Take Me Home

I was starting to show. It seemed that the bigger I became, the busier Zayn was.

At least I had Kayla and John, both extremely supportive. They took turns accompanying me to doctors appointments and being patient with my mood swings… Well at least John was.

“Shut up, Diana!”

“You shut up!” I screamed back at Kayla. She had upset me by constantly banging the spoon against the bowl that contained her cereal and I upset her as well by taking away the spoon.

"What a crap comeback. How old are you, five?"

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and slammed the spoon onto the table. "Who eats cereal in the middle of the day anyway?"

"Are you really making comments on my eating choice?" She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes dropping to my extraordinary plate.

I swiftly grabbed it and threw away the scraps into the rubbish bin before storming out of the kitchen and flopped on the couch. I could hear Kayla angrily chewing, purposely hitting the spoon against the bowl out of spite. I groaned loud and dramatic enough for her to acknowledge my obvious frustration. As she continued to be a bugger, I turned on the telly and raised the volume to the highest it possibly could, not bothering what was actually on.

I looked down at my phone and noticed three missed calls from Zayn. I bit my lip, possibly going mad thinking about the worst situation I could be in.

I called back and listened to a rather hysterical voice on the other line, bombarding me with questions before I could even take a breath. I laughed to myself, realising how alike we both were when it came to worrying too much.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” I assured, but of course that was never enough.

“Is the baby--”

“Zayn, the baby is fine, everything is fine, I was just in a bit of a war with Kayla that I hadn’t realised you called.” I could hear him let out a sigh of relief. “You worry too much.” I teased.

“I learned from the best, what can I say?”

“Now is there a reason you called earlier?”

“Yeah, just wanted to apologise again for cancelling our dinner date last night… and the night before that.”

“It’s okay,” I couldn’t blame him for being busy, it came with the fame. However, the frustration I had every time he cancelled a plan of ours refused to subside. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, babe. Wanna go to the Ivy tonight? I promise I won’t cancel this one.”

I shuttered. Ever since the media found out about Zayn becoming a father, loads of negative comments, from fans to the paparazzi, came about. We already prepared for the worst ahead of time, but the comments were just awful. Slowly but surely, more positive responses were surfacing, not yet outweighing the bad. I was ready to question him on choosing to go out when he would always prefer staying home, but he continued.

“I know we usually stay at my house, but I thought you’d fancy a different scenery.”

“You know as long as I’m with you I don’t care where I am.”

I could hear the smile spreading on his face as he replied, “I feel the same way. And don’t you worry, Dee, we are going to be in the most private room where no one can ruin our night.”

“I trust you.”

“And wear that pretty royal blue dress of yours, yeah?”

I groaned. I would have to shave my bloody legs, and to add insult to injury, it was getting rather hard to bend for too long without feeling some discomfort. However, the way Zayn told me already had me on my way to fish out the dress from the closet.

“I’ll come round at six.”

I looked at the time as I said goodbye. Knowing how long it would take to shave, I headed towards the shower.

*

“How the fuck am I supposed to fit in this dress?!” I held up the skin tight dress against my body and frowned at Kayla.

She took the dress from me and set it down on my bed. “Let’s see how it fits before we get into hysterics, yeah?” She placed assuring hands on my shoulders. “You are only five months, babe, and you don’t look big at all.”

I forced the corners of my lips up, trying my best to believe her lies. She helped me get into the dress, constantly repeating “come on” when the dress suddenly tightened as it went over my belly.

“Can you breathe?” Kayla asked when she finished, struggling to hold back her laughter.

“Not really,” I placed my hands on my stomach and shrugged. "But what else is new when putting on dresses like this?”

I checked myself out in the full length mirror and craned my neck as I turned to look at my back. “Shit, I forgot there was a zipper.”

Kayla grabbed and held down the back of the dress whilst pulling the zipper up with her other hand. She could only get a couple millimeters worth of the zipper up, and with a huff she stopped to think.

“This doesn’t look good.”

“Not to worry,” She dashed out of the room and returned with a black cardigan. “Put this on and no one will see a thing.” She stated with a grin.

It was the evening and Zayn left a text message to inform me that he was outside waiting for me to come out.

“Have fun,” Kayla gave me a hug and pointed a stern finger towards me before I headed for the door. “And no pepsi!”

I went round the corner and Zayn was outside like he had said, holding the back door open for me with the biggest smile on his face. His long frame was covered in black shiny shoes, black pants, a white undershirt, a royal blue tie, and a royal blue handkerchief in the front pocket of his black blazer. He looked breathtaking, although I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt as if we were going to a school formal being that we matched.

“Diana, you look stunning.” He told me in my ear.

“Oh come on, have you seen yourself lately?” I responded and kissed his soft lips. They were warm although the night was cool. I couldn't resist nipping at his bottom lip, one of his favourites, receiving a low groan as he grabbed a handful of my bum. I jumped back and immediately looked around, not wanting anyone to notice. I composed myself and quickly climbed into the back of the SUV.

*

Arriving in front of the Ivy, Zayn tried to conceal his obvious irritation when he saw a crowd of paparazzi waiting for him.

“Don’t let go of my hand.” He told me before he got out of the car.

As soon as the door opened, bright flashes illuminated us and yelling soon followed. A couple of fans were in between the paparazzi begging for his attention. Zayn stopped and smiled at the girls, agreeing to take a picture with them.

My vision was being invaded by spots, reminding me of Zayn’s advice I clearly didn't listen to.

”Always keep your eyes on the ground, that’s how you avoid getting those spots in your eyes.”

“But how will I be able to see where I’m going?”

“You have me to guide you.”

“Aren’t you also looking at the floor?”

“Dammit, Dee, why do you always have to make shit so difficult?”

Suddenly dozens of girls came rushing and screaming, surrounding Zayn, causing me to let go of his hand. One of the paparazzi lost his balance and fell back, elbowing my stomach in the process. I couldn’t help but gasp and place my hands over my belly, the force shocking me.

In the midst of the shouting and screaming teenage girls, I could hear Zayn angrily yelling. “Don’t you see she is carrying my child you bloody idiot? Be careful and watch where you’re fucking going!”

I placed a hand on his shoulder for him to face me. “Zayn, it was an accident. I’m alright.” Although my voice was calm, inside I was in a panic. He grabbed my hand and rushed through the entrance.

A blast of heat hit my face as I followed Zayn into the restaurant. I looked down at his hand, still holding mine tightly until we were seated at our private room.

I could hear the clicking of cameras but couldn’t find the sources. “People are really good at being sneaky, huh.”

Zayn continued to angrily mumble to himself, pulling out his phone from his coat pocket and placing it on the table. The room had dim lighting and there was a candle in between us, enhancing his facial structures. As I stared at his cheekbones, I couldn’t help but agree with Harry’s constant compliments on them.

I shook my head, reaching for his hand. “I’m okay, babe, really.”

He looked up at me and held my hand with a sigh. “I told you not to let go of my hand.”

I was ready to defend myself, but didn’t want his anger to resurface. Instead I reached over the table and gave him a peck on the cheek.

As I sat back on my chair, I grabbed the menu. I reviewed the selection and shifted my gaze to Zayn who was looking at his watch. “What are you thinking about ordering?”

“All I can think about is mum’s spaghetti bolognese. I’ve been craving it for weeks now.”

“I could go for two biscuits,” I closed my eyes and moaned. "And in between them would be bacon and eggs.”

When I opened them, he was watching me with his eyes furrowed and looking a bit disgusted. After a moment of deciding, the waiter came in and took our orders. As I sipped my water, my phone began to vibrate with texts from Kayla that appeared on my screen.

Kayla: Erm..

She inserted a picture she took of her favourite gossip show that was on the screen of our telly. She had paused it to show me a picture of Zayn who was in the middle of shouting at the man who mistakenly elbowed me. I shook my head, not surprised by how fast news, true or false, spread. I zoomed in on the headline: ZAYN MALIK LOSING IT AFTER PAP CALLS GIRLFRIEND FAT?

I knew I shouldn’t have gotten angry at that but I did. My leg began to shake, making Zayn question my actions.

“I’m fine.” I lied.

When our dinner arrived, the waiter stated the usual “if you need anything else..” line and left us alone again.

Zayn immediately started to eat and from the smell of my food, I knew I wouldn’t like it. It was my usual meal whenever I came to the Ivy, but my body was completely rejecting it. I pushed my plate to the side with a grimace.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“The baby isn’t having it.”

“But it’s your favourite.”

“Things change when you're pregnant." I shrugged. "The things you love will turn into the things you hate. Like that cologne you’re wearing makes me want to find the nearest window and throw myself out of it.”

“You gave me this cologne as a present--”

“You smell.”

He gave up and continued to finish his meal, knowing he wouldn’t win. Ever.

After a moment of hearing Zayn eat, I apologised. “I know I’ve been really moody lately and I thank you for being so patient…” I trailed off when I caught him checking his watch again. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“Keep doing what?”

“I’m sorry am I wasting your time? Do you have places to go?”

He sucked his teeth. “Don’t be like that, Dee.”

“You’re checking your watch while I’m speaking to you, I think I have a right to ‘be like that.’”

“I just need to be on time for something.” He instantly regretted what he said, clearly seeing how my facial expression was.

“Well then I wouldn’t want to hold you up!” I instantly got up from my chair and began walking out of the restaurant. I could hear him calling out my name repeatedly, trying his best to keep his volume a normal level even when the distance between us was stretching further.

By the time I was outside, Zayn appeared and called out my name. I stopped and let him catch up to me.

“I’m sorry if it seemed like I was uninterested.”

I crossed my arms and looked away. The driver of the SUV returned from his smoking break and put a couple of mints into his mouth.

I heard Zayn sigh, “At least let me take you home.” He held the door open, staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his and I knew I should have looked away when I had the chance. I groaned and accepted, sliding inside the vehicle with a defeated huff.

Throughout the car ride, I kept my focus on the window. I was trying to show Zayn how upset he made me and I wasn’t going to get anywhere if I were to look him in the eyes again.

I let out a silent curse when the driver stopped at Zayn’s house instead of my flat. I got out of the car and awkwardly stood in front of the massive gate that protected his home. He punched in the code and headed inside but when he looked behind he saw that I hadn’t move. He sucked his teeth once more and guided me into the house.

“I don’t want to be here right now.”

He shushed me and tapped on my bum for me to pick up the pace. We walked down the long hall that lead to the sitting room. I could hear odd sounds coming from the room, and the moment my shoes stepped onto the soft carpet, people jumped out of random places and yelled “surprise!”

At that moment I couldn’t help but wee myself a bit, cursing myself for not going to the loo before storming off at the restaurant. After my heartbeat went back to its normal pace, I began to smile at some familiar faces along with unfamiliar ones.

I looked around the room filled with blue, pink, and white decorations, and noticed Zayn’s favourite recliner chair covered in a white satin cloth. I turned to Zayn who was waiting for a reaction from me.

“What is going on?” I asked. My eyes fell on the loads of presents surrounding the chair.

John stepped forward and grinned. “It’s your baby shower!”

“Pardon?”

“I know in the UK you don’t really do baby showers, so I thought why not bring my American customs to you!”

“Uh..” Was all I could get out.

“It’s pretty early in the pregnancy for a baby shower,” He explained, possibly questioning why my expression was still of confusion and shock. “Usually it’s done during the last months of the pregnancy, but you were telling me that Zayn would be on that tour when you’re seven and eight months so I decided to do it now.”

I looked over at Zayn, who was already being sucked into the crowd waiting to be greeted and to congratulate him. I frowned, not wanting him to miss anything while he was gone.

“What did Zayn think of this?”

“He thought it was a stupid idea, but he went along with it considering the amount of times he’s been blowing you off.”

“You know he probably hates you.”

“I know.” He chuckled as he sipped his drink.

“Diana!" Zayn’s mum, Patricia, squealed before giving me a hug. "Oh, puppet, you look lovely!”

“I was just apologising to her for all of this.” Zayn said when he returned, gesturing the whole party.

“I think it’s rather different. You rarely see baby showers here, and I thought John bringing his customs here was sweet.”

Zayn rolled his eyes. “He should have kept his bloody customs to himself.”

“If you feel this way, then why did you arrange it in your own home?”

He remained quiet, making me realise that what John had said about him only agreeing to this because he felt guilty was true.

I observed the crowded room and spotted Kayla in a black cocktail dress. I squinted at her and cleared my throat. “Will you excuse me? I have to start thanking everyone for coming now or else we’ll be here all night.” Patricia laughed and gave me one last hug before letting me go.

I made a beeline for Kayla when a rush of people began to congratulate me. I thanked them, promising that I would give them a ring even when I knew I wouldn’t.

When I was younger, socializing was never my forte. I dreaded going to parties with my mum and dad. Having to socialize with family members that I only saw once a year made me always avoid them all and go straight to a room with a computer. However, I couldn’t hide this time when everyone was here for me.

After finally getting free, I headed to Kayla who tried to hide her devious smile.

“You knew!”

She began to laugh and nodded. “John wanted to keep it a secret.”

“Why is Zayn’s chair covered?”

“Because beige doesn’t go with the colour scheme.”

“The colour scheme of blue, pink, and white?”

Kayla wrinkled her nose. “I know, the party was a last minute thing and we still don’t know if the baby is a boy or girl.”

“Soon, I want to go with Zayn, but he’s been so busy.”

“Shit then go without him. I’ll be glad to go with you.”

“I just don’t want him to miss it,” I pouted, “I don’t want him to miss anything.”

“Hopefully he won’t.” She replied, pouting as well. She took a sip of her wine and put her lips together to smoothen her lipstick. “So what the hell happened over at the Ivy with Zayn and that pap?”

I groaned almost forgetting what had happened. “A massive crowd of young girls noticed Zayn taking pictures with fans and all hell broke loose. I guess the girls pushed their way to get to Zayn and that’s when the bloke lost his balance and elbowed me in the stomach. It hurt and caught me off guard, but I was okay. Zayn on the other hand,” I shook my head. “He lost his shit and just started yelling at him.”

Kayla’s jaw was left hanging by the end of my explanation and all I could do was nod.

I jumped when arms went around my waist. The smell of the ghastly cologne immediately made his identity known as I held my breath.

“You feeling okay?” Zayn asked as he craned his neck forward to read my expression without letting me go.

“I’m okay.”

“Good,” He faced Kayla. “Mind if I steal her away from you for a moment?”

She shook her head and took another sip. He smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek before introducing me to the unfamiliar faces. They turned out to be some of his old high school mates back in Bradford, and his other mates he made being in One Direction.

I had to admit that I loved the countless compliments I received throughout the party. How the pregnancy made me look, people jokingly hoping the baby came out with my looks, etcetera. My parents swung by, although they couldn't stand Zayn and was still upset at me for getting pregnant by him. I successfully managed to avoid Zayn and my parents crossing paths while they were there.

We ended the night with a picture of the whole crowd posing around Zayn and I sat on the chair with his hands on my stomach. Everyone left with extra pieces of the massive cake Zayn had gotten.

As Zayn closed the door, I let out a groan and collapsed on the couch with my eyes closed. I could hear Zayn’s footsteps approaching and I was already half asleep when he lifted me off of the couch and into his bedroom.

“Hold on.” I heard myself repeat with my heavy eyelids. I took off my cardigan and turned my back to him. “Take it off, I can’t breathe.”

“Oh my god, babe, why didn’t you tell me it didn’t fit you?” He asked whilst having trouble unzipping the back of the dress.

I shrugged, feeling instant relief when it fell to the ground. “You said you wanted me to wear it.”

“Not if you were practically suffocating.” After he took off his clothes, he got into his bed and gestured for me to follow. He opened his arms and I collapsed into them in exhaustion as he held me close. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in days.”

“That’s because it has been days since you’ve last seen me.”

I subconsciously began to bite my lip, his eyes growing dark as he watched my lips’ movements. This look alone gave me butterflies, knowing that he was turned on because of something I did. I couldn't stop staring at those eyes. His body shifted, probably uncomfortable from my swollen belly pressing against his flat one.

He leaned down and placed a long, hungry kiss. My stomach did yet another somersault and immediately after, I felt something odd inside causing me to gasp.

“What? What’s wrong?” He tossed the duvet off of us and scoped my whole body to figure out what I was looking at.

“I think the baby just kicked.”

He looked into my eyes, down to my stomach, and back at me, his shocked expression mirroring mine. His hand rested on both sides of my stomach and patiently waited for another sign of his baby’s acknowledgment of the world.

“Come on, love.” He whispered as he continued to feel around. I just sat there, astonished by how his eyes refused to lose focus.

“I think the baby fell back asleep.”

“No,” He looked so disappointed I was silently praying for another kick. “Why do you think he did it?”

“He?” I raised my eyebrows at him. He was so sure that the baby was going to be a boy.

“I’m sick of calling the baby ‘the baby’ and I have a really good feeling that he’s a he.”

I shook my head. “She’s going to be a girl.”

He ignored my response and repeated his question. “Why do you think he did it?”

“I think you gave her a fright.”

“Me? How?”

“Well, you were kissing me, and I felt butterflies.” I began to blush when Zayn “awed.” He then gave me a look and suddenly his lips were on mine once more, one hand on my stomach and the other holding my head still. The pressure of the kiss was rather hard which caused me to shift, ready to end it, but as soon as his tongue slipped in and brushed mine, the butterflies returned.

So did the kick. I jumped, a bit startled by the force while Zayn’s jaw dropped. He leaned down and replaced his hand with his head. “Your mummy can’t handle her feelings for your daddy, I’m sorry.” He kissed where the baby kicked and looked up at me with glistening eyes. “I can’t believe it."