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Next day, Liam and Zayn are struck by something they hadn't anticipated. For when they walk out of their shared room to what is supposed to be a hall, where they had to gather for a small meeting before their upcoming promotional interviews, they don't find a sulky Louis, or an angry Harry or a disappointed Niall like they had been expecting to. Instead, they find Will, their manager, waiting for them. Alone.
“Hey,” Liam says uneasily, as confused as Zayn behind him, not knowing where the boys are.
Will, who is been perched on one of the chairs placed around a big round table, just waves his hand nonchalantly, signaling them to take seats.
“I thought we'd have a little chat,” Will says, while Zayn and Liam do as they are told.
Making sure, his leg touches Liam's when he sits beside him, Zayn finally settles. He knows his heart beat is the bad kind of erratic right now, the kind which you get when you are expecting something bad to happen.
Once the boys are seated, Will leans a little in towards them, and he looks dead serious. More than he had looked during their very first band meeting, the one they had in the presence of Simon Cowell.
“Tell me, what I hear isn't true,” is the simple statement Will throws their way, and Zayn can feel the bile coming up, because his friends wouldn't.
“What're you talking about?” Liam asks, although the shaking of his leg against Zayn's, gives away how he in fact does know what this is all about.
“Wow, so you both don't know. I'm impressed, because by what Louis has told me, you both should know what the fuck I am talking about,” Will says, no emotion in his voice. Just anger
Liam is quiet after that, Zayn is frozen. His brain is short circuiting, and it's not the kind when Liam kisses him, it's the other kind, the one he's not a fan of.
“Speak, Liam,” Will says, “I've seen you getting all brave and assertive recently, how is it that now you don't have a good answer?”
Zayn can feel the shaking in Liam's leg increase. He glances down to see his hands clenched in fists in his lap, all he wants to do its reach out and hold his hands. But Zayn can't, so he just rubs his knee against Liam's, soothingly. He needs Liam to calm down, he needs him to save them, because he's not as courageous or brave.
“Speak,” Will orders, slapping the surface of the desk in anger and Liam just shouts at him, his words coming out fast, but slow enough to understand all the same.
“GIVE US A BREAK GOD DAMN IT! YES WHAT YOU HEARD FROM OUR FRIENDS IS TRUE AND IT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE!”
When Liam punches the wooden desk, somewhere in between his outburst, Zayn's blood runs cold all of a sudden. Will is looking at them with his seething eyes, every sign is a bad one.
“You both, I should have guessed,” Will says.
Liam breathes out, Zayn blinks dreading Will's next sentence.
“Do you remember the rules, do you remember the things you signed up to, the contract that clearly stated how what your label says you have to do no matter what? Was I fucking talking to air when I asked if you were gay, was I not clear on how you weren't supposed to date inside the band? God damn it, Liam! I counted on you, you were the one supposed to keep away from this! And what did you do? You disappointed me, you let Zayn mislead you! What were you thinking?”
Zayn swallows real hard at that, both the bulge in his throat and his tears. Liam is looking stone faced at Will, his hands are still clenched.
“How dare you?” Liam whispers furiously, the whisper sharp enough to pierce through the thickest of gases, “I swear, do not speak about him like that!”
“Really?” Will says, menacingly, and he turns to Zayn, “You, tell me you are not the one who has ruined him.”
He is glad his tears aren't falling, he is glad he isn't throwing up. He is so glad when Liam nudges his knee with his, and he is glad when he puts up his strongest face and retorts, “I haven't. You are the one who has, all of you.”
The change of expression on Will's face is- it just can't be describe. The color of his face changes from furious red to a pale yellow to a dangerous red again.
“Now you are going to talk back too, things young love does to people. You know what else it does? It takes away your careers and crushes them right under their big noses.”
“I seriously don't care,” Liam says. “Kick me out if you want to, do it right now. Zayn can come with me if he wants to.”
“Well well well. Will you want to, Zayn?” Will asks, eyebrows raised.
“Always,” Zayn says, final.
“Yeah well it's unlucky to be you two then, because according to both of your contracts, you are trapped with the asshole, that is me, for at least seven more years. And so, you will not be asked or allowed to leave, not even if you want to. So don't worry about that.”
Zayn doesn't know where this is going, apparently Liam doesn't either.
“Instead, what you need to worry about is your movie premiere which is just a week away now. And things are going to change at that premiere boys, plus you're going to have to go with it.”
“What kind of things?” Liam asks, he will do anything and everything if it means that he gets to stay with Zayn.
“Things like getting you a girl to accompany you to the premiere, and don't give me that anxious face, I have already arranged a girl. And Zayn you, you are getting engaged.”
“What?!” Liam and Zayn both shout at the same time, unsurprisingly, Liam's voice is louder than Zayn.
“Yes, I have already talked to your girlfriend.”
“She's not my girlfriend!” (“She's not his fucking girlfriend!”)
“Oh yeah, you are right. Because now she is your fiancé.”
“But you can not do this to him,” Liam protests, Zayn can't speak because the lump in his throat is bigger than ever.
“Actually,” Will says as he stands up to leave. What's the point of staying when he is left with no more bombs to cruelly drop on them, “I can.”
“Perrie agreed to this?” Zayn finds his voice to ask, because he had liked her, always, but now, he is having serious second thoughts.
“Yes, she had to,” Will explains, “Their new album is coming up, she needs all the promotion she can get. And you are the one who promised to help, and now you are the one who will put a ring on her finger.”
“He won't,” Liam grits his teeth.
“Your mumbling is not going to change anything,” Will says.
“I won't let it happen,” Liam says.
Will ignored him, “I don't want to hear what you have to say. Rush, you have a big interview in an hour.”
