A Little Secret

I was sitting on my terrace when a figure of a blonde guy approached me and greeted, "Bonjour Mademoiselle Beauvais!"

My eyes went wide and I instantly ran up to him. I gave him the biggest hug and said, "Niall! I am very glad you're here! How did you find my house? I thought I'm picking you up at the airport tomorrow!"

"Well, I decided to give my french friend a surprise! Besides the taxi driver was really helpful. Speaking of french friend, it reminds me of french fries and having some sounds good!"

I laughed and took him inside my house and headed to the kitchen. My parents were out at the moment so it was just the two of us. Ever since I left England 3 months ago I changed my number and stopped keeping in touch with everyone except Niall. All the boys were trying very hard to get me back to England when I knew I couldn't go back and see Zayn. Niall was the only one who I kept in touch with since he didn't try to persuade me to go back to England and he sticked around just to be my friend.

"So, Niall! Tell me. How's life?" I asked as I pour fresh orange juice to a glass and handed it to him.

"We got so many upcoming tours, our band got bigger and bigger, more girls like me, so life has been good! At least for me."

"For you? How about the others?"

"Claire, don't act innocent. You know Zayn was as close as being a zombie when you left unexpectedly. You suddenly broke up with him and went back to Paris! You know he loves you. I never see him loving anyone as much as when he was with you."

I sighed and looked down at the kitchen table. If only Niall knew that it was all fake. Damn, Zayn was such a good actor, faking up everything.

Niall looked at me and said, "Claire, it was all fake right? He was making you to be his fake girlfriend, right?"

I shot up to him and didn't believe what I heard. He knew?

"Claire, we knew. We all knew. Since the day you guys decided to be a 'couple' we knew. Zayn told us his plan. We basically laughed when he told us because besides trying to convince the media, he was also trying to get a benefit out of it."

"How...?"

"By dating you, duh! The lad fancies you a lot."

I looked at Niall and my level of disbelief rapidly increased. Niall continued eating the snacks I gave him and my mind went somewhere else. If Zayn did like me how come he didn't say anything? Why didn't he just ask me to be his real girlfriend? Maybe it was the commitment...?

"Anyway, it was rather to be a surprise but I couldn't keep this any longer. Zayn is coming to Paris. The boys found out I kept in touch with you."

"What? How did they find out?"

"We were texting and when your text got in I was in the bathroom. Louis was curious from who that text was coming from and he opened and saw your name was on it so yeah."

"How was their reaction?"

"Most of them yelled at me because I, indirectly, let Zayn turned into a zombie. However Zayn didn't say anything when Louis told him. He became even more of a quiet person when you left."

Guilt suddenly rushed in my veins. I didn't know I have created such affections to him. I thought I was nothing to him but hearing this now, guilt and a slight of happiness, knowing I actually meant something more to him, was filling my heart.

I looked at Niall and asked, "When is he coming?"

"I think his flight should arrived in Paris in just a couple of hours."

"What??"

"Sorry, Claire! I gotta make some redemptions to the lad!"

"Does he know where I live?"

"No but I told him I'd pick him up and get a cab and then bring him here..."

I sighed and stared at the kitchen table again. I have somehow hurt him. Well he did the same thing to me by sleeping with other girls and whatever but I wasn't his girlfriend so it wasn't completely his fault.

Out of the blues I knew what I had to do, "Niall, you don't have to do that. I'll come pick him up by myself."

Niall smiled at my idea and I knew it was the right thing to do. I ended up talking with Niall for hours until the clock hits 7.00 P.M. and it was time for me to pick Zayn from the airport.

I got into my car and Niall wanted to come with me but I told him just to stay at home because he must be tired from all his busy schedules these days and the flight.

Both nervous and excitement rushed through my veins as I drove my way to the airport. Just a few kilometers and I'd be seeing Zayn after 3 months. I felt my phone vibrated over and over again. I took my phone from my bag with my right hand and kept my left hand on the steering wheel.

I looked at the numbers and saw a familiar number, "Allo?"

"Claire? It's Zayn."

My heart stop beating for a few milliseconds and I nearly crashed a car. Damn. I managed to answer, "Hi Zayn."

"Hi. Claire, where are you? I know this is mad but I'm in Paris. I need to see you. Why did you just suddenly disappear? There's something I need to tell you. I-"

Before he finished what he needed to say, I saw a bright light in front of my car and heard sounds of crashes. Then everything went black.

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Zayn's P.O.V

It has been 11 months since the accident happened. I brought her back to London to make sure she was handled by the best doctors. Not that the hospitals in Paris weren't great, it's just that I felt better if she was closer to me as well.

If only I didn't call her at that particular time. She would still fucking be here and smile like she always do. I couldn't sing, eat or anything without ended up thinking about her. She has been laying on the hospital's bed for 11 months and there were never any improvements or good news for me.

I would stare at my phone like a daft bloke for minutes hoping the hospital would call and tell me she wakes up. But that never happened and I was still waiting for that day to come.

Louis and Liam kept telling me to stop blaming myself but I couldn't. Niall felt even more guilty for not coming with her because if he did he might have done something in the car to prevent it. Harry kept telling me that whatever that was going to happen, there were reasons for it. But I'd like to have her back here. I haven't got the chance to say how much I have fallen for her.

I was sitting in the dressing room after a show and Louis suddenly stormed inside, "Zayn! Your phone has been ringing! It could have been from the hospital!"

I quickly ran outside to search for my phone like a mad man. Once I found my phone I answered the call as fast as I could, "Good evening. May I speak to Mr. Malik? This is from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital."

"Yes it's me. Is everything okay? Is she awake?"

"Sir, I'm afraid you have to visit the hospital as soon as you can."

I didn't know what this was all about but I didn't have a good feeling about this. I managed to keep my mind away from the bad thoughts that might not even happened. I stormed off the concert's venue and went to the hospital.

As I reached the hall of Claire's room, I saw her mother was crying really hard and her father held her in his arms. This. Couldn't. Be.

I slowly approached and greeted them politely. They looked up to me and Mrs. Beauvais' said, "Claire is no longer here."

Once those words reached my ears, I lost everything. My body dropped onto the floors. I pulled my legs and covered my face. I couldn't remember the last time I cried that hard.

The three of us broke down for minutes until we decided to get up and set up for the funeral. Her parents wanted her last place to be in Paris so they set up everything in Paris and I got my ticket to Paris.

Witnessing the whole process of her being buried was the hardest I have ever been through. When all funeral attendances decided to leave, I stayed. I kept staring at her last resting place. I kneeled down and said, "I know I didn't get the chance to say this but I love you and I wish, I had the opportunity to say it."

A hand held my shoulder. I saw Louis, Harry, Niall and Liam were there. I stood up and we all left the cemetery.

"Don't worry, Zayn. She knows you love her," said Niall as we went inside the car. I simply nodded and wished I could say those words by myself and hear her say those words back to me.