"Is Zayn coming tonight?" Niall asks, walking into the large living room of his flat with two bowls of popcorn. Louis, Liam and I all look toward him and shrug.
This has been our weekly routine for as long as I can remember - the five of us come over to Niall's place to watch a movie and stuff our faces full of food. But for the last three weeks, Zayn hasn't showed up, and we have no idea why.
"It's probably a girl," Louis says nonchalantly, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Probably," Niall agrees, setting one of the bowls of popcorn in his lap. "Who do you think it is?"
"(Y/N)," Liam says and I almost choke on my popcorn. I play it off as a cough, but that doesn't stop the six eyes that land on me. I grab the bottle of beer sitting on the table next to me and take a long pull, hoping to redirect the attention away from me.
Zayn and (Y/N)? My chest tightens at the thought.
(Y/N), the boys and I have all grown up together, but over the years my feelings for (Y/N) have blossomed into more than a friendship. But I've never had the courage to tell her. Any time I think about telling her, my heart beats a mile a minute and my mouth goes dry and I get so flustered that something else comes out of my mouth entirely.
I really hope that (Y/N) isn't on a date with Zayn, because I know if she is, I'll never get another chance to tell her how I feel about her. Everybody loves Zayn, especially the girls. He has this charm about him that I know (Y/N) won't be able to resist.
I try to focus on the television and whatever movie Niall picked out for the night, but my mind keeps picturing (Y/N) and Zayn sitting in a fancy restaurant with minimal lighting, smiling and laughing over a bottle of champagne. I take another pull from my beer to drown out the thought.
Maybe they're on a date as friends. People do that, right?
Before I can come up with an answer to that question, the front door opens and we all turn our heads to find Zayn approaching us. I turn my head back to the television.
"Nice of you to finally join us," Louis remarks, stuffing yet another handful of popcorn into his mouth.
"Where have you been?" Liam asks when Zayn ignores Louis' comment.
"Out," Zayn simply states with a shrug.
"Out with a girl?" Louis asks, bringing his beer to his mouth to hide the smirk that's forming on his face.
"Maybe," Zayn says quietly, staring at the television.
"Was it (Y/N)?" Louis prods.
"Yes, alright?" Zayn snaps. "I was with (Y/N)."
Louis seems satisfied with this new information, and I wish I could feel the same way, but I don't.
-
The movie ended an hour ago and we've all gradually migrated into the kitchen. Liam and Louis left thirty minutes ago and I've been thinking about what I should say - if I should say anything at all - to Zayn about (Y/N).
Niall pulls out the full trash bag from the garbage can and announces that he's going to take the trash out. The front door opens and closes with a silent click. Silence falls over Zayn and I, but he seems less bothered by it than I am.
"So, you and (Y/N)," I say as casually as I can.
"What about me and (Y/N)?" Zayn asks, looking at me with wary eyes.
"Did you guys, like... go on a date?" I gulp at how ridiculous I sound. None of the boys know how I feel about (Y/N), and I know by asking this, it won't take long for Zayn to make the connection. At least Zayn is the most reserved of the group and won't run and tell the other boys, but I know they'll figure it out too - whether Zayn tells them or not.
