another lifeline

stop it now

"I 'm sorry I should've told you before." 

"Don't excuse yourself..." 

"I ' m sixteen, I 'm turning seventeen in three weeks." 

"Well ow yeah" 

Zayn still looked ashamed but the questioning look in his eyes stayed. 

"Could someone please explain me the whole situation now cause this gets me confused." 

I looked to Aria, would she be okay with telling everything to Zayn? 

We had a silent conversation, Zayn observing us the whole time. 

She finaly nodded. 

"You want to tell him or do you prefer that I do?" 

"Well it's okay that you tell him, I'll just listem." 

"okay, Zayn I think it'll be better if you sit down, it's not an easy story to hear." 

"Well okay, if you think so." 

The three of us sat down. 

Aria beside me. 

I started telling Aria's story and I saw different emotions appear on Zayn's face. 

First came a little smile when he heard about her lovely youth with her beloved mother, followed by sadness when he heard about her illnes. 

I swear I saw a little tear on his face when we came to the part where the mother died, I grabbed Aria's hand to support her when we came to the part about her father. 

When Zayn heard about the raping, he jumped out of the sofa, the disbelief all over his face. 

Soon anger took over and I know we were both thinking the same. 

In one year time she lost her mother and her youth. 

She also lost her father and her innocence when they raped her. 

She was only sixteen and all alone. 

How could life be so cruel. 

When I ended the story by teling about how we met, he nodded in agreement. 

Showing me that I made the best decision by bringing her here. 

"I 'm sorry Harry that I thought something wrong and sorry that at first I didn't want to listen to you." 

"It's alright mate, you couldn't have known." 

He now looked at Aria. 

"I'm sorry girl. I'm sorry that I started screaming. I 'm sorry that I started about your age and I 'm sorry about your mother. At least I 'm sorry about the last events you've been trough. I hoped that I could've been there for you." 

"yeah me too. I wish I could've saved you from that nightmare" 

I added when Zayn finished. 

"Thanks, Zayn. And, Harry, you saved me yesterday by listening and bringing me here."

"So what now?"

"I agree with you, Harry, she needs to stay here."

"Thanks mate."

"She needs a place where she's save."

"I told her so..."

"Aria, please listen to Harry he's right."

Another thought crossed my mind.

"Hm, what will the press say about this?"

"I don't care about them right now."

"But..."

"No, Harry! This had to stop now!"

"How?"

"If thay dare say something wrong about his, I'll  refuse to perform. I'll refuse to got to any signings."

"You can't do that, Zayn! You know that!"

"What I know Harry, is that I have enough of you getting all this underved hate."

"Thanks."

"And I have enough of doing nothing against it. The lads will definitely agree with me, we were already thinking about a way to stop this."

"Wow..."

"This is the last thing, if they dare say something bad about you or Aria, we'll all refuse to go on."

A silent voice interrupted Zayn's monolgue.

"You can't do that, you know..."

"Why not?"

"I'm not worth it to risk your carreer."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not, when will everyone stop saying that I'm worth it?"

"When you accept it."

She sighed. 

"And I'm not only doing this for you, don't get me wrong but the biggest  part is for Harry. All this hate has to stop!

I looked at Aria and we silently accepted the situation. 

Zayn took his phone out of his jacket. 

"Will you excuse me now? I got to call the lads."

He looked at Aria, apologizing to her for telling her story to more, for her, strangers. 

She nodded in acception as he walked out the room. 

She put her head on my shoulder. 

We waited for what still had to come.