the room, holding each other tightly as they rock back and forth, crying out for their lost loved one they miss too much.

Alana's sobs eventually turn into soft hiccups, and tears dried on her cheeks. Zayn slowly takes his hand away from Alana's back, and uses it to softly lift her chin.

As Alana looks up into her fathers eyes, Zayn smiles softly at her. A reassurance that it's ok to be sad.

Zayn uses his thumb to wipe the tears from under Alana's big blue eyes.

Alana sniffs softly and smiles back at her father, reaching to grab his hand.

Alana looks in thought for a quick moment before looking back and Zayn and smiling shyly. "Sing?" She asks, making sure to give Zayn her puppy eyes as always.

Zayn playfully pretends to think about it, before looking down at Alana when she pulls his sleeve. "Please?" She asks, a little louder this time.

Zayn sighs deeply before letting a smile slowly creep across his face. "Of course." Zayn hrs off the floor, picking up Alana with him and sitting then on the bed; his back resting against the headboard and Alana laying on his while sitting in us lap.

"What song, beautiful?" Zayn asks her.

Alana smiles wide before looking up at her father. "Mommy's song." She whispers to him and Zayn smiles at her fondly.

"Alright." He says to her before clearing his throat and letting out a breath.

"Oh so, your wounds they show
I know you have never felt so alone
But hold on, head up, be strong
Oh hold on, hold on until you hear them come"

Alana starts to hum along to her fathers voice.

"Here they come, oh
Take an angel by the wings
Beg her now for anything
Beg her now for one more day
Take an angel by the wings
Time to tell her everything
Ask her for the strength to stay"

Zayn smiles wide when he hears Alana start to sing with him.

"Look up, call to the sky
Oh, look up and don't ask why, oh
Just take an angel by the wings
Beg her now for anything
Beg her now for one more day
Take an angel by the wings
Time to tell her anything
Ask her for the strength to stay"

As the last parts of the song come up, Zayn starts to rock them back and forth again and rests his cheek against the side of Alana's head, as Alana intertwines their finger together.

"You can, you can do anything, anything
You can do anything
You can, you can do anything, anything
You can do anything
You can, you can do anything, anything
You can do anything
You can, you can do anything, anything
You can do anything"

Alana looks up at Zayn. "Pretty." She says to him. Zayn knows what she's referring to, only because she says this after Zayn sings, always.

And it just makes Zayn love her even more every time Alana appreciates the little things. And call him selfish, but he will call himself a good father.

"Your voice is beautiful, beautiful." Zayn says to her, and they both giggle at his words.

"Alana it's ok to be sad," Zayn starts and Alana gives him her full attention. "You won't always be ok. Sometimes, it's ok to just take a day off." Zayn doesn't understand why he's telling all of this to his 4 year old, but that doesn't stop him.

"It's ok to cry, to yell, to get angry at the world. It's ok to miss someone...It's ok to love again." Zayn says, and looks forward almost as if he was realizing it.

Almost like he was saying all of this to himself. For himself. Zayn and stopped talking, and Alana realized he was done.

So, carefully and gently, the little girl reaches her tiny hand up to her fathers cheek, and rests her hand there.

"It's ok," She whispers. Looking up into his eyes Alana continues. "You can cry, dada."

And for the first time in a long time, Zayn let's the tears fall. Rapidly, thick and hot tears roll down his defined cheekbones.

Alana doesn't cry again, and Zayn is thankful for that. He doesn't know what would happen if he saw Alana crying again.

But she does, continue to hold him and rest her head on his shoulder. Softly whispering, 'it's ok' as many times as she has to. Because deep down, Alana knew they would be ok.