Zayn Malik's Long Lost Sister (Unedited)

80. Strangers Masks

(Holy shit, chapter 80!!!)

"What will be the plans for you today, Marley?" Landon asks, his back turned toward Liam and I who sat at the kitchen table.

Landon was making lunch for us three after spending a lazy morning creating small talk about nothing really important.

They finally started getting along.

"Why, do you have something in mind, mate?" Liam asks, leaning forward on the table.

"I just wanted some time to hang out with her. Missed her." Landon says. I haven't yet explained to Liam who Landon was to me, and I think Landon knew that. I still consider him my uncle because thinking of him as my father was just too crazy, too soon.

"What would we do?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but if it's no trouble, I'd like to be part of it." Landon says.

"We could go for some ice cream after lunch? Hang out in town." Liam suggests, throwing his idea in quickly.

"Wouldn't that be a lot of work? Ya know, with you being Liam Payne and all?" Landon asks. "And Marley being Zayn's sister?"

"Well," I started. "You'd be surprised at how many people ignore me when I walk on the street. I mean, there's been just a couple of times that I've been stopped, but that's it."

"But, Landon's right." Liam tells me.

"Oh, is he?" I ask, folding my arms playfully.

"Wouldn't want people asking questions of 'Where's Zayn?' 'Why isn't he with Marley?' 'Liam and Marley, dating?' You know how it can be." Liam explains as if it were nothing.

"Yeah." I say with a soft sigh, remembering the article that Grace showed me of Liam and I when he was drunk. Everyone thought he and I were an item. Liam and Zayn, however, had gotten on Twitter and denied any rumor turning up. That I was just being a good friend.

"What about meeting your family at the park just down the street, Marley?" Landon suggests.

"I dunno.." I answer quietly, straightening up in my chair slightly. "I mean, what would I even say to them?"

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to." Landon says. "But, of course, I was just spitting ideas."

"Alright, I guess it's better to get it over with." I'm unsure why my heart jumped as a reaction to my words, but it did. Painfully. I know I'm angry at them, but that was a jerk reaction. I hated that my mind thought that maybe they hurt me deeper than I had originally let on. "We can have lunch there."

"Do you want me to call Zayn for you?" Liam asks, already digging into his pockets in search of his phone.

"Yeah, thanks." I say, sliding from the kitchen chair and going over to Landon to ask if he needed any help.

"I'm actually almost d- there!" He carefully cuts the last made sandwich in half and turns his head toward me, a smile on his face. "I have an OCD problem with making sure the things I cook or make are as close to perfect as possible." His eyes bounce back and forth between mine before he leans down and kisses the top of my head. "You've turned into quite the woman, Marley."

"Thank you." I stand there awkwardly, the thickness building in the air and causing me to turn away out of discomfort. I think it was just me because Landon didn't move.

I don't know why I felt uncomfortable, but I took a guess and thought over how he knew me in times I have trouble remembering and I barely know him at all.

I walk over to the sink and peer out of the window overlooking the street as Liam sounds relieved that his phone call went through on the second attempt. He left the kitchen to talk on the phone without disturbance.