Our Cheeky, Movie Star Romance (Zouis Talik)

Chapter 10

Zayn yawned, loud and long. Being awakened at two in the morning by his parents' argument wasn't really the definition of a "good night's rest". He hadn't been able to fall back asleep until a few hours later, and now he was feeling a bit drowsier than normal.

He finished tying his shoe and stood up, grabbing his phone and stepping downstairs to wait for Louis.

The clock told him that he had a little bit of time before Louis would get there, so he decided to break his habit of skipping breakfast. When he made his way to the kitchen, though, he was met with his mother sitting cross-legged at the kitchen table, stirring her coffee absent-mindedly.

The woman looked up at the sound of her son's footsteps, stilling the spoon that clinked against the mug's ceramic walls. "Oh, good morning."

There was something off with her. Zayn pulled a carton of orange juice out of the refrigerator, pouring it into a glass and causing a couple of yellow drops wet the counter. He casually wiped them up with the sleeve of his shirt. "Good morning, Mum."

Patricia took a sip of her coffee, standing up to walk to her son. Her arms wrapped him in an embrace, and her head rested on his chest. Zayn complied, letting his arms fall around his considerably shorter mother.

"I love you no matter what, okay?" she asked, pulling back to lean against the counter. She grasped her coffee in both hands, wrapping her fingers around the warmness. Zayn nodded.

"I love you too."

There was a silence, and Zayn could guess why Patricia was acting like this. This was how she usually acted after her and Yaser fought, if she was feeling particularly drained.

"Zayn?"

He looked down at his mother. She set her coffee down on the counter behind her and crossed her arms.

"Are you and Louis together?"

Zayn was a bit taken back by the question. He didn't mind the query, but he was a little surprised that she would ask. He turned to shove the carton of orange juice back into the refrigerator.

"Um, yeah. We are," he replied, and felt awkward, even though he shouldn't have. It was just weird, because they'd never discussed Zayn's love life (or lack of). There was never any reason to.

He took a sip of his juice, grimacing as the tangy liquid collided grossly with the lingering taste of his mint toothpaste. He drove through it, though, and took another brave gulp.

"You know, Waliyha showed me pictures of you two on the internet. It's fairly obvious that you are a couple, and I have to say I'm a little disappointed in you, Zayn."

Juice spurted out of his throat, making him choke a little. Disappointed? What the fuck did that mean? Disappointed that he was with Louis? He coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"What?"

Patricia noticed her son's frantic confusion. She shook her head quickly.

"Oh, no. Not about Louis. I mean, I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me. I had to find out from Waliyha, who found out on Twitter."

Zayn's panic subsided, and he finished off his orange juice in one long swig before responding.

"Oh."

He could understand why his mother was upset. Patricia stared up at her son for a second.

"You don't have to tell me all the juicy details, Zayn, but I don't want you to leave out the big things. Why didn't you tell me?"