Chapter Text
His fingers twitched by his side. Palms clammy with sweat. This is ridiculous. He looked up at the familiar red bricked house at the corner of the street from where he was standing, glued to the pavement, unable to move his feet.
Looking more so like a troubled penguin. He blew his breath out. This is ridiculous. I’ve been to their house a gazillion times! Man up Zayn!
He rolled his shoulders, straightened his torso and marched up with a pocketful of confidence.
He halts in front of the door. Hand raised to knock, before falling dejectedly. This is so creepy. What was he doing?! Why was he doing whatever he was doing? The inner battle in his mind almost forced him to turn back and retrace his steps back home, when a bubble of muffled laughter flew through the curtained window. It sparked something familiar in him. Old memories of creaky swings and tickle torture and blowing raspberries filled his head. And he would blame those for the sudden boost he got to knock boldly.
"Coming!” God is that really his voice!
Before Zayn could compose his features to bored/irritated/really not nervous, the door flew open and condemned Zayn to ogle at the unreal creature before him like a cat. Damn he’s changed so much!
The hair no longer short and prickly, it was brown, brown like the chocolate he used to choke on all day. His eyes sparkled with life and warmth, still the same. And that cruelly adorable button nose just made Zayn want to scream out his lungs and plunge himself into the Arctic Ocean. That’s not even half of it. His lips were now a sinful cupid’s bow, puckered and full and so…
“Ahem! Sorry uhh…Louis’s out for the grocery. He’ll be back in some time. You can come in and wait a while, it’s pretty hot outside”
Caught off guard, Zayn gave a feeble nod and made his way inside. It was considerably cooler. He had all but forgotten about the scorching heat.
“Would you like to have something to drink?”
Now that he thought of it, his throat felt like it was bleached. It was hot outside wasn’t it! "Um..yea just some water will do. Thanks." With a nod and a smile to cry for, the boy turned to get Zayn his, now very much needed, water.
Zayn was a bad person. A very bad person. Purgatory would want to throw him out, if he was ever sent there. He just creep-ed his best friend’s baby brother at the door for god knows how long. And this guy was still so unaffected. If it was Zayn, he would’ve sent the person back or made him sit at the doorstep, but here he sits on the beautiful couch in the company of the never upset and more beautiful than the couch Liam Payne.
Simpsons is playing on the telly, he still watches it! as Liam comes back with a tempting glass of cool water. Zayn takes it with a tight lipped smile (get a hold on yourself malik!) and chugs it down in two goes.
"So..How have you been Zayn?" Liam sits at the opposite end of the couch so that he can turn his body completely to face Zayn’s, a look of earnest question on his face.
Coming out of his lusting state, Zayn can clearly see the changes in the boy in front of him. Those wise lines on his chubby face were new, his eyes carried a careful look but were free from the insecurity that had made its home there, years back. In fact he looked much better, much more confident. And Zayn bit back a small twitch of jealousy in his gut for not being there to see that transformation, to witness him bloom into a different person.
"You remember me?" And he did not sound bitter. That was just because his voice was croaky from being too parched. He was not holding any grudges. Not at all.
Liam, on his part looked adorably surprised. Those thick brows coming to meet the other on his wrinkled up forehead. "Of course I remember you! How can Bob forget Wendy!"
A sudden warmth seeped through his cells , chasing away the tension and bitterness. He was still Liam! His Wendy! And Zayn just proved how creepy he really is. "Oh yea? So bob’s what helped you keep me in your mind." He wasn’t flirting. Honest to god. "And I’m bob! You’re Wendy."
"Hahaha! Whatever you say big guy!" His laughter rang out around the room, Zayn found himself eerily lapping up to the sound of it. Like a druggie, being granted his morphine. "You’re quite built up yourself now huh Liam? Am not the big guy anymore! He answered with a pout.
Liam shook his head and stared at Zayn with those nostalgic crinkly eyes. A look of disbelief and admiration clear in them. Zayn gave a small one in return, the undercurrent was too charged up.What was he thinking?
"God Zayn! There’s so much I have to say! I don’t even know where to start."
"Why don’t you begin with why you left." Zayn looked up from his hands to stare evenly at him. He sounded like a ditched clingy girlfriend.
Tension settled in his shoulders as Liam swallowed a little before opening his mouth –
"Hey LOSERS!"
Louis threw the grocery bag at Liam from the doorway. It hit him square on the face. "Ow!"
"Hey! You prick! That hurt him!" Zayn picked up the bag and held Liam’s face to look for any damage. Molding into his former self as easily as that.
Louis cackled, throwing away his shoes carelessly at the doorway, and making his way to jump between the pair, landing on Liam's lap. Zayn glared at him , while Liam blushed furiously and ducked his head into Louis’ shoulder, hiding his flustered self by head butting his brother. "Ah! Good to see nanny Zayn back! I seriously thought he lost a heart after you left leemo", Louis, the bitch, touched his chest in mock despair. "But I can see it was there in the hiding." Oh how much Zayn wanted to wipe out that devilish smile off his face with that stupid bag he still had in his hand.
He sighed and turned to put it atop the counter in the kitchen. Louis was going to have the time of his life teasing the shit out of the flaming crush in Zayn’s heart. He brought a hand down his face, feeling pathetic for his own self.
He was so not prepared to face this summer.