Come Back (a Zerrie fanfiction)

Epilogue!

--A FEW MONTHS LATER--

There was no other place that Perrie wanted to be in but here.

She was in Zayn's house, watching a movie while cuddling on the floor. They were watching The Notebook, where Jerry Gardner's character "Duke" and Gena Rowlands's character as the old Allie slow-danced around the room, after the old lady regained her memory.

When Allie lost her memory again and began to panic, Perrie broke the comfortable silence between the two of them.

"Do you think I'd forget you?" She asked, eyes locked on the screen.

"Hmmm, no. Doubt it," Zayn replies bluntly.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because," her boyfriend says, pausing dramatically. "No one could ever forget me! I'm Zayn Malik. No one forgets my face, my looks, and especially the whole me!" Zayn jokes, chuckling. Unfortunately, Perrie was serious so he received a punch in the arm.

"You know that you don't have to be so rough, don't you?" he groaned, rubbing the sore spot.

"Why do you think I won't forget you?" Perrie repeated again.

"I don't know," the Muslim shrugged, "'Coz I know I'll take care of you when you're older, probably."

Perrie raised an eyebrow, "You will take care of me when I'm older? As in, in the future? Why?"

Zayn's eyes widen. Uh oh.

In the movie, Duke–who was now Noah–was talking to Allie in her room in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Allie regained her memory, so she didn't freak out when she saw Noah by her bed. She asked her husband what would happen if she loses her memory completely, and if their love was strong enough to take them away together.

"Smooth move, Z. You just slipped, what now?" Zayn mentally slapped himself.

This moment was not part of his mental list of asking her the question.

Yes, Zayn Malik was going to ask Perrie Edwards to marry him.

He's made a mental list of how he was going to propose, and everything was going so perfectly (1: Invite Perrie to his house. 2: Watch The Notebook because it's romantic and half-funny and sad, and it's a movie they both liked. And 3: After the movie, guide Perrie to his room because they will sleep together. But before that, ask her the question) until he just had to slip.

How dumb.

Well, one of his mottoes in life was to "Keep calm and go with the flow," so he's going to do it now.

He gulped, looking down at Perrie's bright blue expectant eyes.

"So, about what I said a while ago, I was serious about it." He began, unlatching himself from Perrie's embrace and the sheets covering them. It took all of his self-control not to go back underneath those covers.

He stepped to the side as he picked the remote up, stopping the movie now that the credits were rolling. He stood in front of Perrie, blocking the screen from his girlfriend's sight as he did so.

"Perrie, what I'm trying to say is..." he breathed, his right hand brushing against his pocket. He knew what was in there, of course. It's been with him since the day he got it, which was a week before. The reason why he brought it with him when he and Perrie were together was because he knew that he won't be ready, so it was better to be prepared, right?

 "I love you. I know that you know that, but I want to say it. Over and over again. Because I never get tired of saying that, especially if it's aimed at you. That's why I want to do this because if I do, I'd be able to say that I love you publicly and no one will have to doubt of my love for you. I also want to do this because..." He gulped, the things that happened a few months ago coming back to him. That sick nightmare.