Warrior

Chapter Thirty Six

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can we take a moment and appreciate zayns new haircut like jfc
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Liam

Waking up before Satey was unusual, so when I roused to see her still tucked into my side, I stared at her sleeping form. Her face was contorted into a frown, lips turned down and eyebrows furrowed, and I wondered what she was dreaming about. I traced soothing shapes into her skin lightly, hoping not to wake her but to send her into a more content sleep. She drew in a calm breath, releasing a small sigh that tickled my side but sent ecstatic tingles everywhere else. I had to pull myself away before I planted a kiss to every single inch of her body.

Reaching across her to her end table, I curled the keys to her car into my palm so I could get the bag I left in there. I took a lasting look at her, finally allowing my lips to press gently to her forehead, before slipping quietly out of the room.

I clicked the car unlocked before ducking inside to retrieve my stuff. It smelled like her, like home.

"How do you know Satey?"

The voice startled me and I jumped, smacking my head against the roof of her car. I cursed, groaning as I pressed my palm to my skull. When I looked up, leaning on the other side was a pretentious looking lad; light hair slicked back with too much gel atop an overly-tan face with too-blue eyes and a wide smile all resting above a collared shirt.

"You her brother or something?"

I slammed the door, wishing his head had been between the frames.

"Do I look like I could be her brother?" I wanted to sound as pompous as he looked.

"Dunno," he shrugged, "she's mentioned she had one, and I saw you come out of her place."

I raised an eyebrow, curling my fingers into a fist.

Punch him, punch him, punch him...

"How do you know Satey?" I asked through gritted teeth. Maybe I should have stayed in bed with her.

"Lived by her for the past couple of years," he explained as he came over to my side of her car, the last place I wanted him to be. "Tried to date her awhile back," he chuckled.

Punch him, punch him, punch him, punch him, punch him, punch him...

"Jeremiah," he introduced himself when I didn't say anything, sticking his hand out that I didn't shake.

"Liam Payne," I said curtly, attempting to set him on fire with my gaze, "I'm her boyfriend."

"Oh," Jeremiah's mouth dropped open, taking a step back and I watched him swallow thickly, not attempting to hide my pleased smirk. "The... The, um, the fighter?"

I nodded, and I almost wanted to laugh at his reaction. I plastered a sickeningly sarcastic smile on my face. "Now please get out of my way so I can make sweet love to my beautiful girlfriend on this lovely morning."

Jeremiah didn't look back as he scrambled to his car.

"Jackass," I mumbled to myself.

When I threw open the door to her flat, I was still grumbling. I tossed my bag carelessly to the floor and went into the kitchen to find something to make Satey. I didn't want to wake her up, nor did I know how to cook, so I settled on the generous gesture of toasting some Pop Tarts.

A small cough shook me from my scowling thoughts and then her arms were around me, face buried into my back as she hugged me tightly.

"G'morning," she breathed into my shirt.