Love You / Goodbye

CHAPTER EIGHT: NIGHT CHANGES

Zayn's POV

I was incredulously surprised when I opened H's bedroom door and found her lying on the floor.

"Hayden!" I screamed her name out.

Kneeling beside her, I gently lifted her head and held her close to my chest. It was evident that she had consumed too much alcohol, her body unable to tolerate its strength as she was not accustomed to it.

"Baby," I said, gently trying to wake her up.

She stirred slightly, and feeling her breathing helped calm me down.

"Babe," I whispered, shaking her awake more gently this time, brushing wisps of hair away from her beautiful face.

"Baby wake up"

She attempted to shift onto one side, but as she felt my embrace preventing her movement, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Z?" She asked, her voice groggy with sleep, confusion evident in her tone.

"Yeah babe, it's me," I replied softly.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she moved away from me, wincing as she sat up. "Ow, ow, oh my God, my head..." she muttered.

"It's a real head-scratcher, isn't it? I mean, who would've thought that downing drinks until dawn might have consequences? Clearly, it's just your brain's way of begging for an encore performance. Because, you know, nothing says 'fun' like a throbbing headache and regret the morning after."  I teased, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Shh, small voice..." She groaned softly, pressing her hand to her forehead. "Yeah, a little too good, it seems."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her response. "Well, I hope it was worth it."

"It was actually, Until the headache. What are you doing in my room?" she asked, holding her head.

"What are YOU doing on the floor?"

Hayden's eyes widened in disbelief as she processed my words. "Wait, I spent the whole night on the floor?" she exclaimed, her voice rising with incredulity.

It seemed that she wasn't aware that we were indeed on the floor until I told her, as she looked around for a moment with a frown until realization dawned on her.

"Uh... I fell?" she lied, though she knew I could tell.

"I can't believe Harry let you had one too many drinks," I commented, shaking my head incredulously. "the fact that you are this drunk? That's something else."

Hayden winced, holding her head in her hands. " It wasn't Harry's fault. I was the one who asked him to bring me there," she defended.

I sighed, unable to shake off my worry. "Just be more careful next time, okay? it's important to know your limits. I don't want anything bad happening to you." I said caressing her cheeks

She agreed her expression sobering. "I'm sorry. I'll try to keep it in check."

I gave her a small smile, hoping she would take my words to heart. "Good. Because we all want you to have a good time, but not at the expense of your health."

She nodded again.

"Anyway, Louis just called. He and El are having a barbecue later and they've invited us to join them!"

Hayden's eyes widened with delight, a smile spreading across her face. "That sounds amazing! I've been craving barbecue all week." She abruptly stood up, causing her to wobble.

"Whoa, are you okay there?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her.

"Yeah... I, uh, forgot about my head," she admitted.