Pelican » Zarry ✅

🕵 N i n t e e n

"Thirsty?" Kelly asked as she came inside the shed with a cup of water in her hand.

"No. Not thirsty. But I am curious as to why neither of you have drugged me and sent me off to a deep sleep yet."

She sat the paper cup on the rolling table and rolled it over to Zayn. "Because I've been ordered to keep you awake just in case something goes wrong and your husband decides to play him for a fool. He'll need you coherent for leverage."

Zayn let out a small laugh although nothing was actually funny. "Nothing will go wrong."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know my husband. He's doing all he can to make sure he gets me back alive."

"Well then I guess you are a lucky man to be able to trust him with your life like that."

"That's right. I am. And I know from personal experience. It's hard to find someone who loves me for who I am and wants to protect me at all cost. It's hard for anyone, really."

"Not for me." Kelly said.

"Why so sure?"

"Because Ethan loves me."

"Ethan? Is that his real name?"

"No?" It came out more like a question.

"It's okay. I won't say anything."

But she was clearly nervous about accidently giving Zayn his name. So he sat up in the bed and back up against the headboard.

"When I was younger and before I met Harry, I was dating another man. As you know about me, I wear clothes for both women and men. That's always been a worry of mine. Finding someone who likes me for me. I thought I found it in him. We dated for an entire year and a half and then one day, he told me he was tired of the way I dressed. He said he was bored of it. So he dumped me. And he didn't care how much I loved him."

"I'm sorry."

"No. Don't apologize for me. I'm good now. I'm with someone who has so much more to offer me than he ever did."

She looked curiously at him. "So why'd you say it?"

"My point is that life is like that. There are times where we feel like what we have is untouchable. Then something comes along and reminds us that what we had was simply vanity. The real thing will come later."

"Are you talking about Ethan?"

"I am."

"He isn't vanity."

"He isn't?"

"No. I love him and he loves me."

"Did he say that?"

She swallowed thickly then looked down at her feet. "I know he loves me."

"So he didn't say it."

"He doesn't have to though."

"Why not?"

"Because we've been dating long enough and I can tell."

He turned his head sideways at her. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Three months."

He was surprised. "And you think he loves you already?"

"I know he does. He told me when we finished with you and got our money, we were going to go somewhere where we could get married. He wouldn't say that if he didn't love me."

"Well... that's not always true. Sometimes people say things you want to hear in order to get you to do something they want you to do. For instance, this. Kidnapping and holding me isn't a one man job. It takes at least two to pull it off. You're his accomplice and he needs you. It's possible that's why he's keeping you around, don't you think?"