"It was really my dad."

No one said anything for a long second, they just stared at Bloom and exchanged awkward glances between one another.

"I will take you home."
Zayn broke the silence, taking her hand and pulling her up with him.

"Bye, Bloom." Liz and Nicole said with a strained smile.

"Have a lovely night, Barbie."
Tyra said, relishing the situation more than anyone.

Zayn gave Tyra a dark look but she rolled her eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

"I will be back soon."
Zayn told them and left with Bloom who was still quiet like she was stuck in a trance.

"Are you okay?"
Zayn asked her like it was nothing to worry about.

"My dad...he's gonna find out. Oh my God...he's gonna find out about us...about you...what am I going to do...I am so dead...is over...he's gonna find out about everything."
She panicked holding her head like it could prevent the questions clouding in every corner of her brain.

"Switch off your phone."
He told her.

"What?" She mumbled.

"Switch it off." He said sounding annoyed this time.

"But..." Her ringtone cut her off from finishing her sentence.

"It's my Dad."
She said looking pale. She could hear her heartbeat and the fear engulfing her like a web as she tried not to panic. She was about to pick the call when Zayn snatched the phone from her.

"What are you doing?"
She tried to take it back but he opened the back, took out her sim card and put it in his pocket.

She stared at him with her jaw slightly down not knowing what to say. Her emotions were all over the place, she wasn't sure which to pay attention to.

Zayn closed the phone and extended it for her to take.

"What have you done?" She asked with fisted hands.

"I don't need to explain anything to you, I'm sure your Dad already has people tracking you."
He said and walked to his blue truck.

She was pissed and frightened but didn't know how to express it. "Was that really necessary?" she yelled.

He didn't say anything to her, he kept walking to his jeep truck packed on the street.

"You just gave my Dad more reasons to send out a search party. If you would've just let me pick the call and come up with a lie then my head will not be storming with fear of what awaits me at home."
She said behind him but he didn't say anything to her.

"Zayn?" She called but he kept walking.

"I'm freaking out here!"
She exclaimed. He stopped, releasing a low growl.

"Relax, everything will be fine. I promise."
He said in a calm tone facing her. He walked to where she was and took her trembling hand.

"Zayn, he knows. He knows I have been sneaking out, he knows I'm..." She rambled with fear lacing her small voice.

"Shhh." He whispered putting his arms around her. She welcomed the warmth and relaxed in his arms.

"You'll be fine."
He whispered softly, stroking the small of her back.

He pulled away and held her hands, he gave her a soft smile. She forced a smile and followed him. They entered the car and drove off.

Her head was still swirling with questions and her heart raced rapidly from panic. She spent the ride trying to come up with the perfect excuse to give her dad but found none. She bit on her lips and dug her nails into her knees that were shaking.

She was terrified of the consequences, there was so much at stake. Her freedom, Zayn, and Damian might lose his job. Her head was starting to ache from the non-stop thoughts in her head.

"Hey," Zayn called taking her hand, she faked a smile and held onto his hand.

"I told you to relax, you'll be fine. I'm taking you somewhere safe."

The fake smile on her face crumbled, she pulled her hand away from his grip and looked around. It was not the road to the Valley House, he was driving her out of town. She was too consumed in her thoughts to notice.

"Zayn?"
She gave him a look that demanded an answer.

"I need to keep you safe, Bloom."

"What the hell are you doing? My Dad is waiting for me at home, the least you should be doing is driving me home as fast as your car can take us."

"He doesn't care about you!"
He snapped.

"Okay, I get it. You hate my dad and you will love nothing more than to get back at him but seriously, this is not the right time. I need to be home as soon as possible, please."

"The far away you are from him the better. You're not safe in that stupid House!"

"That is the safest place I can be. He is my only family, he will never hurt me!"

"What the hell did he do to you?"
He asked taking a glance at her.

"Zayn, turn the car around and take me home, now!"

"I care about you and I won't stand back and watch you get hurt."

"What are you even talking about?" She asked getting more frustrated.

"I'm talking about that asshole messing with your head. I don't care about the stupid consequences but I'm keeping you safe. Call me selfish, I don't care."

"Zayn, take me home. This is not the right time for whatever you have against my Dad. I need to go home, now."
He pretended not to hear her.

"Zayn, please turn the car around. My Dad is waiting, do you have any idea what he would do if I don't come home? Damian is going to be in deep shit because of me. Take me home, please."
He kept driving ignoring everything she said.

She clenched her fists as her anger dissolved the patience left in her.

"Stop the car."
She said removing her seatbelt, he didn't listen to her.

"Stop the car right now!"
She yelled.

The car came to halt with the sharp screeches of the tires echoing into the dark night. She opened the door and stepped out not bothering to take a glance at him.

"Bloom..." He called.

"Go to hell."
She snapped and walked away.

She kept walking not sure of where she was going. She wanted to scream out in frustration but held it back.

She stopped walking and looked around. She had no idea where they were, she looked back at the car and found him leaning on it with his arms folded.
He watched her, waiting for her next reaction.

The fact he wasn't bothered about what was going on pissed her off more. She looked around her again expecting another easy way out of her situation without needing his help. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get her thoughts in one place and slow her racing heart. She tried not to let her emotions get the best of her.

She opened her eyes and walked toward him with a straight face. He stepped away from the car as she approached him.

"If you care about me, take me home as fast as you can," She said in a monotone.

She didn't wait for a reply; she entered the car and waited.

He remained outside, contemplating taking her back home. He sighed and brushed his hair back. He heard the engine of his truck roaring to life; he turned to look at her and found her behind the wheels with a dark expression decorating her cute face.

"Are you taking me home or you rather watch me run your precious truck into the nearest tree?" She threatened with a dark look, she was surprised when he smiled at her.

"As much as I enjoy this part of you, I don't wanna watch you hurt yourself." He told her and entered the car, she returned to her seat not allowing him to touch her.

"You win, I will take you home but if he does anything to you, I'm killing him and I don't care if he is your father."

She gave him a cold glare and looked away ignoring him for the rest of the ride.

"Give me your phone."
She asked when they were close to the Valley House.

"No."

"I need to call Damian and know what's happening at home. Thanks to you I can't use mine."

"I was trying to help."

"You were trying to make the whole situation worse!"
She yelled.

"Take it."
He gave her his phone. She snatched it from him before he could move it closer to her.

"Relax, Sunflower. You're stressing over nothing." He said coolly.

She gave him a hard look but he smiled in return. She punched in Damian's number quickly and dialed the number. Her heart beat faster as she waited for him to answer the call.

"Hello."
His raspy voice came from the other end.

"Damian, it's Bloom."

"Where the fuck are you!"

"I'm close to the house, I'm so sorry."

"Get your fucking ass over here quickly cause I don't know how long your dad is gonna buy my lie."

"Okay, I will be there in five minutes."

"Twenty minutes!"
Zayn exclaimed next to her.

She heard Damian's deep groan from the other line.

"Five minutes, I promise."
She said as she sent a dark look toward Zayn. He shrugged and smiled at her.

"You're the worse person to be with during an emergency." She told him.

"Quit acting like it's the end of the world. There's a first time for everything remember?"

"Really Zayn? I can't with you right now."
She said raising one hand and bringing it down to brush her hair.

"We both know it won't remain a secret forever, it was bound to happen." He murmured.

She ignored him as he pulled into their hidden parking spot. She rushed out of the car not saying a word to him.

"Bloom," he called coming out of the car.

"Fuck off!" She yelled.

"Your sim card."

She paused, turned around, and walked back to the car. She snatched it from him and walked away.

"I was trying to help." He screamed at her retreating figure. She stopped and faced him.

"You know what? If you really cared about me you wouldn't have done that. This was all about getting back at my Dad and you were obviously enjoying it."
She said with tears glistening in her eyes.

"Sunflower..."
He tried to say something.

"Don't, just stay away from me." She turned around and left.

His hands clenched as he watched her leave.

||
Bloom blinked the tears forcing to come out and took a deep breath. She opened the door to the secret exit and was welcomed with a very pissed look from Damian.

"I'm so sorry, Damie."

"Last time, Bloom."
She was surprised at how calm he sounded.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"He is in his room. I told him you were with Laura at your hideout and the call was a prank you both like playing."

"Thank you so much."
She gave him a tight hug.

"Dollface?"
He called pulling away. She gave him a confused look.

"Have you been drinking?"
He looked more upset.

"I only took two shots, I promise you I'm not drunk."

"Shit!"
He cursed in a low tone.

"Damie, I'm fine."

"You reek of alcohol Bloom and you're going to see your Dad."

"I will spray some perfume and rinse my mouth with a mouthwash."

"Okay, hurry, he's waiting."

"Is he angry?"

"No, he just laughed when I told him it was a prank."

She exhaled in relief and smiled at him again. "I will be back." She told him before leaving. She did everything in a rush and ran to see her Dad.

She checked her breath before knocking on the door. His personal bodyguard opened the door.

"Hi, Micheal."
She waved but he only gave her a smile.

"Princess?"
Her Dad called from the Balcony.

"Dad."
She went and gave him a hug.

"Wo, why do you have so much perfume on you?"
He asked pulling away.

"Is too much?"
She asked feigning surprise as she sniffed her body.

"Is Laura still around?"
He asked taking a sip of his black coffee.

"No, she just left. Sorry about the call," she said with a nervous smile.

"You girls had me for a second. I thought something had happened to you."
He said with a laugh.

"Sorry."
She said forcing a laugh.

"Wanna watch the stars with me before you leave? The stars are many tonight."

"Sure." She replied.

She thought of her fight with Zayn as she pretended to watch the stars. She was still angry at the way he behaved while she panicked.

||
Bloom walked to her room after spending an hour with her Dad. She felt so exhausted. She exhaled loudly as she approached Damian who was smiling at her.

"Come here," he called quietly and gave her a warm hug like he knew that was what she was craving. She welcomed it and relaxed in his arms.

"How did it go?"

"Good, not as bad as I expected."
She told him when she pulled away.

"Go and freshen up while I get you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Damie."
She entered her room and shut the door behind her. She almost screamed when she turned around and found Zayn sitting on her bed.

She placed a hand on her chest and tried to calm her racing heart.

"You scared the crap out of me."
She said and crossed her arms.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay away from me."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to upset you or hurt you in any way, I swear."
He said and stood up. He looked worried.

"Just go Zayn. I don't wanna talk to you."

"I said I'm sorry!"
He yelled loud enough for someone outside to hear.

Bloom rushed quickly to lock the door as the fear that consumed her earlier resurfaced.

"Shit! I'm sorry."
He tried to touch her but she pulled away.

"Bloom?"
Damian called trying to open the door.

"Why is the door locked? Is everything okay in there?"

"Yes Damian, I'm fine."

Her fragile hands fisted as she stared at Zayn. "Leave." She said through gritted teeth.

"Sunflo..."

"Get out!" She snapped.

Zayn hesitated for a few seconds before walking to the window.

"Dollface?"
Damian called sounding worried.

"I'm fine, Damian."
She said taking a seat on her bed.

She groaned and buried her face in her palms. She never expected tonight to end up like this.

She took a glance at the window, stood up, and walked to the window. She saw a silhouette staring at her, she knew it was him. She shut her window and dragged the drapes together.

||
It's been a week since her fight with Zayn. He sent texts, voicemails, and called but she ignored all. She spent so much time doing yoga and training to keep herself busy and distracted. Her best friend was still mad at her, so she had no one but Damian.

She tried Laura's line for the sixth time that day but it was sent straight to voicemail. She groaned and threw her phone on the bed. She grabbed the gossip magazine resting on her dresser and tried to look for something interesting to read. Her phone vibrated indicating a text.

She picked it up, hoping it was Laura but it was another voicemail from Zayn. She sighed and wanted to drop the phone but decided to listen to it.

Hey, Sunflower.
This is probably the twentieth voicemail I'm sending.

He paused and laughed.

And I have a feeling you haven't listened to the previous ones. I just want you to know, I'm really sorry and I wasn't getting back at your Dad. Please say something, text me or anything. Please, Bloom. I wanna hear your voice and know how you're doing. I just wanna talk to you, I just got you back. I'm sorry for fucking up again.

It ended. She held on to her phone and stared into space. She found herself listening to his previous voicemail. He sounded drunk in the first one, angry in the sixth one, and very worried in the tenth voicemail.

She replayed that night in her head, the way he reacted at everything while she tried not to have a panic attack. She was starting to question his feelings for her; if it was all about getting back at her Dad.

She remembered how he suddenly wanted her back after kicking her out. She stood up and walked to her closet. She grabbed a jacket and put on her black sneakers. She wanted to talk and know the truth, she wanted to look him in the eyes as he answered all her questions. She didn't bother informing him she was coming.

Damian groaned when she stepped out of her room with the small bag she liked taking out with her.

"No, Dollface. You're not leaving this building."

"I promise to be back before nightfall."
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed for the secret exit not looking back.

●●●
It was almost midnight and Bloom was still nowhere to be seen. She wasn't answering her phone either.

"Goddamnit, Bloom!"
Damian cursed punching the wall. It was the tenth time he was calling and she was not picking any of his calls.

"That son of a bi**h!"
He growled getting angrier.

He didn't know exactly where she was and she would go crazy if she found out he tracked her location. He knew she never kept her promises, he convinced himself she'd be back tomorrow morning apologizing and making fake promises again, typical Bloom.

Now, all he had to do was keep her Dad away from her room. There was a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, Bloom would've sent a text or call to inform him she wasn't coming home. It was unlike her.

He tried Zayn's number which he stole from Bloom's phone when she begged him to install a new app for her. He knew it'd come in handy someday.

He was ready to threaten him and warn him to bring her home safely but Zayn didn't answer any of his calls.

"Damn it!"
He kicked the wall and ran his fingers through his hair getting more agitated.

He decided to wait.

●○
Taylor held the punching bag with all his strength as Zayn sent hard blows to the bag like he was fighting the devil.

"We should take a break."
Taylor said letting go of the punching bag and panting.

"We just started," Zayn said unwrapping the tape around his knuckle.

"We have been here the whole day; if you're looking for something to distract you from your fight with Bloom just..."

"Shut up."
He cut in and walked to his gym bag. He grabbed his black water bottle and took big gulps of water.

He picked his phone hoping to see her reply but was met with five missed calls from an unknown number. He didn't like unknown numbers, he hardly picked any call from an unknown number. He was desperate and wanted to know if she was the one.

He took a glance at Taylor and stepped outside. He dialed the number and waited.

"Hello," a deep voice replied.

"Seriously what do you want? How did you even get my number? Wait, is Bloom okay?"

"I was about asking you that. Where is she? I wanna speak to her, give her the phone."
Damian sounded pissed on the other side of the line.

"Dude, where is who?" Zayn asked leaning on the wall.

"Bloom. She left the house this morning to see you and she's not back."

"She did? I didn't know and she didn't tell me she was coming."

"Look, don't play dumb with me. Put her on the damn phone!"

"I'm telling you the damn truth, I have not seen her for a week and I have been in the gym all day."

"I swear to God if anything happens to her, you're dead."
Damian told him and ended the call.

Zayn ran back into the room, he picked up his bag in a haste.

"Is something wrong?" Taylor asked.

"Bloom, I think she's at my place."

"It's past midnight, is she allowed to stay out this late?"
Taylor asked picking his bag too.

"I don't know man, I only hope I find her there."
He said and rushed out.

He drove beyond the speed limit not caring if he got caught. Taylor had taken his own car, so he didn't have to drive him home. He prayed he would find her in his room fast asleep on his bed.

He cursed under his breath as he got closer. He didn't bother parking the car properly, he got out and ran into the building. He unlocked the door to the apartment with his own key. He saw Rosa in the living room, sleeping on the couch with Grey's Anatomy displayed on the screen.

He looked around but didn't see her, he went to his room and found it empty. He checked his sister's room but didn't find her. He went back to the living room and woke Rosa up.

"Zayn? You came home," she gave him a warm smile as she sat up with sleepy eyes.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Rosa asked.

"Bloom, she came here today."

"No, no one came here. I haven't seen her in a long time. Is she okay?"

"Shit!" he cursed and brushed his hair back.

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