Floating in The Water

Chapter 19

"Um." Liam thinks for a moment but it's a little difficult with the way Zayn's lips are working at his neck, and his hands are sliding under Liam's shirt. "Ten minutes, maybe?"

"Ten minutes," Zayn repeats. "I can work with that."

Liam laughs but Zayn's not joking. He gestures for Liam to turn around and pulls Liam's polo off and then pushes Liam down so he's laying with his back propped up on the pillows. Zayn crawls on top of him, hands sliding up and down Liam's chest. He's going to give Liam a complex, he really is. No one's ever looked at him like that, heated, heavily lidded eyes, like Liam is all they want in the world. It'd be overwhelming if he didn't know that he probably looked at Zayn the exact same way.

Ten minutes later Liam's lips feel swollen and he's going to have to head back to work with a boner, but he really has to go. Zayn is gently pushing down on the bulge in his pants, not doing enough to really do much more than keep Liam hard and desperate.

"I really have to go," Liam says breathlessly against Zayn's lips.

"Really?" Zayn asks. "Are you sure?"

He grips Liam through his pants again and Liam's hips jerk up a bit. "Yes," he bites out. "Zayn, come on."

Zayn rolls off him and spreads himself out on the bed, the picture of comfort and relaxation. Liam wants to throw something at him.

"I'll be here if you get time off," Zayn says as Liam pulls his shirt back on. "In fact, I'll be here naked. And maybe I'll call Mary to send me down some of that leftover chocolate stuff from last nights dessert, and --,"

Liam does throw something at him. A pillow, but it's still effective, because he shuts up. He's still smirking, though.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Liam tells him. "I doubt I'll be able to sneak over tonight. With, you know, the Harry thing."

Zayn nods. "If Louis calls me, I'll let you know."

"Right, bye," Liam says. It feels awkward and not good enough, like there's something else he needs to add on there. He's not ready for that yet, though, so he just pulls the door closed behind him.

--

Liam doesn't get alone time with Zayn at all that week. Sure, Zayn sneaks into one of his rooms while he's cleaning at Overlook, and they make out on the bed for a few minutes, but Niall comes in and throws a towel at them, and that breaks it up. That's probably a good thing, too, because Liam's getting reckless, and he can't afford for them to get caught. It would be his luck that somehow Zayn's father would walk in on them and fire Liam on the spot, and there goes asking for a job recommendation in the near future.

Harry is not okay. He spends the rest of the week in a robotic state where he barely talks and does his work like he's on autopilot. Liam keeps waiting for the anger, waiting for Harry to flip out and yell or cry or just get upset in general, but he doesn't, and it's concerning. Harry's always up. Always. Sometimes that means he's laughing and jumping around, others it means he's shouting or throwing things. But either way, Harry always expresses how he's feeling in a way that's impossible to ignore, and he's just not.

The ride back home is quiet. He doesn't turn the radio on at all.

Liam spends the weekend in a constant state of guilt. He keeps waiting for the time to pass so he can get back to the resort, but his mum is always so excited to spend time with him, and he feels bad thinking that there's somewhere he'd rather be, he just can't help it. He's not used to being in a-- relationship. Because that's what it is, right? Zayn called him his boyfriend, which meant, yeah, dating. Even if they hadn't really went on an actual date.