Chapter Ten 

Zayn spent the next forty five minutes arranging his surprise. When he returned to the gate, Madison was stretched across four chairs with her head rested on his duffel bag like a pillow. Her hands were clasped, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes were closed. Her shoes sat on the ground beneath the seats and she had a jacket slung over the top fraction of her legs like a blanket. Careful not to cause a stir, he set the plastic bag in his hands down and sat at the end of her feet, placing them on his lap. His finger found the middle of her foot and applied pressure and rubbed a small circle.  

She didn't open her eyes but a wide smile spread from one side of her face to the other.  

"Nice?" he asked.  

"It's a foot massage," Maddy answered. "I sense a conversation about the merits of liking it is moot but since you're asking, not nice, amazing."  

When she put it that way, he could hardly just cease so he continued, enjoying the smile on her face that grew by the minute. One of her eyelids flipped open and she smirked. "No one is ever going to believe this happened to me," she said.  

"What happened to you?"  

Her eyes widened and she sat her body upright. "You happened to me."  

"You happened to me too," he reminded her. "If you hadn't, it might have been a long and miserable wait."  

He stopped rubbing her foot and rose, offering her an outstretched hand. "Come on," he said. "Better things await you."  

"Something better than a massage?"  

"Mmmhmm," Zayn nodded. "I think so." 

"Doubtful," Madison said. "The only thing better than a massage is you and um, you're right here."  

After making some adjustments to his carry on and paying for a locker to stow hers, he once again wrapped his whole hand around hers and tried not to marvel at how the shape of it fit into his like a puzzle piece. As they walked he leaned over, and spoke as softly as he could. "I think you're crazy beautiful and you are everything I'm looking for."  

Madison stopped walking and spun almost violently to face him. "What?"  

"Twelve words a whispered," he said. He lowered his voice again but as he spoke the words this time, he held out fingers in sequence as though he was counting. "I think you're crazy beautiful and you are everything I'm looking for."  

Realization dawned on her face and she beamed, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're giving me twelve hours of Christmas Eve! Oh Zayn! Thank you."  

He hugged her back. "Figured we're stuck here," he said. "May as well make the best of it."  

Her face brightened again. "Do you have chocolate squares?"  

He nodded, taking a solid chocolate bar from his bag; the kind filled with air bubbles. Unwrapping it, he broke off a single square and popped it into this mouth. "There's twelve squares total," he said. "That leaves one for me."  

"Or I could eat one and you could eat eleven," Maddy offered. "Probably a better idea because I'm guessing chocolates don't stick to your thighs."  

"I saw tape while I was shopping," Zayn said. "I could make it happen.  

He ushered her to an empty row of chairs. "Sit. Eat and that'll give me time to think of ten compliments."  

She sat and began breaking the candy bar into individual squares.  

"The first two seem really obvious," he said. "Your sense of style," he tugged on her 1D jacket, "and your impeccable taste in music."  

She grinned. "You're right about both."  

"Not to mention your earth shattering scream and you must have some killer calf muscles under there to be able to jump up and down like that with such stamina."  

She laughed and stuffed more chocolate squares into her mouth. "Mortifying but also all true."  

"And your laugh," Zayn said. "I could listen to it for a long time."  

She turned her head, surprised. "Really? I always thought it was dorky."  

"It is," he told her. "In a beautiful way."  

"Anything else? Are you running out of ideas?"  

"The freckles on your cheeks and nose," he said. "They're cute. And it'd take a lot more than ten compliments to run out of them."  

"The freckles were cute... in third grade," she said. "The one day I don't wear make up and look what happens. I meet you."  

"It's true," he said. "I wouldn't lie to you. I like those freckles. You shouldn't hide them with make up. And your mad ability to write painfully dreadful Christmas Carols."  

"You're right," she said. "They're mad. If they weren't we'd still be at that gate. I would not be eating delicious chocolate and getting showered with compliments by the guy of my dreams and that would be a crying shame."  

"You're funny," he said. "That's eight. And like your impeccable taste in music, you've just revealed to me you have faultless taste in guys." He grinned. "That's nine."  

"Oh!" Maddy said. "Double whammy, baby! That was a compliment to me and you. I'm not sure number ten can top it."  

Oh yes. It could. "You don't think so?"  

"I'm not so sure," she said. "That was pretty good."  

Her body was twisted so her knees pointed in his direction. Zayn grew suddenly serious and brought a hand up to cup the side of her cheek. "That smile," he said. "Those lips. I bet they're perfect." He ran his thumb along the bottom one as Maddy stared at him.  

"Perfect," she echoed.  

"Yes. Perfect."  

"For what?" she asked. "You bet they're perfect for what?"  

"For kissing," Zayn said. "I bet they're perfect for that."  

Madison didn't look away. Boldly, she held his gaze. "You will never know unless you try."  

He didn't need her to say anything else before he put his mouth to hers. She returned the kiss and from the way she angled herself for better access and the way her breathing changed, he could only guess her heart was thrumming in a frantic rhythm like his was.  

When he finally broke this kiss she looked disappointed. "I'll happily give up the rest of the twelve hours of Christmas Eve if it means we get to do more of that."  

"I would too," he said. "But I've even made you makeshift rings. The least you could do is allow me to give them to you." 

Madison pouted.  

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I won't take that long. We'll still have lots of time."  

Another hour or so later, they returned to their gate. Madison had nine magazines ranging from 'Fashionista' to 'Craft Queen' to 'Tat World.' Each finger and the thumb of her left hand was adorned with rings Zayn had made from Harry's suggestion of elastics and paper clips and plastic straws and even one hand drawn one with a pen.  

"I can't believe you got me Tat World," she said.  

"We're in an airport. They aren't exactly known for their selection. I did everything I could."  

"You did a great job, Zayn," she said. "This was the worst night of my life and now it's one of the best. I will never forget this Christmas. Not ever."  

"Yeah," he said, "me neither."  

She sat and rubbed her eyes with her hands, yawning loudly.  

"Getting sleepy?" he asked.  

She nodded.  

The waiting area was near empty. A bonus, he supposed about flying Christmas Eve. He found a spot on the floor and removed his jacket, balling it up to use as a pillow. He sat on the ground and slowly lay down, crooking his finger with a motion for her to come to him.  

"Number one," he said, "Is a place to rest your head." He patted his chest and after they'd shared a kiss, Maddy did not hesitate to curl up beside him. She yawned again and before she fell asleep for good Zayn asked, "Can I have twelve more words a whispered? I've got something else to say."  

"You can have whatever it is you want," she said. "Probably anything at all."  

"I want you to spend time with me when you're in London."  

Maddy smiled. "Are you for real?"  

He nodded. "I don't want to say goodbye to you," he said honestly. "Promise me I won't have to."  

Maddy put her hand on the side of his face. "I promise," she said. "You won't have to."  

Zayn kissed her again. "Good," he said. "Now get some sleep."