Zayn Malik's Long Lost Sister (Unedited)

60. Extended Family

(Holy Shit! Chapter 60!)

I fold the magazine closed and stare up at Gloria who sat next to me on the long picnic bench in the back yard. She must've flipped through the articles many times, I could tell.

Gloria had apologized after her jealousy blow up and asked if she could talk to me; get a better perspective on what was going on between Liam and I.

"Thanks for explaining." She quietly says, her brown eyes being a lot lighter in the sun.

"Now you know." I say with a smile. "I didn't take advantage of Liam's drunken state, I was merely helping him into a suite so he could rest without being-" I look back down at the magazine. The front cover of him and I as I lug him toward the hotel doors, scream up at me. "Without being spotted and put on blast."

My attempts at helping Liam that night, didn't go unnoticed obviously.

The sun was at a slight angel in the sky. We were outside with most of the younger people- my cousins. Some were playing chase master because it was still fun at their adolescent age; Safaa was with that group. The pre-teens shared a shade under the decks pop up cover that stretched out toward the end of the deck. Five of them scattered along the steps to get away from the heat. Waliyha was with them.

Doniya and Zayn hung out in the kitchen with the rest of the adults, a few older cousins with them as well. Two of the young guys who conversed with Zayn looked quite a deal like him.

Gloria and I were the only ones at the table, under one of three large umbrellas that were used as slight shade over where we sat. The party plates and napkins, plastic forks and knives, and coolers to hold the drinks were already out here. All that was needed was the food and the bodies.

We were waiting for one more batch of family to arrive before getting ready to eat.

Zayn turns his gaze out of the large sliding glass door and his eyes find me. He gives an assuring smile and motions with his head for me to go to him.

I politely excuse myself from Gloria and she smiles softly at me before I leave her. She turns her attention to her phone that hasn't stopped beeping with notifications since we sat down.

When I come up to one set of the stairs, I mentally informed myself that I couldn't maneuver myself around the people scattered across the steps without having to interrupt them, so instead I walked the narrow path between the shaded deck and the pool, and padded up the steps opposite of the cluster of cousins, making my way toward Zayn who held his arm out for me when I came close enough.

"How are you?" He quickly asks, pulling himself out of his conversation easily. The two other guys stopped talking as they take in my presence.

"I'm alright." I answer.

"Marley, right?" One of the guys ask, his hair short on the sides but coming long toward the middle, pulled up into a floppy Mohawk.

"Yeah, hi." I say, instinctively holding out my hand.

"Oh, this is a hugging family." He chuckles, folding his arms around my body. His figure dwarfed my frame, even standing taller than Zayn. I hug him back quickly before he pulls away. "I'm Zach."

"It's nice to meet you." I respond.

"And I'm Frank." The other introduces, taking me into another hug. I repeat my words to him.

"So, I guess you guys know about me because you're Patricia's side of the family?" I say.

"Not just that; you're all over the news. Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, E! News, MTV; all of that." Frank answers. "Your videos, pictures of you and Zayn, Zayn's tweets, Liam's picture. You're just as famous now."