Hidden Beneath Brown Eyes (A Zayn Malik Fanfiction)

Chapter 70 - Last Name

I found it difficult to keep my leg from shaking nervously as I sat on the edge of the bed with my phone to my ear. It kept ringing and ringing, and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to pick up - in fact, part of me was hoping he wouldn't.

"Ada?" Zayn uttered my name on the other end of the line, following a frustrated sigh. Damn!

"Zayn." I spoke his name with a sense of relief that I hadn't intended to have.

"You do realize I'm just downstairs, right?" he asked with an attitude as if I were stupid, and of course I had to bite back.

"No, really? I thought you were still in Charleston!" I feigned surprise, sarcasm oozing out of every pore.

"Really? Are we really going to do this? Act like bloody five year olds?" he asked with agitation, only fueling my desire to piss him off.

"No, because a five year old is probably more mature than you. But if you're not sure, you can ask our son in November when he turns five." I shot back, feeling oddly satisfied by my comeback, even though it was a weak one.

I had to stifle a giggle when I heard an exasperated sigh from him.

"Ada, why are you calling me?" He demanded, growing increasingly infuriated by my humor at his expense.

"Because my carrier pigeon called in sick today. Jesus Zayn, it's because I need to talk to you!" I confessed, instantly regretting the intensity in which I spoke the last part.

"About?" he inquired, with a genuine curiosity.

I was sick of reading into each other's every word, but that seemed to be the way we communicated. So I couldn't help the flutter in my heart when I heard the interest in his tone.

"About Jack." I stated simply, realizing, even before him, that this wasn't what he was hoping for.

It was a few seconds before he finally responded, and although his overall concern for Jack did a great job of concealing it, I could still hear the disappointment that laced his voice. "What's going on? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. He's fine. It's just-" You'd think after six months it would have been a little easier to discuss parental desicions with Jack's father, but I'd been making all the desicions on my own for so long that having to share that responsibility felt like an intrusion.

"Ada? What is it?" he pressed, his lack of breath a good indicator that he was starting to worry.

"It's just that...Jack freaked out this morning when we brought him into the kitchen. I just-I just don't want that to happen again." I admitted shyly.

He couldn't hide the sigh of relief that passed through his lips, and I was almost certain that he was silently laughing for how trivial the issue was in comparison to how I made it sound.

"So, what are you getting at?" he prodded me for an answer.

"I just thought that maybe if we eased him into it, like, introduced him to just your parents first, he'd be a little less anxious." I suggested, hoping that he wouldn't be insulted by my request to only include part of his family. "I mean, we'll introduce him to your sisters later! I just thought that it'd be easier for Jack if-" Thankfully he cut me off before I could continue rambling.

"Ada, that sounds fine." he reassured me, his tone soft and comforting.

"I'll let everyone know. When are you coming down?" he asked.

His question actually drew my attention away from him and back to our son, who was sitting on the floor near the TV, aggressively grunting as he attempted to tie his sneakers.