Hidden Beneath Brown Eyes (A Zayn Malik Fanfiction)

Chapter 18 - Photograph

I fidgeted around in Liam's arms as he carried me from the car to the house. I don't know what it was about Liam that was suddenly so irritating, but I couldn't help but feel like it had something to do with what had happened tonight.

Not only was Liam squeezing me a little too tight, but the wind was blowing fiercely, sending my hair in all different directions. I cringed at the thought of how difficult it was going to be to brush all of the knots out later.

When we got to the front door, Liam eased up on his grip, holding me up with only one arm while the other dug around in his pocket in search of his keys.

As a cold gust of wind flew by and danced around me, I realized that his arms had been what was keeping me warm, and now that one of them was missing, my body shook violently in an effort to warm itself.

"Baby are you cold?" That was the first time I could remember hearing Liam say anything since we left Zayn's house. If he had said anything, I hadn't been listening.

"J-Just a little. B-But we'll be inside in a m-minute, so d-don't worry about it." I stuttered.

"I'll have the door open quick and then I'll make you some nice, warm tea."

I knew that Liam cared about me and that all he wanted was to take care of me, but for some reason, I just wanted to be by myself and as far away from him as possible.

He finally unlocked the door, and putting his other arm around me, kicked it open gently and carried me inside, shutting the door behind us with his foot.

He walked carefully up the stairs, making sure not to hit me against the wall, and took me to our room where he gently put me down on the bed.

"Do you need some help getting dressed? Do you want to have a shower? I'll get right on that tea." Liam sounded frantic, and normally I would find that cute and sweet, but tonight it was just annoying.

He was running around, ripping clothes out of the dresser, tripping over himself in the bathroom to turn the shower on. "Liam!" There was no hiding the lack of patience from my voice, and I wasn't even trying to.

He stopped dead in his tracks, and focused all of his attention on me. "Look. I know you want to help, but I need a little space right now, okay? I've had a long night and I can take care of myself." My tone was harsh and demanding and annoyed.

A weak smile crept across his face, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was extremely hurt by what I'd just said. Suddenly I felt guilty for my behavior, and not just my behavior, but my feelings. I felt guilty for feeling bothered by him, and for feeling like I needed space. After all, I hadn't even considered how he felt about all this.

His girlfriend gets injured and coincidentally his best friend finds her and brings her back to his house, and he hadn't even known about it.

I hadn't even realized how bad that looked and how bad that must have made Liam feel.

I let my shoulders relax and calmed my heart, which had been beating wildly all night. "I'm sorry. I've just had a rough night. I shouldn't be taking it out on you. Thank you for taking care of me. Some tea would be lovely." I flashed a grateful smile at him and reached out my hand for him.

He stood still, giving himself a moment to relax. Then he walked over and softly took my hand. His expression was unreadable as he stared blankly at my hand, obviously thinking about something. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and then let go, turning to walk out of the room.

At the door, he stopped and turned his torso so he was facing me. When his eyes finally looked up from the ground, they looked glazed over with tears, like he was about to cry. They looked like they held some kind of pain. "I love you." He said before leaving the room without giving me a chance to respond.