ASHLEY

The morning of January 1st was really cold but I woke up with a fresh mind, mainly due to the fact that I had not gone through insomnia or seen another annoying nightmare. My mom informed me that my alarm went off three times and I still didn't get up. I only got up when she knocked multiple times on the door.  The sedative that I took before dozing off was indeed really strong. Dr Jones warned me not to consume a lot, because that it has side effects.

I unlock my phone to check whether Zayn responded to my message. Unfortunately, he didn't even view it. It would usually be Zayn knocking me first and telling me about random things. But right now, the total opposite is taking place. How should I contact him? Is it possible for Shawn to have another number? It wouldn't hurt to ask.

-

'No, I'm sorry Ash, I don't.' Shawn answers,when I ask him. I'm seated beside him on the kitchen counter, while mum's preparing pancakes. I dial Zayn's number again, but no answer. I cross my arms and sigh, looking at my screen every now and then.

'I see someone's really worried about Zayn Malik' my mum teases me,and smirks weakly at the same time. My eyes widen at the fact that she's viewing my tension it in that  way. 

'Mum, it's normal to be worried about your friend who is not returning calls  or answering texts since last night.' I simply state, hoping that she will modify her thinking. She serves us pancakes and sits on the opposite side of the counter. 

'Don't worry, Ash. I bet he's in the studio or shooting a music video. Or maybe he's on the road with his friends. I'm sure your lover boy will contact you, soon ' Shawn smiles and takes a bite of that pancake. What the hell? Lover boy? Clearly, that's such a wrong perception.

'Shawn, he's not my lover boy, alright? Just because I'm worried about him, doesn't mean I love him, in that way.' I tell him rather loudly, causing my mom to stare at me. I meet her eyes for a second but then I quickly shift them back to Shawn, who is glaring. I roll my eyes and look away. I think he figured that I took it quite seriously.

'Hey, I'm sorry. If I knew it was gonna annoy you,  I wouldn't have said it. C'mon sis, give me a hug' he puts a arm around my neck and then opens his arms for me. I purse my lips and look at him. I don't have the ability to resist something that I'm offered, so I fling my arms around his neck and bury my face on his shoulders. I hear my mum mumbling an 'aw' as she watches us.

'By the way, Ash, you gotta pack your bags, soon.' He tells me was we pull away from the hug. 

'For what?' I ask with a look of curiosity. Why do I need to pack my bags all of a sudden?

'Cause you and I are going to New York on Thursday!' he excitedly exclaims. I slightly open my mouth and I face my mom, who purses her lips and shakes her head. By the look of her reaction, she was informed about this earlier.

'What? Really? Why are we going there? What's the reason?' my mouth moves like a talkative robot.

'Wow sis, slow down your train of questions' Shawn laughs and so does my mum.

'The North-American leg of the tour is beginning in two weeks. So I gotta go there, for rehearsals and all.' 

'Ah, it is so nice to be kept preoccupied by your children, until they decide to leave, again.' My mum sighs and purses her lips again, standing up from the counter and coming to our side.

'Why don't you accompany us, mum?' I ask.

'I can't, sweetheart. You see, your dad's a busy man as well. Constantly travelling the world for work purposes. Somebody needs to accompany him too, right?' She tells me while patting my right shoulder. 

'Speaking of dad, where is he?' I ask her when I finally realized that he wasn't there. I get remiss so easily, sometimes.

'Ah he got a call from his employer early in the morning. So, he had to rush to his office.'

'On New Years? It's a holiday today, mum.' I state. She sighs and shrugs her shoulders. We sit back at the counter to finish the remaining pancakes. I put a bit of maple syrup on it, to give that exquisite flavor.

'By the way sis, I got another surprise for you.' Shawn whispers into my ear and smirks slightly. 

'You are full of surprises, Shawn? What is it?' I smirk at him and raise an eyebrow.

'You'll find out, once we're in New York.' He whispers again and goes back to eating his pancakes. He just has to tease me. Now, I definitely cannot wait to go to New York.