Joelle
A week passed and I hadn't even gone a day without seeing Zayn. We hadn't labeled our relationship, but we hung out every time we could - when he wasn't recording or rehearsing for tour and when I wasn't working. I didn't even know how we managed to find things to talk about, since we never really talked about significant things. It was mostly about our friends, the weather, what it was like to be wanted by millions of girls, and how previous dates had gone horrible wrong.
Two weeks passed, and still I had yet to go a day without being Zayn. I refused to acknowledge the growing feelings towards him, because the last thing I needed was love. He was goofy, always coming up with funny jokes or doing some funny dance moves. He also enjoyed pranks, which I found out when I got a phone call saying 'they knew what I did'. Unfortunately on his part, he had forgotten to block his number, so it wasn't much of a prank. I just didn't want to be one of many girls that had fallen for his charm and tilted smile.
Love was a game and it would always have a winner.
"I have an announcement to make," Blake stood up from his chair, taking the whole family by surprise. He grinned. "Is everyone listening?"
He waited to make sure every single one of us nodded and when we finally did, he gave a cheesy thumb's up. It was like he was speaking to a bunch of friends instead of family. Blake did that, though, he never acted as though family was forced upon him. Even when he was a teenager, he'd make sure to spend time with us instead of always going out to parties. We were all like that - family was a huge part of our lives, not something we were ever burdened with. Which made me feel worse for not telling them that I had become good friends with Zayn, because I always told them everything. There wasn't really a reason for me to keep it from them, except that I wanted to keep it a secret.
"As you know, my stores in New York and LA are doing fantastic and a month ago I sat in my office thinking 'why don't I bring it closer to home?'. It didn't make sense as to why I've been focusing in the states when this is my home. There are so many places I could get brilliant shots out here, so in two months, I shall be having the grand opening of my London store. This is your official invite." Blake was smiling so widely that it made my heart swell over with pride. If only everyone could have their dream come true, like his did.
"Oh, honey! I'm so proud of you!" My mom was immediately on her feet, taking him into a hug and mimicking his smile. My mom was born in America, which is why we referred to her as 'mom' instead of 'mum'. I found myself going between the two, depending on the situation. Sometimes 'mum' seemed better suited for her, and some days I couldn't help but want to cry 'mommy!'. She was a very loving woman, the only thing she ever thought of was other people. She loved to make other people happy. She also called everyone 'honey'.
"Are you going to live here now?" I questioned after we had all abandoned our food to do a family hug. I prayed that his answer would be yes.
"Part of the time. I'll be splitting my time between the four stores as evenly as I can. But I'll be here for the next three months to get the store up and running. I leased out that little spot next to Starbucks and that little boutique." He explained.
They continued to discuss the little details of the store, and I glanced at my phone to see what time it was. When I realizedit was half past eight, I issued out a swear word. In my head, obviously, since if my mom heard that kind of language? She would ground me - despite the fact that I lived on my own now. Then, as if reading my mind, a text showed up on the screen.
