Strong (A Ziam/Zarry AU)

Chapter Eighteen

"So leeme get this straight, we are going to your boyfriend's title fight with the Arctic lads, who are our friends, but we can't mention to them, Niall or basically anyone who isn't one of 'ours', that Liam is your boyfriend or even that he's gay? I don't get why not."

"Josh, just shut up and go with it." Kay snapped earning herself looks of surprise from the group. It wasn't like her to be so irritable.

"Josh you don't have to lie babe, just don't mention it." Zayn smiled at his friend. Josh agreed but looked uncomfortable.

"It's nobody's business but their own, why is that concept so hard for you to grasp? Not everyone wants the whole fucking world knowing their private shit." Kay huffed.

"What's up with her?" Zayn whispered to Meg. She nodded towards the kitchen, wanting Zayn to follow.

"Dude she's piiiissed. Josh mentioned her in an interview...as his girlfriend." She told him as soon as she'd closed the kitchen door.

"I thought they were just hooking up?"

"They haven't even been doing that. Josh was getting a bit too involved, Kay pulled back now he's being really clingy and passive aggressive. He's being really creepy about the whole thing. She made it clear it was over and she didn't appreciate how he was being and then he told that journo she's his girlfriend. He's being really fucking weird. Ed's gonna have a word with him; ask him to reign it in, tell him he's being a freak. I wanted to do it but apparently I'm not tactful enough, can you believe that?"

Zayn was quiet for a few beats before bursting out laughing "Honey, I love you, I adore you I want to be you when I grow up but you have no skills when it comes to being tactful."

"You're all just pussies. He needs telling."

"Why hasn't Kay told me about any of this?"

"You haven't exactly been around recently babe. I can't believe you had a threesome."

"Harry told you about that huh?" Zayn asked awkwardly. He had spent the last week in Wolverhampton. Liam had been training constantly but any downtime he'd had, had been spent with Zayn at his house. A few times he'd had to hide because Niall had called over, dropping something off or whatever. It got old fast and he would have gone back to London but the truth is he was hiding out. He wasn't ready to face the girls, knowing they'd be unhappy with him and he definitely wasn't ready to see Harry.

"He thinks it means Liam and him are going to share you or something. He's ecstatic; he thinks he has you back. You need to stay away from him man. I love you too but Harry's my boy and I know you don't mean to but you're hurting him."

Zayn was about to reply when Ed stuck his head around the door "The cars are here guys."

"Are we picking the others up on the way?" Chris asked as Ed wrapped his arm around her protecting her from the flash of the paparazzi's cameras. They'd been hanging around outside Edward's ever since Chris had moved in.

"Jamie and Nick can't make it, Harry, Alex and Matt are meeting us at the O2." Ed answered, kissing her sweetly on the forehead.

"Harry's coming? To Liam's fight? Is that such a god idea?" Kay grimaced.

"Ha! Have you not heard? They're having this major bromance, they are constantly texting each other. Liam is trying to convince Harry to fuck Alex and give him all the deets." Ed chuckled, while Meg mumbled something along the lines of "He's not content with the gay ones now he's even turning the straight ones. Fucker."

Kay turned to Zee to ask him how he felt about that but before she could get a word out Zayn shook his head "Don't."

The six friends piled into the back of the people carrier. There was an awkward moment when Josh tried to sit next to Kay but Meg pushed him over and sat there herself. Zayn was feeling really guilty, Filth were obviously having some problems at the moment, as well as Kay, and he hadn't been there for them at all. Looking at how Meg was glaring at Josh gave him an uneasy feeling, he didn't like when there was conflict within the band. It tended to filter out into them as a group of friends. He made himself a vow to be there more, and to talk to Kay ASAP.