If Time Stands Still

69- big decisions

Aylin's POV

"Zayn, it's just a year. For work. I'll be back for the holidays." I shake my head, displeased with my wording, "No. Zayn, I have a job opportunity in New Zealand. It's just—"

Acorn barks, abruptly crashing my train of thought. With a heavy breath, I walk over to kick one of his toys his way, causing both him and Daisy to run after it.

It's been two days since my birthday, two days since we last spoke and two days of me crying my eyes out to the point of lethargy.

It's been only two days, but two days without him has been Hell. I don't know how I would manage more.

He'll be home any minute and I want nothing more than to just talk about his day over a nice meal, rub his shoulders to help him unwind and then cuddle up in front of the TV until one of us ends up dozing off. Unfortunately, I don't know what to expect when he walks in. He doesn't even know I'm here.

"Zayn, what do you think about long distance?" I ponder the question, trying to determine the way he'd actually answer that now that he's had two days to process it, "Zayn, what-" I sigh heavily, "Why am I starting all of these sentences with your name? I don't even talk like that."

Daisy brings the ball over to me, dropping it at my feet for me to kick elsewhere.

I down a glass of water and pace around his apartment. I'm fresh out of tears, so I'm not too worried about getting emotional again, but I'm just hoping that he's over the initial shock, ready to have a conversation and understand where I'm coming from.

I hear the door unlock, so I quickly turn around to face Zayn who immediately chucks his backpack to the side and kicks his shoes off, an obvious shocked expression on his face.

"I still have the keys."

"And you're only here to drop them off, I assume."

Ouch. I should've expected that.

"I need to talk to you."

"Well, I don't. There's nothing to say." He states, eyes fixed on everything that isn't me.

"I brought this upon myself by keeping it from you, I know, but everything happened so fast. I only told Luke and my friends on my birthday too! My mom must have told my aunts, because I wasn't even planning to tell them!"

"When were you planning to tell me?"

"The next day!" I throw my hands up, "Well... sometime this week."

He shakes his head and walks past me to wash his hands in the bathroom, then he heads into his room and shuts the door behind him.

Okay, this is going to be harder than I thought it would.

I take a deep breath and follow after him, opening the door while he unbuttons his shirt.

"I'm undressing."

I roll my eyes, "I've seen you naked."

He merely gives me a look as he strips down, "What do you want, Aylin? If I didn't make myself clear the other day, we're—"

"Stop." I flinch at the words to follow. I can't hear that again, "Stop. Just... let's talk about it."

"No."

"Why?!"

No response. He puts on a fresh T-shirt and pulls up his sweats, then heads for the door again, but I block him from exiting.

His beautiful eyes that normally radiates an inviting warmth, is cold and void of all softness he usually has for me. When my guard is down, his walls are up.