Stupid Boy

Becky only had two thoughts as she walked out of the John F Kennedy Airport in New York. One was that New York was fucking cold. Her second thought was where was her boyfriend at? Her frown grew as she looked around, her eyes not finding Zayn anywhere. She stood on the concrete for a minute, her eyes not leaving the road coming in. Finally, she dug into the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out her phone. She quickly dialed Zayn’s number. He was breathless when he answered. “Leaving your girlfriend at the airport, Malik?” she snapped.

“No, I swear I’m on my way. There’s just a little bit of a problem,” he admitted.

“What kind of problem?”

“Paps. They’re everywhere, babe. I don’t-“

“I don’t care about them. Just get your ass here.”

She hung up, her trip to New York already feeling like a bad idea. When Zayn told her that the boys were going to be playing Madison Square Garden, he all but begged her to join them in New York. Becky knew she’d have to miss a lot of school if she were going to do that, so at first she didn’t agree, which ended up causing her and Zayn’s worst fight to date.

“You always ask me to give up things, you know that?” Becky snapped at Zayn as they stood in the middle of their room in their new home, yelling at each other. “It’s always Becky do this, Becky give up that, Becky come here. You know what, Zayn? My world doesn’t fucking revolve around you and everything you do.”

“I never asked it to!” He was actually yelling at her as he spoke now. “But this is a huge deal for us. Madison Square Garden, Becky. Do you get what that means?”

“Yeah, the New York Rangers play there all the time,” she huffed. “Big fucking deal.”

“Okay, I’ll act like I know what that is,” he rolled his eyes as he girlfriend spoke of what he was sure was some American sports team he didn’t care about. “This is a big fucking deal. We’ve sold out the best arena in the world. Why doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Have you ever stopped to think about how this makes me feel?” she asked, finally making his gaze soften. “You’re playing the best arena in the world, and here I am, doing nothing with my life.”

“Hey,” he frowned, stepping towards her. “I didn’t-“

“I know you didn’t,” she cut him off, putting her hand on his chest. “’S just hard for me,” she admitted, lowering her head. “Maybe you make me feel unaccomplished.”

“I never want to make you feel like that,” Zayn’s voice was so soft as he spoke that she almost didn’t hear.

“Well, you do.”

After their fight, things between Becky and Zayn were off. He felt bad whenever he spoke about what One Direction was doing, especially their new album. They both knew that’s not how relationships should work, and they got into a fight about that, too. It was all fights until she agreed to go see their show at MSG.

Finally, a black SUV pulled up in front of her and Zayn was in front of her in seconds, lifting her off her feet. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, tilting his head back to look at her. “For everything.”

“Me, too,” she smiled softly, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss.

The two got back into the SUV and were taken back to MSG. She widened her eyes at her boyfriend. “Come on, I want you to see it,” he grinned.

Becky was completely in awe of the arena the moment Zayn led her onto the stage. She looked around, seeing all the old Ranger great’s jerseys hanging in the rafters, the familiar circle ceiling. “Looks a lot different without ice,” she mused to herself, making Zayn laugh. “God, you guys sold this place out? I’m not even sure the Rangers do that.”

Zayn pulled her into his arm, kissing the top of her head. “I’m really proud of you,” she told him, honesty dripping from her voice as she turned on her heels to face him.

He just smiled and kissed her.

Becky watched the show from the crowd that night, wanting to take the show in just like everyone else was. She wasn’t sure where Eleanor and Danielle had gone off to, but she was perfectly content watching her boyfriend from the audience. She always loved the way the boys acted on stage: just like little kids.

Once the show was over, Becky made her way backstage again. She congratulated all the boys on a great show before Zayn had her in his arms, kissing her. “I’m sorry I made a big deal out of this,” she mused, tracing his lip with her finger. “I just…”

“I just wanted to share this with you,” he said softly, “and I’m happy I got to.”

It was nearly morning when everyone stumbled back into the hotel and to their respective rooms. Becky fell onto the bed, Zayn landing right on top of her. He lifted himself onto his forearms, looking down at her. “Thank you for coming,” he said softly. “I just wish you could stay until we go home.”

“School calls,” she frowned.

********

Becky had been back in London for a few days before the boys finally got back, but she knew Zayn would only be home briefly before he had to go to LA for a performance on the X Factor. The night he got back, they were cuddled up on the couch, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Becky’s favorite movie. “These are my favorite moments, you know,” Becky said, her voice quiet. Her fingers were playing with Zayn’s hair.

“What moments?”

“These ones. The ones where it’s just us. I share you with the world so much it’s just nice to have moments like this.”

He smiled, leaning over to kiss her lips. “I wish we got more of these.”

“I kinda love you, you know that?”

He couldn’t help but let a chuckled fall from his lips. “I kinda love you, too.”

If you would have told Becky a year and a half ago that she’d be living in the same home as Zayn, dating him again, she probably would have said you were crazy. But here she was nonetheless, sharing a home with the guy she’d loved since she was 16. “Would you change anything?” she found herself asking Zayn.

He seemed to think for a moment, his thumb rubbing circles on her hip. “No, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m sorry for how we got here, but I’m happy we did.”

Happiness was never a guarantee in anything, but Becky knew, sitting on that couch with Zayn, that happiness was hers.