Single Father (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 10

Niall's POV

Zayn had just taken Laila back to the room they were staying in when someone knocked on my door. I went to open it and found Harry and Liam on the other side. They smiled at me and came into my flat like they owned the place.

"Did your baby daddy go home?" Liam asked me as he went to my kitchen. I followed him in there with Harry following me. They both got a beer from my refrigerator and laughed when they saw the mess of baby bottles on the counter.

"No, Zayn and Laila haven't gone home yet because I don't want them out there in the snow. You do see the blizzard we're in right now, don't you?" I asked him. For some reason I felt a little offended by their comments and stuff, but I didn't mean to snap at them. They stopped laughing and looked at me with a look like they were confused with the way I reacted.

"Ni, we're just kidding around. You know that we think Zayn is incredible for what he's doing for that little girl. He's doing something neither of us could do." Harry said seriously. I nodded and huffed. Harry slid me a beer across the counter and got himself another one. I looked at the drink thought of the fact I didn't seem to want it anymore. I thought of the fact there was a cute little baby just going to bed that might need me to be fully competent to tend her. So I set the beer down and pulled my friends to the living room.

Zayn walked into the living room with the baby monitor in his hand and looked at me and my friends like he wasn't expecting us all to be there. I scoot over and pat a spot next to me for him. He came and sat next to me, but I felt how awkward he was being.

"Liam said he got a really big donation for the shelter today." Harry told me like he just remembered. Liam nodded and set down his beer to tell me about it. I sat forward to listen, but half way through Liam talking, Zayn's hand came and rest on my back. My cheeks heat up but I sat back on the couch so he was touching me just just a little more.

All day I've been thinking how strange it is that he could touch me if he wanted to or cuddle up with me if that's just the way we ended up. In a way it felt like it was ment to be, but it also made me want to slap myself for feeling such a cliche feeling. I wasn't thinking that we should get married, I was just saying that he was an attractive man that could cuddle me for as long as he wanted to and I wouldn't say a thing.

"So Zayn, is the dating world calling your name any time soon?" Harry asked Zayn once the conversation about the donation seemed to die down. My head shot over to Harry with my face asking him if he was seriously asking Zayn that. He sent me a soft wink and looked back to Zayn.

"Laila is so young that she needs me to be with her rather than out on dates." He told them, moving his hand from my back. Liam sat forward and rest his chin in his hands.

"Isn't it better getting in a relationship while she's young that way it's not like she'll have to share her dad when she's older?" Liam asked. I rolled my eyes and was about ready to tell them both to go back to Harry's flat. Zayn sat forward, resting his fingers gently on my leg.

"I don't want to raise her with different people coming in and out of her life. I want to show her that relationships should be steady and strong. I also want her to knot at she's the most important person in my life before I bring in other people she might feel like she needs to compete for my love." Zayn said. Harry nodded and pat Liam on the back so that he would stop it. Liam smiled at Zayn and gave him a nod that he was proud of his views for parenting.

"Well we both just came over to see how everything was over here. We'll go back and let you guys reproduce or whatever your evening plans are. Goodnight!" Harry laughed to us, then pulled Liam out of my flat by the hand. I covered my face that was probably bright red now while Zayn laughed.