Where Is My Mind (Larry/Ziam AU)

11.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is.” Liam sighs.

Zayn pauses and tugs on his hair. “Are you kidding me? Liam, Lou has no idea who this guy is, they could be anyone, they could be anywhere. He trusts every word this guy has said to him, but that could all just be an act. There is a huge chance that if Louis goes to meet this Jamie kid in a few days, he won’t come back.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

“Did you know that 94% of the people who meet in real life after talking on the internet end up raped, or murdered or in some kind of other trouble.”

“You just made that up.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes. You did.” Liam rolls off his bed and walks towards his boyfriend.

Zayn looks away from Liam because he is right, Zayn did make that up. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Plenty of people think they are safe and it turns out they’re not, right? Liam places his hands on Zayn’s shoulders then runs them down until their hands are connected. Zayn bites his lip as he looks down at Liam’s fingertips mingling with his own and he slowly relaxes.

“I get that you’re worried-”

Zayn cuts Liam off, “I don’t get why you’re not.”

It’s not like Liam was keeping it a secret from Zayn, it has just never came up. Admittedly, now he was almost nervous to tell Zayn, but if it brought them together and it was obviously in the past and no one had been brutally murdered, then maybe it would change Zayn’s perspective on the whole situation.

“Has Josh ever mentioned how we met?”

“No offense, Li, but is that really relevant right now?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Zayn’s confusion showed on his features. Liam pulled his hands away and fell back down onto his bed, this time situating himself in the centre of the mattress and crossing his legs underneath him.

“Alright then, how?”

“Let’s start with when.” Liam pats the space next to him and Zayn sits down, more confused than before. “I met Josh approximately two hours before I met you.”

Zayn stares blankly at Liam. “I don’t understand.”

“I knew him a lot longer than that, but I only met him for the first time on the same day I met you and Louis.”

“I thought you guys had been friends for long before that.”

Liam smiles at Zayn, because he is obviously not seeing the connection between this conversation and the one they had been having previously. He thinks the confused frown on Zayn’s lips is rather cute and he is momentarily distracted from the story he is supposed to be telling him as he contemplates saving it for later and using the time he has at hand to kiss the beautiful boy in front of him.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Liam continues. “We were. Zayn, you should be grateful that not everyone is as skeptical as you when it comes to making friends online. If Josh and I were as cautious and paranoid as you, I never would have come here. I never would have met you. And we wouldn’t be able to do this.” Liam finishes by acting on his earlier impulse and pulling Zayn into a long, slow kiss.

When the two break apart, it takes some time for Zayn to fully put the pieces together and for his head to catch up. He’s a little bit dizzy from the way Liam just kissed him, and he’s also still a little confused about what his boyfriend was trying to tell him. Slowly it falls into place and Zayn understands how Liam and Josh met is relevant to his concern for Louis running off to meet a stranger tomorrow.