The Waiter Boy - A Ziam AU Mini-Fic

Chapter 1 - The Newcomers

Liam’s P.O.V.

            I woke up to the beeping of my alarm clock, telling me it was time for work. I groaned, but got up anyway, like I had trained myself to for the past year. Much of my life was spent devoted to my pathetic little job, but it all paid off when I got my pay check, and used it to pay the bills that my grandmum no longer could. She is an amazing lady—practically like my mother—but she just had been fading with age, as many people do. I dragged my feet into the bathroom and turned on the freezing cold water, enjoying the way my body felt as it started waking up. When I had finished washing, I hopped out and dried myself, throwing on a pair of boxers and then heading back into my room. I dressed in my work clothes, a white button up shirt that I rolled up to my elbows, showing off my tattoos, a gray vest—tightly fitted, and black slacks. Yes, I was a waiter. A waiter at a not-so-fancy old fashioned diner. I was one of the few workers there, and in this small town, almost everyone knew who I was.

            Most people called me Liam. Just plain old Liam Payne. My closer friends may refer to me as Li, Payne, or Leeeyyuuummm when they were pouting or frustrated. The older folk knew me to be “that caring grandson of Charlotte”, and the younger kids knew me as, “that one guy, you know, the one who is super cool and let us ride in his car that one time?”. Our small town was closely knit, and the few people that I didn’t know well, had made a point to separate themselves from the community. When newcomers came through, people talked about them for days. We weren’t used to meeting new people very often.

            Working at the old diner did have its perks. It was a very laid back job, and being the nineteen year-old I was, it was the best kind of job I could have. Not to be full of myself, but I was one of the most educated people in the town. I could have a better job, one that paid better, but took more work. But I had always been okay with being a waiter. Plus, when the people knew you—and everyone in this town did—they tended to tip better.

            After sliding my watch onto my wrist, I headed out of my room and into my grandmum’s bedroom.

            “Wake up,” I whispered grabbing her shoulder gently. She stirred and turned over to face me.

            “Good morning, Liam,” She smiled.

            “Good morning granny,” I said softly.

            “You’re off to work so early?”

            “Yes, I’m working three shifts today,” I said, “Plus I am opening and closing the diner, so I won’t be home until late,”

            “You work too hard,” She frowned.

            “No, I work just enough,” I said. And it was true. I worked just enough to feed us, cloth us, and keep a roof over our heads. With that said and a small goodbye and a peck on the cheek, I headed out the door.

            I did have a car. It was beat up and old, but I was a car nonetheless. In a town like this, not many people actually owned cars, because there was no point. If they ever wanted to go somewhere, they just had to walk, or ride their bike. But I loved my car, and I used every once in awhile. Even though grade school was over, and I could be heading to a university, the car still helped raise my status in the town, and people respected me a bit more.

            Today, I decided to walk. I was a bit ahead of schedule anyway, so I simply strolled down our driveway and onto the dirt sidewalk. The sun was rising over the trees in the distance, and I had to admit, it was beautiful. Living in a small town in the middle of nowhere had perks too.