Keep This Love (In a Photograph)

Chapter 13

He even sits next to Liam and they talk and laugh and Liam leans into him and it's all fine. Except that Zayn needs to get away from Liam before he embarrasses himself because Liam smells so good and he's grinning lopsidedly at Zayn and god this is what got him into trouble in the first place. So he excuses himself and heads to the loos to splash water on his face and cool off.

On his way back, he detours by the bar and orders himself a shot because he's not drunk enough for this. He then decides it'd be a better idea to order two more shots and knock them back in succession.

And when the girl next to him smiles up at him, Zayn smiles back because why the fuck not. She's cute with sharp blue eyes and blonde hair that reminds him of Perrie and she has distraction written all over her.

Zayn offers to buy her a drink.

And five minutes later, she's leading him out to the dancefloor because those shots have hit Zayn hard and he's drunk enough to let her. He catches Harry's eye on the way and winks at him. Harry frowns but Zayn's being pulled away before he can wonder at it. The girl, god he can't even remember her name, winds herself around him and he settles his hands on her hips, his touch light even as she presses her low-cut cleavage against his chest. And he tries. He really does try to distract himself with this pretty girl who's clearly sending him positive signals. Zayn lets her snake her arms around his neck and he closes his eyes, desperately wishing he felt something other than disinterest.

When the song ends, she presses a lingering kiss on his cheek and walks away, leaving Zayn to wander back to the table.

"Who was that?" Harry asks when he stumbles into his chair.

He shoots Harry a grin that feels forced. "Just a girl. Cute, right?"

"Yeah," Harry says, and that frown is back to mar his expression. Harry's eyes flicker towards Liam and Zayn reaches for his untouched beer and downs half of it in one long swallow.

"So what did I miss?" Zayn asks brightly.

"Nothing much," Louis says, leaning into Zayn's side and wrapping his hand around Zayn's arm. His grip feels heavy, like he's pinning Zayn in place. "Tell us what you've been up to, Zayn."

"Uh, just work and visiting home," Zayn says, scratching idly at his collarbone. "Nothing much."

"Sounds like fun," Louis says wistfully before Liam drags him into a cuddle.

"Ignore him, he gets homesick if he doesn't see his mum and sisters for a while," Liam says with a smile that doesn't seem to quite reach his eyes.

Zayn leans towards him without really realising what he's doing. "My mum cooked all my favourite foods and now I've got a freezer full of meals to last me through the apocalypse."

Liam's smile is a bit shy and a bit unsure but it's there. "My mum sends me food in the post sometimes," Liam admits. "And she sends me her Tesco vouchers."

Zayn grins and soon the three of them are trying to out-do each other in the over-protective mum category. Zayn thinks it's probably a tie.

"Must be my round," Zayn says when he picks up his beer to find it empty. "Same again?"

There's a chorus of cheers and Zayn weaves his way slowly to the bar. He gives his order and leans back against the bar, feeling a little dizzy and wondering if maybe he should slow down or get some water.

"Hi."

Zayn opens his eyes to see a cute guy smiling at him. He's young, but not too young Zayn notes and he's checking Zayn out.

"Hi," Zayn murmurs with a smile.

"Can I buy you a drink?" the guy asks just as Zayn's order arrives on the bar. "Oh," the guy says with an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe next time, right?"