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What he has seen in movies, what other people have told him and how he's seen Louis act when he comes home from a night of clubbing only reaffirms Zayn's critically negative assumptions. As soon as he steps foot inside of the 7th story building, it's as if he has his own personal earbuds plugged right into his ears.Club One.Apparently it's where every 21-and-up aged person likes to go to on the weekend to let loose. To have fun, to be free, and to let out all of their frustrations and stress from the previous weekday. Apparently it's one of the hottest clubbing spots in the city. Well, that is according to Louis and Ariana, who seem to be the experts at doing these types of things. It wouldn't be surprising to Zayn if everyone in the club just happened to know their names.Many celebrities have visited here, he's been told, as if that's supposed to make him feel less uptight.As much as the building is heavily guarded with security, the first guard at the front door didn't even properly check their ID's for crying out loud. For all Zayn knows, the bloke was just looking at everyone's picture to see how ugly they look when the photo was taken compared to how they look currently. Anyone who is underage could have been let in. Who knows which one of these dancing intoxicated bodies could be the underage one, getting taking advantage of by some older creep who's just looking to get off. This whole environment just radiates danger. It's not the best setting to be introduced to. The only thing that was making him feel comfortable was his two friends by his side. Ariana held his hand tightly, not wanting him to get separated through the crowd. She must've sensed his nervousness. She looked upwards toward him with a look of reassurance and squeezed his hand firmly."Relax!" Ariana shouts over the music to Zayn, as if her soft voice could possibly overpower the thunderous bass to Kream by Iggy Azalea."What?" Zayn shouts back. He knows that his voice couldn't do the same. He couldn't even hear himself. But given Louis' and Ariana's frequency of coming here, he guesses she's able to develop some sort of lip-reading."I said relax!" She tries again."What?"By this time, Ariana takes Zayn by his other hand, immediately causing him to walk in an unknown direction. She looks behind Zayn and mouthes the word 'Bar' at Louis, who nods and follows along. He understands that the bar, which there are 1 out of 4 of them, is the quietest place to have a conversation. Either the bars, or the "private rooms" the club has for people to-well-be in private.Zayn observes how some of the people they pass by tend to give them hungry stares. It's not like it hasn't happened before to him. Zayn is well aware of the beauty that he and his two friends hold. He's been told by countless people that they should be models for whatever famous designer brand that people come up with from the top of their heads.They take a circular glass elevator to another floor where apparently the bar is, but even still the music still roared although it was still expected to be.Louis and Ariana immediately take their seats, greeting the bartender in the process as he greets them back by name. He cant help but laugh internally at the thought of his friends coming to this club so much that even the staff knows them by name. He only hopes that even though they seem to be popular, they keep one eye open to the people that lurk around here. Zayn can tell by the certain people in the building, some of them didn't have good intentions. He unsurely places himself next to Louis, who telling the bartender to just give him his "usual", whatever that may be. The bartenders smile widens immediately, and exclaims that this is going to be a good night, which worries Zayn even more."So who's your friend?" The bartender asks, nodding in Zayn's direction as he begins to make Louis' drink."This," Louis begins as he protectively wraps his arm around Zayn's shoulders. "This is my best mate, Zayn."The bartender stops for a second to take a more accurate look at the newbie. It seemed like he was internally admiring his looks. Zayn starts to feel his stomach tighten as he smiles nervously. The older mans predatory gaze at him is enough to make him want to tell his friends that he wants to go back home. He'd rather the flat that he and Louis both share, and in his opinion, is a thousand times better than being at some club.The bartender sizes him up quickly and Zayn feels like he wants to throw up."He's a club virgin." Ariana fake whispers, her hand at the side of her mouth as the the other hair flips the long, brunette hair that rested on her shoulder away.For the second time, Zayn must admit it. He has beautiful friends. Sometimes people often wondered if they were in a three-way relationship of some sort. The trio were so close. Outside of the club where Zayn would much rather be, they would always do everything with each other. In some areas, people who knew them would question the group if one of them weren't with them. It's mostly Ariana, though. She travels back home to the US doing god knows what. She's never actually said what she does for a living. Not specifically. She was always vague when it came to her work in America. She's only said that she does business with her father back in Florida, but that's about it.But that's something to think and ask her about at a different time."Oh. A newbie." The bartender says as he resumes making Louis' specialized drink. "Is there a special occasion or are you two just want to show him around?""We're celebrating!" Louis chimes."Really? What for?""Well," Louis starts while he takes a second to look at Zayn, eyes proud. "our friend here just got a job as an assistant for Niall Horan from Horan Technologies."The bartenders eyes widen, as his eyebrows raise interestingly."Isn't Horan Technologies the company the develops games and other innovating apps from phones making them into a virtual reality only using-"A headset with interactive goggles? You're correct my good mate."They start to talk some more about the job before Zayn starts to tune out. As much as he was happy for himself, he couldn't bring himself to get comfortable in this surrounding. He checks the time on his phone and shoves it back in the pocket of his ripped jeans that Ariana was happy to pick out for him. Apparently, they made his arse look bigger. It's not like he wanted the attention anyway, but he does want to look somewhat appealing when he is in the public."Is that Miss Ariana Grande and Sir Louis Tomlinson I hear?" A familiar voice says, disturbing him from his thoughts.As if they're genetically engineered to be in sync, the trio turns their heads to see which person is familiar with the one of them. Surprisingly, it's not just some club random or another employee. It's not a person trying to hit on the either of them in some weird or uncomfortable way. It's a beautiful, 5"10 supermodel. Someone all three of them are familiar with, and someone who doesn't come by often.Gigi fucking Hadid.Zayn's first, and very last ex-girlfriend.Ariana immediately and excitedly jumps from her seat. The sound of her signature styled thigh-high boots making contact with the floor was the sound that both Louis and Zayn were both irritatingly familiar with. It's very rare to see Ariana not wearing them. It's like she was practically born with them on and never separated from them."Gigi!" They both chime as they rush in to give her a hug.Zayn watched from his seat as his friends reacted to seeing the gorgeous runway model. They acted as if they haven't seen her in years. Honestly, he can't blame them. If things weren't so awkward between Gigi and himself, he would most likely act the same way. It's not that things ended terribly, because it definitely didn't. When Zayn confessed that he wasn't into her, well - to girls in entirety, she behaved better than what Zayn would've expected. Too happy. Sometimes, Zayn thinks that she secretly resents him from breaking things between them.But he smiles nonetheless.She turns her gaze upwards and they lock eyes. She takes a deep breath and instantly gains a smile that stretches ear to the other, and quickly changes her expression to slight confusion."Oh. My. God. Is that a rare Zayn Malik? In a nightclub? At 10:50 PM? Do my very eyes deceive me?" Gigi says as she approaches Zayn."Is that Gigi Hadid? The gorgeous supermodel I see everywhere I go?" He jokingly responds.She kisses his cheek and pulls him into a hug. He always did love getting hugs from her."The one and only. What are you guys up to? It's been forever!""We're here celebrating Zayn's new job at Horan Technologies." Louis says as if it was the biggest achievement Zayn had ever accomplished.Oh wait. It is.Gigi looked at Zayn, mouth agape and a look of shock. "Holy shit," she says as she pulls him into another hug. "I'm so proud of you! Congratulations.""Thank you, Gi. I thought you were still in Milan? We didn't know you were back.""I just landed this morning actually! I'm only here for a few days, and the girls and I wanted to have some fun on our time off. You know how that is." Gigi says as if Louis, Ariana or Zayn would know how that is. "But I swear I was going to group message you guys tomorrow that I was back. The schedule has been pretty hectic.""It's okay love," Louis says. "We're here now.""Who's in the mood for dancing? I know I am." Ariana chimes as she flips her Rapunzel-like hair."Oh girl, I know I am." Gigi agrees as she excitedly takes hold of Ariana's hand."I'm definitely in." Louis chimes.They all take a look at Zayn, who sat in silence. He took ahold of Louis' untouched drink and took a long sip. Immediately he knew it was a terrible decision. Hot garbage was an understatement when it come to describing the green drink. Zayn doesn't know how Louis could even consume this stuff. Let alone look or smell it. It could practically be poison. Wait, no, this is poison. This is exactly what poison would taste like it poison were an edible drink."I don't dance." Zayn states as he clears his throat. He wants to ask for a water from the bartender but he was busy serving other people."Babe, come on!" Louis starts to plead. "We're here celebrating for you! We want you to have a good time, mate.""Something tells me you would've came here regardless of me agreeing to come or not.""That's true." Ariana says.Louis turns and gives her a stern look before turning back to Look Zayn in the eyes. "Please? Just give it a shot. If you feel uncomfortable we can stop, go home and order Pizza or whatever you like. Tonight's all about you."Other than being unbearably sassy, Louis can be so fucking tempting when he wants to be. Zayn already felt uncomfortable. He did want to go back home and do whatever it was that Louis just suggested they would do, but a part of him just wants to make his friends happy. He doesn't want to ruin their night and be a stick in the mud or whatever. Especially in front of Gigi. It's not like she hasn't seen this side of him already, but he somehow feels like he needs to show her that he's changed since the last time they've seen each other. For some reason, he feels the need the show that he, himself, can have fun like his other two friends.He thinks this over and begins to smile. He did want to come here to see what the buzz was all about. He definitely didn't want to leave without experience the fun that Louis and Ariana felt whenever they came here."Do I sense a yes?" Gigi asks in surprise as her face turns into a smile."Well I-" Zayn starts before he gets cut off by Ariana."Wait, pause for a second." Ariana says as she listens to the music that begins to play below them.Gigi, Zayn and Louis look suspiciously at Ariana to try to understand what had gotten her attention so quickly. When Zayn and Louis figured it out, they glance at each other with a look of amusement on their faces.A song that Ariana played nonstop since it came out started playing over the speakers."What's going on?" Gigi asks, wanting to know what Zayn and Louis know."We have to dance." Ariana says as she pulls Zayn up from his stool."Ariana, I-""You'll love doing this. You can dance with me. Just follow my lead, please?" Ariana pleads as she starts to head in the direction to which the music was playing.There was no going back when Ariana Grande had made her mind up on something."Let's go have some fun" Ariana says. "To Zayn!""To Zayn!" Louis and Gigi say in unison as they excitedly follow the source of the music.Yo' hold up, hold up, hold up, okay, hold up You see a bad bitch coming through, yo what's the hold up I'm in that new new meeting New New when I roll up I told the valet, "Park the Benz and bring the Rolls up" Yo hold up, hold up, hold up, okay, hold up He see me lookin' pretty every time he scroll up Might gotta let the blicky hit you if you stroll up Now put your hands up, it's a hold upZayn was definitely out of his element. Being in the circle of random people who don't even know your name, grinding on you was one of the most foreign things to ever experience. Everyone's bodies just seemed to move so natural and so experienced compared to his. He felt like a popsicle stick in the middle of water. He definitely wasn't doing this again anytime soon. Following Ariana's lead just made everything worse. To Zayn, he felt like it made him stand out in the crowd. He felt like everyone was looking at him and judging him, even though he knew their minds were clearly focused on something else.Ariana was a genius at this. Pushing up against his body. Swaying her hips to the upbeat rhythm and placing Zayn's hands on her hips. He couldn't help but wonder if she ever did this to Louis, but then remembered that Harry would probably murder her if he found out.'Cause I be the baddie B, Barbie Tingz Banging body B, everybody be on my D Yo I gotta be in reality, suck a D if you doubted me Back of the back, back of the back Back of the back, back of the backBy every passing second, Zayn had to admit that he was having a little bit of fun even though he didn't have a single clue what he was doing. Although he wouldn't do it again, that's for certain, he was definitely enjoying himself. It seemed like nothing could spoil this moment. Even though a time like this could be so minute to others, Zayn rather appreciated moments like this, other than doing something major like going to Los Angeles, which is what Louis keeps suggesting."Mind if I join you two?" Zayn hears someone ask in his ear.He stops and turns around to see who the voice came from and to his surprise, he's not alarmed. He is very interested in what he sees. Not that a person's looks would ever change the fact that any stranger has the potential to be dangerous or not, but Zayn didn't get that kind of vibe from this guy.He was taller. Brown eyes with broad shoulders. Brown hair. Decently fit. The bloke has to go to a gym frequently to achieve this kind of figure. Not to mention he's hot. His face is decently covered with facial hair, yet he seemed to carry the innocent, boyish look. The mystery guy seems to look at him the same way. It's as if he's never seen a face like Zayn's before. For a quick second, Zayn's brain stops functioning. He couldn't event think of anything to respond with. It's as if the words 'sure' or 'who are you' were suddenly not in his vocabulary. It wasn't until Ariana started talking and brought Zayn back to earth.He looks familiar. Zayn doesn't know where from, but he knows his face from somewhere."Of course!" Ariana says as she slightly departs from Zayn to make room for the new guy. "What's your name?"He leaned in her ear and whispered for four seconds as she nodded. The music was way too loud to try to comprehend what his name was. Even though Zayn does like this song, he would prefer it at a lower volume. No one else seemed to mind, so Zayn guesses he shouldn't either. But then again, these people are regulars here, to which Zayn is not.While he kept talking to Ariana about God knows what, he never did break eye-contact with Zayn. He felt like prey in the eyes of a hunter and he didn't know if he should feel nervous or pleased that someone so handsome and doesn't come off slimy is looking at him. An ice cold chill ran up Zayn's spine and his breathing started to hitch."Is this your boyfriend?" Unknown asks going back to his regular but louder tone as he nods towards the other, still keeping his eye contact.Ariana looks back at Zayn and takes his hand to bring him closer."No, this is my best friend. His name is Zayn." She says as she rests her head on Zayn's shoulders. "This is his first time coming to a club.""Is that so?" He responds as his eyes roams Zayn's body, and then back to Zayn's eyes. It was like he was mentally picking Zayn's brain to figure out what his thoughts were. "I knew I haven't seen you around before! It's nice to meet you.""Um yeah." Is all Zayn could respond with. He mentally kicks himself in the head for not coming up for a better response. Of course he says something that makes him looks like a wanker."Do you have enough time? Wanna chill with us for a little bit? It's Zayn's night tonight.""That so?" He asks as his attention switches from Zayn, to Ariana, to back at Zayn again. "I think I could stay for song or two.""Sick!" Ariana says excitedly as she clicks her Louis Vuitton thigh-high boots together. "Tonight's going to be great!"I tell him eat the cookie 'cause it's good for him And when he eat the cookie he got good form He know I don't ever cheat because I'm good to him Might gotta have his baby, nurses yellin' push for himThe next few minutes seemed to happen so quickly. First, Ariana went back to dancing with Zayn, but then left Zayn to dance with Louis and Gigi which Harry will kill her for later after Louis would obviously tell him. That left Zayn and broad shoulders to themselves. Blame it on the disgusting drink that he stole from Louis earlier, or just the entire vibe of the nightclub or even the song itself, Zayn didn't even care who he was dancing with. The risk of him having the potential to be dangerous completely left his mind. He couldn't be too dangerous right? But Ariana must know that he's safe right? Ariana is great with 'feeling people out' as she always says. She wouldn't leave him to dance with a murderer, or something of the similarity if she felt like he wasn't safe. Ariana always has good judgment."I never did get your name." Zayn asks as he grinds himself on the taller male.Somewhere in the mix, his hips seemed to cooperate and somehow Zayn started to dance like he's done this before.The muscular man leans into Zayn's ear from behind. His lips touched slightly on Zayn's neck as he whispered his name. It was like the man carried electricity through his touch and Zayn was clearly getting emotionally electrocuted. His lips carried so much static that Zayn almost fell over from the sensation."Liam." He replied."Leeyummm." Zayn moaned as he moved his his backside more into Liam to cause more friction. "I like that."To his surprise, he learned to hear and understand him given the loudness of the music rather quickly."So fucking sexy." Liam whispered again, moving his hips expertly along with the smaller boy."I'm all yours." Zayn whispered.Sober Zayn would never had said something like that. Especially to someone who he had just met. Why'd he have to be such a lightweight? Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. Right? Zayn will probably never see him again anyway. Right? Right.Right...?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next day is always going to be the worst day. Well at least that's what Zayn had always been told after hearing the numerous, but sumilar stories his other friends who would rave about their wild clubbing experiences from their previous nights. People say that your body and head will pay for the amount of alcohol, drugs, loud music or whatever you endure and it will not be a good price in the morning. That was the main reason Zayn had always been one to steer clear from partying or drugs of any kind. He absolutely hated consequence. He didn't want to hear any embarrassing stories from his previous night. People always have those. And unfortunately, do to his lack of remembrance and the current ringing headache, he fears he might just have one as well. He doesn't even like to drink much. What is even more confusing is that he doesn't even remember how any events leading to this moment could've lead up to this headache. Be it the music or the overall vibe in general, all Zayn knows is that he's not going there again.He lifts his long and heavy lashes to see that his room is pitch black. Just like he prefers it to be. Luckily he didn't leave his lamp on like he usually does whenever he has a long night. Sometimes Louis or Ariana would come in his room in the middle of the night to check on him while turning his lights off in the process. They usually liked to do that for each other. He stretches his left arm out enough to feel for his red iPhone XR that was left charging on his nightstand and presses the power button. The sharp light immediately begins to burn his retinas. Blindly, he fingers the screen of his phone until he finally turns its brightness all the way down and looks at the time.
7:47 AM.
Zayn sighs and reviews his current wallpaper he had set on his phone not too long ago. His lock screen wallpaper was a picture of him, Louis and Ariana in Louis' car. Louis making his signature grimace in the photo while Ariana opted for her usual kissy face and wink. Zayn remembers that day perfectly. It was the day they were going to an Bruno Mars concert and directly after Louis almost wrecked the car. The seatbelt cut on so perfectly that Zayn's circulation was cut off for a few seconds and Ariana dropped her vegan chocolate ice cream in the back of Louis' all white interior. Louis obviously was pissed, but he had completely forgotten about it when the concert started. He forgotten until the moment the concert ended and it was time to go back their flat and seen the stain again, resulting in another row between the two of them.It was definitely a night to remember.His pressed the power button to turn his screen off and set his phone back down in its previous position on the nightstand and leant back against his soft pillows, his eyes resting. A few seconds later, his bedroom door slowly creaked open and the sound of two pairs of footsteps became audible against the hardwood floor. Zayn opened his eyes to see a small floating light and two human figures behind it."Happy Birthday to you," The two familiar voices began to softly sing. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, to Zayn! Happy Birthday to you!"The foot of his bed began to dip and he reached for his phone again confusedly. He tapped the screen and looked at the date that appeared below the time.Saturday. January 12th. Damn. It is his birthday. How could he have missed it?He turned on his lamp and looked at his two friends who immediately held the cupcake to his face, the single candle in the cupcake sitting proudly upright. Zayn raised both of his eyebrows and just looked quizzically at the pair. It was indeed way too early for them to be wishing him a happy birthday in his opinion, but then again Louis and Ariana were both early birds. It amazed Zayn that the two could stay up for hours on and then wake up like they slept their previous day away."I'm guessing this is the part where I make my wish?" Zayn asked jokingly. He sat upright against the pillows to get more comfortable, leaning his back against the headboard."Whatever you do, please do it fast before this flame burns all the hair from my arm off." Louis says.It wouldn't be a normal morning without a sassy remark from Louis. Zayn takes a second to think before blowing out his candle. Just when he was about to ask a question, the flame reappeared like it wasn't happy with the way he blew it out. He takes a bigger breath and blows the candle out again, just for it to light itself back up."Is this one of those candles that keep lighting up after you already blew it out?" Zayn asked. He already knew the answer by now, but he asked anyway just because."Yes. It was Louis' idea. I told you just put a regular candle in it!" Ariana said as she hit Louis in his arm."And be boring and traditional like everyone else in the world? This is our best friend here, not some bloke from across the road." Louis defended.Zayn scoffed as he took the candle out of the cupcake and dropped it inside of his glass of water that was on his nightstand. He laughed at his two best friends. It didn't take much for them to get into another one of their funny but pointless arguments."Ugh. Whatever. How are feeling, babe? Did you have fun last night? You enjoy yourself?" Ariana asked. There was something off about her tone, but Zayn ignored it."To be honest," Zayn started as he ran his hand through his hair, knowing it must look an outright mess from his various sleeping positions. "I can't even remember much of last night.""Well mate, it's a good thing you don't because...whew- what a night you had!" Louis said.Ariana gave him a 'are you serious' look before looking back at the birthday boy."What does that mean?" Zayn asked."You seriously don't remember last night?" Louis looked at him questionably before bursting into a fit of laughter. "You were so out of it!"Zayn, knowing he wasn't going to get a proper answer out of Louis anytime soon, looked at Ariana, who was looking at Louis with absolute disregard."Lets just say you were in over your head." Ariana said."You very were!" Louis said through his fit. "That poor bloke!""What? What are you talking about? Will one of you please tell me what went on?" Zayn asked, a string of annoyance tying into his tone as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples."Well, to quickly sum it up, we were dancing. You were having a good time, I guess. And um, oh yeah, a this hot guy had joined us!" Ariana said, clapping her hands as she started to remember the details. "I think he asked you to dance. And, um, I guess you had a lot to drink that night, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention." Ariana explained as her hands started to move with every vowel of each of her words. Something she gets from her Italian heritage. "And, uh, um, I guess your stomach didn't agree with Louis' drink you drank out of from earlier that night, and then all of a sudden-""You lost it all over the blokes shoes!" Louis shouted as he went into another manic of laughter, as if what Ariana said was a joke and he was just waiting for the punch line.It was if the world had begin the come down. The last thing he wants is a stereotypical embarrassing story that everyone else seems to have. He looked back at his brunette friend for confirmation. A look of horror on his face."Please tell me he's just taking the piss?" Zayn asked."Um, I don't know what that means. But if you meant if he was joking, then, um. No. You really did throw up on his shoes."Louis laughter started to become heavier. Zayn sulked into his memory foam mattress and pulled the pillow that was lying behind his back over his face."Fuck me!" Zayn groaned from beneath the pillow. "Why did you guys have to bring me out?""So we can laugh about whatever you do in the morning!" Louis chimed."Well, um," Ariana started, rubbing the outline of Zayn's thigh, hoping to comfort him. "Happy birthday!""Happy fucking birthday, mate." Louis laugh-sobbed."Fuck!" Zayn exclaimed from underneath the pillow. He lifted the object from above his face. Something tells him that he won't be hearing the end of this anytime soon. "Please tell me that one of you will be taking me out for ice cream or whatever to forget about what I just heard.""Oh, buddy, you deserve all the ice cream in the world after last night." Louis said.Ariana rolled her eyes. "I would, but I have a 10 hour flight back to America and I really have to get going soon."The words seemed to crush Zayn's heart a little. Ariana left a lot, that wasn't an issue, and Zayn and Louis has gotten used to her leaving at random times, but he never would have thought she would leave on his birthday. His birthday, out of all dates. They always spent Zayn's birthday together. What in God's name is the reason for her to be leaving this time?"Ari, please be kidding." Zayn said as he closed his eyes again and went back to rubbing his temples. "Please.""I'm sorry, love. I have to go. Something came up.""What came up? Why on my birthday? Out of all days. We never miss our birthdays!" He complained. Zayn doesn't like ever like complaining. He doesn't even like showing any form of discontent, but today is supposed to be his day. "What do you even do anyway?""That is true, Ariana, what do you even do?" Louis asked, taking a break from his laughter to actually be serious for once in his life. He turned his gaze upon her with suspicion and waited on an answer.Zayn and Louis and had talked about it many times before. Ariana has never given them a legitimate answer up to this point. Every time they would corner her and ask, someone, or something would interrupt her. She doesn't like going near computers nor does she like being near webcams in front of them, even for a video call. She won't even touch a laptop. Louis brought up that she might have an embarrassing video of her online and doesn't want to remember it. Yeah, his theory doesn't add up, but what other explanation could there be?"Oh, I haven't told you? I-" She started but was interrupted by a notification tone of her phone. She took it from out of her pocket and hastily looked at the screen. She sighed and rolled her eyes and responded to whoever was contacting her this early. "I'm sorry, babe. I have to go. If I stall any longer I'm gonna miss my flight."She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his left cheek before standing up and making her way towards the door. Her long ponytail swaying to the left and to the right as it hit Zayn in the face in its process. Zayn didn't even notice that she was already fully dressed while Louis was still in his pyjamas until he heard the clicking of her thigh-high boots. She turned around and gave him an empathetic look before exiting."I'll FaceTime you once I land and I'll make it up to you. I swear!" Ariana said."It's alright." Zayn said as he shifts his gaze to Louis. "Just go."With a sigh and another turn, she was gone. Zayn doesn't know why he's behaving like this. He doesn't know why it's getting to him so much. Ariana always leaves. That's what she does."Please tell me you don't have a 10 hour flight back to US too, Louis." Zayn said."No, mate, I don't have a flight. But I do have to run a few errands. After that, I'm all yours. Anything you want to do today?"Zayn thought. He really didn't know what he wanted to do today himself. It's too early to think about it. He likes spontaneity, but not Louis' kind of spontaneity. Without Ariana's leveled input, who knows what Louis could do."I don't know." Zayn said honestly. "I'm pretty sure mum will ring me and ask me to come over. She always would have something planned.""Well we can do something tonight. We can go to some fancy restaurant. Get legless or summat."As if on cue, Zayn's phone started to vibrate. He picked it and noticed it was a text from his mum, asking him to ring her whenever he wakes up. A few seconds later, as if on cue, a queue of notifications started to appear. Text messages from friends Zayn had made in art class from secondary school that he occasionally still talks to sending him their love and thoughts. It brought a smile to his face knowing that people who rarely see each other anymore still think about him. That's the feeling that Zayn loves the most. Knowing that people care about him. He had always cared for people all of his life and knowing that the love is returned makes him feel like he's on top of the world."Or you can just piss me off and stay on your phone all day." Louis said, interrupting Zayn from responding from his incoming text messages and returning his attention to his best mate."Sorry." Zayn apologized as he shook his head and put his phone back on the nightstand to charge. "Just got distracted. Lets get ice cream. Well, whenever you're free or whatever.""Hmm. You always were a lover for ice cream as well!" Louis said as he rose from his place on Zayn's bed. He dusted himself off and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Alright then. Ice cream it is. But I do have a gift for you later on tonight.""What kind of gift?""A birthday gift.""What kind of birthday gift?""I don't have time for a round of 20 questions, Zayn. You'll get it tonight.""Louis, you know I'm not a fan of surprises, just tell me what-""Love you! See you later on. You're going to love it!" Louis said as he exited Zayn's room to do god knows what.It's going to be an interesting birthday.Hours later after Louis had returned, Zayn's day began to start. Louis treated him to his ice cream, that he promised he would get him. There was a certain restaurant that wasn't located too far from their flat that the trio loved going to. The food was to die for and their desserts were even better. It was definitely a favorite of theirs. The restaurant was modern and had a slight French vibe. It was confusing at first but eventually Zayn had been able to get over it. In the mornings, the restaurant would be lit brightly relying on the natural lighting from the scenic windows and the small ceiling lights to get off an energetic, typical morning feel. When it's night, the windows would be shut and the lights would be lit, but more dim; giving a more laid back and comfortable dining feel. It would be perfect for dates.Zayn's mum had the decency to FaceTime, an action she has just now starting to get into, and told Zayn that as much as she would love for him to come over as usual, she was sick and refused to let anyone near her at the moment. Not even his father. SHe promised that she would see him and cook for him in a few days when she starts to feel better and give him a big kiss as soon as she seems him.Ariana had also texted him a bit earlier, asking what he was up to and continuing to say that she would make it up to him. Zayn was still a little disappointed. He knew that things come up and Ariana is a woman of her word but a little hurt was still in his heart from her leaving from earlier. At least he got to see her at all, that's what matters, right?After another hour of sitting and a trip down memory lane with Louis, they decided to walk back to their flat. The forecast today called for heavy rain from later on so they really didn't want to be in the middle of it when it starts to pour. Judging by the darker than normal clouds in the sky, it won't be too long from now until it does. Along the walk home, Louis' excitement for Zayn's gift became more and more evident. Whenever Louis gets excited or even upset in the slightest, the pitch of his voice begins to rise. It's funny, and Zayn and Ariana continue to make fun of him for it. Louis just tells them to piss off, as usual. The pair finally arrives home and Louis eagerly unlocks the door to their decently-sized living area to which they all pitch in for every month."Wait here and close your eyes." Louis said as he closed the door behind him and scurried off towards his room.Zayn laughed and kept his eyes open only to review the work of art that had hung from the walls; something that Zayn had worked on personally. He felt so proud of his work but never had enough courage to display them publically. Only to his friends. Hw was told many times in school that his paintings and sketching's were far too advanced and he should do something with that talent, but he felt like his work was for something for only him to see. They were workings that the public would not understand."Are they closed?" Louis shouted from beyond his room."Yes!" Zayn lied. He closed his eyes after he heard the sound of Louis' footsteps become more present."Alright, then. Are you ready?" Louis asked, standing in front of Zayn."Yes." Zayn groaned."How are you feeling?""Annoyed.""Are you ready for your gift?""Louis!" Zayn said with a strain of actual annoyance being present."Alright, you can open."Zayn opened his eyes and instantly looked at the large frame that Louis was holding in his hands. Zayn's eyes shifted from Louis, back to the gift, and then back to Louis. He wanted to make sure that he was seeing what he was actually seeing and that his eyes were not playing some sort of sick trick on him. It was a picture of Zayn, but it had been done over in the style of an action comic. The word ZAP! was written right below his face. What was written on the bottom of the picture was a note, clearly and obviously handwritten, but it didn't look like it had came from Louis, nor Ariana.
To my #1 fan who I've heard has the heart of gold. -Stan Lee.
"This- this isn't real." Were the only words the Zayn could muster."It is." Louis said, eyes wide with anticipation. "I had this done a year back. Clearly when he was alive, of course. My cousin, the one that works as a makeup effects sculptor worked in one of his movies before he...you know. I asked her if she could do me a favor and she pulled some strings and to make the story short...here it is!""Wow. This is... I can't. It's-""Ugh," Louis scoffed. "Please don't start crying. If you cry, then I'll cry and I don't want either of us crying mate. Oh and by the way, this gift came solely from me, so if Ari tries to say it came from her too, you'll know the truth! She still has to get you something."A knock at the door interrupted their session together and made Zayn jump a little. They both stared at each other as if they were debating on who would get tend to the door. Zayn gave Louis a look that he wanted to bask in the amazement of his gift. He still felt like this was all a dream and if he took his eyes from it it would go away."Fine, I'll get it. You can hold your present while I get the door." Louis said as he placed the frame in Zayn's hands and walked towards the door quickly, hoping he could get back to the session he and Zayn were having.Getting the door was quick, as Louis looked through he peephole and saw no one there. He opened the door to make sure it wasn't someone just too short to have been seen and noticed a medium sized box sitting patiently in front of their door. For a second, he thought it was another one of Ariana's online orders, usually ordering more designer thigh-high boots or perfume of some sort, but this one was addressed to Zayn."This one is for you mate!" Louis shouted as he carried the midsized box.Zayn leaned the frame against a wall and accepted the gift from Louis. He was a bit confused. He didn't order anything or was expecting anything from someone. He looked over the box, inspecting it and handling it carefully as if it might contain any explosives. After an inpatient and curious sigh from Louis, he placed it on the counter and looked at the sender."It's from Horan Technologies." Zayn said."They're sending you items already? That was fast." Louis said, surprised."Yeah. I guess so." Zayn replied as he started to open the box.The smell coming from the box as he started to open it was heavenly and sweet, but more sweet than anything. Zayn knew the scent was familiar, but he couldn't place what exactly it was. He started to open the box quicker, and what he saw made his heart started to beat quicker. It was candy. Not just any candy, but his favorite kinds."Happy Birthday, Zayn! We welcome you to Horan Technologies and look forward to seeing you on Monday. Sincerely, Niall Horan and L. Payne." Louis read aloud as he reviewed the contents of the box for himself. "How cute.""I wonder how they knew that all of these were my favorite." Zayn questioned. He didn't mind it, but he was just a bit curious."Coincidence?" Louis replied as he began to open one package of an expensive signature chocolate that had a brand that he knew he couldn't pronounce."Probably. Maybe they lo- Oi!" Zayn said as snatched the package from Louis' hands. "Isn't the birthday boy supposed to take the first bite?""Sorry, mate, I just couldn't resist. They look so delicious.""Whatever." Zayn laughed as he took a candy for himself from one of the packages Louis was holding and closed the box containing the contents. "Just stop eating for a second and help me find a spot to put your frame!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rest of the day seemed to go off without any hitches or difficulties. After Zayn has received his present from Louis, he spent a good hour and a half answering phone calls from his friends and relatives. As much as Zayn tried to spend the remained of his birthday with his friend, he received a phone call every two seconds and each one of the calls lasted for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Louis could understand. He knew that Zayn had a pretty large sized family and it surprised him that he and his family were so close. Louis always envied Zayn a little because of it. Louis came from a working family and ever since he was younger he spent more time with the nanny than his actual parents. They were either working or going on vacation. Sometimes his parents worked so much that they often forgot his birthday then, and even now. It would be a miracle if he even received a text back from them but he knows that they still love him very much nonetheless. After what seemed like forever, Zayn finally took Louis' advice and put his phone on Do Not Disturb. Louis offered to treat Zayn out for dinner but he opted to stay inside and watch movies instead. He wasn't trying to argue, given that it is his birthday and all, but Louis had already planned an entire itinerary in his own head for what he was going to do for Zayn tonight. Louis knows that his best mate doesn't like the fancier things or 'going out' or whatever but all Louis wants is for him to step outside of his box a little and experience new things. But of course, all Zayn has to do is give a certain look and bat his long lashes to get anyone to succumb to his wishes. It was funny to Louis, honestly. Anyone would that that knowing Zayn for this long that you would get used to all of his tricks to get people to do what he wants, but unfortunately no.And that's what brought them both to their current activity. Watch superhero films on the couch and eating Zayn's birthday candy which he received from Mr. Niall Horan himself. They weren't new movies. Zayn picked the same movies that he always watches and as usual, Louis didn't have a clue as to what was going on. He doesn't know a thing about superheroes. He's only familiar with Spiderman and the Hulk, if he even counts. He just made sure to laugh when Zayn laughed, sighed when Zayn sighed and said 'whoa' when Zayn said 'whoa.' He resisted the temptation of checking his phone by turning it off and placing it on the counter. He wanted to be attentive to Zayn as possible. To his surprise, it was working. After the movie ended, Zayn turned to Louis and thanked him for being with him and watching telly with him.When the two boys were both completely done in from their night of movies, they agreed that it was definitely getting late and that it was time for bed. Zayn felt like his weight had been doubled as soon as he stood from his position from the couch. He turned off the TV and started to make his way to his room when the doorbell rang."Your turn." Louis shouted from his room.Zayn groaned and rubbed his eyes. Who could seriously be at their flat at this time of night? The sound of their doorbell was suddenly replaced by a heavy knock. The impatience of the person at their door scared Zayn as little. No one that Zayn knows would ever knock like that and even if they did, he's sure as hell that it wouldn't be at 11:22 at night. Maybe it was their neighbour. A 19 year old lives next door by himself and he's always asking Zayn for toilet paper or weed. He undid the latch and groggily opened the door to see who is assaulting their door so violently."Happy birthday, mate!" The very familiar boy said as he held up a large pizza box in his hand.Zayn forgot. Only Michael Clifford knocks like that."Wow. Um, thank you!" Zayn responded. It was clear the sleep was starting to hit him more and more. He was forcing his body to keep standing and look welcoming."I brought you a pizza!" Michael says as he lifts the box to Zayn's eyesight as if it wasn't already evident before. "I know how much you love it and you know how much I love you." Michael said as he pushed pass Zayn and welcomed himself into the flat. "God, it's pouring like mad out there.""Yeah, sorry it took me so long to answer. I was just about to call it in.""Really? Well I'm glad that I came over when I did!" Michael says as he sets the pizza down on the counter.Zayn got the hint that Michael wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon, so he took a seat beside the counter and opened the pizza box for a slice and listen to Michael talk. He always enjoyed his company. He knows Michael means well and never means any harm. To add, Zayn rarely sees the lad, so clearly whenever the two see each other they try to catch up as much as they can. Michael is so energetic and has this weird rocker vibe going on that Zayn has always envied. Unfortunately, Zayn could only keep his eyes open for so long. He tried his best to make them wide as possible to give off the appearance that he was paying attention."Oh, wait!" Michael says as he jumps excitedly, nearly wakening the boy. Nearly. "There was this bloke who tried telling me that I gave him the wrong order and then I tried to tell him that its exactly what was sent in. Turns out that his-"And that was all that Zayn heard before he let his eyes fully close and his mind go vacant. His body felt like it was trying to support a thousand pounds. A slight yawn was all it took and Zayn was out like a light.
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It was obviously morning. That was certain. The time? That was still in the air. Hazy grey light in the form of long horizontal lines stretched wide across Zayn's bedroom wall. There was a familiar sound of the light breeze of rain outside which Zayn loved waking up to. He must've awaken earlier than he intended to. He feels refreshed. It's like the feeling of having an extremely long night before of doing something heinous and having the opportunity of taking a long slumber to recover from it. He loves the feeling to be honest. He loves waking up early in the morning to get tasks done and to mentally prepare himself for his afternoon. It excited him just thinking about sitting down and meditating before anything happens. Even though Zayn doesn't really have much to do with his mornings, is the thought of him having the freedom and extra time is what thrills him.His runs his hand through his messy and tangled hair and reaches over on his nightstand for his iPhone. Since the dim light coming from the clouds outside already prepared his eyes for the brightness, there was no need for immediately turning his brightness down as per usual in the morning. He powers is on and notices that it is on silent mode, which is unusual since Zayn never silences his phone. He shifts it back on and sees a text from Michael that he missed a few minutes ago.'I hope u don't mind that I tucked u in given that you crashed in the middle of my story last night. I also turned ur sound off so no one interrupts ur slumber, sleeping beauty.
Ur welcome.
-Michael (in case u still haven't saved my number in ur cell yet.)'Zayn grinned and sent a quick reply apologizing for falling asleep but thanking him for his gesture and letting him know that his number was already successfully saved. It was very kind of him to do those things for him. Michael truly had a good heart. Zayn almost turned his phone over until he seen the notification that was under Michael's text.
Alarm Snoozed.
Wait. What?Zayn looked confusedly at the time. Why did he set an alarm on his phone, and why did he set it for such an early time? Nothing about that made sense. He looked at the time and tried to figure out what he was missing.
Sunday. 9:32AM.
As if a bolt of electricity had shocked his brain, his quickly remembered exactly why he set his alarm. His fucking job that he needs to be at at 10AM sharp. That's why it was so fucking bright(ish) outside. Not only did Zayn need those two hours to properly get ready and to make sure he had everything for his new job, but he also needed time to catch the tube from their flat to London. Without the transportation of a car, which only Louis and Ariana have, it will be completely impossible to make it there on time."Shit!" Zayn exclaimed.He rose to his feet so fast that he nearly slipped and fell from the contact of the hardwood floor. He rushed to his closet and quickly opened its door and let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, before any big day, Zayn preplans everything. That includes his clothing that he will wear on that day, accessories and even socks. From what he remembered from someone named Ashley, the day he was called to inform him that he obtained the job, the attire was strictly business casual. Zayn opted for the short and brown Sandringham trench coat from Burberry that Ariana gifted to him. He decided that it was classy yet social enough for him to make a good impression. He put it on swiftly, internally wishing that the people at this new job would like it as much as he likes it."Louis!" Zayn shouted as he fitted his trousers. He waited for a few seconds but didn't hear a response which resulted a long and furious groan.Louis had left. It looks like Zayn had to take the long route today. Of course this would happen with Zayn's luck. Nothing seemed to go right this morning. Now it was like his hands refused to cooperate with his zipper on his trousers. It wouldn't come up, and now Zayn's heartbeat can't come down.Just then, his door opened with great force, scaring Zayn nearly to a heart attack while causing his feet to stumble over itself against the cool hardwood floor. His heart skipped a beat as his throat constricted, causing him to choke on his own saliva. He was on the ground and in a coughing fit within seconds, looking up at an alarmed and confused Ariana. He figured she must've just got back judging by the way she was dressed. She stood in the same signature knee-high boots while everything else about her attire had changed. As expected, of course. She looked at him as if he had just lit himself on fire and didn't even notice he was burning."What's going on in here?" Ariana questioned. She took a step forward, looking around his room cautiously to see what could possibly could make him go into a frenzy."I could kiss you right now." Zayn said, relived that he find a possible new solution to his problem.She squinted her eyes suspiciously and ran her hand through her long brunette hair. "Tempting, but I'm 99% sure you still have morning breath." She joked. "What's with all the noise?""I'm running late for my first day of work. Please tell me you're available to give me a lift." Zayn said, catching his breath from the surprise attack."You didn't call an Uber?""They wouldn't get here in time."She hummed, looking around the room as she pretended to think for a second before returning to his question. Her lips were pursed a little and one of her eyebrows were raised. She looked back at Zayn and replied with a small proposal."I'll take you to work only if I get to take you out to eat for missing your birthday.""Of course!" Zayn replied, looking at her absurdly. Who would turn down someone taking you out to eat?"Alright then, lets hit it." Ariana said as she helped Zayn from his uncomfortable position on the ground. She help dust him off and fixed the crooked position of his collar. "Whoa, Zayn, you look hot. Who got you that trench? It looks sick as fuck on you. Wow. The taste jumped out." "Shut up."
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Zayn arrived to Horan Technologies with two minutes to spare. With his luck, he's surprise he even made it at all with Ariana's incapability to drive with caution. It must be a Florida thing. It's not totally her fault though, as he did tell her to step on it. For a minute, Zayn had thought that he was accidentally given the wrong address. This building was in the middle of nowhere and was extremely difficult to get to. It's kind of like it was purposely built to be hidden. Zayn opened his map application and the address he keyed in wasn't even listed under anything. His iPhone showed nothing but green plains but there were gates that were guarded with security and an ominous building behind it.They were both pretty sure that they were not in London.Zayn has never stepped foot inside of a building of this nature in his entire life. He took the separate ID that he received after the congratulation call that someone named Ashley had mailed him and waited patiently for the small black pad to turn from red to green. Once it was accepted, he took a deep breath and opened the heavy doors. Throughout the ride, he was actually excited to get started to his new job, but now that he's finally inside it's like his nerves decided to work against him. He held his breath, a trick he practiced when he was younger to calm her nerves. It wasn't safe, his parents made him aware of that many times, yet it was the only think that could help in. The 'breathe in, breathe out' technique didn't help whatsoever.Everything was white. The walls, the flooring and even the neon light fixtures on the walls glowed white. The only objects that added color were present were the mixture of people and their outfits. It was very weird. Something so plain, yet modern was such an eye sore. How these people could stand it was beyond Zayn. Although, there was something aesthetically pleasing about it though."You look pretty lost, there. Something I can help you with?" A woman asked, interrupting his thoughts.Although he didn't mean to, Zayn quickly eyed her up and down and noticed that her attire didn't match the description of what he was told over the phone. She rocked a stylish light blonde pixie-cut with all black clothing. Her sleeveless shirt revealed tattoos that line up and down both of her arms. Zayn doesn't like too assume much about people he doesn't know that well but he's 99% sure that all of her tattoos have deep meanings. He would have to catch up with her later and ask her about them whenever the time was right. Maybe they could bond over their love for ink. Her black jeans were also ripped and her boots were laced to perfection. Her hard appearance definitely caught Zayn off guard."Uh, yeah." Zayn spoke. "I'm here to see Mr. Horan. I'm his new assistant.""Oh! You're the guy Niall was just talking about. Zack, right?" She said, eyes lighting up with energy.Not even a full minute in and he's already being called by the wrong name."Zayn, actually. Zayn Malik.""That's right, I'm sorry. I'm the one you talked to over the phone. I'm Ashley, but everyone around here calls me Halsey. Nice to meet you, Zayn." She greeted as she stuck her hand out.He shook her hand and greeted her back in return as they exchanged warm smiles. Something about Halsey was so abrasive, yet so fragile and feminine."Well, follow me and I'll take you there. I was actually on my way to get his lunch, but now that you're here he might make you do it." Halsey said as Zayn followed her towards the elevators.She pressed the upward arrow and scanned her ID in the white pad that beeped three times. It amazed Zayn how much everyone had to use their ID cards here. It was obvious that a place like this would require a lot of security and extra protocols to prevent something major happening, like a leak of some magical design that someone could be working on, but he never thought that it would be to this extent. He followed her into the elevator as she pressed the number 12. It was the highest floor there was."Are you nervous?" Halsey asked as she looked up at Zayn from his side.He actually forgot all about his nerves until just now. Every worried thought and made-up disasters that Zayn constructed in his mind had actually went away until now that she said something. Luckily, everything was seeming to run pretty smoothly. He took a deep breath in through his mouth and exhaled very slowly through his nose."A little." Zayn said as he was a hand through his hair."Don't worry. Everyone here is super nice. We really stress about being happy so we can create a positive workplace for everyone else who might not be having a good day themselves. Niall really emphasizes that he wants this place to be a home away from home. Kind of like an escape from whatever people may be dealing with."Seems fair. Zayn can definitely do that. Although, he doesn't plan on doing much talking. He just wants to assist Mr. Horan on whatever he needs and then go home whenever he is granted permission. Until his assistance is needed, he plans to stay out of the way and out of sight."Oh, by the way, Niall may ask you to sign a stack of paperwork later on in the day. Don't freak out when you see them. They're just NDA's.""NDA?" Zayn asks."Nondisclosure agreements. Basically meaning whatever you may see and hear stays private. This includes new developments in technology that are in the process of being constructed to regular conversations between employees. Everything that is said and everything you may see remains in this building and no where else.""Even if a coworker says hello to me?""Confidential." Halsey replies bluntly.Zayn rose his eyebrows in surprise. He never knew a company could have this much control over something so simplistic as normal conversations. Could that even be legal for a company to have that much power to make a jurisdiction on whether regular conversations that didn't involve work remained private? Also, it was just now that Zayn noticed Halsey's accent. American. How did she even get this job? She's awfully young to be working here. Not that that is of any importance. Zayn is young as well. But he figured that for someone who knows so much about this company and its rules or regulations she'd have been a bit...older. She looks like she could be Zayn's age.The elevator bell rung, dismissing the silence that had overcome the both of them. The blonde proudly walked out of the elevator and lead the way for Zayn to follow. Everything appeared the same way as the lobby did. There really wasn't a difference other than the white neon lights that were placed on the wall in the lobby now glowed a soft green and purple. Maybe it was supped to mean something, maybe it wasn't. Maybe this was all just for aesthetic purposes? He assumed that he will find out sooner or later. There were doors parallel to each other on both side of the hallway. There was what looked like a receptionists desk, but that was completely vacant. Maybe the person had gone to break."The lights on the wall are different. Does that have a special meaning?" Zayn asked, trying to keep up with Halsey's fast pace."The colors usually signify what floor your on. Red lights stand for the production floor where everything is made, yellow is where they store special items.""Special items?""I would tell you what I mean by that, but I can't disclose anything with you without you signing an NDA yet.""Oh. Sorry.""Oh, don't be! Everyone who works for Niall goes through this protocol." She says as she stops at a certain door that was different from all of the rest. It was a wooden, brown and black door that seemed to be the exact same of the door that was across from it. "The green and purple colors don't really mean much. They're Niall and Liam's favorite colors. This level of the building holds Niall and Liam's office and that's pretty much it. They're green and purple because that is their favorite colors."The blonde didn't even bother knocking. To Zayn's surprise, she just walked in unannounced. She tossed her handbag on the dark colored couch that lied next to the door and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket."Who's Liam?" Zayn whispered."Your other boss. Don't worry, you'll be meeting him in a second." She replied. "Niall! Your new assistant has arrived."Zayn took a look around and took in the décor of the room. It was absolutely nothing like the rest of the building. No more blinding white colors or neon lights. It was like Zayn stepped into another world. The floor to ceiling windows brought light from outside into the office. Actually, it was still quite cloudy outside, so there wasn't too much light that could be brought in. It definitely was a right balance. There was some shuffling coming from a door behind the huge glass table before it swung open. A guy with blonde hair, not too tall but not on the short side walked briskly towards them. Blue eyes. Attractive. Also younger than what Zayn that he would be. Again, that's not a problem. The younger the people are, the more that he would have in common with them. Not that he would spend much time talking to people anyway.Niall extended his hand for Zayn to shake and greeted him politely."Hi. You must be Zayn Magic. Nice to meet you! Niall Horan." Niall greeted with a wide smile.Great. Absolutely no one can get his name right."Zayn Malik, actually. It's nice to meet you too." Zayn said as he returned the gesture. "I'm assuming we're going to be spending a lot of time together.""Indeed we are." Niall replied. He took his gaze from Zayn to look at the blonde that sat idly on the couch. "I see you have been acquainted with my sister Ashley. Some may call her Halsey.""Step-sister, Needles." She corrected as she didn't take her eyes from her small device."Whatever. It's still a form of sister.""Whatever." Halsey replied. She stood as she put her iPhone back into her pocket. She dusted herself off and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going to let Liam know that your new assistant is here. I'm going to lunch. Welcome to the family, Zayn!""Cheers, Hals." Niall said to her as she made her way out. "So Zayn, tell me about yourself.""Uh," Zayn started. He wasn't really expecting to answer a question about himself so early in this day. "I'm... uh..""Don't worry if you cant answer that question, mate. I'm sure I'll learn more about you later on. You look like a decent, hard working bloke.""Thank you, sir." Zayn replied. "I'm just a little nervous.""Ah, that's okay mate. Everyone is nervous on their first day. You'll loosen up once you learn the ropes." Niall said as he took a quick second to examine Zayn's appearance. "Is that Burberry?"Zayn had forgotten what he chose to wear today. He looked at his sleeve, reminding himself of his choice and answered hesitantly. The last thing he wants is to be overdressed. Especially on his first day. Or maybe he was underdressed. Oh god, what if Niall thinks it's ugly?"Yes, it is actually.""Great choice. It looks nice on you.""Thank you, sir."A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Zayn hadn't felt so glad to be interrupted in his entire life. A took a long breath through his nose and mentally punched himself for being so awkward. He's never felt this nervous before. He felt like his knowledge to speak proper English flew out the window. Everything here was so intense."Come in." Niall shouted.Zayn looked towards the door and nearly choked on his own breath at who he seen. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Maybe his brain was just still fucking him over for whatever fucking reason, but that sure looks like the guy that he was with at the club a few days ago. Or was it yesterday? Jesus. Well maybe it wasn't him. No, it has to be. He remembers that face. He may not remember all what happened that night, but he sure as hell remembers that face. That perfect face. It was unforgettable. What is he doing here? "Oh great. You're right on time, Payno. Zayn, meet your other your other boss." Niall smiled brightly at the sight of his partner. "Liam Payne. Quite frankly also known as my best mate.""No need for the introduction." Liam said. "I think we've already met. Nice to see you again, Zayn." Liam extended his hand for Zayn to shake but Zayn couldn't force himself to return the gesture. He was so embarrassed. If anything of what Louis told him about that night were true, he might as well just quit right here on the spot. "I'm exited to have you be apart of our team. I'm sure we will be getting very close together during your time here."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I'm exited to have you be apart of our team. I'm sure we will be getting very close together during your time here." Liam Payne said with a warm smile.Zayn really couldn't keep his focus on what was happening. Just as he thought before, this was all happening way too fast. He was sure he had muttered something uncomprehensive by the way Mr. Payne and Mr. Horan were observing him confusedly. Zayn thought that he must look like a complete fool in this moment but he didn't care much for that. His mind was quick to wander to Liam's lips to his suit, then back to his lips. Liam looks bloody fantastic in a suit, everyone who has seen Liam in one must know that, but his lips were another discussion. They were so bloody red. A perfect shade of red. The perfect lips that any man could be blessed to have and any girl to possibly envy. What Zayn would do to have those lips near his skin again. Although, he doesn't remember how they felt. The puzzles in his mind of that night seems to be damaged. All he remembers were the visuals of that night, not the feeling."You two know each other?" Niall interrupted. He seemed confused yet intrigued at Liam and Zayn's little reunion."Something like that." Liam says, not taking his eyes off of Zayn for one second. "We had a titchy moment at Club One together.""Oh!" Niall said as his eyes grew wide. Something about that did not sit easy with Zayn. "Is this that handsome bloke you were talking to me about earlier? The guy who--""Yes." Liam interjected. Liam eyes came off of Zayn to look towards Niall for a brief second. Although his head was turned, Zayn could tell that Liam was giving Niall certain look. A look that made Niall's body go stiff and his face turn to stone. Zayn also could tell that Liam whispered something under his breath, but that part was inaudible. Something tells Zayn that Niall must've been about to refer to the moment that Zayn was sick on Liam's shoes. He prayed that they could be talking about something else, but what else about that night was conversation worthy? Nothing really happened. Well, at least not to Zayn's knowledge. Although he didn't even remember doing it, but he still felt embarrassed upon hearing about it."I'm sorry for that actually." Zayn apologized, feeling extremely awkward standing there while the two give each other death glares. "I do not go out much, and that will be the only time that that will ever happen. I swear it.""Oh mate," Niall said as he walked leisurely to Zayn. "It's okay. Really. We all need to unwind and let loose once in a while." The Irish accented lad said as he put his hand upon Zayn's shoulder and rubbed in tiny circles. "We all deserve to have some fun.""I assume so." Zayn replied.Niall smiled warmly at Zayn and rubbed his hands together briskly. He took glance toward Liam, then to Zayn, and then back towards Liam again. It were as if Niall was thinking of some evil plan and trying to figure out a way to work Zayn and Liam into it. He cleared his throat before taking his android from his pocket and checking a few notifications. He quickly replied to a message someone had sent him and dismissed the others. He would be planning to get back to those as soon as he gets an ounce of free time."Well, Zayn, I would love to get to know you more, and I hate to skip out on you, especially on your first day but my permission has been requested to approve something on the level 7. Unfortunately Ashley has stepped out to lunch at a very imperative time for everyone, as per usual, so I need to evaluate how things are going while she's out. I'm sure Liam has time to teach you the usual things until I get back. Is that alright, Li?""Of course, Nialler.""Great!" Niall exclaimed as she clasped his hands together. "Please make sure he gets a copy of the 1024's so he can take it home and look them over. We cannot have another slip-up like we did with the last one. God forbid.""I'm on it, Niall." Liam replied amusedly as he watched his best mate make his way out of his own office."Oh, and Liam please by all means can you leave the door unlocked this time at my flat when you-"For gods sake, Niall, I got it!"Niall flashed Liam a quick smile and thanked him before exited out of the spacious office. It was clear that Liam and Niall were truly best mates. The way they carried their conversations confirmed that. It kind of reminded him of how he, Louis and Ariana would argue and remind each other of little things they would forget to do. Zayn couldn't help smiling to himself at the thought of it. He hated the feeling of being needy or anything of the sort but he actually missed his friends right now. Even though he would be seeing them at the days end, he can't help but feel the need to sit with them and laugh of ridiculous things like they normally do."I apologize for that. Mr. Horan has a tendency to mix home with work and stresses himself more than what he needs to." Liam said as he ran a hand through his hair."I completely understand." Zayn replied."Zayn was still hesitant on talking. He was afraid that if he did start talking, he would start to do it way too much. He tended to do that whenever he was nervous and is perfectly aware that at certain times he can rub off as annoying. The absolute last thing he wants is to be deemed 'the annoying assistant' especially on his first day. But that's just his defense mechanism. Sometimes he feels like he may say the wrong thing to the wrong people, and before the person could respond Zayn is already clarifying himself. Even if the person wasn't offended. Just thinking about the possibility of doing so mentally frustrates Zayn, so instead, he'll keep quiet. He'll only ask questions in case he absolutely has to. and only speak when spoken to.What makes this entire situation worse is that Liam is also his boss. The same person who also heated Zayn's skin in the middle of a sea of unknown people in a nightclub. The person who's hips moved so gently with his own. Also the person whose shoes Zayn got sick over. Hopefully he can forget about that last part."I uh, I fancy your trench." Liam said as he took a long glance over Zayn. Something is different this time. Usually, Zayn wouldn't like getting long looks from people he barely knows as it usually makes him feel like someone's prey, but he likes it this time. He's starting to like the attention. Well at least from Liam that is. There's something about Liam that reassures Zayn that there is nothing to be afraid of. It's abnormal. He somehow feels safe in his presence."Thank you, Mr. Payne. It was a gift actually." Zayn replied."There's no need for the Mr. title, Zayn." Liam said as he smiled warmly. "Call me Liam.""Oh, well um, thank you, Liam."He watched Liam move frantically behind Niall's long glass table. He scrunched his eyebrows as he began to search for specific files that Niall should've have prepared this morning. He hated Niall for having a tendency to not have important files ready at imperative times, and it would usually be Liam who would prepare them for him. Niall's lack of being organized used to cost them when it came to having them presented at meetings. He has hired an assistant to take care of those responsibilities in the past, but unfortunately his past aide, Justin, was not loyal and was the source of many leaks of information, including details about Niall's personal life.Needless to say, Justin was terminated."Ah!" Liam exclaimed as he picked a while folder with a black label from beside Niall's monitor. "Here we are."Zayn retrieved the folder from Liam and opened it cautiously. He's never really been given or even seen an NDA before. Not like it's anything to get excited over, but it just feels so authoritative. Something about signing an NDA makes Zayn feel special. But then again, everyone who is working here has to sign of these, so it's not that special."Am I required to sign these today?" Zayn asked. There were a lot of pages to sign and Zayn didn't know all of what Niall or Liam had in store for him today. He definitely wouldn't have time to read through it all and sign within the same day."No, but you can. We highly suggest taking it home and giving it a look over before signing. Just to make sure that you'll be fully aware of what you will be seeing here at Horan Technologies.""Oh. Great." Zayn replied, relieved. "Is there anything else for me to sign next?""No actually. This concludes your first day at Horan Technologies." Liam said. "The real work will start tomorrow as soon as the 1024 is signed and returned to us in the morning.""Oh. Okay. Thank you, Liam. I'll make sure I'll sign these as soon as possible.""Before you go, Zayn, there is something that I want to talk to you about." Liam said hesitantly.Zayn could tell where this conversation was heading and he really wish it didn't have to go there. But he guesses someone has to bring it up eventually. It's better just to get this out of the way instead of trying to avoid the bullet. He took a deep breath and sighed lightly."Did I do something wrong?" Zayn asked."No!" Liam quickly exclaimed. "No, of course not! I-I uh.. I wanted to talk to you about that night actually.""You're referring to Club One?" Zayn swallowed. "I am so sorry about that. I really am. I promise I only had one drink and I promise that I'll pay you for new trainers immediately. It wont happen again and I assure you that that is not me at all."He was doing it. The thing that he tried to avoid doing."It is alright, Zayn." Liam assured as he a wide grin overcame his face. "I should be the one who is apologizing to you.""For?" Zayn questioned.What on earth did Liam have to apologize for."Kissing you without your permission." Liam said. "I should have asked you first and I didn't. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that and I hope that you could accept my apology." Zayn was confused as to what Liam was talking about. As far as he knows, Liam didn't kiss him at all. Louis nor Ariana had told him that part. "I uh, I wanted to ask, if it is alright with you, if I could take you out sometime?" Liam asked.The atmosphere started to change immensely. Zayn blinked a few times at Liam and noticed that something about him had changed. Zayn didn't feel like he was in the room with a powerfully confident, devilishly handsome boss of a billion dollar business anymore. He felt like he was rather in the company of a shy, yet innocent humanbeing that rubbed off as cute."Um." Zayn started. He didn't quite know what to say. He never figured that this part would happen. Especially so soon. "I-""Just a tiny do over from that night. I would like to get to know you in a proper setting, rather than at one of my mates nightclub. That is, if you want to of course. I don't want you to have that first impression of me in your head and think that I'm some sort of weird bloke that creeps on incredibly attractive guys.""Incredibly attractive?" Zayn asked, as if that were the only words he had heard.Liam eyes widened as if he had spoken an offensive, forbidden word. He cleared his throat and started to stammer a little trying to find the right words to say."I-" Liam started before he was interrupted by the entrance of someone at the door."I'm back, bitches!" Halsey exclaimed as she carried in an arm full of bags. She tossed them on the sofa next to the entrance and let out another sigh. "Oh, Zayn, you're still here. I thought you'd already be on your way out with the way these guys demand for literally everything in the world." She smiled."I was just about to release him actually. I was in the middle of asking him a question before you came in." Liam said."Well sorry, love. I have bags worth of food, and I didn't feel like carrying them forever." Halsey replied as she sat herself along with the bags of food on the sofa. "So what are we talking about.""Private matters." Liam responded quickly.Zayn was about to say something when he spotted something flashy on Liam's hand that caught his eye. Zayn thought to himself that he couldn't have been wearing it the entire time. He would've have spotted it by now. Right? Though it was indeed small, circular in shape but definitely worth a lot of money. The more Zayn tried to decipher what it was the more his heart rate quickened. He didn't want to believe what he thought it was. Zayn doesn't have the best of eyesight but he didn't have to have 20/20 vision to see what Liam was sporting around his finger.A wedding ring.He must've been staring at it for a while because Liam suddenly twisted pulled it off of his finger with ease. Zayn shook himself from his thoughts and noticed that Liam was staring at him with wide eyes. He looked as if he had just got caught doing something he shouldn't have. His cheeks were flushed and his facial expression seemed to changed from shocked to guilty, to apologetic all at once.Zayn immediately looked down at the floor. Halsey started to talk about her journey from trying to get from here to Niall's favorite restaurant to pick up his lunch for today Zayn tried to tune in and listen, but he skipped out on the majority of it. He couldn't concentrate. Liam Payne is a married man. How did he not know about that. How come no one had the proper decency to give him that information. Zayn couldn't help but to think that he had a hand in helping Liam cheat in his marriage."Am I right, Zayn?" Halsey asked as she laughed. Zayn didn't have a single clue as to what she was going on about, but he is very good at pretending like he does."Definitely!" Zayn exclaimed. "That's insane." Zayn made sure that his facial expressions also played along.Halsey scoffed "Ugh. Traffic these days.""Well we know how traffic can be. Especially in this weather." Zayn replied. "Speaking of weather, I think it's time for me to head back now before the weather gets, um, bad.""Oh yeah, that's probably a good idea." Halsey said."Uh, Zayn, do you want me to walk you out?" Liam said.Something was telling Zayn that Liam might want to cover himself and justify himself for cheating, but Zayn wasn't in the mood to hear it. He just wants to go to his flat and go lie and bed and think about how much of a horrible human being this makes him."Uh no, that's okay really. I know how busy you must be today." Zayn replied."Zayn, the weather is going to get terrible out. I think I should just to make sure you-""I'll do it!" Halsey exclaimed, interrupting Liam once again as she jumped to her feet. Her boots made a heavy thump against the floor as she stood. "You're right. Liam does have work to finish up on. Besides, I want to get to know my future best friend a little bit more. I've already taken a liking to him. I think he'll fit in perfectly here."Halsey linked her arm around Zayn's and started to exit.//////////"So you think he's married?" Ariana asked as she pushed the trolley and marked off the ingredients one by one from her iPhone.Zayn tried hard not to think about it too much in the afternoon. He didn't even feel comfortable talking about it given that everything he sees and hears are protected and confidential under contract. He contemplated even telling Ariana about it because of it, but the more he contemplated, the more the small devilish part of his brain reminded him that he still has yet to sign it. Technically, anyone can tell anyone anything until a contract is signed and handed in. Right? Maybe not. But besides, it wasn't like he was discussing future plans or leaking new information of HT. Liam Payne's marriage should be public knowledge, given that he is a public figure. Nonetheless, Zayn was still hesitant. He didn't want to think about it a lot because the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had played a hand in Liam's infidelity.Zayn didn't want to admit it, but he kind of felt something for him."You should've seen the ring, Ari. Fuckin' huge. I just don't know how I missed it." Zayn said as he mentally kicked himself in disappointment."Was he wearing it at Club One?" Ariana asked as she squinted her eyes to search the shelves difficultly for Edamame. As soon as she seen it, she grabbed four packs worth and dropped it into her cart before returning to her phone again.Ariana decided to make a last minute change for her belated birthday gift to Zayn. Instead of taking him out to some posh restaurant that she insisted on this morning, she felt like it would be more intimate if she were to cook for him instead. Making or changing last minute plans wasn't anything foreign for her."I'm not sure. It was dark. I was drunk.""Well I hope you know that nothing is your fault. You did nothing wrong. Like you said, you were drunk. He made the first move and you didn't know he was married. This is all on him." Ariana said, scrolling upwards on her phone for the next ingredient."Don't you think it's a little unusual? Him being there?""What do you mean?" Ariana questioned as she scrunched her eyebrows. She was a little confused where Zayn was heading with this."I mean Liam Payne! The multimillionaire, could be billionaire, is at Club One and no one is freaking out? No one is asking for a photo? Why was he there anyway? He's fucking Liam Payne for Christ sakes. Did nobody else see him?""Z, I think you're overthinking it. You said that Liam's told you his friend owns the club, yeah? Well maybe Liam goes there so much that everyone's just used to him being there." Ariana explained. She wasn't really sure why Zayn was overthinking something that was so simple. She knew that Zayn had a tendency of doing so. That's just how he is, but the way he is talking now heavily reminds her of the way Louis and how overthinks things and she cannot tell if that's a good or a bad thing."Yeah." Was all Zayn said as he took a long and breathy sigh.They continued shopping for a few more items until Ariana had checked off all the items on her list. Ariana glanced at Zayn from time to time and noticed that the situation was still bothering him. She couldn't blame him. If the same thing happened with her she would probably do the same thing. All she knows is that Zayn is too much of an angel to let this get to him."I promise when I'm done cooking tonight, you'll forget all about it and you wont even think twice about this Liam Payne guy. It's just gonna be me, you and Louis bonding over a good home-cooked Italian meal like good friends do with their Italian friend." Ariana said cheerfully, hoping that her cheerfulness would rub onto Zayn."You're right." Zayn said as he shook his head. "Fuck Liam.""Yeah, fuck that guy." Ariana replied.//////////It was 11:15 PM and Liam Payne was still in his office reading and clearing emails. He was supposed to do it earlier in the day so that him staying late would be prevented, but of course one thing lead to another, as usual, and now he's here. He's pretty sure he's the only one that's here. Him and the security patrol at the front gate, that is. One thing that played a part of his late departure tonight was his distraction. The entire day. And the reason of his distraction went by the name of Zayn Malik. Particularly, what happened in Niall's office this morning. The reaction Zayn had on his face when he found out that Liam was married displayed in Liam's mind on a continuous loop the entire evening. He couldn't help but feel like an idiot. How on earth could Liam forget to take his "wedding" ring off? He does it every single morning as soon as he steps foot in HT. He knew Zayn was crushed. Liam could feel it. He wanted to let Zayn know that he had it all wrong. He wanted to let Zayn know that it wasn't what it looked like, even though it is what it looked like. He wanted to tell Zayn so much but he couldn't. How could he have mess up this bad?Now he has to configure out a new plan. A new plan to make Zayn his.Ever since Club One, Liam knew there was a connection. He felt it and he knows Zayn felt it. Or at least he thinks he did. Zayn was a bit under the influence that night, so it could've been the alcohol. Nonetheless Liam decided to take a risk. He felt like Zayn was different from the rest. There was an innocence about him that divided him from the rest of the crowd. It was like a halo showed over his head while horns were over everyone else's. Liam just had to have him. He had to try. He had to know more.He sent him a specialized package for his birthday with his and Niall's name on it. He put Niall's name on the card as well since he is working under Niall. It would make more sense for Niall's name to be on it. If it were just Liam's name, that'd be a bit creepy. He also made up the bit about him kissing Zayn that night at Club One. That never happened. Liam lied to Zayn about that just to see what his reaction would be. He would never kiss someone knowing that they're under the influence of alcohol. That's not him."Knock knock!" A familiar voice said interrupting Liam's deep thoughts.He was grateful that someone did. Otherwise he would think about this way too much and never finish replying back to emails."Open." Liam replied.The office door opened slowly as the person on the other side walked in slowly; the sound of their boots thumping heavily against the floor."Husband." Brendon greeted as he closed the door."Hello, other husband. What can I do for you tonight?" Liam replied.A sarcastic smile appeared on his face as he mentally rolled his eyes at his 'partner.'"Well I was just taking a stroll and I figured that I'd drop in and say hello. You weren't at my club and you weren't at home, so I figured you'd be here instead.""I figure there's something more for this visit that you're not telling me." Liam said, slightly irritated that Brendon wasn't getting to the point."There is."Brendon walked slowly about Liam's spacious office. He paused and stopped at the window, taking a look through it to make sure no one was peeping in on their conversation. Even though they were many stories up and the building was heavily guarded with its patrolmen and a helicopter flying over once hourly to shoot down any drones that paparazzi could be using to get their own photos for money, he could never be too sure. Brendon found it good to always check for himself. Although, he always admired the view of the lights from the city, even though it was farther away than what it appeared. Niall's view was better of course."Simon is worried you and Niall will pull out of the deal, so he's getting his information ready to release just in case." Brendon said, still staring out of the window. "Says you two are too much of a risk.""What!" Liam exclaimed as he jumped out of his chair. "After so many bloody deals Niall and I have made with him he's thinking about not dealing? Has he gone mental?""The Cowell Clan has always been suspicious of you. They say you can never make up your mind and you're not dedicated with all of this. He said something about lack of dedication being ran in your family.""Why does everyone say that? I got married to you to even show everyone that I'm dedicated!""You do realize we're not actually together right? We just got 'married' so both of our businesses could get more press and more earnings just so we can keep up with Simon's outrageous demands?"It's true. That is the only reason why Liam and Brendon got 'married.' They went all out. Even bought rings and held a private wedding for only family and selected friends. And by 'family and selected friends' that means Niall and a few close associates from HT."We fuck like we're married."The sex in their relationship happened a little too abruptly. They we're both drunk, excited and vulnerable and it just happened. But it's just sex. Liam knows that. Liam just likes the company and sexual attention that he receives from Brendon. He likes Brendon's availability. Although, it became evident that Brendon felt something more than what Liam felt. He had always had feelings for Liam. That was apparent the first day he met him. In Brendon's mind, it could've been the perfect story. An American falls in love with the British man, they get married, combine both of their careers and enjoy their long and successful careers and dominate London. Unfortunately, it never worked out that way. Liam just didn't see in Brendon what he sees in Liam. After Liam's rejection, he took it pretty hard. He could've sworn Liam was reciprocating the same feeling but it turns out, Liam is just a flirt. With everyone, just because he's Liam Payne.Since the rejection, Brendon has been more possessive with him. He wanted to be by his side every second, and often envied Niall because of the relationship the two have. His jealousy worsened to the point when every time Liam was even pictured with a man or a woman that was too close for his comfort, Brendon would become extremely jealous and not talk to Liam for weeks. Liam always felt like Brendon was a great and faithful person on the inside, and only means well. Brendon just has to get over this twisted fantasy that he constructed in his mind. After a few talks, he started to calm down. That was until when Liam brought up the proposition for this 'marriage.' He thought that Brendon would make the perfect fake-husband since the media knows that other than Niall, Brendon is one of his closets mates. People online have often speculated about their two being in a secret relationship. Brendon thought it would been the perfect opportunity for him to make Liam realize that he's all he needs."And I'm pretty dedicated to this fake marriage thing we have going on." Liam added."Liam," Brendon groaned as he rubbed his temples. He was frustrated with how easily Liam could get distracted. He was more aggravated by Liam overuse of the word 'fake.' "Just take care of it, yeah? I don't need one of his men coming into Club One again.""No one from Cowell's clan can stand a chance against us and he knows it. His miniature pack of Chihuahua's aren't too threatening." Liam said with a laugh. He couldn't believe that Brendon would be scared of the weakest clan of the bunch. "If he wants a war, he sure as hell can get one. Not like it went very well for his clan the last time he fucked us over.""The Cowell's have doubled in size. It's been a while since you been to one of their hangouts but it's pretty intense. I seen it when I picked up the delivery." Brendon said as he took a seat across from Liam, now facing him so he can understand how serious this is. "And I think it's quite unsafe for another bloodbath when yours and Niall's career is at stake.""Then I'll send people to infiltrate." Liam replied. "I'll have my men come in and they'll get rid of the evidence. Simple.""It's not that easy. We don't know where they're keeping it, and we don't want another bloodbath on our hands. If we do that, we're guaranteed another war." Brendon said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Fucking mess trying to hide that first one from the media. The amount of money we spent to the London police to keep this out of the media was-""A lot, I know." Liam said with a heavy sigh. This was all getting too much for him. He wanted to quit working with the Cowell's so badly but it wasn't that simple. "And we can't afford to do it again.""Look," Brendon said as he stood suddenly. "just talk to Niall about it this in the morning, and get back with me. We absolutely cannot be sloppy with this.""We'll handle it.""Good." Brendon said plainly. "You'll let me know what going to happen in the morning, yeah?""Yes.""Okay, then." Brendon said as he started to make his way out of the exit. "Goodnight Mr. Payne.""Goodnight, Mr. Urie.""Fuck off." Brendon said as he shut Liam's office door.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Zayn entered the doors of Horan Technologies without any glitches or mishaps. He was on time and he didn't have to rush to get dressed, nor had to wake Louis or Ariana to take him to work. Everything was seemingly running smoothly. A bit too smooth for Zayn's liking. He had always worried that things running perfectly was always a sign for future disaster. Zayn had always expected the worst when it came to situations that were time-punctual, so it's kind of an anomalous feeling to him since the email he received told him to arrive at 9:30am sharp, and its only 8:50. He figured that with his luck, it's better to have arrive early.What he also didn't realize what was just as crucial was the importance of his identification badge. It seemed like he had to show it to someone every five seconds just to complete some over the top security-protocol check. He had to show it to the guards at the front gate, who scanned the barcode on the back of the card to see if the badge was authentic. Then he had to show it to the driver who transports specific personnel, otherwise known as the people working exclusively with Horan or Payne who get special privileges that others don't, to the front doors to which he had to scan his ID again just to open the doors. Generally, Zayn would've thought these methods of verification were a bit extreme, but when your working for a billion-dollar technology company that keeps everything confidential there's no such thing as 'too extreme verification methods'. Once he was inside the elevator he pressed the button that was labeled '12' and retreated his arms back to his sides. He couldn't say that he still wasn't nervous, because he was. It was still a bit early for him to be there and he didn't know if early arrival were of much importance to Niall. It sounds silly in Zayn's mind, because what employer wouldn't like for their employee to arrive early, but what if he sees something he's not supposed to? Negative scenarios seemed to invade his mind until the elevator doors chimed, letting Zayn know that the doors were to be opening to his destination. Everything seemed quite the same as yesterday, but a bit more quiet given that it is still indeed morning. He arrived at Niall Horan's office door, just like the email told him to do so, and lifted his index finger to knock but a voice spoke from behind before his skin could even touch the door."Come in, Malik." The voice said as a quick chill ran down Zayn's spine.He took hold of the doorknob and pushed at the heavy-weighing object. He still felt a little nervous, but he wasn't as nervous as he was yesterday. He tried shaking his feelings away as he stepped inside of the spacious office. Niall was sitting at his desk, looking rather frustrated at what was displayed before him as Liam, Ashley, and three other unknown blokes sat idly on the chairs provided by Niall. There was a man sitting rather too close to Liam for Zayn's comfort but he swiftly disregarded those feelings after remembering that it shouldn't even matter."Mornin', Zayn." Niall said with a smile as his thick Irish accent shone through."Good morning." He responded as he mimicked Niall's contagious smile. Zayn wanted to appear bright, happy and ready as possible. Even if that meant for him to smile when he didn't want to. "I have the nondisclosures I had to sign for you.""Ah, yes!" Niall exclaimed. It seemed like he forgot that Zayn was even supposed to return them. "M' so happy you brought those back. Almost forgot bout those things. Lads, I'd like for you to meet Zayn. He will be working very close with me and Liam for now on."Zayn smiled as two out of the three anonymous men greeted him and shook his hand. The two of them welcomed him with warm smiles while the third man, who was sitting close to Liam, sent an icy glare as he toyed with the volume toggle of his phone. Nonetheless, Zayn still smiled. He was not about to let some unknown asshole ruin his day with his poor attitude before his day even started. He does have a familiar face that Zayn cant quite remember where he's seen it from, but he shook that out of his head and decided to think about that at a later time. He took a deep breath as he stood still in his place, waiting to receive an order from Niall on what his next action should be."Oh!" Niall exclaimed as he clasped his hands together. "The man next to Liam is Brendon, Liam's husband. Brendon, Zayn. Zayn, Brendon."For a quick moment, Zayn's mind had flashbacked to all of the events that had happened thus far between him and Liam. It seemed to be stuck on Liam's expression when Zayn saw his ring. The exact same ring that he is indeed wearing right now. Although he knows it shouldn't, it does strike a chord in Zayn's system upon seeing it no matter how much he tried to deny the fact."Does he speak?" Brendon said in a tone that promptly struck another chord within him. He was definitely one of those 'all-American assholes' that his family loved to take the piss on."Um, yes. Sorry, I'm Zayn. The new assistant." Zayn said as he reached his hand out for Brendon to shake.It wasn't reciprocated. Just another glare from the man as he eyed Zayn up and down."Forgive him, Zee." Halsey said as she rolled her eyes from across the room. "He's automatically jealous of anyone who hair is even slightly better than his.""Ash, please don't do this in front of m' new assistant." Niall interpolated as he let out an annoyed groan. "Can you please show him what he needs to do while I wrap this up?" He said as he gestured to everyone in the room with his ballpoint pen.Zayn could clearly see that whatever they were all discussing before he stepped in had him frustrated. In fact, everyone in the room had a look of annoyance and frustration on their faces. He thought that it was best if he didn't move or say anything and according to the tension in the air, he was correct. Brendon squinted his eyes once more at Zayn questionably. It was evident that he had something on his mind was going to say it. Eventually, that is. He gave Zayn another one-over as if he was examining Zayn's presence to determine is he was useful to some point."What happened to Justin?" Brendon said, eyebrows raised questionably as he turned his attention towards Liam. "I liked Justin."Liam rubbed both of his temples as he let out annoyed sigh. It was clear to Zayn by Liam's reaction that they must've gone over the topic many times. "Love, you know what happened to Justin. I've must've told you about a thousand times already.""You only liked Justin because he was the only one willing to kiss your dick around here." Ashley muttered."Do you not have anything else to do? Puppies to bully or whatnot since it seems like you get off on anything that suffers in your presence." Brendon argued.The random blokes in the room tried to hold back their snickers as Ashley and Brendon retaliated towards each other. It was hard for Zayn not to smirk at Ashley's remarks as well, but nonetheless, he tried to stay professional and kept a straight face. It didn't take Niall very long to interject and break up the fight."Brendon, just sit there and keep quiet! Ash, can you just please pay em no mind? For once? Please, Ash?" Niall begged.Zayn started to feel sorry for Niall for a brief moment. He sounded like he was under a lot of stress and to have his sister and Liam's husband constantly arguing must have been adding to it. By his appearance, he looks like he's been working himself mad and would need some time off.Ashley stood from her seat and grabbed her belongings that lay next to her on the coffee table. "I'm going to get lunch." She stated as she took her keys from her pocket and swung them around her fingers."It's barely 9AM, Ashley!" Niall rebutted."I said what I said. Come on, Zayn, looks like you'll be with me for the day. Ill show you around while these blokes finish up."She intertwined her arms with Zayn's and began to walk briskly towards the door. She made sure the door was shut securely behind her while beginning to speak again."I'm so glad I got you out of there." She said as she pulled out her phone and began to type."I know this might be none of my business but I don't think Liam's husband is too fond of me." Zayn replied.That's not what Zayn was actually going to say. He was actually going to ask what was going on in there that made everyone so tense, but as soon as he said 'might be none of my business' he immediately knew it wasn't, and was probably for the best if he would not comment on it. He quickly deferred his question to the other topic. Brendon."I don't really get his problem." Halsey said as she scanned her ID and waited for the elevator to open its doors. "He's usually very friendly with everyone. I don't get the problem with him."Zayn figured he understands the reason why. If his husband were to be out flirting with other people at nightclubs and inviting someone to lunch he would most likely feel the same way. It was better to just stay silent at the moment and keep to himself. He's not sure how much he can trust this Halsey / Ashley girl yet and he doesn't want to open up just to get burned in the end."Although, there is more to the story than you know." She said as she pressed the number 1 button on the elevator panel as she began to wait for the doors to close."What does that mean?" Zayn replied. He shouldn't be interested at all in what goes on in their personal lives, but he is."I mean-" The smaller girl took deep breath in and exhaled heavily as she contemplated using her choice of words. She knew she had to be careful with what she said. It was obvious that she had a lot to say and wanted to say it all, but wasn't at liberty to say any of it. "It's complicated. They're complicated.""I understand." Zayn replied as he nodded.The air in the elevator started to get tense and awkward insanely fast. Zayn didn't know why, but he really did feel like he could trust her in that moment. She rubs off as one of those girls you can tell anything to and know that she'll take whatever you tell her in confidence to her grave. Unfortunately, Zayn didn't have the confidence to tell her anything. //////////9:30 PMZayn's day consisted of following Ashley around and learning things that Niall likes, how he likes it, and when he would like it done. They toured around London so Zayn would know which places Niall or Liam will most likely send him to retrieve items. They visited a certain constantly-booked restaurant where both Niall and Liam both like to order their meals. They visited more restaurants afterwards, but they was solely for their own leisure because they were hungry. And of course, Ashley redirected Zayn back to the highly guarded facility that was Horan Technologies just to show him around the building once more. She promised him that if he ever needs any help with anything, she's his girl to go to.Zayn never really figured out what her role at Horan Technologies was...Currently, Zayn sat with Louis on the sofa at their flat. Louis was flipping through the channels on the telly as he rambled on about how bitter his boyfriend Harry was with him today. He and Harry go through many quarrels, it seemed like, but this one sounded serious to Zayn. He had asked Louis if he wanted to talk about before, but he declined.He then began to talk about it.Zayn was sure that Louis wasn't even paying attention to the telly anymore. He just wanted to vent. And that was perfectly fine with Zayn as he loaned him his ear for the night as Louis let out some of his pent-up frustrations. Zayn loved being there for his friends. Anytime anyone needed a listener, he was already willing and able. Honestly, Zayn really doesn't know too much about this Harry guy. He has only met him once, and that was went Louis had him over, but when Zayn was arriving he was on his way out. From that brief encounter, he seemed very quiet and to himself. He had nice curls though. Zayn couldn't help but wonder what Harry does for a living, where he spends most of his time, and if he has any family. From what Louis has told him, he doesn't even know himself. He never opened up with Louis and always distances himself whenever things were 'going on his life' but would never admit to Louis what was going on. He's just a private kinda person is what Louis always tells Zayn and Ariana to calm their suspicions that Harry could possibly be a murderer.In the middle of listening, Zayn's phone began to vibrate.. It was unusual at this time for someone to be messaging him, especially at this hour. He fished out his iPhone from his pocket and looked at the bright screen to see the notification.
From: Unknown NumberMessage: Looking for this?
Zayn swiped at the notification and saw an image attachment that was sent along with the message. He opened it curiously and waited for the image to load on his phone. He checked to see if it was connected to their Wifi, and it was. It must have been a large file or their internet service could be going slow again. It usually is around this time. Once the image loaded his heart skipped a beat and his breath paused. In the image was his vintage Burberry trench coast that was gifted from Ariana for his past birthday. It was special because of the memories that came with it, not just the coat itself. Ariana also said that that specific type of trench is extremely rare to find and super expensive. It also has his name engraved in it on the inside, so obviously she would've known if he had replaced it. That is if he could, anyway. If Ari found out that he had lost it, she would've killed him. He doesn't even recall laying it down anywhere or ever taking it off. Nonetheless, its found. Hopefully the person who has is hasn't done anything to it. Zayn's fingers stuttered around the screen before finding the right words to say.
To: Unknown NumberMessage: yes! thank you so much. where did you find this? what's your name?
It wasn't long before he received a text back.
From: Unknown Number Message: Found it laying around here at HT awfully missing its owner. You can call me Liam. I think you might know of me. ;)
Zayn stopped breathing entirely. This clearly can't be who he's thinking about. Right? But then again, why wouldn't it be? It would make sense for it to be. And why was Zayn so scared to talk to him all of a sudden? He should be rather angry at the fact that Liam used him to play a part in him cheating on his husband. But on the other hand, he did just find his trench for him. That's nice of him. That's got to count for something.
To: Liam Message: thank you so much for finding it! my friend would've killed me for losing it. do you think you can put it in Niall's office and I can get it in the morning?
From Liam Message: Niall has broken his key inside of his office doors so unfortunately no one can get inside. :( Maintenance is coming tomorrow morning to repair it. I was actually catching up on some work and it looks like I'm going to be here for a while. You can swing by if you're near the area! :)
Zayn's fingered hovered over the screen as he tried to figure out what his response should be. Clearly, he wanted the vintage trench as soon as possible before the ragazza became aware of it being missing, but he didn't see the harm with him keeping it safe in Liam's office until the morning. It was going on 10PM and Zayn really didn't want to go anywhere else that did not involve his bed. Zayn started to type out his response, letting Liam know that he would not be able to make it tonight and that he will be ever so grateful for him to keep it safe in his office when another text notification arrived.
From: Liam Message: I have alerted the guards of your arrival. See you soon.
Well there's that, Zayn thought as he turned his phone display off and returned his attention back to Louis. He was still going on about his spat with Harry and was too unaware that Zayn was not paying attention to what he has been saying for the past three minutes. Nonetheless, Zayn still smiled. He pretended like he had given Louis his full and undivided attention. He waited for Louis to take a pause in his sentence before interjecting."Louis, I hate to do this to you but can you do me a favor?"//////////It amazed Zayn how Horan Technologies appeared to be so different at night. Maybe because there aren't any bodies buzzing around the building frantically trying to get to their destination. Maybe because what was the sound of people chatting and carrying on the conversations is now an empty void of silence. Maybe because of what was the neon-white lights that were shining brightly this morning were now a glowing caramel toned color. No one appeared to be around. It was actually quite creepy to Zayn, actually. It seemed like one of those scenes were the character is alone and is obvious that they are about to be murdered. Obviously that wasn't the case here, but it still didn't stop Zayn from thinking about it. Even though it seems like no one is in this building, there are still a shit ton of patrolmen patrolling the perimeter. He made his way towards the elevator and pressed the button for the 12th level. It was funny how his nerves started to bother him once more. Zayn was never this nervous this many times in one day and he couldn't understand why. Actually, he knows why. He just doesn't want to admit it to himself.The elevator calmly alerted Zayn that he has arrived and he took a deep breath before exiting. Just get the coat and leave. Zayn thought. His heartbeat began to quicken with each step he took. He paused when he was in from of Liam's office door. It was cracked open to the point where an dim, ominous light shone through."Come in, Malik." He heard Liam say.He took in another deep breath and pushed the door open. Liam sat in his office chair, eyes fixed on his MacBook screen as he typed on the keyboard vigorously. He seemed tired. Just like how Niall appeared to be this morning when Zayn came in. He couldn't help but wonder what all the two men have to deal with throughout their day to make them so frustrated. Of course, there are the business aspects of their lives that would make anyone tired, but it seemed to be more than that to Zayn. Something personal was bothering both Liam and Niall and Zayn could sense it.Liam stopped his typing and a smile came on his face as he turned his attention towards Zayn. It was obviously forced, but it was still genuine at the same time. He looked completely adorable that Zayn couldn't help but to smile back. It was silent between them for a few seconds; both of them trying to figure out who would start the conversation first. It's as if they both had something to say, but didn't know what or how to say it."I believe you're here for this?" Liam said as he took Zayn's coat from beside his desk and showed it to Zayn.For a minute, Zayn had actually forgot why he was there in the first place."Yes," The assistant said as he observed the familiar object in his boss' hand. "Thank you so much for holding onto it.""My pleasure." Liam said as he stood up to give the item to Zayn. "I figured it was yours since I have only seen you wear this before. I thought you might've wanted it back. Looks expensive.""It is," Zayn said as he remembered its value. He recounted about what he thought about earlier along the way here about how it holds more sentimental value to him than monetary. "It was a gift.""Yes, I remember you telling me that." Liam said as he took off the glasses he was wearing on his face and placed them on his desk behind him. Zayn wasn't even aware he was even wearing them. "I remember a lot of things.""I'm sure." Zayn said with a smile. "Being a co-CEO of a multi-million business must require you to remember a shit ton of things.""It does. A shit ton indeed" Liam replied, slightly mocking Zayn's use of profanity. At this point, it was just getting awkward for Zayn. He wanted to talk more with Liam. He wanted to confront him. Why wouldn't he tell Zayn that has married? Why did he let him kiss him at the nightclub? Why was he at a nightclub if he was so busy being the CO-CEO of Horan Technologies? How did he find the time to party? Of course, that last question seemed pretty stupid to Zayn considering that the man is THE Liam Payne. He could make time if he wanted to. He bets that Liam can cancel all of his important little business meetings just so he can sleep in for an extra 20 minutes if he wanted to.Zayn just wanted an answer. Any Answer. But obviously, this wasn't the time to ask since Zayn can clearly see that Liam is bullocks deep in his work and looks extremely tired to even carry on another conversation. He figures that maybe he's making a big deal out of this. Maybe he should just let it go."Well, um," Zayn stammered, trying to find the right words to say without trying to sound like an arse. "Louis, my friend is um, waiting for me outside. I think I should go and let you get caught up on whatever you-""Zayn," Liam interrupted. HIs chest rose as he took in a deep sigh and let it out swift. He ran his hand through his hair as his eyes shifted towards the ground, and then back to Zayn's chocolate orbs. "I'm sorry.""For what?" Zayn replied."I think you know what."Zayn looked towards his feet as he contemplated on what to say, what question to ask first and how not to sound hurt at the fact that Liam did indeed hurt him a little."Why didn't you tell me?" Zayn asked as his eyes returned back to Liam's.There was a crack in Zayn's voice that made Liam's heart fracture a little. Liam could swear that Zayn had tears brimming in his eyes but he couldn't tell over the dim setting in the room. The thought only made Liam hurt worse."I'm sorry." Liam said. "I'm- it's- it's just complicated.""Complicated?""Yes."Zayn was about to ask if the man was at least separated, but he rescinded his question upon remembering how close Brendon was to him earlier this morning. There was no way they could have been separated."I know what you're thinking." Liam said, interrupting Zayn's thoughts. He probably did, but Zayn isn't going to let him know that."Um... Think I should probably go." Zayn said as he began to make his way towards the office's exit. Zayn thought that he was ready for this conversation, but apparently not. He was mostly upset and confused. Not at Liam, but mostly at himself. He really didn't know why he felt so hurt by this. This felt way more than it just being a guilty conscience. He was confused as to why he just couldn't let it go and let this be Liam's and Brendon's problem to solve.A firm hand had grabbed his, making him stop in his place."Please forgive me." Liam pleaded from behind Zayn.Zayn turned to Liam to see that he honestly looked completely distraught. Other than his state of exhaustion, he did look sincerely sorry. He wanted to forgive him, but he doesn't want to give in too easily. Liam needs to know that what he did was wrong and he cant go around kissing blokes at nightclubs while being married and think that he can be forgiven this easily. On the other hand, Zayn knows that he isn't capable of holding something like this over someone's head. He isn't capable of holding grudges or anything of the sort and doing so will resolve absolutely nothing."I just..." Zayn started as he chose his words carefully. "I don't like being used.""Zayn." Liam said as he started to move a bit closer to the other. "I would never use you. I lo... I care for you way too much for me to use you. Maybe even more than I should. Just please."Zayn was about to retaliate when the sound of his phone began to ring loudly in his pocket, disrupting his train of thought and interrupting their conversation. He couldn't be more grateful that someone had the right timing to text him in a time like this. He received his iPhone from his pocket and swiped at the notification on his screen.
From: Louis Message: R u 2 fucking ? Let me know so I can munch on sum popcorn and watch ;)
"I'm so sorry about this," Zayn apologized as he dismissed the message and put his phone back into his pocket. "It's Louis. He needs to be back at our flat in time for him to take his medicine. He's really sick. I think I should go."Liam's eyes widened at Zayn's lie as he cleared his throat and checked the time on his Cartier watch. He felt more like an arse for keeping Zayn this long when his friend was in dire need of his medication. Zayn must think he's the most selfish bloke on the planet. Why couldn't he have just let Zayn go when he wanted to? Why did he think that now, out of all times, was the most appropriate to talk about this. "Of course! Go, your friends health is more important." Liam said.Zayn nodded and smiled as he walked his way towards the door, for the second time. Liam watched Zayn turn and reach for the handle but paused as soon as his hand touch the knob. He turned around to look back at Liam for a few seconds before speaking."Um, all of this... Don't worry about it. It's water under the bridge, yeah?" Zayn said with a reassuring smile that made Liam's heart feel a little bit better."Water under the bridge." Liam replied as returned the smile."Thanks for giving me my coat back." Zayn said as he opened the door to the office. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah.""Tomorrow."