Fan Service

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Zayn woke up in a haze and for a moment forgot where he was. The soft sheets felt oddly familiar to the ones he grew up with back in London. It smelled of lilacs and freshly cut grass, a combination that immediately reminded him of his mother's bruised hands plucking weeds from the ground. The memory of her chasing him around the yard with a handful of dirt made him smile.

She truly was taken away all too soon.

He reached over to feel for the comforting body of Kelly but only empty sheets greeted him. Dammit, she was gone again. The neon light of the clock on the tv stand revealed that it wasn't even 7 am yet. Groggily, he turned over and disconnected his phone from its charger. A smiling photo of the two of them at the Stirling Castle in Scotland gave him his second smile of the day. These kinds of things were important to him, maintaining the whimsy and simplicity of life. Clean sheets, happy photos...hot cups of coffee. The smell wafted into the room and his heart clenched with joy. 

She didn't leave him.

Lately, these kinds of thoughts haunted him-- rustling trees sounded eerily like her stuffing clothes in a suitcase and leaky faucets sounded like her light footsteps leading her to her escape. But he knew he was silly for thinking these things. He knew she loved him, she had sacrificed everything two years ago to come to London and now it was his turn to be in her country. Leaving home was hard but love made the move easier. In all honesty, she could ask him to join her in the fiery pits of hell and he'd happily go with a smile on his face and her hand in his. 

"Want some coffee," a strange voice shouted from downstairs. Zayn pitched up and immediately gripped the baseball bat that was stationed next to the bed. It has always been his weapon of choice. An ardent opposer of guns, Zayn believed that raw brute force was always a better alternative than turning to deadly machines. 

"Don't freak out," the voice continued, "its just me, Amber."

Amber, Kelly's cousin that lived four states away in Colorado. What the hell was she doing in the house? He quickly checked his phone to see if he had missed any messaged from his fiance about her cousin coming into town and staying with them, but there was nothing from her announcing this strange arrival.

"Hey Amber," he managed to mutter while jumping into some pajama pants and attempting to conceal his morning wood, "coming down now!" He scuttled down the stairs hoping to see both Kelly and Amber and did very little to hide his grimace as the image of Amber holding a cup of Joe close to her chin. It was no secret that he didn't like Amber. She was everything he hated most about her cousin-- deceptive, manipulative, and most of all aware of her beauty.

Amber's kinky curls defied gravity and demanded everyone's attention. She had light hazel eyes, a key trait that basically paved a life of compliments and envy from those around her. Her slim thick figure enticed even the holiest of men-- well, except for Zayn. Perhaps when he was younger he would have fallen for her witty chamrs, quip remarks and sly grazes to his arm but he knew the kind of game she played all too well, mostly because she tried to teach it to Kelly. How could he ever forget June 14th, 2015 when he wanted to surprise Kelly with a proposal during her girl's trip in Las Vegas only to find her engaged in a foursome coordinated by none other than Amber the Awful. Truly this girl had the mastermind needed to deceive James Bond himself.

"Want a sip?" She asked, leaning her own cup towards him. 

"No thanks."

"C'mon, you need it to be honest. You're being unreasonable. I know you can't survive with your morning dose of life in a mug." A smirk made its way onto her face signaling the end of his patience with her.

"Why are you here?" he roughly asked. She placed the mug down and leaned over the table, her cleavage threatening to spill out of her halter top. "Where? In LA?" she giggled.

"No, in my house."

"Kelly invited me."

"She didn't tell me anything."

"Secrets keep a relationship fun," Amber whispered while drawing imaginary circles on the granite countertop. "It was spur of the moment, I needed a place to crash and kind of put it all on Kelly just as she was about to step out." 

He always hated the way Kelly just decided things that affected the two of them without even asking him if he was okay with it. But leave it up to her and her heart of gold to help any and everyone in their time of need. His chest felt warm just thinking about her and that heat rushed to his cheeks. Amber tried to make a remark about making him blush but he quickly cut her off. Amber was Kelly's best friend, unfortunately, and he knew she came along with the package. Surely there could be some kind of way to reconcile with this beast of a woman.

Just as he was about to offer some kind words Amber's phone flashed, showing a message from Kelly. "Where exactly is she, you said it earlier but I didnt catch it?" He probed. Amber indeed didn't mention the specific location of her cousin but her hesitation in answering stroke Zayn as odd.
Suspicious.

"Show me the message." He demanded.
"Its a photo and watch yourself, I'm not Kelly. I'll square up."
"I'm not kidding."
"Neither am I."

And with that his mood shifted from defensive to disheartened. He slumped his shoulders and rested his forearms on the countertop to support himself. After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling and cursing under his breath he aggressively shook his head then looked Amber square in the eyes and asked, "Is Kelly cheating on me?"
"Yes."