Fight Me ||Zayn Malik au

Chapter Twenty

Heather's POV

Trigger warning! I love you all and you are all so strong.

"Come on Heather!" Niall called, his hair still dark and his tiny thirteen-year-old body still holding some of the baby fat. Twelve-year-old Heather ran after the brunette boy and chased him around her father's gym. Mr. Lowes came out of the back room, looking younger and less worn than he does now because Heather hasn't gotten depressed yet, she hasn't driven him to this point yet.

"I'm gonna get you!" Little Heather called and Niall just ran around the boxing mats, putting a barrier between the two playmates and stuck his tongue out at her before big, rough hands were placed on his shoulders. Niall looked up in fear but it subsided when Mr. Lowes smiled sweetly at him.

"Niall, your mum is here and I have to speak with Heather." Niall nodded and ran over, enveloping Heather in the bone crushing hugs she still loved from him and bid them a goodbye before snatching his coat and bag and running out to greet his mother. Heather glanced up at her father, her big blue eyes worried because her father never needed to speak with her.

"Yes dad?" She asked and he just smiled before leading her back to the back room, his office and there with Curtis sat an older man, around thirty five she guessed and Heather felt her skin crawl at the smile he gave her. She crossed her arms over her chest, wishing she had worn more than short athletic shorts and a tank top but it was hot out and she and Niall had been sparring.

"Heather, Curtis, this is Simon Lux. He is an old friend from school and has agreed to be a partner in the gym." Curtis politely shook the man's hand and Heather's hand only shook a little before she grabbed his hand and shook it. He smiled at her again and this time she didn't miss the once over he gave her tiny body. She didn't like him at all.

Her dad didn't notice. "Simon will be joining us for dinner tonight." He announced with a clap and Heather squeaked in surprise, pulling a confused look from her father. She shrugged it off and Curtis left the room, followed by her father and then Simon with Heather last.

"Oh, I forgot my wallet." Simon said and Heather could see her father and brother talking and walking away. Simon turned and kept walking back into the office as if she wasn't behind him. Heather backed away quickly but soon Simon and the bookshelf in the office encased her.

He brought his face very close to hers, his lips just barely a millimeter away and he smiled one last time before pressing his lips against hers. Not her first kiss, Niall had taken that one day and had blushed for weeks after but Heather squeaked and pushed feebly at his chest. It was no use, she was too small. He bit her lip hard before taking a fist of her dark hair in his giant hands.

"Tell anyone about this, and I will burn your family to the ground. Dear old dad, sweet big brother, even your idiot friend. All of them will burn if you don't do as I say and keep your mouth shut." Heather whimpered and he released her hair. She fell to the ground and tried to catch her breath, her skinny frame shaking violently. One look into his eyes and she could see the murderous truth behind his words. He would kill them.

"See you around sweetheart."

"Heather... Heather!" I can feel someone shaking my shoulders and I am dimly aware of the fact that my body is shaking on its own account but I don't care I just want out of this nightmare. He's not just in the nightmare, he's in my room. He's shaking me I know it and I can't escape.

"Don't touch me! DAD!" I scream and shove at the hands that hold me but when lips are pressed to mine they aren't the harsh, chapped ones of Simon. Their soft, familiar and I remember that Simon can't be here. He can't hurt me anymore.

"Heather, it's me. It's Zayn. Please it's me." I pried my eyes open and Zayn was hovering over me, his body pinning mine to the bed and his hands wrapped around my wrists, eyes filled with worry. A sob rips itself from my mouth and Zayn is collecting me into his arms. The emotions wrack my body and it shakes in torture. It had felt so real, as if it was happening again just like it had the night in the gym and somehow this time I had held on to my consciousness. Although I wished I hadn't.

I had never explained to anyone what happened in the gym that night, especially not Zayn. My dad and brother were constantly asking but I just pushed off the question and now Zayn was staring down at me and I knew I couldn't avoid it for long.

"What happened?" He asked and I sighed, knowing that I owed him an explanation but I was scared to tell him. I don't want to think of myself as weak, I couldn't stop him and I couldn't keep it from poisoning my mind but I am strong now because I'm still here. Perhaps opening up would help me move past this. I am tired of this coming back into my life and having to deal with this on my own. I don't know what this thing is with Zayn but maybe we can at least be friends.

"It's kind of a long story," I start and Zayn just pulls me onto his lap so my legs are perpendicular to his. He strokes my matted hair and urges me to continue.

"I hope you won't judge me for this, I have kept it a secret for nearly seven years now and it's hard to change habits." I took a deep breath and continued.

"When I was thirteen one of my dad's old friends came to work at the gym. He was a partner my dad said and he gave me the creeps. His name was Simon. Every time I worked he would be in the gym, I only worked in the summer to help out but on the weekends during the school year he was always there. Simon, when I first met him, kissed me. I didn't want him to, I didn't want him to do anything but he told me not to try and stop him and not to tell anyone.

Every other day Simon would come into the gym and he would ask me to help him with something in the back rooms. When we would get there he- he would push me a lot." I felt like I couldn't catch my breath, like the walls were falling in on me and Zayn just held me and whispered soothing words to me. "He would force me to do... things to him and I never wanted to but when I refused he would press a lit cigarette to my skin. I have so many scars Zayn and I didn't want him to hurt my family. He said he would kill them." I was sobbing now, but I pushed through and told Zayn some of the more gruesome details of my three year torment. His teeth were grinding and his hands were in fists but he was comforting nonetheless.

"Then one day, police showed up and took him away. My dad was in tears saying that he had been caught doing what he did to me to another girl and he was so torn up about it. He went and visited him in prison and I couldn't ruin my dad's version of his best friend but I never told anyone because I was worried he would get out." I had dealt with this on my own for seven years and to say it all out loud felt like a huge weight was taken from my shoulders.

Zayn sat there for a long time, not saying anything just thinking, and his voice cracked when he spoke. "Are you a virgin?" He asked and I knew why, he was curious but didn't want to ask outright. I shook my head no and I heard him let out a strangled sob.

"I'm so sorry Heather," I went to shush him but he wouldn't have it. "I am not pitying you, I know you hate that but I just hate that you had to do this alone. You're much stronger than I was. Everything I went through I had my family with me." He buried his face into my neck and I felt relieved. I wanted to just sleep for years because finally this wasn't just my weight to carry.

Zayn snuggles me back under the covers and his breath tickled my neck. I shivered when he placed a kiss on there, sucking slightly and I let out a groan before sleep threatened to envelope me. Zayn kissed down my neck and bare shoulder as I drifted to sleep, less restless and more comfortable than I have been in a long time.

"You're safe now Heather, you're strong. You won't be alone. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."