Dirty Laundry

I had to admit that I was a bit nervous about meeting Zayn at Madison Square Gardens that day, but I didn’t have a clue as to why. I knew how to handle my clients – Elle had taught me that – and as long as I could keep everything under control, the meeting would go exactly as I planned. If you could really call it a meeting, that is.

Zayn spotted me the second I walked into the park, standing up from the bench he had been sitting at to smile and greet me. He wore a basic black t-shirt which probably cost more than a month of my rent, and a pair of jeans which probably cost twice that. There was something about him that made him blend in with the rest of the world, even though he was far different from everyone else.

“How was your day?” Zayn asked as he greeted me, motioning with his hand for me to begin following him down the path. Our feet matched tempo easily, and I watched as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“It was good. How was yours?”

I wondered if he had spent the day thinking about his girlfriend and when he would go back to her again, or if he spent it thinking about me.

“It was lovely,” he said, smiling over at me before looking back at the ground. “I slept in for the first time in what feels like forever and didn’t get a single call from work. It was nice to just escape for a while.”

Was that what this was about for him? Did he need an escape? It was the classic symptom of a cheating man, and it was just one other thing to add to Zayn’s risk list.

“That sounds nice,” I said, nodding my head and smiling back at me. I then lowered the bait, hoping he’d take a bite. “Must’ve been lonely, though.”

Zayn chuckled a bit, nodding his head easily. “You’d think, wouldn’t you? ‘Cept I’m used to waking up next to my girlfriend, and she, uh – she gets to be a little much sometimes.”

“How’s that?” I pried, and I was careful to keep my voice as innocent as possible. “I mean, you must love her.”

“Oh, um, I do – ” Zayn paused as he ran his hands through his hair. “At least I think I do.” Another pause while his eyes shifted to his feet. “Can I tell you something, Mia?”

I nodded my head quickly, batting my eyelashes at him. “Of course. You can tell me anything.”

“This may sound a little weird but – uh – I’ve never been with anyone but Marissa.”

My jaw must have dropped at that moment because what the fuck. I honestly couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Unless Zayn was just lying his ass off, my case was pretty much closed, because a guy who had only slept with one girl didn’t usually have cheating on his radar until his wedding night. Zayn must have noticed the look on my face, because he chuckled at me.

“I told you it was weird.”

“It’s not weird,” I quickly interrupted, shaking my head. “It’s kind of sweet, actually.”

“Sweet, ehm, yeah.” Zayn cleared his throat while he ran a hand through his hair again. “I know that’s probably not what you picture when you look at me, and trust me, it’s not the persona I’m going for. If people knew that – it’s just that sometimes I wonder if Marissa’s really what I want. She’s definitely the worst that’s ever happened to me, but it’s just that I don’t really have anything else to compare it to.”

“I get that,” I said softly, nodding my head. “How are you supposed to know what you’re missing if you don’t know what else is out there?”

Zayn smiled at me, a slight blush forming on his cheek, while he nodded his head. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you, I guess. You look like everything that I’ve been missing.”

Elle had told me countless times not to take anything these boys said to heart. That was practically at the top of our rule book. Always have the upper hand and never let them get in your head. But, I couldn’t stop Zayn’s words from making my heart jump. It was an involuntary reaction that caused the blush to creep to my cheeks and my head to lower in an embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” Zayn said, a small chuckle letting out with his words. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

I shook my head quickly and pursed my lips as I looked up at him. “No, it was sweet. I, um – thank you.”

“No problem.” Zayn smiled back at me, his lips turning up in a way that almost made it a smirk.

I had a million thoughts running through my head, and I knew I needed to consult with Elle on where to take this case. Zayn wanted a way out – that was obvious – and I could give it to him. It would be all I needed to get the evidence to give to Marissa and get my payday, but it almost felt like the playing field wasn’t fair on this one.

Was Zayn a natural cheater? Maybe not, but even the most well trained dog will leave his owner when the neighbor waves a nice, juicy steak in his face. And at that point, I felt like I was willing to do anything to get Zayn in my yard.