"Aww, lad!" Niall cried as he pulled Zayn in for a hug, letting Zayn wet his sweater. "Shhh" he tamed. Zayn was crying into Niall as hard as he had since Perrie's funeral a week before.
Flashback
It was raining, of course. Just like it does in the movies when somebody dies. Zayn was there by himself; the boys were invited, but he had asked them to stay home. They did so out of respect and personally sent their regards to the Edwards family. Zayn had asked them not to come for two reasons; so he could cry about Perrie undistrubed and uncomforted, and so he could talk to her parents.
"Good afternoon, Zayn" Mr. Edwards said shaking his hands.
"Oh, darling! Why are we behaving formally?" said Mrs. Edwards as she swooped between her husband and Zayn and nearly crushed Zayn in a warm hug. She rocked him back and forth several times, rubbing his back and whispering to him. They consoled one another very well; Mrs. Edwards was easy to talk to and Zayn was a good listener. Zayn wiped his eyes, feeling a strong cry coming on as they sat down on a granite bench next to each other. Ever since Zayn had started dating Perrie, Mrs. Edwards had become like a second mom to him.
"I miss her so much" Zayn said.
"I know. So do I" Mrs. Edwards said as she took Zayn's hands in hers.
"I...I loved her, you know" Zayn said bravely. He had never told anyone but Perrie that he loved her.
"Oh, she loved you, too" Mrs. Edwards responded knowingly, nodding her head.
"I loved her so much that I...I...I bought her a ring...a promise ring..."he trailed off as he teared up again.
Mrs. Edwards eyes widened. "Oh, Zayn..." she gasped. It wasn't a suitable time for words. She leaned in and hugged him as tight as she could.
Zayn just sat there in her arms, crying and hiccupping like crazy. Is this what it feels like to lose a loved one, he thought to himself.
"She loved you, too. So much, Zayn. So much."
Normal
Niall continued quieting Zayn and rocking him back and forth. The other guys watched from a distance. Niall gave the best hugs and, next to Louis, was the best at consoling the guys.
"I bought her...a...a r...r...ring" Zayn cried desperately. Niall saw Louis and Harry exchange surprised glances over Zayn's shoulder.
"It's all right, mate."
"I just don't know if I'll ever be able to move on" Zayn cried.
"You will. She knows how much you love her, and it will never disappear. She's watching you, mate, up there right this very second. She'll never doubt the love you have for her, and she expects you to move on. It's the best thing for the both of you" Niall said, patting Zayn's back as he pulled away from the hug, smiling.
Zayn wiped his nose on his sleeve. "You're right, mate" he agreed.
"All right. You ready now, lads?" Niall asked the boys.
"Yep" they all agreed as they headed out the gym door to meet Simon for their one-on-one assignments.
"All right, boys" Simon started, apparently oblivious to Zayn's puffy, wet eyes. "Let's start with you, Liam. Each of you has one boy and one girl, so Liam you have a 15-year-old girl named Sarah Gehemon and a 17-year-old boy named Steve Costner. Louis, you have a 16-year-old girl named Marley McHenrie and a 14-year-old boy named Xander Sorenson. Harry, you have an 18-year-old girl named Kiyomi Inez-Yung and an 13-year-old boy named Jeff Dugans. Niall, you have a 16-year-old girl named Kirana Foehrman and an 18-year-old boy named Victor Estavez. And Zayn, you have an 18-year-old girl named Vivian Vasquez and a 17-year-old boy named Dick Tolkien. Get to work! You have twenty-five minutes with each boy or girl" Simon said, pointing them to a small white building horizontally across from the gym. Inside the building were a few rooms, each room having a sign with one of the boys' names taped on the door. Each boy found their designated room and entered.
