Little Baby Steps (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 10 { Not A Believer In Fate }

Claire stood silently as her bright blue eyes filled slowly with tears. Her parents stared at her, shock and pity plaguing their features as well as a defined sense of disappointment, one that shot her straight through the heart. She had never seen that look on their faces before; then again she had never turned up on their doorstep carrying the child of a stranger before. Zayn stared at her helplessly. He knew she was hurting, even though their time together had been miniscule, he could see the look of pain in her eyes as she stared at her still silent family, she was on the verge of breakdown.

“Say something” she squeaked, her voice desolate and hopeless as she stared at her parents “Anything, just speak to me” she whined. Her father sucked a breath in, his green eyes blazing with an emotion that couldn’t quite be placed, but it was clearly not one of joy. “Nathan” he spoke coldly as he turned his attention to his son “Take Claire upstairs, we need to speak with Zayn” he stated. Zayn felt his throat tighten as the blazing gaze of Claire’s parents turned to look at him. “Dad I want to be here with him” The brunette girl protested, but her father’s sharp look cut her off “No” he stated simply “Nate, take her upstairs” he demanded. Zayn turned to face her and cupped her cheeks softly “It’ll be alright” he whispered gently as he placed a soft kiss to her forehead “I promise that I will make alright, now go on, go with Nate” he muttered. She sniffed slightly and pushed her lips to his “I love you” she murmured meekly as her brother tugged on her arm.

Zayn smiled softly “I love you too” he responded before watching the siblings ascend the small staircase, leaving him with Claire’s seething parents.

The room was silent. The tension that surrounded the three of them was thick and felt like noose around the young man's neck. He had known, ever since their situation had occurred, that this situation was going to be hard, that it was most likely going to end like this. But even with those expectations, he still felt incredibly intimidated by the two people that stood in front of him. “Come” William stated as he beckoned the boy through into the living room. With gulp, Zayn followed hesitantly, fully prepared for the impending rant that was to come at the hand of his girlfriend’s father. “Take a seat” he said, motioning the smaller towards a plush armchair that sat in the corner of the room. Zayn took it and peered up at the parents as a deafening silence filled the room once more.

Minutes felt like hours under the scrutinizing gaze of the Italian woman and her English husband. Zayn couldn’t help but fidget out of both nervous and discomfort as the couple gazed at him. “How?” William asked simply to break the silence “How on earth did you manage to get my nineteen year old daughter, a girl that hadn’t even kissed a boy until she was sixteen, how did you manage to firstly get her to sleep with you and then get her pregnant?” he hissed, his fury at his daughter’s news clearly lacing his venomous words.

Zayn sat mute, he wasn’t sure what to say. He knew that telling them the truth would only cause the already fractious situation to spiral even further out of control. “Well you must have some idea boy” he snapped “It’s not like you touched her hand and then boom she was magically pregnant. You obviously know what happened boy, now I suggest that you tell me” he boomed, his once kind face clouding with an intimidating shadow. Zayn gulped softly and ran a hand back through his chestnut hair as he prepared himself to speak.

“It was a mistake” he stated weakly “My friend had been on at me to go out with him and I finally succumbed, but I wasn’t in the mood and merely sat at the bar. That’s when I met your daughter; she came over and talked with me, we hit it off.” His voice drifted away as William’s eyes drew to his once more “Are you telling me that my daughter became pregnant after a drunken one night stand?” he seethed “My little girl, my little princess became pregnant after an alcohol filled romp with some singer?” he yelled. Zayn flinched at the sudden change in atmosphere. “You did this to my little girl and you have the audacity to tell her you love her? It is clear that you are here out of guilt, not out of choice.” He hissed.

That got to Zayn.

Sure, that was the reason for their relationship forming in the first place, without the guilt of leaving the mother of his child in the lurch, he would have never started a relationship with her. but now? Now he was in love with her, it may have sounded stupid, naïve, but he truly was in love with her.

“Don’t you dare say that” the young man spoke strongly as he rose from his seat “Don’t you dare say that I don’t love your daughter. I love her more than anything in this world and I thought you of all people would understand. I don’t feel guilty that I got her pregnant, I feel proud. I feel proud that I can share something as amazing as a baby with a girl like her. She is everything I have ever asked for in a girl, she’s funny, clever, passionate, artistic, she’s my dream and it took that one little mistake to make me realize. I’m not a great believer in fate, but I do believe that there is a certain serendipity about us. So don’t you dare say that I don’t love her, because I do, with every fibre in my body I do” he spoke so softly that the emotion behind his words was impossible to miss. The tears that shone slightly in his misty brown eyes were just further proof that he loved her.

Her parents stared him, their jaws slightly slack as they watched the small man with astonishment. They had never seen such passion before, not even form one and other, they were amazed that such a young man could speak words that were far beyond his years.

“Do you really mean all of that?” a voice squeaked, but it was not the Italian drawl of Rosanna, nor the thick London accent of William, but the soft, dulcet tones of their daughter. The heart of their grievance with the younger man. Zayn turned at the sound and beamed widely as the brunette appeared in his eye line. “Did you really mean all of what you just said?” she giggled, tears shimmering soft pathways down her pale cheeks. He nodded his head and moved towards her to take her hands in his “I meant every word” he whispered as he kissed her softly.

“Eh hem” William cleared throat causing his young daughter and her boyfriend to pull away. “We see now that you care for her greatly Zayn more so than I think any of her past boyfriends ever have. For that, we are hugely grateful and highly confident that you will try your hardest not to let her slip through your fingers. I guess what I am trying to say is welcome to the family boy” the older man spoke politely. Zayn turned to face the oldish man and beamed “Be assured I will not let her go” he smiled as he shook his hand firmly, finalizing his standing in the young brunette girl’s life…