January. // z.m. au

Chapter 56

From Now On | The Features

"So this is it," I announced, dropping the box that I was carrying on the floor before plopping down on the sofa I knew all too well.

"This is it," Zayn repeated with a nod of his head. He copied my actions, settling down and arranging himself until he was in a comfortable position on the cushions beside me. I turned to look at him while a smile slowly started to creep its way onto my face. Because I felt good. I felt really good and didn't think anything would feel better than the way I was feeling now.

"So..." I started to smirk, inching closer to my boyfriend.

"So," he let out a short chuckle, suddenly tangling his fingers between mine. And of course my fingers curled around his, giving them a slight squeeze like always. I still got butterflies whenever we held hands, believe it or not. It always felt like the first time with us for some reason.

"I'm really glad we finally did this, you know?" Zayn continued. "Like, I'm proper happy about this."

"So am I." And it was true. Everything felt a lot better now that Zayn and I were finally moved in together. It was the real thing, and while it was terrifying a bit in a way, it was also very exciting, too, and I didn't think anything would be better between us.

The way I looked at it, I saw this as an opportunity. Because even though we had our fallouts and even though we'd have more, it was natural and bound to happen anyway, it was another opportunity to grow. And yeah, at times it was a little scary to think about, especially since neither of us had done this before, but it gave us a chance to be closer to one another. Because everyday was a learning experience, and well, I guess you'll never know if you never try. And that's what Zayn and I were doing, we were trying, and that alone made me feel content. I think I always would be, too.

"We should celebrate," Zayn suggested with big, hopeful eyes. He was honestly the most adorable human being on the entire planet, I was so sure of it. "This is a moment to celebrate, right?"

"Of course. Everyday is a chance to celebrate."

"I like the way you think," he playfully growled at me, inching forward to place his lips against my cheek. "Oh wait," Zayn suddenly mentioned out loud. "I almost forgot something," he said, rising up from where he was sat and walking over to the counter where he placed his set of keys. I shook my head, chuckling a bit to myself as I watched him, wondering what the hell he was up to now.

I watched him make his way back over to me, a soft smile taking over his features. "Here," he held out a hand once he was stood in front of me again, a single key resting in the middle of his palm. "This time don't try and give it back," he joked, causing my cheeks to burn bright red.

"You're such a prick," I mumbled, but found myself laughing along with him nonetheless. I just couldn't help myself.

I took the key from his hand and mentally promised myself that I'd cherish it with my whole heart, forgetting about the previous key incident (to which I was still, to this day, extremely embarrassed about) and focusing on the now. And even though my list of embarrassing moments were piling up right before my eyes, they were memories that we could hopefully laugh at in twenty years, memories that were now apart of who Zayn and I were as a couple.