Pause. Rewind. Play. (A Zayn Malik Fanfic)

Chapter 34: Different

"How should I know? I thought you would take her to the dinner with you!"

"Zayn calm down its not Eleanor's fault," Louis defends, glaring slightly at his friend. "Try calling her again."

"Do you think I haven't!? She won't pick up the damn phone!" he angrily huffs, leaning against a wall and repetitively banging his head back against the surface. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening!" The elevator doors open and the group turns to Paul, who's slightly winded.

"The bell hop says she left!" he pants. "She got in a taxi and left a few hours ago. She could be anywhere." Zayn's jaw tightens and clenches his fists.

"I have to find her," he demands. He only makes three feet before a hand comes to stop him. He turns, staring into his mother's warm eyes.

"Zayn now be reasonable," she says slowly. "Ari's lived here, she knows New York. She wouldn't have gotten herself lost." Almost immediately his frigid body slumped and he bit his lip.

"I just...I can't let anything happen to her. I can't lose her," he says stiffly. "I love her." Tricia lets out a long breath and pulls Zayn in for a hug. He squeezes her tight.

"Go into your room, get some rest. You've had a long night, there's nothing you can do." No there has to be something, he couldn't just sit here. How can they all think he can sleep when all he can think about is if she's okay? The worst comes to worst in his mind as Tricia leads him back to his room. He walks past his sisters and the door closes behind him as he finds himself alone. He just stares at the empty bedroom, desperately thinking of where Ari could be.

It haunts him. He plops in a chair, gnawing on his lower lip. Continuously, his foot taps against the carpet. Zayn doesn't know what he's waiting for. Something, anything. He can hear his sisters, mum, and dad talking outside the door.

"Is Zayn okay?"

"Should I go talk to him?"

"No, he needs his space."

"Why isn't Ari here?"

"Is she missing?"

"Come on, bed time."

Zayn sighs hearing everyone leave and going into their separate hotel room. He could try to sneak out, but he knows that its futile. He'd probably only make it out the door before security lining the corridors would usher him back in his room.

He jumps at the sound of the hotel room phone going off. He groans, assuming it was another fan who had found where he was staying and was attempting to hear their idol's voice. He sits on the edge of the bed and picks up the phone, waiting for the shrieking in his ears.

"Hello? Ari? Are you there? I didn't call a wrong number did I?" Zayn rolls his eyes. How many of them had played dumb before and act like they hadn't purposely called him in the middle of the night.

"Hi, I appreciate why you're calling, but I've had a long night and I just really need some sleep," he mutters.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who is this? Is Ari there? Look, I'm just trying to find my friend. She completely disappeared on me." This caught Zayn's attention. No one else knew Ari was missing. He only found out mere hours ago at the dinner party when she didn't show up. Getting mixed up in all the chaos he almost didn't realize she wasn't there. Almost. Not thinking much of it, assuming she was with Eleanor or Danielle off somewhere. It was his night, why let a few worries spoil his mood. It would also give him time to think about what he would say to her to fix their relationship. He had it all thought out: he would see her across the room, sweep her off her feet in a grand gesture, and they'd go back to the hotel and sort everything between them. A perfect imagination, staying an imagination.