CHAPTER 65
Falling Hard
ARIENNE CALLOWAY
The sharp, burning pain in my ribs woke me up.
I groaned, shifting slightly, only for another wave of pain to crash through me. My body felt like it had been run over by a truckâno, multiple trucks.
A hiss slipped past my lips as I tried to adjust myself, but it didn't help.
Damn it.
I clenched my teeth, trying to breathe through it, but thenâ
A deep voice cut through the silence.
"Ari?"
My head snapped toward the bed across the room.
Zayn was already awake. His voice was thick with sleep, but his eyesâsharp, alertâwere locked onto me immediately.
I opened my mouth to brush it off, but before I could, he was already moving.
He didn't hesitate.
Didn't stop to think.
He was just there, next to me, pressing the nurse call button before his gaze flickered back to my face.
"Where does it hurt?"
I let out a shaky breath. "Everywhere."
His jaw tightened, and he muttered a curse under his breath.
A few moments later, the nurse arrived, her face softening when she saw me. "Pain flare-up?"
I nodded weakly.
She gave me painkillers, adjusting my IV and murmuring something about not pushing myself too hard next time before leaving again.
Zayn didn't say anything at first.
He just sat there, elbows resting on his knees, watching me with an unreadable expression.
I exhaled, sinking back against the pillows as the meds slowly started working. "You don't have to stay, you know," I muttered, my voice softer than usual. "I'll survive."
Zayn exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Yeah? You sure about that?"
His jaw clenched, hands tightening into fists.
"Because watching you lying there, bleeding, wasn't exactly fun for me, Calloway."
I blinked, caught off guard by the roughness in his voice.
For the first time since I woke up, I really looked at him.
His hair was messy, his usual teasing smirk nowhere in sight. Instead, there was something elseâsomething raw in his eyes, like he was barely holding himself together.
"Zayn..." I started, but he cut me off.
"Do you have any idea how scared I was?" His voice was low, hoarse. "Seeing you like thatâdamn it, Arienne, you could've died."
I swallowed hard.
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "And all I could think about was how I never told you."
My breath caught. "Told me what?"
He let out a short, almost bitter laugh, shaking his head. "That you drive me insane. That you make me want to punch a wall one second and hold you the next. That Iâ" He stopped, exhaling deeply. "That I can't lose you. I won't."
Silence.
Thick, heavy, suffocating silence.
My fingers twitched, and before I could stop myself, I reached outâjust barely brushing against his hand.
His eyes darkened, his fingers flexing under my touch.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Neither of us breathed.
Then, softly, I whispered, "You idiot."
A small, tired smile tugged at my lips. "I'm not going anywhere."
Zayn let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. "Yeah, well... you better not."
And thenâ
I don't know what came over me.
Maybe it was the exhaustion.
Maybe it was the painkillers.
Maybe it was the fact that I had nearly died today and didn't want to waste another second.
But before I could think, before I could hesitateâ
I grabbed his hoodie and pulled him down, pressing my lips against his.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't careful.
It was raw, desperate, full of everything we never said.
Zayn froze for half a second.
Thenâ
He kissed me back.
Hard.
His hand slid to the back of my neck like he had been waiting for this forever, like he wasn't planning to let go anytime soon.
Heat flooded my chest, and I couldn't tell if it was the pain meds or just him.
When we finally pulled away, his breath was warm against my lips.
"You're gonna regret that when the pain meds wear off," he murmured, his lips twitching into a smirk.
I scoffed, but my grip on his hoodie didn't loosen.
"Try me, Carter."
And just like thatâ
He was completely gone for me.