Ladies First (Zayn Malik) Book 4

Chapter 42

I step off the plane, blinking a few times as my eyes adjust to the light in the airport. I smile and wave at a few fans that had spotted me as security leads me quickly through. Once we got my luggage and through customs, my eyes scan the crowd until I finally find him. Well… more like I found his security. A grin splits my face and I push ahead of my guards and he steps through his as I throw my arms around him.

“I missed you,” I say quietly, my face pressed into his chest.

“I missed you too” he chuckles, his arms tight around my waist. “Ready to go?” he asks, releasing me and taking my hand and suitcase. I feel a rush of nervous excitement as I nod my head.

“What if they don’t like me,” I ask as we get into the car.

“How could they not?” he asks with an easy smile, lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to my fingers. I smile, leaning against him and kicking my feet up onto the seat. “Besides” he adds a moment later. “You don’t have to worry about that till tomorrow. Tonight you’re all mine.”  I smile, nodding my head. I liked the sound of that.

We stop by his apartment and drop off my suitcase before he whisks me away to dinner. The place is a lot nicer than I’d expected which is a pleasant surprise. It’s all lit up for the holidays and Christmas music was playing throughout. 

“Let’s go for a walk. We can see the lights,” he says softly as we finish dinner and slide out of the booth. I smile and nod my head, slipping my mittened hand into his.  The lights are breathtaking. I can’t help but to admire them, my eyes widened in wonderment as we walk the streets, looking at all the colors. This was why Christmastime was my favorite time of the year.

“Wow” I breathe, Zayn’s arm around my shoulders as I lean into him for warmth. We’d paused in Trafalgar Square to see the tree and it was incredible. He nods silently as I stare up at the tree’s brilliance.

“I got you something,” he says after a moment, his hand slipping from my shoulders as he fumbles for something in his pocket. I freeze uncertainly as he pulls out a little black box.

“Zayn…” I trail off hesitantly. I really hoped that wasn’t what I thought it was. He chuckles, obviously reading my mind.

“It’s not what you think” he assures me opening the box. I gasp, my fingers automatically going to the box, fingering the pendant.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, grazing the sparkling wings. He smiles, a touch of relief in his eyes.

“Here let me,” he says, taking it out of the box. I spin around, pulling my hair to the side as he clasps the necklace around my neck. I turn back around to face him, gently touching the butterfly pendant.

“I saw it and thought of you” he smiles, his hand reaching down my arm to the tattoo on my wrist.

“It’s beautiful,” I say sincerely.

“Happy 6 month anniversary” he says with a smile. My eyes widen in shock and I forget to breathe. Did I really forget our anniversary?

“Wait no it’s not,” I say shaking my head, a feeling of relief slipping through me. “It’s December 20th. You asked me to be your girlfriend on July 4th. Our sixth month isn’t for another two weeks.” He grins, his eyes full of amusement.

“It’s six months today from the day I flew across the globe for 6 hours to take you to IHOP and Walmart. It’s the anniversary of our first date.” My heart is pounding in my chest as he looks down at me and I’m speechless. “I love you,” he says, his eyes reflecting his sincerity.