Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Apologies Or How Zayn Gives Good Advice

Hi guys, I am very, very tired, but I really needed to write this chapter tonight, so here it is. :) All the love, Summer xx

While the boys talked upstairs, the rest of us was sprawled around the living room, quietly talking, but at the same time trying to listen for any sign of what was going on upstairs. Suddenly, we heard voices and a few seconds later, the five of them appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Surprised looks were exchanged when we saw that Louis had his arm wrapped around Zayn's shoulder and all five of them were smiling widely. 

"I take it from the stupid grins on your faces that your talk went well and we are now all gonna live happily ever after?" Ed asked with a smirk and a pointed look at Louis who rolled his eyes at him, before he caught my eyes and quickly looked back to Ed. I turned my head and started a conversation with Grimmie, deliberately trying to look in the opposite direction of Louis, until I felt a hand on my lower back. "Claire?" Grimmie looked up, but I didn't acknowledge Louis presence behind me in anyway. "I know I fucked up, love, please let me apologise." He sounded very upset which made me give in. I turned around and looked up at Louis who held his hand out for me to take. After a moment of hesitation, I placed my hand in his and let him pull me up. I sent an apologetic look in Grimmie's direction who gave me an encouraging smile before he got up and joined Harry and Gemma who were discussing something.

Louis pulled me through the now again crowded room out into the hallway and into the kitchen. He gently cupped my face with his hands, and made me look up at him, his blue eyes holding mine captivated with his intense gaze. "I'm sorry, love. I hadn't seen Zayn since, well, since March last year, and I wasn't expecting to see him any time soon and I just wasn't prepared. I know I shouldn't have taken it out on you and I am truly sorry." I blinked and tried to decide whether I should accept his apology now, or make him suffer for a bit longer. I decided that I was a nice person and gave him a small smile which he hesitantly returned. "It really hurt to be brushed off like that, especially with all these people there that I look up to, but I can understand why you did it and I'll forgive you. Just try not to do it again, okay?" I asked him and he nodded and leaned in and pecked my nose, making me giggle. He grinned and leaned in again, this time his lips met mine and we kissed for a few seconds, until we were interrupted by the door opening behind us.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry." Harry seemed embarrassed to have walked in on us and I saw the hint of a blush on his cheeks. His eyes met mine and he gave me a concerned look, but relaxed a little bit when I smiled at him. "Are you okay?" I asked him and took a step back, Louis hands still on my waist. "I, uh, just wanted to get some more wine." He said and walked over to one of his cupboards and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "Wait, we'll come with you." I told him with a smile and ignored Louis' pout. "Are we, love?" he asked me in a teasing tone and I shot him a stern look. "Yes, we are. Just because I have forgiven you, doesn't mean you're getting any tonight." Harry coughed and held the door open for me, Louis following us out of the kitchen with a defeated look on his face. 

Back in the living room, I walked over to the bar and poured me a glass of the red wine that Harry just retrieved from the kitchen. I tentatively sipped on it and surprisingly really enjoyed the taste so I took bigger sip and let the aromas swirl in my mouth, my eyes closed. "It's good, hm?" a deep voice asked beside me, making me jump and nearly choke on my wine. "Jesus, Harry, you scared me!" He gave me a wide grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "That wasn't my intention." He assured me, but his eyes said something else. I hummed and took another sip of my wine. "Sure, Harry, whatever helps you sleep at night." He smirked down at me and I rolled my eyes at him, but couldn't help but grin. 

"Are you okay?" His expression changed from amused to one of concern. "You look a bit thinner, love, still beautiful, of course." I blushed a bit and looked down at my feet, until a long finger forced me to look up again. "Claire, you promised me to eat regularly. Have you been eating love?" His eyes were filled with concern and I couldn't lie to him so I shook my head. "Not since, you know..." I whispered and saw Harry's eyes darken. "Claire, I know that this is hard for you, but you have to take care of yourself, okay? He wouldn't want you to starve yourself to death." He told me quietly and pulled me into a tight hug. 

"You have covered it quite well with your clothes and your make up, but I can see that you've lost weight and I can still see the shadows underneath your eyes, love." I remained quiet and just enjoyed the warmth of his hug. "Promise me to take more care of yourself, please, Claire." He pulled away a little bit and gave me a stern look. "I'll come around to check on you every day if I have to." he threatened. I gave him a weak smile and shook my head. "I'll try to do better, Harry, I promise." 

He let go off me and I gave him one last smile, before I fled across the room and sat down on a sofa near the window, slowly sipping on my wine, while I looked outside into the dark. After a few minutes, the sofa dipped underneath the weight of someone sitting down next to me and I looked up. "Do you mind me joining you here for a bit? I need a quiet spot to think." Zayn said and gave me a warm smile which I returned. "Sure." I moved a bit to make some space for him and he got comfortable next to me. "So, are you Louis' girl then?" he asked me out of the blue and I looked up from my glass. "Yes, he actually just asked me before the party." I blushed a bit and he smirked and we both looked over to where Louis was standing, engaged in a deep conversation with Liam about a new song.

"Is he treating you well?" Zayn asked me and I turned my head back to face him. "He's amazing." I assured him and he grinned. "He's a good guy, I hope you know how lucky you are." He gave me a calculating look, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable. "I'm not with him because he's famous, Zayn. I am with him because he is one of the best people I've ever had the fortune to meet and if I could choose I would prefer to live in a world where he is just a nice guy that I met at uni and not someone who I am risking my privacy for just by being with him." I explained him and saw him relax a little bit. "I don't want to hurt him, Zayn." He nodded and smiled at me. Relieved, I returned the smile and took another sip from my wine.

"What is Harry concerned about?" he asked me after a couple of seconds and I looked up at him, surprise written all over my face. "How do you know he's concerned about something?" I asked him and he gave me a pointed look. "I spent nearly five years with Harry, sharing a tour bus and hotel rooms, love, I know what he looks like when he's concerned." I sighed and looked back out of the window, not being able to look at Zayn, while I told him what was going on. "I lost my dad two weeks ago." I could hear his breath hitch behind me, but I continued quickly, before he got the chance to say something. "I've been suffering from panic and anxiety attacks before that and phases of depression as well, but now it's getting worse again and I don't really eat much or get any sleep and Harry, being Harry, noticed it and made me promise to take better care of myself."

I didn't dare to look at Zayn after I had finished and instead kept my eyes on the window. "I am sorry for your loss, love. I've been suffering from panic attacks and anxiety for years, you know? I know that it's hard and I know how hard it is to take care of yourself and to make the right decision sometimes. You have a problem, but you don't want to talk about it because you don't want anyone to worry about you." His voice broke at the end of the sentence which made me look up. "I know how you feel, love, but you don't have to go through this alone, okay? Sometimes, talking really helps. Just talk to someone you completely trust like your best friend, or your mum, or Harry or Louis. I know they would all help you get through this. And if you'd like to you can talk to me as well, okay?" I nodded and gave him a hesitant smile. "Thank you, Zayn." He nodded and I suddenly felt my eyes filling up with tears and blinked to push them back. 

"Hey, come here, love." He moved closer to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "You'll be okay." I nodded into his shoulder and he pulled away again. "Here, let me give you my phone number and you can call or text me any time, okay?" I pulled out my phone as well and handed it to him, while I typed  my number into his phone; my brain vaguely registering the fact that I was exchanging numbers with Zayn Malik of all people. 

"Thank you, Zayn." He looked up and handed me my phone back. "You're welcome, love. And now stop brooding over the meaning of life and go and celebrate with your boyfriend." He nodded over to Louis who shot me a concerned look and smiled when he saw me walking over to him. He pulled me into his side and pressed a light kiss to my temple, making me smile. "Are you okay, love?" he asked me quietly and I nodded and let my head rest on his chest. "I will be." I assured him and I felt him press a kiss to my hair, before he continued his conversation with Liam.