Runaway (A Zayn Malik fanfiction)

Chapter 22 ♡

Chapter 22

(Kat's POV)

I was driving back home from work, exhausted, when my phone rang. After recognizing the caller ID, I picked it up immediately.

"Hi mom," I replied excitedly.

"Hey sweetheart, we haven't talked in a while." Her voice soft and smooth like always, but exhaustion hidden behind it clearly.

"Tell me about it," I said as I drove around, looking for a place to eat at, "what have you been up to lately?"

She sighed, then I heard ruffling on the line as she replied, "busy, busy, busy. Everything has been hectic lately, with Landon and the girls and the shop."

"You're telling me," I said while pulling up into a small fast food shop.

I knew I was busy, really busy. But I could only imagine how busy my mom was. She had been married to my stepdad, Landon, for a couple of years now. Landon had two girls before his second marriage with my mom, both of them older than me; Annabel and Ariel. They both worked at the family business, Barbara's, and when mom joined the family, she had to work there too.

The thing about her though, was that she could handle all the stress, most of the time. Just like she did when Dad and her divorced, and we separated, she never seemed to break under pressure, I mean as far as I knew.

"What about you?" She breathed, "tell me what's new."

I thought for a minute, what isn't new would be a better question. In these past three months, a lot has changed, some good while some bad. But everything different. Since mom and I talked last, I don't think I would've imagined everything that's happened in these past couple of months.

"Oh you now," I walked inside the shop, "landed a new job."

She laughed at this, "so you finally quit your dad's restaurant huh? It's about time."

"No, I still work there, just whenever I don't have a lot on my plate," I said rather defensively, but noticed after I had already said it. I loved my mom, I really did, even despite the fact that she wasn't there to raise me through my toughest years. But dad was always there, even if he didn't understand what I was going through. So whenever mom said something about him, I got defensive. Especially about his restaurant, because that was the only thing that was keeping our small family running.

She took notice but decided to change the subject, "so what's your other job?"

After ordering a small meal, I replied, "I started modeling."

"Are you serious?" She instantly replied, "for how long?"

"About two and a half months, maybe less." The man at the counter called out my order number, I took the tray from him and found a small table to sit at in the corner.

I heard ruffled noises again from her side of the line, "like Cora, right?"

"Right."

"So you quit with dad to work with your stepmom," her voice now puzzled, "am I putting this together correctly?"

"Absolutely."

"Just to make sure, this is my daughter Kat, right?"

"Mom," I opened my box containing the caesar salad I ordered, "it's not such a big deal."

"I know, I know," she breathed, "it's just, I feel like I'm missing out on a lot in your life."

Well that thought came soon enough, I thought. But to her I said, "really?"