in the hills • zayn malik

nine- morning

nine- morning

song for this chapter: 'Falling Slowly" by Kris Allen

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"Zayn, wake up now."

"No, I wanna sleep more, go away."

"I am about ten seconds away from pouring a pitcher of water over your face."

Zayn sat up with a start, barely able to open his eyes due to the sleep clinging to his eyelids, but managed to see a blurry outline of Iris, true to her word holding a pitcher near his head. As his eyes began to clear, he noticed that her hair had been left out, and she looked happy, though there was still no smile.

"What time is it?" Zayn asked, stifling a yawn, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to clear them.

"The sun has just risen." Iris said, whilst Zayn glanced out his window, seeing the sun slowly rising up out of the hills, turning the sky pink and orange and purple.

"And why have you waken me up at this rather early hour of the morning?" Zayn muttered sleepily, standing up from his bed and stretching, bringing some small amount of relief to his tight muscles.

He caught her staring at him, her lips pressed into a tight line, her eyes looking over him with a shamelessness that made him shiver. It was funny, because Perrie never looked at him like that, like she was trying to remember every single detail of him, like she never wanted to forget.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said simply, her eyes meeting his, pretending that he didn't catch her staring.

Zayn couldn't help but smirk slightly. "And what did you want to ask me?"

"Did you want to go pick fruit with me?" Iris said, smoothing out her shorts in a quick motion, keeping her eyes interlocked with his. "I checked them last night, today would be the perfect time to pick them."

Zayn blinked blankly at her for a moment, before a wide smile replaced his smirk. "Sure. I'll just chuck on some clothes."

"Ok." Iris said, and walked out of the room quickly, as if she stayed any longer then she would get a disease or something. Zayn grabbed the pitcher of water and splashed some of the cold water on his face, wincing slightly, but loving the cool water on his face.

He got dressed and then went outside, seeing Iris petting a cow which had courageously ventured up to where she was standing. It seemed to Zayn that the cow was very comfortable with Iris, and he smiled as the cow pushed her head into Iris' palm, begging for more attention.

He stepped on a stick, a loud cracking sound ruining the moment, making Iris turn around. The cow mooed sadly and began to walk off, stopping to chew on some grass as it walked.

"This way."

He followed Iris around the small paddocks, and to the fenced orchard at the back. He could already smell the apples and oranges, and saw strawberry vines growing along the fence. Iris made her way through the trees in a way which only a very familiar person could.

She made a curious gesture, lifting up her hand and letting it run over the gnarled bark of an apple tree, her green eyes looking around her with a humble look on her face. Zayn shivered and that warmth came back, attacking his insides.

There was one tree that wasn't bearing any fruit, and it was under this tree that a couple of baskets sat. Iris picked up two, and gave one to Zayn, not wincing away when their fingers brushed.

"We'll start with the trees towards the back, they've got the ripest fruits." Iris said, pointing to the trees a couple of metres behind the fruitless tree.

"Lead the way." Zayn said, giving her an encouraging smile.

They walked in silence to the trees, and Zayn saw that there were a couple of apple and orange trees, making his nose tingle at the smell of citrus. He could hear the sound of birds chirping in the trees, and occasionally the flutter of wings.

Iris made her way over to an apple tree, and started to gently pull them off, inspecting each one as she put them into the basket. Zayn chose the tree next to her, and started picking the red apples from their stalks.

It was quiet, peaceful work, and Zayn loved it. The morning light was trying to make it's way through the leaves, little beams of light illuminating small patches of dirt, giving them a beauty that would have been hard to find anywhere else.

He glanced at Iris out of the corner of his eye, and felt his heart perform a little spasm as he watched her, her delicate arms reaching up to grab the fruit with an ease that impressed him.

He berated himself, and tried to focus on his work, having a bit of trouble keeping his eyes off the blonde haired girl. Zayn thought that he heard Iris humming something, but put it down as a figment of his imagination and continued his work.

At one stage he had to climb up in the tree branches to get to the apples, which put him to the test. Daily walks up and down the hill had given him some strength, and he found it not too hard to find a branch that could support his weight. He began picking again with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Zayn?"

"Mmm?" Zayn hummed, pushing a couple of branches aside to see her.

She was perched in the tree like a bird, a soft wind making the ends of her hair kick up, some strands even brave enough to get in her eyes. He was sorely tempted to go over there and push them away.

Iris looked hesitant and curious, and Zayn waited, giving her a smile. She glanced down at the branch.

"Could you tell me about your friends... the ones in your band?" She asked timidly, her voice only a little louder than a whisper.

He was a little surprised at her question, but found that he was happy that she wanted to know. He looked thoughtfully down at the branch, not sure where to start: there was just so much to tell.

"I've got four band mates, and they are seriously some of the best guys in the world. There's Liam, Niall, Harry and Louis. It's funny, because we're all so different, but then there are some times when we act exactly the same."

"Harry is probably the most misunderstood. He gets heaps of bad media for being a womanizer, but sometimes he's just so childish and vulnerable that I wonder how they could even say anything about him. He cares about everything, and I think that's sometimes what holds him back."

Iris was looking at Zayn strongly, like every word that came from his mouth was the most important thing at that moment. It made him pause for a second, and he suddenly felt a little flustered from her attention.

"We get a lot of hate from random people. I suppose we all have our own ways of dealing with it, but Harry has always had a little more difficulty ignoring what people are saying about him. It really gets to him, and especially when we started the band, he took everything to heart. He started to believe that he wasn't good at singing, and it was eating him up."

"And he definitely is not a womaniser. I suppose he hasn't found anyone that's really settled him down, but the media just grab hold of him whenever there's a break up, like he just goes through women like they're nothing. Harry is such a romantic, he would do anything to make a girl feel special, even if it's for one date."

Zayn chuckled. "And Harry's got a really lame sense of humour, he makes the stupidest jokes sometimes. But that's what people love about him."

"What does he look like?" Iris asked curiously, her eyes shining in the morning light.

"He has green eyes -a bit darker than yours, Iris- tanned skin, dark brown, curly hair. It's seriously just this mess of curls, I don't know how he deals with them, to be honest. And he's got tattoos, a butterfly on his stomach, two sparrows just below his collar bones, one on each side." Zayn rolled his eyes, grinning at Iris. "I can't even keep up anymore."

"Tell me about Niall." Iris said eagerly, leaning forward slightly.

"Niall's Irish, the only one that isn't from England, and he's just so happy all of the time, it's rare to see him not smiling. When he starts laughing, you can't help but smile. He's always been rather excitable. I think one of the great qualities about Niall is that he cares so much about the fans, and he tries to interact with them as much as possible."

"He also talks a lot, it's actually ridiculous. He can just chatter away with anybody about anything, and it's something I've admired, and secretly envied. I never was one to be striking conversation with random people."

"Niall's a goofball as well. When we started, everyone assumed that he was the youngest in the group, because he just seemed like a bubbly little kid. But he can be serious when he wants, and I think when it comes to singing he can get pretty serious. Not that I blame him, of course."

Zayn started to feel a pang of guilt in his chest. God, he missed them all so much. Those idiots.

"Niall naturally had brown hair, but he dyed the tips of it blonde. His eyes are like pieces of the sky, and he's rather pale, burns really easily in the sun, the poor thing."

He looked at Iris and wondered how she still was genuinely interested in what he was saying. Her eyes were wide, and she was still leaving forward.

"And what's Louis like?" Iris asked.

"Louis is the oldest, but god, he can be such an idiot sometimes. He can make you laugh whenever you're feeling down, and can lighten any situation. But he's got this side to him that people don't usually see, and he can be so deep in thought, looking like the wisest man in the world."

"Louis sometimes overreacts over simple things, and I think that would be his Achilles heel, if he were to have one. He's proud, and defends what he loves blindly, which is both a good and bad thing. He won't let anyone say stuff about him, his family, friends or his girlfriend, Eleanor, to his face and get away with it. It's always a plus having Louis on your side."

Zayn sighed, smiling slightly. "He's got light brown hair, sharp features, and grey-blue eyes. He's rather skinny, and of medium height."

There was a silence for a moment, and Zayn knew that Iris hadn't forgotten Liam. She had this sad look in her eyes, but the curiosity was still there.

"And Liam." She said quietly.

"Yes, Liam." Zayn said, looking up towards the sky, admiring the orange hues. "Liam is actually one of the kindest people that I have ever met in my life. When you are in pain, Liam's feeling it too. He would do anything to help people, no matter what it took. He always helped me when I was having a bad day, or any of the other boys."

"He loves too easily, Liam does. He's been heartbroken twice, and I still don't understand why it was //him//. He's never done anything to hurt anybody, and I... I just wish that I could take away all that hurt, you know? I deserve to have the pain, Liam doesn't." Zayn said bitterly.

"That's not true. You don't deserve any pain, the same as everybody else." Iris said softly, making Zayn look down to met her gaze.

She was frowning at him, but there was still that look of concern, like she disliked how he was putting himself down. The warmth was now in full force, and he swallowed, trying not to turn red.

"Liam's a great friend." Zayn said quietly, breaking away from her gaze. "I think you'd like him."

They fell silent, and Zayn continued to pick apples, feeling Iris boring holes into the side of his head. He swallowed again and tried not to look at her.

"You really love them, don't you?"

Zayn smiled to himself, and looked at Iris. "Yeah, I do."

"Do you miss them?" Iris said, and he thought he detected a hint of sadness in her voice, making him confused.

"When I think about them, I really miss them. I know that they'd be worrying, and that makes me feel guilty, because I don't want to cause them any worry, especially-" Zayn paused, not sure whether to continue or not.

"You don't have to say." Iris said, managing not to sound hurt or annoyed, which Zayn admired greatly. He bit his lip and decided to tell her.

"Liam... Everyone worries about him, and I know that I've lost some sleep wondering if he'll be ok. I nearly caught him self-harming one time, and I nearly started crying, right there in front of him. But I just held him, and I didn't let go for a long time."

Iris started to climb down the tree, so that Zayn couldn't see her face. "You best be trying harder to get back. It sounds like they need you as much as you need them."

He sat there for a moment, stunned by her wise words. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, and climbed down his own tree, careful not to tip the basket of apples. Iris had sat down, the basket between her legs.

Zayn sat beside her, and sighed. "It's so peaceful out here."

"And lonely." Iris murmured, but she didn't say it as if it were a bad thing. "Sometimes, during the middle of summer, I sleep out here, beneath the trees. I can feel the wind in my hair and taste apples on my lips. It's... serene."

Zayn tried to imagine sleeping in the orchard, and felt a little thrill go through him. How wonderful it would be to sleep under the trees, with the glorious stars twinkling above him, so clear out here in the country. They would never look the same, once he went back.

"Iris?"

"Yes?"

"Have you smiled before?"

"No Zayn, you have discovered my secret. I am a robot incapable of feelings."

It took a moment for Zayn to realise that Iris was being sarcastic, and he started laughing, nearly banging his head against the tree he was leaning against.

He saw Iris roll her eyes. "Of course I have smiled."

Zayn calmed his laughter, and looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "How come you haven't smiled since I came here?"

"Because you have given me no reason to smile."

"Tough crowd." Zayn muttered. "So, will you smile for me?" He asked hopefully as an afterthought.

"I smile because I want to, not at demand." Iris said, but he could see her lips twitching.

Zayn looked around him, and grinned when he saw an orange. He got up and picked one, then sat down and frowned as he realised he didn't have a knife.

"Do you have a knife on you, Iris?" Zayn asked, and saw that Iris was looking at him in confusion.

"I can go grab one, I've got some in the orchard." Iris said, and went, looking worriedly over her shoulder as she walked.

She came back quickly, holding a knife in hand. She handed it to him, and he began cutting the orange into pieces.

"Do you think I'm..." Zayn stuffed the orange piece into his mouth and turned to Iris, smiling largely. "Attractive?"

Iris managed to keep a straight face, though Zayn could see that she was cracking slightly. "I think the orange definitely doesn't improve your appearance."

Zayn wiggled his eyebrows at her, but her lips didn't twitch at all. He ate the orange, all the while trying to make Iris smile. He spent most of the morning trying to get those lips to turn up, but Iris kept her face as straight as a poker.

They were on their way back to the house for lunch, still underneath the apple trees of the orchard. Zayn stuffed his hands into his pockets, and took a deep breath of the cool air. Iris had started humming.

"Do you know what I love about this place?" Iris said, looking around her.

"What?" Zayn said, looking over at her, and in that exact moment a little beam shone on her face, making her green eyes sparkle a little, taking his breath away.

"That wherever you look, you can find something beautiful." Iris said, sighing happily.

"It's easy for you." Zayn murmured, looking down at his feet.

"Why?" Iris replied, making Zayn curse himself. She wasn't supposed to hear, and he had no idea where this was all coming from anyway. He should just say it was nothing-

"Because to find beauty, you just need to look at yourself." Zayn said honestly, and felt his cheeks turn a blazing red.

Iris turned to him, and smiled.





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I don't know about you but I'm crying crying because so much cuteness, like literally sobbing of feels while I edited/uploaded it. And also bc Zayn talking about Liam (Sorry Liam girl over here).

This chapter is dedicated to @jamilastyles for her super sweet comment on the last chapter, thankyou x

Now comment away lovelies for Sara! :)

Chloe xxx