Monsters Inside Him (Completed)

Chapter 17: Playing with Fire

Chapter 17: Playing with Fire

The next time I woke up, it was morning. To be honest, I felt great. I think I had recovered almost fully from the attack in the ally. Now, the only problem I would have to deal with is Zayn.

Carefully I slipped out of bed and opened the door, surprised it was unlocked. The apartment looked chipper with light reflecting off of every surface. I heard someone humming in the kitchen as pots banged around. A warm aroma filled the air as the scent of something delicious came my way.

For once, Zayn’s home felt, well, homey and not like some prison.

I tiptoed into the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching Zayn as he hovered over the stove. He was humming an unfamiliar tune as his body swayed slightly. I don’t know, he seemed kind of happy.

“Good morning.” I whispered quietly, finally making my presence known. Zayn froze up and spun around quickly. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he became slightly embarrassed. Quickly, though, he collected his cool and turned back to what he was doing.

“Morning, Darlin’. Sleep well?” He asked over his shoulder. I took a tentative step forward. Would things be different with Zayn, now?

“Yeah. And you?” I responded quietly. My voice was shaky, scared and slightly strangled as it came out of my mouth.

“Yeah. I’m a little hung-over.” He breathed lowly. My heart rate increased as he mentioned the previous night.

“Did you take an advil?” He nodded in response to my question. The conversation was becoming increasingly awkward. I still couldn’t tell if he remembered last night or not. I really hope he does.

“Do you want breakfast? I made omelets.”

“Sounds great.” I breathed and slid onto the stool behind the counter. He turned around and pushed a plate with a beautiful looking breakfast in front of me before sitting down at the other stool next to me.

We ate in an awkward silence. I didn’t want to overstep and mention last night, but I didn’t know whether he would ever bring it up. After we both finished, Zayn collected our plates and began to do the dishes.

“I’m going to go take a shower.” I muttered in disappointed defeat after there was no mention of Zayn’s drunken promise.

“You can take a fresh pair of clothes from my dresser when you’re done.” He replied simply.

After my shower I slipped on Zayn’s sweatpants and a t-shirt and made my way to the living room, where I heard the TV on. As soon as I stepped into the room, Zayn noticed and switched the TV off. I went and sat next to him on the couch, getting the courage to finally speak up about last night.

“So, I’m feeling better.”

“Glad to hear it.” He said as he turned his body to completely face me.

“I think I’m ok to go home now.” My voice dropped to a whisper. Would he keep his drunken promise and let me go? Would he keep me prisoner here forever?

Zayn’s whole body stiffened and his eyes flashed with anger. No, this isn’t possible. He’s returning to the old Zayn.

“No.” He spoke lowly, but his voice was harsh and final.

I couldn’t help but feel incredibly angry. I thought we were passed all this. I felt my brow crease and my teeth clamped together. Zayn raised an eyebrow at me, as if daring me to shout at him. My fists balled up and I jumped up from the couch.

“I wasn’t asking. I am going to go home.” I spat and began to walk away. I almost made it out of the room before he caught up to me. Roughly, he grabbed my shoulder and slammed me against the nearest wall. It wasn’t hard enough to make a mark, but it still hurt a little.

“Excuse me?” He shook me a little, “do you want to say that again, Darlin’?” I winced at his shouting and how tight his grip was on me. Still, I hadn’t learned by now not to fight with him. So, being a stubborn bitch, I stood tall and argued back.

“I. AM. GOING. HOME.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I don’t think so.” He huffed as released me with a shove and went back to watching TV.

“You promised.” I whispered softly. I saw his whole tense. His eyes flashed up to mine for a second. As he took in my look of defeat and sadness, I thought I saw his eyes soften before he looked away. His lips mashed into a hard line and he gazed at the ground.

“Fine.” He murmured so low, I thought I had heard him incorrectly. I was frozen in my spot for a second, not fully registering what had happened. Maybe things would be different with Zayn now.

I didn’t want to make a big deal about this small change; I didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. But I still needed to give him some sort of appreciation so that in the future he’ll be more willing to repeat this action.

Against my better judgment, I went up to where he sat on the couch and pecked him on the cheek softly. As I pulled away I looked back down at a stunned Zayn. Quickly, he collected himself and looked up at me with his dark eyes that were clouded with emotions.

He pushed himself off the couch and brushed passed me, grabbing my hand as he went. I felt an electric spark as our palms connected. Usually, Zayn just grabbed me by the arm or wrist, but now he was actually holding my hand.

“Let’s go before I change my mind, Darlin’.” Zayn snapped, not looking back at me as he returned to his ‘bad boy’ persona. Still, I could’ve sworn I heard a smile in his voice.

We traveled down the elevator, through the lobby and to his car holding hands. We were both silent, but it wasn’t the same awkward silence we had experienced over breakfast. It was almost comfortable. Almost.

“Thanks.” I whispered, breaking the silence as Zayn pulled up in front of my flat. I unbuckled myself as hopped out of the car before he decided he wouldn’t let me leave.

When I heard a car door slam behind me, my heart faltered. Shit. I knew he would do this. I knew he wouldn’t let me leave that easily.

I spun around to see Zayn, his hair gelled up, his leather jacket rubbing against the fabric of his t-shirt. If he weren’t such a fucking maniac, I would think he is beautiful.

“W-what are y-you doing?” I stammered in fear. Zayn smirked at the fact he still had the power of fear over me.

“Darlin’, what kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn’t walk you to the door?” He chuckled as he grabbed my hand again. I had only known Zayn for a few weeks, but ‘gentleman’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind when I think of him. Actually, it doesn’t come to mind at all.

I offer a polite smile and follow behind him as he leads me up to my flat.

We stop just outside my door.

With his dark brows furrowed, thinking in deep concentration, Zayn looks down at me.

“I want to take you on a real date, Darlin’. On Friday night. I’ll pick you up at 7.” He decides, without even consulting my schedule.

“Erm, Zayn. What day is it today?” I ask shyly. He laughs at my oblivion (which, by the way, was caused by SOMEONE keeping me locked up for over a week).

“Tuesday,” he breathes as he leans in close to me. I felt my heart flutter with nerves as I think he is about to kiss me.

“Here’s your room key and mobile. I found them with the pile of your clothes in the ally.” He whispered with a smirk, obviously intending to lead me on. I snatch my stuff from him and roughly shove the key into the door. Before I can push it open, Zayn grabs me and smashes his lips onto mine.

For a moment, I am frozen in shock. His teeth graze and tug at my bottom lip before he forces his tongue into my mouth. His hands grip my waist roughly before they travel down and squeeze my bum.

I try to push him off of me, angry that whenever we have somewhat of a nice moment, Zayn has to be a dick and ruin it all. I couldn’t manage to even get him to budge. I felt him chuckle as he got rougher. He clearly liked my attempts to resist. Sick bastard.

Finally he pulls away to let me breathe. I stare up at him with a glare of pure hate, hoping he gets the hint.

“See you on Friday.” He winks as he squeezes my butt again. I angrily brush past him, not bothering to argue or fight with him; it’ll just end up worse on my end. I open the door and step in.

“Hannah!” He called before I could slam the door.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” He smirked again. I narrowed my eyes and stuck up the longest of my fingers at him and slamming the door in his face. I can hear his deep laughter echo down the hallway.

“Oh hey, you’re back.” I spun around to see Natasha with her red hair in a bun and wearing nothing but her underwear. She acts as if I went to the supermarket, or out for a jog. Not missing for over a week with no forwarding address.

I was kind of grateful.

“Yeah,” I sighed shakily and stepped into my home. The flat I had missed so much. The apartment I had dreamed about.

“I didn’t know you had family in London.” She commented before shoving a handful of Doritos in her mouth. I looked at her oddly.

“What in God’s name are you talking about?” I asked, utterly confused. She raised her eyebrows.

“That’s where Claire told me you were staying. I’m guessing that isn’t true…” She hissed suspiciously. I froze. I’m guessing Claire knew that Zayn took me and had to cover for me with Natasha.

“Oh yeah. Yeah, I was staying with family! How stupid of me to forget!” I laughed nervously. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk back into her room.

“Right. They’re keeping a bunch of fucking secrets from me.” She muttered under her breaths, followed by a string of profanities.

I sighed. I felt bad for Natasha. Miranda was her best friend, like Claire is mine. With Miranda gone, and with the secret that Claire and I keep, Natasha can’t help but feel alienated.

I head off to my room to check if Claire is there, and sure enough, she’s sitting on her bed texting. She notices I come in once my phone ding with a text she obviously just sent to me.

“OHMYGODYOU’REHOME!” She yelped and ran up to me; engulfing me into a hug. I laugh at her enthusiasm and sit down next to her, ready to tell her everything.

Claire shuts the door to make sure Natasha can’t hear and then looks at me expectedly.

“Go.” She orders, telling me to explain.

“I was brutally attacked and nearly raped in an ally when Zayn saved me. He took me back to his apartment, had me cleaned up and literally locked me in a room on bed rest for a week. I finally managed to convince him to let me go this morning.” I whispered. Claire’s eyes widened.

I went on to tell her about the other side of Zayn, and, although Claire was surprised, she told me to be careful. I’m playing with fire. Neither of us knew how long this nice Zayn would last, if at all.