Misery Business // z.m.

Chapter 21: Mary

If there was one thing I had learned, it was that Zayn was a vicious man and a liar. But one thing I was sure he wasn't lying about, was that it was in fact Christmas Eve.

Normally I would have gone to church but I figured asking him to go would be stupid. My family would be there. He would never let me see my family again. Plus I don't think he was very religious and if he was I wasn't sure if he was Catholic.

Despite the fact that I would be missing out on the torture of Christmas Eve mass, I was feeling alright.

When I was dressed, I went to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

When I was done eating Zayn came in, putting me slightly on edge.

"We are going out tonight. Dress nice." He didn't even look up from his phone when he spoke to me.

Zayn told me to dress nice, so I dressed up nice. I put on a simple black dress that reached just above my knees. I put on tights and a short pair of heels. I didn't see the reason to torture myself with wearing tall heels.

I let my hair down out of its bun. I curled my hair very carefully and fixed my face. At least he was smart enough to buy me make up.

When I was done getting ready I left his room. I kept my eyes trained on my shoes and only looked up when I was sure I was alone.

"We are going over to Lou's tonight." He said from behind me, making me jump in surprise. "I expect nothing but proper behavior. You are only going to look pretty. There are going to be a lot of people there tonight, a lot of important and dangerous people."

For a small moment I was genuinely terrified. He was going to put me in a room with more people, exactly like him. That was like my worst nightmare.

"You'll be fine as long as you stay near me or the lads." He assured me almost as if he was reading my mind. "No one would dare touch what's mine." Yours? Who said that? I never agreed to be his.

"You're only to speak when spoken to. You are not to speak with anyone unfamiliar alone either. You are to be respectful and courteous. You are not to tell anyone of the unpleasantness between us. You are to stay quiet about everything. Do you understand me?" He was quick to make his points.

"Yes." I said it simply to shut him up.

"I expect nothing less of perfection from you my darling." I shied away from his touch as he reached out to me.

"Go into the room, there is a box on the dresser, open it." He instructed. "Then meet me in the lobby of the building." I was surprised he trusted me enough to reach the lobby by myself. I guess he knew I was past the point of running.

I turned away from him slowly and in deep confusion. I walked back to do as he asked.

A small box with a red bow on top caught my attention. I reached for it, gently shaking it out of curiosity.

There was no excitement that came along with this present. When I was younger, and it was Christmas, I could barely stand still. But this Christmas, I had no energy, and no time to be excited. Anticipation refused to build within me as I opened the box.

I wasn't surprised by what was in it but I was slightly in awe. I held the strand of pearls between my fingers. I was oddly fascinated by their smooth shine and I gently ran my fingers over them. I looked back in the box only to find a matching pair of earrings. I supposed that he wanted me to wear them, where I on the other hand was not very inclined to do such a thing. They were beautiful, yes, but they were from him. Grudgingly, I put them on anyway. There was no need for me to be in trouble.