Hidden Beneath Brown Eyes (A Zayn Malik Fanfiction)

Chapter 22 - Drowning

The next week just kind of rolled by without incident. Whenever I saw Zayn, I just kept my distance and didn't engage in conversation. In fact, I kept my distance from everyone, including Liam. I felt disgusted with myself after the way I'd behaved that night we went to Zayn's house. I was embarrassed by the way I had acted with both Liam and Zayn. I'd practically forced myself on both of them, and made a fool out of myself in front of the others.

I wasn't entirely concerned with the way the other boys thought of me, because part of me had a feeling that I wouldn't be around them for much longer; but Perrie was the one I was worried about. I didn't know why I cared so much about how she saw me. Maybe because she was so perfect, and I felt like I needed to mimic that perfection, or at least come close to it.

I guess another part of the reason was that she was with Zayn, and I figured by some irrational reasoning, that whatever she thought of me, he must think of me as well. And what he thought of me meant the world to me. His opinion of me was everything.

Liam had gotten more aggressive (sexually) since the night in the car. It just confirmed my suspicions that what I had done had meant trouble in more ways than one. He had taken my sudden stroke of desire as an open door to just press me for sex whenever he wanted, and I hated it because that wasn't like him.

I was back up and walking, but not without a small limp. Harry and Niall still made jokes about it, but I hardly ever listened. I just kept to myself in the back of the studio, rejecting any kind of interaction with anyone. I didn't even bother to offer up any excuses to explain my sudden disinterest in everyone, and no one asked.

Most of the time, I didn't even go with Liam to the studio. I just lounged around the house, or went for a walk somewhere. I had been upset that we hadn't done much sight-seeing since I'd arrived, but with the onset of my new heavy mood, I was only looking forward to going home.

I was lying in bed, flipping through the TV channels, as was routine, when Liam came strolling through the door. He now took larger, more confident strides, he wore shirts that showed off more of his muscles, he styled his hair differently and kept a constant five-o-clock shadow, and had a seductive grin permanently plastered across his face. Obviously our little "session" in the car had boosted his confidence and, mainly, his ego 1000%.

"Hey babe." he slowly walked over to the bed and placed a wanting kiss on my lips. I tried to respond to it, but I wasn't in the mood to do anything, especially with him.

"Not now Liam. I'm not in the mood." I swatted him away, annoyed.

He threw his hands up in the air and turned away from me. "You're never in the mood anymore!"

"I know." I whispered too low for him to hear as he stomped out of the room.

We'd been fighting more than ever, all over sex. He'd been getting so frustrated and it was just pushing me farther and farther away from him. What I'd been seeking that night in the car was a reason not to think about Zayn, a reason to honestly believe that Liam was the better choice, but all he'd been giving me since then was one reason after the other to just be alone.

He was down in the living room, sulking and watching soccer, like he always did when I refused sex, when his phone, that he had left on the nightstand, started ringing.

"Liam! Your phone's ringing!" I called out, but received no response.

"Ugh." I moaned as I rolled over and took the phone. I pressed the green button and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Ada?"

My blood ran cold when I heard Zayn's voice through the speaker.