slow it down // zayn malik

chapter twelve // like we only go backwards.

zayn's pov

My eyes are wide as I stare at all the lads, who must have arrived after I had taken Linley to bed. But their eyes are all glued on Linley, who is frozen in her spot, not expecting to be greeted by a group of her favorite people. 

I've never been so lost as to what would happen next. Linley is honestly the most god-damn confusing woman in the world. Everything she does is a mystery. I wouldn't be surprised if she just beat the shit out of everyone; but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if she just sat down as if nothing were different.

So I stride forward, past the frozen Linley, my arms spreading wide as I force happiness on my face to cover up for my nerves.

"Hey lads!" I cheer, being the first to break the silence.

Smiles all appear on their faces as the tension is broken. I actually am quite glad to see them all here; I always am happy to see them. They quickly hop to their feet to rush over and wrap me up in a tight hug; like a family reunion.

"Jesus, it's been what, two days since you've all seen each other?" Mia speaks up from her fold-out chair, cozied inside one of Louis' sweatshirts as she rolls her eyes at us. She looks as enthused as she always is to be awake in the mornings. 

"It's been two weeks, give us a break," Louis sticks his tongue out at her as he messes with my hair quickly before returning to her side around the burnt-out bonfire that is a mere pile of ashes now. 

As everyone settles back into their seats, the tension rises once again as they try to discreetly stare at Linley, with not much success. She shifts awkwardly in her stance, her dark eyes kept to the ground. Her small, petite nose is still rather red from the sniffling tears she was struggling against a few minutes ago. 

Ed maneuvers around us, giving us both a friendly smile as he sits down beside Tea - who doesn't look quite conscious yet - obviously finding this awkward moment fairly humorous. He leans over to whisper something to Tea, to which her eyes flick up at us and a smile appears on her face.

"Are you going to introduce us to the woman, or not?" Niall bursts out, unable to handle it any longer. From beside him, Alicia gives his arm a slap, her cheeks turning a shade of pink with embarrassment from her boyfriend.

Linley's head snaps up with those words, her dark eyes settling on the loud-mouthed Irish one. The corners of my lips turn up as Niall doesn't shrivel up with fear beneath her harsh gaze. He simply looks back at her with this oblivious look on his face. 

If only the world were filled with Niall Horans. 

"Everyone," I clear my throat as I take a step back, allowing Linley to become the center of attention, "This is Linley. Linley, this is everyone," I gesture to the lads and their girlfriends, all sprinkled around the dead fire, looking at her with this burning curiosity. 

"What a lad," Niall shakes his head, "We have names, you know," He calls back, giving me the middle finger, "I'm Niall," He gives Linley the oblivious smile once again, acting as if she were nothing out of the ordinary. 

My eyes flicker back to Linley immediately, curiosity drilling in my brain yet again. Much to my surprise, the corners of her lips flick up for a millisecond before she puts on her serious expression again. 

I can't help but to raise my eyebrows, looking at Niall with astonishment. How in the hell did he recieve a smile within moments of meeting the terrifying girl. I don't think I've even received a smile yet. 

"This is my girlfriend Alicia," Niall continues, obviously taking that fraction of a smile as a good sign, "And the rest of these wankers are irrelevant," He wears a stupid grin on his face before erupting into a fit of laughter at his own stupid joke.