slow it down // zayn malik

chapter ten // battlefield.

ed sheeran's pov

 Silence falls upon the four of us - Tea, Sable, Andi and I - as Zayn disappears into the campers with an incredibly far-gone Linley in his hands. I'm surprised that girl isn't dead with the amount of liquor she was throwing back.

She drinks more than any grown man I've ever met; and I'm British.

My features are deepened with concern as we all settle down on lawn chairs positioned around the fire I just started at Linley's camping site. I can't help but to keep glancing over my shoulder back at the quiet camper where Zayn is stuck dealing with the barely-conscious Linley.

I've never seen two people get under each other's skin so badly before. I don't quite understand it. They seem like two people who would get on really well actually. Zayn loves her music; it's the one thing we really bonded over. 

Plus Linley is an incredibly interesting person. She just simply doesn't give a shit about what other people think. She just exudes this confidence and Zayn is the exact same way. 

Giggling snaps me out from my thoughts, causing me to look up at the others around the fire with me. Sable and Andi are laughing as they quietly speak to one another. They both wear very amused expressions on their faces, not seeming to distraught over their friend.

"Is she going to be okay?" I speak up, shoving my chilled fingertips into the safety of my sweatshirt pockets. 

Tea watches the two girls with curiosity as well, obviously slightly worried about our wasted new friend. She plops down in the lawn chair beside me, scooting a bit closer to the fire as she shivers. 

With that, Sable and Andi burst into loud laughter. It echoes all across the camping grounds, intruding into others' sites, causing them to shoot us peculiar looks.

"Oh, you're serious?" Sable raises her eyebrows as Tea and I sit there with deeply confused looks painted across our faces. She exchanges an amused smile with Andi, shaking her head, "Don't worry about Linley. She's been worse. I'd be more worried about us when she wakes up as the devil in the morning," She tells me, chuckling a bit to herself.

I smile myself, knowing very well that is not an exaggeration. I feel bad for Zayn already; the poor lad stuck with the feisty hungover girl.

Tea starts a discussion with the girls over something I have absolutely no knowledge - or interest for that matter - about; boys. I simply roll my eyes and give Tea an irritated expression.

As if the heavens above knew, my phone starts to buzz from the depths of my pocket. I let out a relieved sigh, glad I don't have to sit here listening to this conversation for much longer. Fishing my phone out of my pockets, I get to my feet to take the call.

"Harry, mate, where are you?" I do my best to not let my irritation show.

As soon as we get here, he takes off, disappearing. He leaves Zayn completely alone with Linley; what a great mate. Zayn had told me that Harry has been far from helpful ever since he got in this messy situation. 

Honestly, it's not all that surprising. When it comes to Olivia, Harry has a tendency of putting all the rest of us on the back burner. I suppose I can't quite understand it all since I've never been in love like that.

I shake my head, snapping out of my wandering thoughts, knowing I could sit here all day and reflect on my love life.

"I just picked up the other lads at the gate," Harry explains to me, speaking loudly to be heard over the loud conversation going on around him, "Where are you all?" He asks, forcing me to remove the phone from my ear to avoid any hearing trauma.