Zayn's POV
Breathe. Fucking breathe. Just...in and out, Zayn. In. And. Out. "You...what? Your mummy left?"
So much shit is running through my head- half of it being illegal and involving Genevieve.
He nods, the tears starting to flow freely as he shivers. Even though it's July, the poor little guy's freezing out here in just a thin t shirt and a pair of mesh shorts. It's like she just threw whatever the fuck she felt like on him. "Sh-she...mommy...n-no," he starts to sob now, and Charlie immediately rushes over to him. She crouches down and wraps her arms around him, bringing him to her chest with soothing attempts to quiet him.
How fucking long has he even been out here?
"H-hey buddy?" He doesn't acknowledge me- only sniffles and small whimpers coming from him as Charlie rubs a comforting hand up and down his back. "Have you been here a long time?"
I blanch when he nods his head a single time. And he doesn't even know what a long fucking time is...it could have been twenty minutes, or for the entirety of the two hours that Charlie and I were out. For a little kid like him, a minute probably feels like an eternity. But that's irrelevant.
"I'll be back." My voice is hollow as I speak to Charlie.
She looks up at me and I can see her eyes clouding over. "Zayn, no. Whe-"
"I said I'll be back. Bring him inside please and fix him something to eat. And give him a change of clothes," I add, getting even more pissed off when I notice his clothes are dirty.
"Zayn, please. Just come inside and we'll take it from there. I don't want you doing anything you regret," she whispers softly, even though I know she's going to end up doing exactly as I asked of her.
"Charlie-" I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Just...don't wait up for m-"
"No!" She says a little louder, frightening Adrian. "You just gave me this whole lecture about basically being hot-headed, and while yes, it is one of the things about you that I fell in love with, I'm not letting you do anything crazy. Now come inside."
"Charlie...please just...I'll be back later." I lean down and grab her face between my palms. "I love you," I tell her, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Which, considering the war that's going on my head, it's shocking that I'm able to manage that.
And with that, I turn around and head down the steps, all the while blocking the sound of Charlie calling my name out of my mind.
I don't even know where to begin to look for Genevieve because she could be anywhere. But I want answers. I forcefully open the driver side door of my car and hop in. My hands are fucking shaking to the point where I can't even put the key in the ignition.
Knowing that she could just leave that little boy outside on his own like that makes me want to wring her fucking neck. How the hell can you do that? To a little kid, at that. She didn't even call me to ask if I could watch him or to even see whether or not I was home before she just dropped him off. And I bet she doesn't feel one bit of remorse. She had no fucking clue when or if me or Charlie would be coming back; she took a huge risk. How would she feel if someone took him? If he got hurt. Killed, even?
Probably nothing because she's just that great of a mum.
I grip the steering wheel and pick up speed; I need to find her. Most of me thinks she's just doing this to fuck with me, but part of me believes she could be at the bar. It seems to be her style. But if my theory is right, then the first place I'm checking is her place.
