Counting Stars (Ziall BoyxBoy)

C H A P T E R O N E

Zayn's POV:

The moment I woke up, I glanced round the room, to check if last night was all a dream, if Niall actually existed or not, whether or not I'd actually taken home a suicidal orphaned psycho. My first thoughts, when I saw the room was empty and there was no sign of Niall, I thought, yeah. Maybe I was drunk last night. Hallucinating, maybe?

But then, when I saw the futon and my spare duvet, my heart sank and I knew that it had all happened. 

I sat in bed for a moment, reliving the moments of last night, and how weird and impossible it had been. Had I seriously been stupid enough to pick up and take home a psycho who had just been about to commit suicide?

And then, I clocked. Where was Niall if he wasn't in my room?

I leapt out of bed, already fully dressed, and darted down the hallway, and down the stairs, three at a time, and raced into the kitchen, where I saw Niall sitting on the kitchen island chatting with my family. 

I froze dead, and watched Niall sip the steaming coffee in my own mug, chatting away to my mother, who was frying bacon, still in her bunny slippers. 

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

''Zayn!'' Mum beamed, when she noticed I was here. Everyone turned to stare at me, and when Niall's eyes locked with mine, a faint ghost of a smile painted his lips. I faced back to my mother. ''You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!''

My jaw hung open, and I glared at Niall, who just winked back at me. But the innocence of his eyes made me play along with it. I smiled at Mum, trying not to blush. 

''I didn't even know you were gay,'' Doniya, my older sister, mumbled absently. I rolled my eyes. I could just tell playing Niall's games wouldn't help me in any case what so ever. I really needed to have a word with him later... angrily. 

''Neither did I,'' I said, half honestly. Niall raised his eyebrows, and I could see by the way his lips twitched he was obviously trying to muffle his laughter as he raised his mug to his lips and downed his coffee. 

''We haven't been together for long, but we sure are happy,'' Niall chastisised, as I took a seat opposite him on the kitchen island. Niall awkwardly reached over the table with his hand and squeezed mine. I extremely squeezed back on his cold, dead hand. ''I'm sorry, I won't be a bother. I'd better get back home. I'll just get my stuff from my room. Nice meeting you,'' he nodded his head round at my parents and my sisters, slid off the stool, and left the room, his feet silently padding on the floor. 

I looked down at his abandoned coffee, then up to my parents. My father hadn't said a word, until just then.

''How long have you guys been together?'' My dad asked sharply. I cleared my throat, thinking fast, but all that was going through my head was how the hell did I even get into this situation?!

''Uh, like Niall said, not for long... I-uh, have to-uh, go now,'' I muttered, sliding off the stool and following Niall up the stairs, and I pushed him into my room, and slammed the door behind me, and pointed a threatening finger at him. ''What the hell? I thought you said you'd stay secret! And since when were we together, by the way?''

Niall smirked at my anger, clearly unphased and slightly amused by it, and lowered my hand with his, and vacated my desk chair with a flourish, and began to swing round on it. 

''Since when do young, handsome guys like you pick up guys like me off the street at one in the morning?'' Niall said, his voice dangerously seductive.

Ugh.

''I'm flattered,'' I said sarcastically.

Niall sighed, and sat up, and looked at me, suddenly serious. ''I told them we were together because that would be the only way they'd really trust me, as I'm guessing they trust you-'' he gestured to me, ''And so they won't weird out when they see me round the house,''