The Waiter Boy - A Ziam AU Mini-Fic

Chapter 6 - I'll Always Be Here

This chapter is super short....sorry!

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Liam’s P.O.V.

            It was finally the weekend. All I had to do was work a half a day on Saturday, and then I had the rest of the weekend off. It was nice to know I would be able to relax some, and maybe spend some good quality time with Harry and Niall. The only reason I was even taking the weekend off, was because John insisted. I guess he knew how worn down I was getting.

            By Saturday at lunch time though, let me tell you, I was definitely ready for a break. Mr. Garrison had fallen asleep in his booth and I had to wake him up and wipe his drool off the table. Then I had to walk him back to his house, which wasn’t far away, but it was still extra hassle. The diner was its filled with its regulars like always, but also Zayn and Louis were back today, and they weren’t sitting at the counter like normal, they had actually taken a booth today. I walked over to them, getting more and more nervous the closer I got to Zayn. When I finally stood at the end of their table, I noticed that Louis looked like he had been crying, and Zayn looked sad. What was wrong?

            “Hey guys,” I said softly. They both seemed to pulled out of trances as they looked up to me, blinking, “Can I get you anything?”

            Louis looked back down at the table and put his hands over his face. Zayn however, looked at me, his face still sad, “Do you think I could, maybe, uh, talk to you?” He asked, sounding unsure. I tilted my head and  nodded, unsure of what I was going to be asked.

            “I actually get off in a few minutes, I can talk to you then,” I said.

            Zayn flashed me a brilliant smile, and then ordered a sandwich for him and Louis, while he caressed his friend’s head gently.

            The rest of work I was anxious.

            What did Zayn want to talk to me about? What was wrong with Louis? Was the poor guy crying? But most importantly, what did Zayn want to talk to me about?

            When the clock hit 12:30, I yelled to John, “I’m done!”

            He laughed, “Eager to get out of here, huh, Liam?” He asked. I blushed and nodded weakly, before rushing over to Zayn’s table.

            “I’m ready,” I said.

            He nodded, “Is there anywhere we could go to talk around here?”

            “Yeah,” I said, noticing Louis was missing, “Uh, where’d Louis go?”

            “He went back to the hotel,” Zayn said.

            “Why?”

            “That’s what I have to talk to you about,” He said.

            I led Zayn across the street and straight to the woods. There was a small clearing if you walked a minute or two, it was a place Harry and I used to go to stargaze. The memories we shared here were endless.

            “It’s beautiful,” Zayn said.

            “Yeah,” I agreed, “I love it here,”

            I took a seat on a fallen log and Zayn walked over to me cautiously, sitting beside me and breathing deeply.

            “I know I don’t know you too well,” He said, “But, I really need to talk about this with someone, and you are the only person I feel even remotely comfortable with around here,”

            I nodded, my heart beating like crazy.

            “Louis is gay,” He said.

            What?

            “I thought you told me he was engaged…” I said, trailing off in confusion. Zayn nodded and hung his head.

            “He is. Her name is Eleanor, and I used to think that they were made for each other…but apparently not,” Zayn said, biting his lip, “I don’t understand how Louis could figure this out so suddenly.”

            I paused, thinking about Harry. Had Harry noticed he was gay so suddenly? Yeah, he did. I opened my mouth to share, but I wasn’t sure if Harry would like me telling anyone. However, this was Zayn, a guy who would be gone in the matter of days. So I pushed my thoughts aside and gathered some courage. I had never told anyone about Harry before. “You know Harry, right? The cook at the diner?” I asked.

            Zayn nodded.

            “He’s gay too,” I said, receiving a surprised look from Zayn, “And he figured it out pretty suddenly. One day, it just dawned on him. I mean, I’m guessing he had had some assumptions, but that day, he just realized it. Maybe that’s what happened to Louis.”

            “So, Harry is gay?” Zayn asked again, his face unreadable. I suddenly became worried. Did that make Zayn angry? Would he make fun of my friend?

            “Yeah, he is,” I said softly, still a bit unsure.

            “Well,” Zayn said, “Louis is in love with him. So, I guess it’s a good thing,”

            Okay, now I was confused.

            Zayn noticed my expression and began to explain, “Look, all of this started the day he first saw Harry. Ever since then, he has been getting quieter and quieter. I think it tears him apart. He knows that Eleanor is at home waiting for him, loving him still, but he wants to stay here and chase after Harry. I don’t know why, hell, I’ll never know why. But I know that I have to help Louis through this, and I don’t have a fucking clue what to do or say,”

            There was a pause.

            “Zayn,” I said, “He has to figure this out on his own,”

            Zayn suddenly looked like he was about to cry, “I hate seeing him like this. I hate it. I hate it.” He muttered, hanging his head and letting tears flow down his face. I felt the sudden need to comfort him. This stranger.

            I still don’t know why I did it, but I put my shaking arms around Zayn’s crying figure, and pulled him into my body, hoping to provide him some comfort. He seemed to like it, and he buried even closer into me. I felt his body shake with each sob, and it only made me hold onto him tighter. If this had been Harry, I would kiss his head. But that would be wrong now, wouldn’t it? Zayn wouldn’t like that.

            After a few minutes, his crying stopped and he lifted his head to look at me.

            “Liam,” He said softly, “Thank you,”

            I really wanted to say ‘No, thank you. Holding you in my arms has been the highlight of my week’. But instead I settled for, “Anytime, Zayn. I’ll always be here.”

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Once again, sorry it's so short.

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