Bloom closed her eyes as she got closer to the ground, she prepared herself for the pain but it never came.

"Told you I will catch you."
Zayn told her when she opened her eyes. Bloom looked up at the roof and saw a small girl with long braids and large hoops earrings that fitted her oval face.

"Thanks, Tyra."
Zayn screamed at the girl.

"My pleasure," Tyra said with a wicked smile.

"How did you know I was here?"
Zayn asked as he put Bloom down gently.

Bloom's heart was still pounding in fear of what just happened, what if Zayn never caught her? She saw her death in front of her as she fell from the rooftop. She looked up at the Tyra with a death glare.

"You like going to the rooftop at every party, it wasn't hard," Tyra replied with a shrug.

"Well I'm leaving, help me tell the others."
Zayn said.

"Fancy meeting you here, Barbie," Tyra said looking her up and down.

Bloom glared harder at her and walked away.

"Who was that girl?"
She asked Zayn after they entered his truck.

"One of my best friends, Taylor's cousin." He told her.

"She pushed me, what was she thinking?" she said angrily.

"You needed a little push, you were never going to jump anyway." He said, starting the car.

Bloom scoffed and put on her seatbelt. Her phone started ringing, she was relieved it was Laura.

"Hey, Laura."

"Where are you? Are you okay? Randy is looking for you."
Laura sounded worried.

"I'm fine, tell him I left the party already," Bloom said.

"You left? With who?" Laura inquired.

"Someone, don't worry about me. I will get home safely."

"Bloom..." Laura tried to tell her to be careful.

"Bye." Bloom said quickly and ended the call to avoid her questions.

"Who is Randy?" Zayn asked with his eyes on the road.

"The guy throwing the party, he offered to show me around but he had to leave to sort out some issue."
She explained and he didn't say anything in return.

"Where are we going?" Bloom asked chirpily.

"Where would like to go? Anything on your bucket list you wanna do tonight?" He asked her, stealing small glances at her.

Bloom mentally went through her bucket list.

"Yes, I wanna get a tattoo." She said and waited for his reaction.

"You want to get a tattoo?" Zayn chuckled.

"Yes, but I'm underage, maybe you can help with that."

"Oh, you're serious?" he gave her a playful smile.
Bloom nodded.

"You're sure about this?" He asked.

"Yes," she groaned, dragging the word.

"Okay, let's go."
He drove down the street and pulled into a tattoo parlor.

Bloom held his arm as they walked into the building. A tall black man with long dreadlocks almost touching his knees welcomed them in. Zayn walked over to him and whispered a few things to him.

"What would you like? I have some beautiful feminine design here." The man with the Jamaican accent asked.

"It's okay, I just want a sentence."
Bloom told him.

"Where would you like it?" The tattoo artist asked her.

"I want it somewhere it won't be easily seen, what do you think?"
She asked Zayn who was going through some designs on the wall.

"Why are you getting it if you don't want anyone to see it?"
He asked her, turning around to look at her.

Bloom shrugged not sure of what to say.

"I want it on the right side of my waistline." She told the tattoo artist.

"Okay, tell me when you're ready."
The tattoo artist said arranging his tools.
Bloom took a deep breath and smiled nervously at Zayn.

"How bad does it hurt from a scale of one to five?" She asked with a frown. Zayn took her arm and gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Don't think about it."
He told her and took a seat next to where she was going to seat.

She walked to the seat and sat down, she unbuttoned her jeans and exposed the right side of her waist to the tattoo artist.
She wrote down the sentence and told him how she'd like it.

"Don't look, I want it to be a surprise."
Bloom said to Zayn.

He turned away and took out his phone to keep himself busy.

"First tattoo?" The tattoo artist asked as he picked up the niddle.

Bloom nodded and bit hard on her lips almost drawing blood. She kept her eyes closed throughout the process and groaned when he was done.

"Thanks."
Bloom said as she stood up and did the buttons on her jeans.

Zayn stood up as she came up to him.

"How does it feel?" he asked taking her hand.

"Like hell."
He chuckled softly and put his arms around her.

"How much is it?" He asked.

"It's on the house." The tattoo artist said with a smile

"Thanks," Bloom said with a big smile.

"So what does it say?"
Zayn asked during the ride to the Valley house.

"I'm not telling you, you have to find out," Bloom said with a sly smile.

"Okay."
He packed the car at his usual spot, she turned to look at him.

"Are you coming up?" Bloom asked him.

"Is the window still locked?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I will open it when I get to my room."

"I will see you in ten minutes."

She smiled and got down from the car.

||

Things were back to normal between them but not between her and Damian. She missed him but she needed a little time before sorting things out with Damian.

Zayn came every night, they would whisper in the dark before falling asleep.

It was past ten in the evening, she was trying to do her math homework while Zayn was busy with his phone next to her.

"I give up."
Bloom grunted, closing the book.

"How hard is it?" Zayn asked putting his phone away.
She moved closer to where he was and showed him the equations.

"AP maths."
He smiled, he collected the pen and she watched him solve all five equations in four minutes.

"Care to explain?" Bloom asked.

Zayn put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer then explained every step on how to solve the equation.

"Hmm, you teach better than my math tutor."
She said and packed her books and walked to her desk to drop them.

He watched the way her hips moved and how her shorts hugged her backside. She caught his eyes when she turned around.

"Hmm, were you checking me out?" she teased, sitting beside him.

"I can't help it, I'm jealous of those shorts," he said with a small smile. She giggled softly and gave him a small kiss on the lips. She tried to pull away but he wanted more. He deepened the kiss and dragged her down next to him, trapping her beneath him.

"I'm ready to see the tattoo," he said when he pulled away. "It has been a week," he added sounding impatient.

"Okay, " she giggled.

He grabbed her hips and leaned down to her stomach. He kissed his way down till he got to her waist, he pulled the waistband of her shorts down.

He stared at the word inked in italic on her smooth skin, he looked up at her face with a smile.

You are somebody's perfect.

"Do you like it?" She asked.
He looked down at the words and placed his lips there. He pulled her waistband back to its spot and laid next to her.

"I love it."
Zayn whispered, placing his head on her chest and his arms around her.

She ran her fingers through his hair until he drifted off to sleep. She smiled and turned off the lights.

||
Bloom walked toward Damian after her Literature class, he opened the door to her room for her but she didn't enter.

"Damie?" She pouted.

"Dollface?" Damian arched an eyebrow.
Bloom smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away."
She said after she pulled away.

"I missed you too dollface," he poked her nose.

"Sorry I messed up." She apologized.

"It's fine. I'm glad you're okay."
She smiled at him and turn to enter her room.

"Bloom?" He called.

"Yes?"

"What is with the noise every night?" He asked.

"Movies, I will turn down the volume next time," she said quickly and closed the door.

She decided to catch some sleep. Her ringtone woke her up before she could enter the REM stage, she picked the call with sleep in her eyes.

"Hello?" She grumbled.

"Meet me outside in fifteen minutes," Zayn's voice knocked the sleep out of her.

"Did something happen?"
She asked sitting up.

"No."

"Okay, I'm coming."
She ended the call and came down from the bed. She went to the bathroom to rinse her face and brushed her hair.

She dressed up in a summer dress and left the room. Damian gave her a questioning look when she came out.

"I will be back before ten I promise."

"Be careful."
She nodded with a smile and left.

Zayn opened the door for her as she ran to the truck. She entered and gave him a quick kiss, and put on her seatbelt.

"So where are we going?" She asked.

"Somewhere"
Zayn glanced at her with a mischievous smile.

"I love surprises."
She said sarcastically and reached to turn up the volume of the radio. Zayn's ringtone blared in the car, he growled as he checked the caller ID.

"Hey, Max. Now?... I'm busy...I can't...why the hell would you track my phone GPS...can't you reschedule?...fine."
He hung up and mumbled a curse.

"Something wrong?" Bloom asked.

"Not really, something important just came up. I will handle it quickly and we'll be on our way." He told her with a smile.

"Okay." She smiled.

He took a U-turn, he seemed lost in his thoughts as he drove down the tarred road. He stopped the car in front of a casino.

"Would you like to come or stay in the car?"

"I will love to come."
She said excited about the thought of entering a casino.

They walked into the building hand-in-hand. She kept looking around, slowing him down. It was large and crowded.

"I will show you around when we're done"
He told her and she followed him into the elevator.

He pressed the third-floor button, she bit her lips feeling excited as the elevator went up.

They walked into a room with two men in a black suit waiting. She gripped his arm as she stared at the men, they looked ruthless and intimidating.

"Make this quick I have somewhere to be."
Zayn said, taking the seat in front of them. Bloom sat beside him not letting go of his arm.

She was scared the men would get upset with the way he spoke to them, they looked way older than them. The one with the scar beneath his left eye was making her more uncomfortable.

They started conversing in a foreign language, she was surprised to see how fluent Zayn was in Italian.

Bloom understood every single word they were saying but she didn't show it. They were talking about exported weapons, bombs, and guns.

She tensed when they brought her dad into their conversation. She listened to them avoiding eye contact, she got more upset as they went on insulting her dad. Zayn seemed to be enjoying the topic which made her furious.

She let go of his arm and stood up stealing their attention.

"Are you okay?"
Zayn asked.

"Can we talk outside for a minute?" She requested with a forced smile.

"Ok."
Zayn replied and followed her. She kept walking not stopping till they got to the elevator.

"What's up with you?"
He asked in the elevator but she didn't answer.

She walked out of the elevator and he followed her out of the building, she faced him immediately they got outside.

"You have to stop." She told him.

"Stop what?" Zayn asked.

"The deal you're about to make with those men."

"You know Italian?"

"I know five languages and it happens to be one of them."

"Good for you."
He said looking around the busy street.

"Why are you purchasing weapons and making false promises to those men?"
Bloom questioned.

"False Promises?" he snickered.

"They will get what they want, it seems your dad has international enemies too." Zayn sneered.

"He doesn't know why you guys are doing any of this," Bloom told him.

"Is that what he told you?"
Zayn laughed.

"Did he tell you we sent numerous letters asking him to turn himself in?"
Zayn questioned her.

"Think about this."
She begged.

"Isn't it obvious he doesn't give a damn about this country?" he said impassively.

"If the organization put so much trust in you then you can stop this, you can change their mind. He will turn himself in but no killing or bloodshed please." Bloom explained.

"Why? For your dad?" He asked but she said nothing.

"If you care about me, stay out of this."

"I care about you that's why I can't let you do this!"
She yelled.

"No, you don't! this whole shit is about protecting your father."

"I'm going back in there to finalize the deal and I won't stop for anyone, not even you."
He told her and walked away.

Bloom stared at him unable to say anything, she got herself together and called Damian to come and pick her.

The ride back to the house with Damian was silent.

"Are you okay?" Damian asked her.

"Yeah," She forced a smile.
He didn't question her further.

She locked her door when she entered her room. She kicked her shoes off and sat on her bed.

"Why can't we just be like normal people, with a normal relationship."
She whispered in frustration.

"Why do I have to pick sides?"
She groaned and buried her face in her palms.

She checked her phone expecting a text or a call from him since she didn't tell him she was leaving.

She stood up and went to take a quick bath, she wore her shorts and his t-shirt.
She climbed the bed and turned on the tv to watch a movie.

It was past eleven when she heard a noise outside her window, she muted the tv and stared at Zayn as he entered her room.

He took a glance at her and walked past her to the bathroom not uttering a word. She listened to the sound of the shower.

He came out a few minutes later with the towel around his waist, he went to her closet and came out wearing her brown sweatpants with no shirt.

He climbed the bed and went to sleep, she glared at him before unmuting the tv.

Some seconds later, he drew closer and placed his head on her chest with one arm around her. She shook her head with an eye roll and continued watching her movie.

Not satisfied, Zayn grabbed her hand placed it on his head, she knew what he wanted.

"You're still awake?" She asked.

"I can't sleep until you do that."
He mumbled with his eyes closed.

"Please, " he added.

She ran her fingers through his hair slowly as she watched her movie.

"I'm sorry."
He told her after a while. She smiled and turned to look at him, his eyes were still closed.

"Did you cancel the deal?" She asked but he didn't answer. She waited but he was still quiet.

She sighed and turned off the tv, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

||
Bloom was surprised to see him next to her when she woke up, it was the first time she was waking up with him beside her.

She smiled at his sleeping frame before pulling away and going to the bathroom.
When she returned, he was still sleeping.

She climbed the bed and laid on his back.

"Hey."
She whispered close to his ear.

"What time is it?" he asked hoarsely.

"Past nine."
He groaned at her answer and opened his eyes.

"Morning."
She kissed his temple and moved away for him to sit up.

He brushed his sleep hair back and moved to the edge of the bed to stretch his legs.

"How did it go at the casino?"
She asked standing on her knees behind him on the bed. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and placed her chin on his head.

"I don't wanna talk about it"
He said pulling away, he stood up and walked to the bathroom.

She followed him into the bathroom, she sat on the countertop next to the washbasin and watched him brush his teeth with her spare toothbrush.

"Did you at least stop the deal?" She asked again.

"Yes."

"Really?"
She cracked a smile.

"No, I just told you what you wanted to hear."
He said and rinsed his mouth, she frowned.

He dried his face and came to stand between her legs.

He ran his hands up her smooth thighs till he got to the hem of her shorts.

"I promise I will try not to get anyone killed. I'm not a murderer."
He said against the skin of her neck, she gripped the edge of the counter as he drew her skin between his teeth and sealed it with a kiss.

He continued peppering her neck with kisses leaving marks behind. He withdrew from her neck and stared at her closed eyes and her lips that were slightly open and the low sound she was making with her throat.

She opened her eyes slowly and stared at him.

"You look so sexy right now."
He said hoarsely, he leaned closer to her face and kissed her. She responded almost immediately.

He gripped her right thigh with one hand while the other ran up her naked back underneath his shirt she was wearing. He traced her spine with his fingers creating goosebumps on her skin.

Their lips moved slowly, he stroked her lips with his tongue. They were too lost in the moment to hear the knock on the door and Damian calling her name.

When he pulled away she was out of breath, he kissed her nose and moved away.

"I need to leave." He told her.

"I can sneak in some breakfast for you."
She said jumping down from the countertop.

"No, do you have any shirt I can wear?" He asked.

"I think so."
He followed her into her walk-in closet and took a seat.

She picked a white hoodie and gave him.

"I don't like it."
He threw it back at her, it landed on her head. She glared at him as if he could see it.

She removed it and went around searching.

"How about this one?"

"It's too girly."

"This one?"

"I hate green."

"This one?"

"There is glitter on it."

"This one?"

"Just remove my shirt and wear something else." He grunted.

"No," she said putting her arms around herself like she was shielding the shirt from him.

He stood up and went around the room, he picked a black hoodie with a big hashtag at the front.

"Ohh you like that one? You can keep it, " she smiled.

"No, I'm just tired of waiting."
He said and walked out of the room.

"I will pick you up at eight, I never got to take you to that place."
He said picking up his phone.

He walked up to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled as he climbed down the window.

Just then her room opened, her heart almost flew out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?"
Damian asked walking into the room.

"No, you just scared the hell out of me. How did you open the door?" She asked panting.

"I got the spare key from Aunt Matilda. You weren't answering my call or the knock so I got worried."

"I was in the bathroom, Jeez Damian."

"I'm sorry." He laughed.

"Laura was waiting for you." He told her.

"Laura is here?"

"Yeah, she came twenty minutes ago."
He informed her.

"Where is she?"

"I'm right here."
Laura said from behind Damian, she stepped forward looking upset.

"I will tell Maria to send some snacks," Damian said and left.

"Thanks."
Bloom said.

"Hey."
She said with a smile but Laura crossed her arms and gave her a glare.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was busy in the bathroom."
She smiled and hugged her.

They moved to the bed and laid down.

"Does he make you happy?"
Laura asked surprising her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Damian told me everything and I kinda figured it out myself. Also the hickies on your neck."
Bloom stared at her unable to make up a word.

"I saw you entering his truck that night, I thought he was kidnapping you but you looked so happy, I called to ask but you cut the call."
Laura admitted.

"Ohh," Bloom mumbled with a smile.

"If he is the reason you're so giddy and confident then you have my full support."

"You're not going to tell me to stay away from him?"

"I want to but I don't think you'll listen to me."

"Right, I won't." Bloom chuckled.

"But be careful with him."

"I know."

"He broke Randy's nose," Laura told her.

"What!"

"Randy came to school last week with band-aids on his nose and some bruises, he said a guy broke his nose because of you. He described the guy and I knew it was him."

"I didn't know about that."
Bloom said.

"Why him?"
Laura growled.

"I don't know, we don't choose who we fall for," Bloom shrugged.

"How did it happen? When? Don't tell me, I don't wanna know." Laura asked.

Bloom giggled, lying back on the bed making her shirt creep up.

"Is that a tattoo?"
Laura gasped.

"No."
She denied pulling the shirt down.

"I swear I saw a tattoo, don't lie to me."
Laura moved closer and tried to pull the shirt but Bloom fought her, they struggled for a while till she gave up and allowed her to see it.

"You are somebody's perfect."
Laura read it out.

"Wow, that's deep and sweet," She said pulling the shirt down.

"Is it because of him? I know he has sunflowers inked on his skin like a maniac." Laura said.

"Think whatever you want." Bloom dismissed.

"He is a really bad influence, he already made you get a tattoo."

"I decided to get it myself," Bloom told her.

"He is still a bad influence."

"Let's talk about something else." Bloom sighed.

"I'm just curious, you decided to date someone and you chose him. I know he's hot and all that but....there's this darkness surrounding him."

"Enough, can we talk about something else please."
Bloom snapped.

"Awww, it's so cute to see you defend your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend."

"What?"

"We don't have that label yet," Bloom told her.

"What are you guys waiting for?"

"Like I said it's complicated."

"Yeah with a guy like that, I get it."

"Laura, stop." Bloom hissed.

"Have you lost your v-card to him?"

"No, it's not all about sex, it's different," Bloom said with a smile.

"By the way, Damian is really worried about you," Laura told her.

"Why?"

"He said you've become a different person and he wants to know about the guy you've been sneaking out to see."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, I told him I didn't know anything."
Bloom exhaled in relief at the information.

"Let's talk about something else please," Bloom said.

Laura left when it was getting dark. Bloom went to her closet to look for something to wear.

She had a feeling it was going to be a good night.

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