Two Pieces

"Things Are Going To Change"

"You ready for this?" Jay asked Liam, as he stood outside the club doors. Everyone that worked for him was seated inside, waiting for him to come in and discuss the process of how they would be moving forward from the loss of his father. It was time for Liam to step up as the leader of the gang, and face all of those who worked for him.

"I got this," Liam said, nodding his head.

"Yeah, you do," Jay agreed, "Liam, you've said and done all the right things up until now. You're making a lot of good changes, and they make sense. I believe in you and I'm confident in your ability to lead this gang. But, you have to make them believe in you. You can't leave anyone in there with any doubts or we could have a serious problem."

"Got it," Liam said, nodding his head stiffly.

"Everyone in there knows that this is a transition period, one that will make or break us. And they are counting on your to give them the confidence to continue doing what we've been doing."

"Think they're gonna be pissed about the changes?" Liam asked.

"I think that you're going to have to prove that the four boys have the ability to be put in charge, but once you prove yourself and them – no one's going to be pissed or question you. But you did just remove some of the oldest people in our gang from their position of power, and that takes a lot of guts. As long as you believe that you are doing the right thing –"

"I do," Liam said.

"If you believe it, you just have to make them believe it," Jay said, "But let's be honest here, Liam, the changes you've made – they're really only going to effect one person in particular."

"I'm hoping they'll effect us all as a whole once they go into effect," Liam said, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, but they will immediately effect Sofia," Jay said, "Things are going to change, and she's going to hate every second of it. And hell hath no fury like a Sofia scorned."

Liam took a deep breath, knowing that Jay's words were true. Besides putting the boys as the heads of the gang, Liam was also making a few policy changes. Nothing that would be too big of a change, and certainly nothing that would affect anyone to drastically – except Sofia. Almost all of his policy changes affected her, and while he knew that she would throw a fit, he didn't care. He was determined to get his sister back, and to re-train her. Not to be a better fighter, or baiter, but to be a better person.

"This is fucking ridiculous," a voice snapped, causing Liam and Jay to turn, noticing a pouting Sofia rushing towards them, struggling with her shirt.

"If you would just hold still," Danielle said, rushing behind her, "Then I could get the zipper."

"I hate this shirt," Sofia hissed.

"You hate everything in the mornings," Niall said, before greeting Liam.

"And I hate you all day round," Sofia snapped, although Niall ignored her.

"It's stuck," Danielle said

"Shall I try?" Eleanor asked.

"Ugh!" Sofia screeched, "Just leave it. I don't know why we have to be at this thing anyway, or why I have to look like I'm working in a fucking office."

"Because it's a gang meeting, and your part of the gang," Liam growled, watching as his sister pulled away from the two girls, still struggling with her shirt, "And I want everyone to look like leaders, because they'll be looking towards all of us."

"Bloody annoying you are," Sofia mumbled, pulling at her shirt some more.

Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed her around her waist, keeping her still.

"If you would stop moving, it might be easier to fix," Harry growled from behind her.

"It's not working! It's bloody stuc –"Sofia snapped at him, but her sentence was interrupted by the zipper being pulled up and the back of her shirt finally being closed.

"Wow, that was hard," Harry said sarcastically, Sofia turned around towards him, her eyes narrowed – Harry grinning down at her with a cocky smile.

"Shut up," she hissed.

"Alright," Jay said, clapping his hands to get some order, "Everyone is here, so let's go."

He opened the door, and suddenly the hundreds of people who were under their control, turned and were looking towards them. Liam quietly took Danielle's hand, and pulled her to the front, followed quickly by Jay, Louis, and Eleanor. Niall followed them down, leaving Sofia staring into the large room, all eyes on her.

"You ready?" Zayn asked.

"It's just another meeting," Sofia shrugged, but Harry could hear uncertainty in her voice.

"Let's go," he said, leading the way in, as Zayn and Sofia followed. All eyes were on them as they walked to their seats. Sofia sat down next to Danielle, and Zayn took a seat beside her. Liam and Jay were whispering, probably getting together last minute thoughts.

Liam sighed deeply, closing his eyes, collecting himself. He leaned down, giving Danielle a quick kiss on the head.

"You got this," Danielle said, a small smile on her face. He winked quickly at her, before glancing up at Sofia.

"Don't choke," Sofia said, a playful grin on her face.

"Shut it," Liam mumbled, as Zayn elbowed her in the ribs. Liam stood up, before walking up to the front of the room, to officially call to order his first meeting.


***


"It has been a rough week or so," Liam said, after greeting everybody. The tone of his voice caused Sofia to look up, he didn't sound like her brother. His voice was confident and he stood tall as he looked around. He looked like a leader; he looked like he knew what he was doing. Sofia swallowed hard as he continued.

"I would like to personally thank each and everyone one of you who has kept business going while I've dealt with the personal end of our loss. And if haven't already said it, I'm extending my condolences to you. While they were my parents, I know that for many of you, they felt like yours. I know my father was a father figure and friend and that your loss is just as big as mine.

"My father was just one of the men in generations of family who helped build this great gang. With him, we came the most powerful gang within the area, and one of the most powerful throughout the entire United Kingdom. There is no denying how powerful we are. We have control over almost all of the drug and weapon rings, and we're able to shut down any we don't have control over. Every gambling and bookie establishment goes through us too. We have a hand in almost every business in this town, not to mention that we are fully in charge of the top money making clubs. We bring in more capital in 6 months, and then some do in their lifetime. We have some of the strongest, quickest, and trained people on our team. In this town, we have more power over the people then the government and law enforcement. To be clear, we have control and power over them as well. There is no denying how powerful we are – and we are fully capable of taking advantage of that power and holding on to it."

"Unfortunately in times of loss, people who are less powerful use our loss to try and take advantage of it. They see us as vulnerable and weak, and will do anything to try and get ahold of what we know they should never have. This meeting today is to assure all of you that we are not weak, we are not vulnerable, and we certainly are not giving up any of our power to anyone else. My father worked hard to put us on top, and I plan on keeping us there."

The club echoed in thunderous applause and cheers. People were on their feet, and whistles were ringing out from every which way. Sofia stared at her brother in shock, Liam sounded scary and intimidating. She believed every word he was saying, that they were going to stay on top and that in no way, shape, or form were people going to take advantage of their father and gang leader being dead.

"In the last week, we have become a target. I guarantee you, for some of these smaller street gangs and for some of these people craving power; we are number one on their hit list. They want what we have. But I promise you, we are not giving up what we own. They can't have us, they can't have our power, and they can't have our businesses, our women, or our money. We will not show vulnerability. We will show a united front, and we will make sure that these people who are determined to bring us down – whoever they might be – that we are not going anywhere. Are we clear?"

A resounding yes came from the hundreds that worked for Liam, every one of them hanging on to his every word. Sofia looked around, all eyes were on her brother, and she knew in that instant, that he had officially taken over. No one was arguing with him, she saw in their eyes that no one doubted him, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that all of them would follow him.

"With that said, I am making a few changes. Because we have suddenly become a target, I want to be clear that safety is our number one priority. I believe that once we prove that we are not going anywhere, anyone who dare try and take us down will back off, but I also know how at risk we are at the moment."

"No one is to go anywhere by themselves. You are to stick with each other, and to always be on guard. As far as jobs go, all jobs will be ran by me before they are given the go ahead. On every job, I will be present, or one of the four other heads will be present. As of today, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik are heads. If they give you an order, you can assume that is coming from me. No one will do anything without one of us present – and no one will get involved in any job without running it by us first."

"As far as training goes. As of today, I want everyone back in training. Fight training, gun training, and strategy training. We have a target on our backs, and I want every single person in this room prepared to fight. As far as our baiters, dancers, and women go. If you work for us in any way, shape, or form or you are seeing someone in the gang – you will also go into training."

"What?" Sofia hissed, confused. Women had never trained before, - unless it was in dancing, as far as she knew, she was the only one.

"I only know one girl in this gang that can fight," Liam said, "And as far as I'm concerned, that isn't okay. So learn how to defend yourselves. However, just because you are training, doesn't give you any new power. As far as my baiters go, Sofia will no longer be taking the majority of jobs."

"What?" Sofia gasped, but the commotion from the room was too loud for anyone to hear her. Everyone was surprised by what Liam was saying. Sofia was their go to – she had done almost every job that had come in. And she had gotten them all done; to take her off of some of them was a major risk.

"No one person will be taking the majority of jobs. Jobs from now on will be evenly distributed. There are also new rules for baiters. You will no longer drink on the job. You will no longer enter a job alone. You will no longer leave a job site with your target. And you will keep your behavior with your target strictly to what it takes to pull him in. You can dance with him, you can talk, and you can flirt. However, you are no longer around to kiss and or have any more physical contact with the target then you need. If any of you break this rule, there will be consequences."

"Also, for the women, all sexual relations are to be kept within the gang. It's too dangerous to be hooking up and seeing people outside of the gang. While I'm willing to make exceptions for serious cases, there will be no more random hook ups."

"What the fuck is talking about?" Sofia growled, "Is leading a gang or a nunnery?"

"Be quiet, Sofia," Louis snapped from across the table, "He is trying to
make things as safe as possible."

"We all know that women are the first target when it comes to trying to take over," Liam said, "Therefor you are all being targeted, and you will do whatever it takes to keep yourself and this gang safe. If I find that any of you are putting yourselves or this gang at risk, I promise you, you will regret it."

"As of right now, jobs are not my biggest concern," Liam said, "Safety is. Which means, that we need to learn to work as a team again. There is no one person who is more important then someone else. And as far as jobs go, there is no job that is ever worth more then a human life. I know that this is different then what we are used to, but we we'll all retrain and I promise you – we will have fewer lives lost. If I find that anyone is putting a job over any member of this gang or someone has put a job over the safety of someone else – there will be consequences. NOTHING is more important then our lives? We cannot stay on top if we're all dead, is that clear?"

Again, the crowd agreed with him. Sofia however sat stiffly, glaring at her brother. This wasn't the type of speech her father would have ever given. Liam seemed to want to create a family out of this gang, and Sofia wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. While she felt like he came off strong and intimidating in the first half of his speech, now he just seemed weak and too caring. He wasn't trying to create something that would never happen – and he was putting what he wanted over the jobs that their father had held important.

It also hadn't escaped Sofia that Liam was very clearly taking away any power and freedom she had gained over the years. While he was creating new rules for everyone, Sofia knew exactly whom he was talking to when he talked. He wanted to make her into someone she wasn't, and he was going to do it in anyway he wanted. He was in charge, he made the rules, and he actually thought she would follow them.

"And as for all of our underage members, for those of you who are still in school" Liam said, his eyes floating towards Sofia, before heading towards Emily and Rob's table, "You will no longer be working during the week. You will train, and you will stay on top of your training. But, your first priority is school. I don't need teachers looking into what we are doing, and I certainly don't need law enforcement getting up my ass because you are in clubs during the week. And when you are in clubs, or on jobs, you are to be sober. I don't need any of you getting an underage. You guys are our weakest link. You've had the least amount of training, and sometimes you are the most obvious targets. So, you are to be responsible and careful. And if you aren't, I won't think twice about pulling you off a job."

Sofia stood up quickly, her eyes narrowed on her brother. Liam wasn't addressing the entire gang anymore, he was blatantly attacking her.

"Sofia, sit down," Zayn growled from beside her. All eyes were on her and Liam, neither of them taking their eyes off the other one.

"I didn't open the floor up to questions or comments, Sofia," Liam said, his voice hard and his eyes narrowed, "So I don't know why you're standing."

"Sorry," Sofia said, her voice just as hard, "It's just I'm confused. I thought I was coming to a meeting on how we were going to keep this gang on top, but I think I walked into an alternate universe where you're trying to play daddy instead."

"Sit down, Sofia," Zayn growled again, this time yanking her.

"This is a joke," Sofia spat out, "You know that right? You can't just step in here and take control of everything and change the way things have been going for years."

"Actually, I can," Liam said, his voice still calm and collected, his eyes narrowed in anger, "Now sit down, Sofia before I'm forced to do something we'll both regret."

"Like what?" Sofia spat out, "Maybe they're all willing to give you power, but if you think for one second, I'm going to let you come in here and change me... you have another thing coming to you!"

"One last chance, Sofia," Liam growled.

"Come on, Liam," Sofia hissed, "Show me how big and bad you are..."

"Sofia Payne, until further notice you are removed of all of your jobs," Liam snapped, "And you've just lost the privilege to sit on this meeting. Seeing as you won't be on any of the new jobs, you don't need to hear about them. Please remove yourself immediately."

"WHAT?!" Sofia screeched, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"Someone get her out of here, she can wait in my office," Liam snapped, "NOW!"

Louis stood up, Harry right beside him, both grabbing Sofia.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Sofia screamed, "You can't do this!"

"Does anyone else want to question my leadership skills?" Liam growled at the crowd, as Louis and Harry dragged out Sofia, "Because I have no problem removing people who aren't ready to cooperate and be loyal."


***

"You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" Liam roared as he walked into his office.

"You want tell me what the hell that was all about?!" Sofia roared back, "Who the fuck do you think you are? What are you going to do, cage me up until I fucking graduate?!"

"And maybe even after you fucking graduate if you keep it up! I'm trying to keep everyone safe, Sofia!" Liam snapped, "It has been made clear since our father and mother were MURDERED that safety needs to become a number one priority!"

"You didn't address safety for anyone except for WOMEN AND BAITORS. AKA ME!" Sofia screamed, "You basically just said I can't do a job by myself, that I'm no longer the head of the baiting team, that I can't hook up with anyone outside the gang, and I can't drink! You're trying to fucking parent me and because you can't do it in our actual life, you did it through the gang."

"No, Sofia," Liam growled, "I am trying to make you see that you have be playing with fire. You are out of control. You have too much power, and not enough people telling you no. You're dangerous. You put yourself in danger; you put other people in danger. You have no concept of teamwork or protecting people other then yourself. And unfortunately, you are not the only one. That's something that dad trained into people – and now – I'm training it out of them."

"This isn't an after school special, Liam," Sofia spat out, "We're a gang. We deal with drugs and weapons and violence. And in order to bring in the capital we bring in – we have to put the jobs first. No matter what. YOU KNOW THAT."

"NO I DON'T!" Liam screamed, "Jobs can get done without putting people in grave danger. Jobs can get done with more then one person leading them. Jobs can get done by other people – besides you."

"I'm the best!" Sofia screeched, "You know I'm the best! I always get it done!"

"Yes, you do, but at what cost?" Liam snapped, "How do I know that it won't at the cost of my life one day? Or Zayn's? Or someone else? We need to take a step back and realize what is important, and go from there."

"You just want to control me," Sofia hissed.

"No, Sofia," Liam said, "I want to help you. But I also want to keep you safe. We have serious targets on our backs right now and we can't afford for anyone to be irresponsible. We can't afford for you to play your games, and do things your way. Your way and the way that things have been run are going to get someone killed. And I've buried enough people this year, thanks."

"You won't win this, Liam. I will never be the person you want me to be. I will never be an emotional, caring, cuddly sister. I am who I am. I will never be a wife or a mother. I will never want a family like you do. Don't you get that? I will never be who you want me to be."

"Why don't you figure out who you want to be, before you concern yourself with who I want you to be? Because let's be honest, Sofia. You don't even know what you want."

"I want power, and I want to be on top," Sofia growled, "And I can keep you on top, if you let me continue to do my work the way I have been. You know I can keep you on top."

"I don't want to be on top that way," Liam said quietly, staring at his sister.

"You're making a mistake, and you are going to loose everything that dad built," Sofia growled.

"No, I'm not," Liam growled, stepping up to his sister, "I'm just going to keep it in a different way. And you're either going to get on board or your not. You're either going to be loyal to me and play by my rules, or your not. But the more you fight this, the longer you will be out."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sofia growled.

"Exactly what I said in that meeting. You're services are no longer needed. You're emotionally compromised, and you're dangerous and I don't trust you with the jobs or with my gang. So, until you can learn how to do things my way, you're out of the job."

"You cannot be serious right now," Sofia hissed.

"I'm dead serious," Liam growled, stepping up to her, and getting right in her face, "And to be clear, Sofia, on how serious I am, I am in charge. And if that's something I have to beat into you to get you to realize, I will."

"Yeah right," Sofia snorted.

"I'm not playing around with you anymore, Sofia. If you break my rules, or if you ever question me in front of my gang again, I promise you, you will regret it. I'm your boss, and I'm your guardian. My job is to keep you safe and healthy. And I want you to be happy to – but that's not my priority. So you either get your shit together, or you deal with the consequences. This is your last warning where I will be this nice, do you understand me?"

Sofia didn't say anything; she just glared at her brother. She had never heard him sound so parental or intimidating. She knew that he wasn't playing around with her anymore. He was clearly showing her her place, and warning her to stay in it. And next time, she knew, he wouldn't be so nice about it. She knew that Liam was stepping up and showing her who was in charge, and he was making it very obvious, that it wasn't her.

"Do. You. Understand. Me?" Liam growled.

"Yes," Sofia growled back.

"Good, now get the hell out of my office," Liam spat out, pointing towards the door. Sofia turned, moving towards the door.

"And Sofia?" Liam called, she turned back to him, "Don't you dare be late for family dinner."


***


"He's changing everything," Sofia hissed as she sat at in the booth across from Katie and Emily, "And he thinks it will change me, it won't. There is no changing me."

"Sofia, he's not trying to change you, he's trying to make you safe, take some pressure off of you," Katie said, as she glanced at her watch, "It's pretty late, I can't believe he let you out after your little stunt today."
Sofia glanced up at her friends, raising her eyebrows as in a rebellious manner.

"Does your brother know you're here?" Emily asked.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Sofia replied.

"No," Emily said, shaking her head, "I don't."

"Look, Sofia, the way this works out – you won't have to work more then once a month. He's bringing on other baiters and you will no longer be the only one who knows what they're doing on a job," Katie said, "He's making sure that you aren't alone anymore. He's making sure you have back up and that you're safe."

"I don't need back up," Sofia snapped, "I don't need anybody. I just need him to back the fuck off of my life so I continue to do what I was doing. I was fine."

"You weren't fine!" Emily said, "You fell down bleachers, Sofia! And you were tired all the time. And you never had time to do homework. And you were under a lot of pressure. Sofia, you're going to be able to be a normal teenager in so many ways now. You can hang out after school, and go to dances, and date..."

"Maybe now, you and Zayn can finally actually become something, you'll have time for an actual relationship," Katie said, "This is not a bad thing, Sofia."

"I'M NOT NORMAL," Sofia screeched, standing up, "DON'T YOU GET THAT? I WILL NEVER BE NORMAL. I WILL NEVER GO TO DANCES, OR GO TO UNI, OR FIND A BOYFRIEND! I WILL NEVER HAVE AN ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP! OR KIDS! OR A FUCKING WHITE PICKET FENCE. THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IN THE CARDS FOR ME!"

"Sofia, stop ... relax!" Emily said jumping up.

"I get that all of you want me to be normal! And you want me to date and to be a friend and all that. But that's not in the cards for me! You don't get on top by being normal. You don't stay powerful by being normal. So everyone needs to stop trying to shove normal down my throat, because it's not me! And I don't fucking want it!"

Before either Emily or Katie could stop her, Sofia was walking away from their booth, and leaving the restaurant.

"Sofia! Wait!" Emily called after her.

"Let her go," Katie said, "She needs time to calm down, and work this out on her own."

"I don't understand why she's so upset about this," Emily said, "He's just trying to give her what she never had..."

"That's the thing, Sofia's not used to the person in charge caring about her safety or whether she gets to live a normal life. She's been told how she's supposed to live and stay on top, and now everything's changing. Change is a lot to deal with..."

"Yeah, but these are good changes, aren't they?" Emily asked, "Why is she so upset?"

"I don't know," Katie said, "I love Sof, but I don't think she's ever loved herself. In fact, I think she hates who she is. And she's always been to scared to face how much she hates herself. And now, Liam's forcing her to face herself..."

"It's like facing the monster within," Emily said quietly, "She must be terrified."

"And maybe at the end of the day, she really believes she can't have normal," Katie said, quietly. Her voice was sad, as she thought about her friend.

"Maybe it's worse then that," Emily said, "Maybe she believes she doesn't deserve it."


***


"Let me get this straight," Liam growled, as he stared at Zayn, "You were making out – and she asked you if she could go see some friends..."

"Yeah," Zayn said, as he tried dialing Sofia's number again.

"Even though I specifically told everyone that she wasn't to leave the house?" Liam snapped.

"I didn't know that you said that," Zayn said.

"Found her phone," Louis said, walking into the living room, holding up Sofia's phone, which was ringing.

"You didn't ask her if she had asked me?" Liam yelled, "How the fuck could you forget that?"

"I was just... distracted... I guess," Zayn said, his excuse lame.

"Of course you were, she was kissing you," Niall said, rolling his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zayn snapped, "What does her kissing me
have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with this," Harry growled from the corner, "She knew exactly what she was doing. She totally manipulated you into getting out of the house."

"It wasn't like that," Zayn growled, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know that as long as you two are hooking up, she holds power over you. Because you don't how to say no to her, because you're too into her!"

"Fuck you, Harry," Zayn growled; "I can say no to her, she doesn't hold power over me..."

"I think he's right, Zayn," Liam said quietly, "My sister totally takes advantage of the way you feel... you know that..."

"She was upset, Liam," Zayn said, "She wanted to go talk to her friends about it..."

"She wasn't upset, she was pissed," Harry snapped, "Pissed that she didn't get her way, and that she's no longer the fucking adult. And instead of being an adult, and telling her she couldn't go out. You let her bat her eyes at you, and give you a few kisses, and sent her on her way!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Harry! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Zayn yelled

"Zayn, come on," Louis said, "I think it's time you faced the facts about you and Sofia..."

"What facts are those?" Zayn scoffed.

"How long are you going to let her manipulate you, Zayn?" Harry asked,
"How long are you going to play stupid?"

Zayn's heart was pounding in his chest. Not because he was angry, and not because he was upset. But because he knew they were right. Sofia used him. She used him as a distraction, and she used him to get her way. Tonight she used his feelings towards her to get out of the house, even though she knew she wasn't allowed. And he let her use him, because he wanted her to feel the same way back. He was so desperate to be with her, that he let her abuse his feelings.

"Zayn, how can I trust you to keep her safe and in control, when she's the one who's running you?" Liam asked quietly. He knew that his friend was in love with his sister, and he knew that Zayn hurt hearing this.

"You know I'd do anything for her," Zayn growled.

"I need you to step up, Zayn. I need to show her that she isn't running the show anymore," Liam said, "And I don't know if you can do that... not while you're hooking up with her."

"What are you saying?" Zayn growled.

"I'm not saying anything, but I'm asking you if you really think you can be her hook up buddy and one of her guardians?" Liam asked.

Zayn knew that he couldn't. He had to step up, and he couldn't do that while he was still sexually involved with Sofia. He had to move on, at least for now. He had to be a guardian and a parent, and he had to keep her safe.

But before he could answer Liam, the front door opened, and in walked Sofia.

"Where the hell have you been?" Liam boomed, stalking up to her.

"Out," Sofia said, rolling her eyes.

"Out where?" Liam barked

"Just out," Sofia said, "Relax, I'm home and safe..."

"That doesn't really matter, Sofia! You weren't supposed to out in the first place," Liam snapped.

"I asked Zayn if I could go, and he said I could," Sofia said, turning her eyes to Zayn and batting her eye lids, "Didn't I, Zayn?"

A smirk appeared on her face, like she knew she was going to get away with this on a technicality. Zayn's jaw locked, and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly he was overcome with anger, towards her – for manipulating him and never returning his feelings and towards himself – because he allowed her to do so for so long.

"I did say that," Zayn snapped, "But you were told by Liam that you weren't allowed out, so you basically lied through omission to me..."

"But, we can let that go, can't we?" Sofia said, a smirk appearing on her face, "Just let it go, and come to bed with me..."

All eyes were on Zayn, it was his move. He was either going to keep allowing her bat her eyes and smirk at him and get her way – hoping that one day she would love him like he loved her. Or, he was going to put an end to it, and become the guardian Liam needed him to be – at least until Sofia could learn how to really love him. All he had ever wanted was her, they always seemed right to him, but now in this moment, as he stared at her and saw how cold and unfeeling her eyes were he couldn't remember why. Now, all that felt right was letting her go.

"Zayn?" Sofia questioned, her smirk growing wider in triumph, reaching out her hand to, "Are you coming to bed?"

He had to make a choice. Maybe if he stuck with her, he could love her through this. Maybe letting her go wasn't the right thing to do – maybe they were all wrong. Zayn stepped towards her, and watched her eyes light up, as he took her hand.