Chain Reaction (Zerrie Fan Fiction Co-written With @1DAndLarry)

Chapter Five

I am still awake by midnight, in fact, I am still fully clothed, my make-up still intact, and I hadn't eaten since my coffee with Zayn almost ten hours ago. My stomach growls and yells at me to eat something, but I didn't want to. Not one bit. I tried to convince myself I wasn't hungry; but my stomach and my brain told me otherwise.

Keith still hadn't come home. I was waiting for him to arrive, but he certainly took his time. He wasn't normally this late-he'd usually just come home at ten or something, and I was beginning to get concerned. He could be on the drink, but that was hopefully just the worst case scenario. I couldn't think of anything else he'd be doing without informing me of it besides drinking, so I was beginning to feel a little sick and helpless for his wellbeing. I'd stopped caring about my own wellbeing a long time back after Keith managed to destroy all of my self-esteem, along with many other essential emotions, so the only thing I really cared about for Keith was his health. If he kept going on like this, he'd  drink himsel to death, and for me, there'd be nothing worse. 

I pull out my phone, as a last resort for comfort, and find Zayn's number with my fingers, and press call. I hold the phone to my ear, my heart hammering hard against my skinny chest, my hand trembling as i waited in fearful anticipation for his pickup.

 ''Please, please pick up...'' I murmur, looking out my flat window, down into the streets of London, the skyscrapers towering and looming round my window at all, precarious angles, the flourescent, cheap orange light illuminating the gritty pavements four floors below me. 

Zayn picks up, and yells at me across the phone. ''HELLO?''

I jump at  his screechy tone, feeling myself grow angry for his carelessness. ''Shut up, Zayn,'' I snap, ''Why are you so loud?''

'I'M IN A- WAIT A SEC-'' there are awkward, muffled sounds, screeching rustically through the phone, blipping and scratching, making my head ache, but soon, as if a door had been shut on all the noise, it was silent around Zayn. ''Sorry,'' he says, his tone back to his normal, relaxed drawl. I huff, and say nothing. ''I was in a club.''

''Good for you,'' I snap rudely, then I stop myself, because I know I am being unfair. ''Sorry,'' I sigh, ''You having a nice time?''

I can almost hear the smile in Zayn's warm voice across the line. ''Great, actually,'' his voice sounded slurred, and over-confident.

''Are you drunk, Zayn?'' I ask, and I know I did a bad job of hiding the fear in my voice. I'd had enough of drunkeness in men to last me a lifetime. 

''Me? No... at least I don't think so,'' he cleared his throat noisily, ''Why'd you call?''

I swallow and try not to sound like a puppy in a puddle when I speak, ''Keith still isn't back, and I'm scared, Zayn...'' I sigh, because I really do sound like a pleading child. ''C-can you... come round, please?''

He pauses, thinking. ''Are you sure that's really the best idea, Perrie?'' he asks slowly.

I shake my head, then remind myself with a hot sizzle blush that he can't see me. ''No, probably not... but I need to see you, Zayn,'' my voice drops to a whisper at the end of my sentence, because my voice is shaking so much.

Why did the only person I'd confided in have to be all but Zayn Malik, a world famous superstar 1/5 of the biggest boy band in the world? He could easily tell the press about everything, but that would completely obliterate my trust for anybody if he did that. He was the only person I really had right now.

''Hey babe, it's all right,'' he says, observing my sadness, ''I'll be round in about ten minutes, okay? Hold on,''

''See you soon, Zayn,''