clarity // zayn malik fanfiction

[ one ]

Dedicated to buttercxpniall for voting!

Okay, let's face it... I suck at updating, but I think I've got most of my shit together. I've written and edited up to chapter 4 and have a fair idea of where this is going, so I'll be updating maybe once a week.

- Polly aka Terrible Updater

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[ Present Day ]

I woke abruptly, looking around at the unfamiliar room. My head was pounding with a killer headache, bringing up only one question - what the hell happened last night? I could feel that under the covers I was wearing absolutely no clothes, which drew me to my conclusion. I had definitely participated in a one night stand and I was now in a stranger's house. Oh god... What would Aiden say about this? I buried my face onto the pillow my head rested on. My head echoed with the impact of every movement I made, my brain feeling very detached as I was overcome by a small urge to throw up. Trying not to move too quickly, I sat up and prayed that I wouldn't suddenly spew my guts out.

I looked around and realised the person who owned the bed I was lying in was unaccounted for. The other side of the double bed was cold, like the occupant had been up for a while. I sat up, trying to run a hand through my tangled hair. I brushed a blonde strand out of my face as a young man, who was probably in his early twenties, walked in.

"Oh good, you're up," he said. He had black hair and what I could see of his arms was adorned with black tattoos. The way he stood was similar to the way Aiden used to - he radiated some sort of power and a slight aura of danger was everywhere. His features were a little worn and all sharp angles. His eyelashes were long and framed his dark eyes. Those eyes were different to those I'd seen for a long time. Those eyes knew something, and I was curious as to what it was.

"You're not going to freak out or anything, are you?" I wrapped a sheet around me as I got up. I stood dizzily as my head protested against any movements.

"Maybe a little," I said honestly, "Last night really wasn't a good time for having sex with a total stranger!" He raised an eyebrow. Small snatches of last night flickered through my head as I wandered around the room. A smouldering kiss, another shot of vodka. I gathered my clothes, ignoring the light dizziness in my head. I am never drinking more than two shots again!

"Do you have my bag?" I asked him, "It's brown, with a Michael Kors tag on it - you can't miss it,"

"Give us a minute," he left the room. When he left, I took the opportunity to look around. There were several maps of London pinned to the wall in the corner by his desk. Sheets of paper were scattered on top of the desk, along with various bits of rubbish. On the other side of the room, there was a door. I turned around when he walked across the room and handed me my precious bag. What was in that room? Probably nothing.

"Thanks..." I trailed off. I had no clue what his name was.

"Zayn," He smiled. "No problem Olivia," He left the room, probably leaving me to change. I looked around the room, spending eternity searching for my dress and underwear. Someone had some wild sex last night; Mia is going to want to know everything.

I folded up my clothes and placed them neatly next to my bag. I pulled out a neatly folded daisy print shirt, black shorts and black flats that were stashed at the bottom of my bag. That's where those shoes were?! You idiot!

I got changed quickly and pulled out my neon pink hairbrush and wet wipes. Time to tame what they call my hair and face. Joy!

"Holy shit!" I looked in the mirror. Laughter came from behind me, making me jump. I saw Zayn in the corner of the mirror.

"Oh my god! Would you not do that?!" I exclaimed.

"What, laugh at you?" He grinned. I winced as I yanked the hairbrush through my hair. After what seemed like hours of arguing and snide remarks, I finally felt as though I could be accepted as a human being; my hair was still a bit of an unruly mess and I didn't have much makeup on, but I looked decent enough. I cleaned my teeth quickly, getting rid of the stench alcohol left in my mouth.

"Right, I'm going to leave before I have to endure any more of your childish remarks," I told him.

"I'm not letting you go without a good proper breakfast, come on!"

"I am not the type for awkward mornings after," I complained.

"Who said it had to be awkward?" he grinned at me and jogged down the stairs.

I ran after him, uneager to be left alone in this unfamiliar house.

The room I followed him into was white and cluttered with various kitchen items. Another guy about my age stood by a table and was putting bacon onto plates and nicking bits of hash browns from one of the plates.

"Niall, mate, stop eating all the food!" Niall laughed and shoved a hash brown into his already full mouth. I sniggered as Zayn shoved him away from the food and started dishing it up.

"So this is who was keeping me up last night?" Niall teased as I collapsed into a chair. I buried my face in my hands and groaned dramatically.

"Oh my god! This is why I didn't want to stay." My voice was muffled by the hard wooden surface of the table.

"You think this is bad?" asked Zayn, "Wait until he's drunk, he never shuts up!" As Niall sat down, I noticed his ears were tinged slightly pink.

"Mate, stop bringing up that incident! It only happened once!"

"Once? More like all the time!" A new voice joined the conversation. The speaker had slicked back brown hair and looked slightly older than the other boys. Despite looking older, his eyes shone with a childish demeanour that their eyes didn't have.

"Jesus, don't creep up on me like that!" Zayn had his hand over his chest dramatically.

"Actually, it's just me," said the newcomer. "Although I've been told the resemblance is startling."

"Louis, that joke never gets old for you does it? But seriously, stop it!" Niall scowled at Louis and Zayn until his eyes glanced upon the food that Zayn had put on his plate. He delved into his food immediately and the rest of us soon followed - there's nothing like a good English breakfast when you don't feel that good.

When we finished eating, Louis shoved all the bare plates into an old dishwasher that was stationed next to a slightly newer oven. I ran a hand through a patch of matted hair that I found near the back of my neck, trying to untangle it. I cleared my throat and reached for my bag.

"Well I guess that's me off then!" I smiled at them, "Thanks for the breakfast!" I headed straight for the door, tripping over a random Nike Blazer on the floor on the way out.