Valentine

I get out of my clothes which were slightly wet. I get in the shower and the hot water feels good. I get out and dry myself before putting on my pjs. “Val?” my mother knocks and enters.

“Yeah?” I ask. I wonder what does she wants now. She looks happy so I don’t think it’s my parents’ divorce.

“So?” she drags her voice in a sing song. I raise my eyebrow.

“Sooo?” I mimic.

“Oh come on you’re not gonna keep me hanging here, are you?” she speaks chirpily and sits herself in my bed. Oh fuck. I did not wanna be interrogated, although I should have known not to expect anything else.

“Mom” I say in an exasperated tone. I just want to sleep. I am tired. And even though I don’t have school tomorrow, I have shit load of homework. I had to do them too.

“I want to know what happened? Where did you two go? Did he kiss you? Come on, I’ve been excited to hear all about it” she smiles.

“Mom, I told you we were going to a party” I don’t want to tell her about the estate because it’ll give her the wrong idea.

“Give me some details. This is mother-daughter bonding” she waves her hand in the air. I want to scoff. Yeah right. When have we ever been doing mother-daughter bonding sessions? She is only interested because Niall’s from a ‘good’ family. She couldn’t care less if this was just some random guy I went out with. I still remember her reaction when I went out with a guy in Boston who had a piercing in his left ear. She was appalled.

I wonder how she would react if she ever saw me bringing a guy like Zayn home… wait what? Where the fuck did that come from? Whoa. I need to remind myself that he is the same asshole who went ahead and told his sister that I threw myself at him. I still feel humiliated at how Raven looked at me.

“Valentine Kristin Sawyer are you even listening?”

“huh?” I ask and look at my mother. She has her lips pursed and is looking at me with exasperation and disappointment. Now that is my mother. I was thinking something happened to her and that is why was acting nice.

“Mom nothing happened” I say.

“Well now that’s a lie because you’re blushing” she looks happy. I wonder if she’s already planning which table cloth will be used in Niall and my wedding. I don’t want to think about it at all.

“Come on, did he kiss you? Did he give you a gift?”

“Thank you for taking my mind off… things” he says in a low voice. I just smile.

“Thank you for bringing me out here. It really is a nice view” I say and look up. The sky is marred with dark grey clouds threating a storm.

“I’m glad I brought you here” he says and leans in. He is very close to me and feels his breath on my skin. I am still. I just look into his eyes which are staring right at me. In normal circumstances I would turn away and tell him he’s not my type but there is honesty in his eyes that made stand there rooted to the ground.

My convictions about Niall have been proved wrong all night. He wasn’t some rich pretentious ass like I usually met and besides he was fun. I am pretty sure he can see the wheels turning in my head because he hesitates. I manage a weak smile telling him it’s okay. Is it though?

Do I want him to kiss me? No? I like him but am I interested in him in that way? No… but it’s just a kiss. It’s not like we’re eloping. But this kiss could mean more to him than it does to me and besides he’s emotionally not stable at this moment. Is he? We just talked about his parents getting divorce and he was upset about it. Do I really want to be his distraction?

Should I stop him? he closes his eyes and dips his head, almost touching my lips. The setting is romantic. The chilly air blowing makes me shiver, or is it him? Does he bring all his girlfriends here? I need to stop thinking this way but I can’t help it. This is the way I am. His hand reaches to cup my face but just then his cellphone rings and he abruptly pulls back. He pulls out his cell from his jeans pocket and answers.

Whoever is on the other end is speaking rapidly. “Marry Ann” he mouths and just like whatever little bit of a moment I was having with him is broken. He hangs up and then looks at me. The air is thick with awkwardness.

“Um… we should go” I say not looking at him but I see him nod. I turn and walk to the car, him following close behind me.

“Valentine?” she sounds irritated.

“Mom, nothing happened and I think he has a girlfriend so if you have any ideas, drop them” I say.

Okay a lie.

He does not have a girlfriend. But not technically a lie because I am pretty sure Mary has a major crush on him. I think he knows it too. And I do not want to be a part of that drama. I am drama Teflon. I already have enough in my own house to deal. I don’t want more added to it.

“Nonsense. Did he say he has a girlfriend?” my mother asks. She looks almost anxious.

“No, but there is a girl who is…” how do I say throws herself on him politely? “very close to him” I finish. Her face falls. She was totally thinking about Niall asking to marry him.

“Mom, if we are done with the mother – daughter bonding crap, can I go to bed and sleep?” I ask and her eyes harden.

“Don’t talk to me like that young lady. And I came here to tell you that your father has to go to
Boston this weekend and I decided to accompany him and meet our friends again” I narrow my eyes at her.

“Today is Friday” I say as a matter of fact. “Yes, we have a late flight” she says just as coldly.

“Why can’t I go?” I ask. I know she is not taking me with her. What surprises me is that she is leaving me here alone. In Boston, she left me with Liam and his parents. Thinking of Liam makes me want to go to Boston even more.

“You have school and I don’t want you to miss it” she says faking concern. I know for a fact that she is only accompanying my father to Boston to make sure that he does not rekindle his ‘relationship’ with his then secretary.

I know better than to throw a cliché tantrum saying stuff like ‘This is so unfair’, ‘You can’t do this’ or shit like that. “Yeah so you’re not afraid I’ll embarrass you here in front of your new neighbors?” I ask. Her lips tighten into a line. I am just doing it to get under her skin. I know I can’t get through to her with a tantrum but I can sure as hell make her frustrated.

Her eyes harden and he gets up from my bed and looks down at me with contempt “I raised you nicely. I did everything right, I provided for you, I helped you, I cared for you and you turned out to be such a disrespectful, ungrateful thing. Where did I go wrong?” she hisses before walking out of my room. I try to keep a hard face and not cry but my eyes brim up and the tears threaten to fall.

My family.

My fucking family.

I don’t even bother getting up from my bed when I hear dad call out to me saying they are leaving. They leave at approximately two in the morning. I am really hungry even though I ate a whole fucking burger and fries or chips as they call them here. I get up. I see violent rain beating my window. That window gives me the creeps. First I pull the drapes and then walk downstairs to get something to eat.

I don’t understand why is it always raining here? It is either raining or its cloudy and grey. At first I thought it was a romance movie cliché but clearly not. “Let’s see what we can eat?” I said patting my tummy. There is nothing special in the fridge and a wad of cash on the counter.
“What to eat? What to eat? What to eat?” finally I decided on a pack of Oreos and a glass of milk. I carry it upstairs. The room is dark with both my hands full it is hard for me to turn on the light.

“Having problems there?” a deep voice startles me and I scream dropping the glass of milk spilling and splashing it everywhere. In an instant I am pushed to the wall with a palm coving my mouth to muffle my screams.

“Shut the fuck up” the guy bellowed.

My eyes widened. The voice. Fucking voice. I stare at him. A flash of lightning briefly lights up the room and cast a luminous glow on his face only for a second. Damn.

No. no damn.

Focus. This is the second time he has broken into your room.

Focus. He is a criminal.

Focus. You need to try and get away from him.

I try to wiggle but his body is pressed on mine limiting any movement. I bite into his palm and he hisses in pain loosening his hold for only a brief moment and I wish this was a movie so I could say it was enough for me to slip away and run away fast from the bad guy and find a payphone in a stranded place just in time to call 911 – or whatever the hell they call here for police – and get rescued by a really hot cop… but this is not a movie.

I try to move away but can only wiggle a bit before he presses his body harder against mine, his chest pressing on my boob – which is painful, mind you – and now he replaces his hand which was on my mouth to my neck. It is not a choke hold but his hold is strong enough to keep voice getting past my tongue.

“What is your problem? can’t you come in through the door like a normal person?” I ask. Seriously.

“Yeah? Your parents would be stoked to see me enter right?” he sneers. I almost correct him sayin that they are not home but then I mentally slap myself. I mean what is wrong with me?

“What the fuck are you doing?” I claw at his fingers trying to pry them open but to no avail.

“Oh you’re asking me that after you ran your mouth in front of my sister. Who else did to talk to? That ken doll too? What you thought you’d run your mouth and I won’t know?” what the fuck was this guy talking about? Is he drunk? I sniff and sure enough I can smell nicotine and beer. Seriously, does he even know what he’s doing to his lungs smoking so much? Or does he even care what is happening to his liver with all the drinking? And most importantly why is he always here when he’s drunk?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” I say. I honestly don’t. He tightens his hold on my neck.

“SO you didn’t tell Raven? Huh?” my eyes widen in realization but soon it is covered in confusion. What? I stamp on his foot and that is enough to makes him loose his hold on me. I push him and he staggers back. But then against my better fucking judgment I stay there in the same fucking room with a sociopathic, murderous criminal. I really should get my head checked.

“I didn’t say her anything. All right? You were the fucker who went around telling people that I slept with you or threw myself on you or whatever!” I exclaim.

“What? Why the fuck would I do that?” he asks. I can’t see his face in the darkness but I can make out the ‘disgust’ in his voice quite fine.

“Just get out of my house. I didn’t say her anything alright. I was actually trying to be nice to her because nobody talks to her… although now I get why…” I trail off and he growls. I fumble around to find the light switch and turn on the lights. Yellow lights spill into the room and I see him sitting at the edge of my table. he is wearing a white t-shirt and ripped jeans. the t-shirt is thin so the outlines of his tattoos are visible.

“She thinks I slept with you” he states. I have a bad urge to say And whose fault is that? but it seems like he did not say it.

“No, she thinks I threw myself at you” again, I wonder why does she think that? He gets up from his place and walk towards me this time I calculatedly stand near my door so that I can run if he tries to choke me again.

“I don’t want to sleep with you” he says once he’s standing face to face.

“Well I’m not dying to hold your dick in my hand now, am I?” I snap. He growls.

“You have a really dirty mouth” he slurs.

“Zayn I swear to god, if you try and kiss me like the last time I’ll punch you and knee you. I don’t care if you kill me afterwards but I will” I say and push against his chest.

“I never kissed you” and then there is that hurt again.

“Zayn you should go and next time please try and come through the door” I gesture towards thedoor and he nods and starts walking .

He leaves the room and I breathe a sigh of relief. That went better than I expected… well sans the choking part. I hear the thud of his foot steps walking down but then there is a sound of someone falling and grunts.

I get out of my room and run to the stairs to see Zayn sprawled on the ground. Fuck.

“Zayn, Zayn are you okay?” I rush to him and check for signs of blood. There isn’t any. “Zayn? Zayn?” I poke his side with my foot.

No answer.

Is he dead? I crouch down put my ears near his nose. He is breathing.

So… he just passed out again.



A/N: OKAY TWO WEEKS AND NO UPDATE. I KNOW I SUCK BUT... I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS UPDATE.
I WAS TOLD IT IS HARDER TO UNDERSTAND THE DIALOGUE BECAUSE I WRITE THEM IN SAME PARAGRAPHS. SO I TRIED TRIED BREAKING PARAGRAPHS AFTER EVERY DIALOGUE. HOPE THIS IS BETTER. LET ME KNOW WHICH WAY IS BETTER. :)
ALSO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER :)

Notes