The Beautiful Escape [ZARRY]

32

"So Zayn?"

"So what?" Zayn waved his secateurs in his sister's face. "If you are going to get in my way, you might as well carry this lot." He indicated the large pile of freshly cut Holly at his feet.

"Me?!"

"I suppose you'd just stand there and watch me shift the lot." They'd certainly stand by and watch Zayn decorate the house with bows and festive greenery, not to mention decorate the enormous tree that by family tradition the collected from the local Garden centre by his godparents.

"It's sharp."

"It's Holly, Doniya, of course, it's sharp."

"This sweater cost me a fortune," she grumbled preceding him up the garden path. "Where do you want it?" she asked when they eventually reached the house.

"Leave it on the porch. Feel like a cup of coffee?" he asked as his sister followed him into the house.

"I feel like some answers."

Zayn, his expression suspicious, watched as she plucked a couple of stray, glossy leaves from the fine rib of her sweater.

"About what?" he asked trying not to sound defensive.

"About what you were doing with our neighbour. I thought you can't stand him?"

"I can't," Zayn insisted. "The man had a serious accident. What was a supposed to do? Say he couldn't take a shower?" He turned away, crashing the cups and saucers.

"Did you say you wanted tea or coffee?"

"Neither. It'd be when you bumped into him while you were walking the dogs that he asked to use our facilities, would it, Z?"

"Yes, that's right." Zayn agreed quickly, not turning around.

"Since when, little brother, did you take the dogs for a walk wearing pyjamas?" 

Zayn spilt the milk over the work surface. 

"Language!" his sister reproached. 

Zayn shot her a withering glance and wiped his clammy palms on the seat of his jeans before he picked up the cup; the faint tremor in his fingers was barely noticeable- though eagle-eyed Doniya probably spotted it. 

"Since when did you become an undercover agent?" He laughed lightly as he planted himself on a chair and raised the scalding drink to his lips. Playing it down was the best way to go-

"Since I looked into your room after I took the dogs for a walk around at seven and found you weren't there."

The red shade overpowered Zayn's guilty face. "What were you doing in my room?"

"Fetching you a cup of tea."

It was typical of Doniya to discover her considerate side at the worst possible moment. "Oh..." What else could he say? 

What is a guy like him with that sort of serious money doing hanging around someone like you?" Doniya wondered suspiciously. "No offence intended, Zayn," she added casually.

Zayn wondered what she'd say if he told her he took offence- serious offence. He was about to quiz his tactless sibling on the 'serious money' statement when her next comment distracted him. 

"Has he followed you here, Zayn, is that it? I'm assuming you'd already met before yesterday."

"Why on earth would you think that?" There was no way she could have picked anything from his attitude when he'd brought Harry back earlier. He'd been very careful about that- so careful, in fact, that his behaviour had bordered on the catatonic before he'd swift;y excused himself and nipped off to the church to do the flowers. 

"I think that because I didn't think you were the sort of guy who would spend the night with a complete stranger." If what she had said wasn't bad enough, Doniya had to go and make it worse by adding, "Even if he is rich and powerful."

For several moments, Zayn didn't do anything, but when he finally lifted his eyes from the coffee cup in his hand, they were sparkling with anger.

"What do you mean?"

Doniya looked taken aback by the rancour in her brother's shaking voice. "Come on, Zayn, you must admit it was pretty sus-"

"I don't have to admit anything!" he said in a low, intense voice that throbbed with emotion. Carefully pushing his seat back, he rose to his feet. "Not to you at least." He ran his tongue over the bloodless outline of his pale lips. "Just for the record, Doni, you're the hypocrite I know."

Her eyes filled with concern, Doniya rose to her feet. "Zayn, I didn't mean-"

Zayn cut her off with a flash of his narrowed eyes. "Incidentally, I'll sleep wherever and with who the hell I like!" and he stormed off just like that.