Niall's heart was still ablaze, chills coursing through his skin and veins; heart rapidly beating against his chest one minute and perfectly content the next. His body was evoking several emotions at once; cheeks rosy; palms sweaty; mouth wide with a smile. It had been only half a day since he last seen Zayn, but the aftermath of their quality time remained etched within every ounce of his being. The feeling was so new, frightening, entincing, and overwhelming; but he allowed himself to be engulfed in it; shrouded in the touch and kisses of Zayn's warm skin. He was on a high, too caught up in the rapture to come down. He remained afloat, hovering between his dreams and fantasies and his reality. Niall sat at one of the dining booths, one hand grasping the tip of a straw while he unconsciously stirred his hot tea for the umpteenth time, losing track of his thoughts and actions just seconds after sitting down; and his attention remained on the outside view, not actually paying attention to what was in front of him, but lost within the thoughts of his mind. He was on his lunch break, the clock ticking somewhere between eleven and noon. The sun was out, for a change; the rays illuminating into the café and warming the hearts and conversations of the others. Niall simply didn't care about anything going on around him, the constant noises of a baby crying and Harry yelling at a customer because they were making their order a little too complicated for his liking. Just Niall and the shadows casted upon the brick walls ahead; nothing in-between.
"You space out a lot, mate." Idiot! Reluctantly, Niall was withdrawn from his daydreams, only to find Liam seated across from him, a crooked smile upon his face, purposely remaining nonchalant to the glares he received from the blond.
"Finally decided to visit the very place you mock?" Niall quizzed. His eyes shifted downward, removing the straw from his cup before taking a small sip. Liam chuckled, and then took a bite out of his bagel. For him, it was a prideful thing. He enjoyed teasing Niall for anything the blond found a sense of joy in. Within the past, short weeks behind them, Niall's sense of hatred towards Liam had dwindled down and, in its place, they were able to gradually work towards a friendship. Granted, Liam still found ways to annoy him, and vice versa, but it became a matter they no longer took to heart.
"Got pretty lonely at the apartment; thought I could come and pay you a visit," Liam explained. "This place actually doesn't look so bad," he stated, gazing around the room. "When you told me about it, I was expecting terrible conditions and cramped up space."
"Shouldn't be so quick to judge, Liam. How's everything down at the bugle?" Midway through college, Liam was offered a job at a newspaper company, writing articles and journal entries for some powerful figure in the entertainment industry. With Liam constant complaints, every time he came home, Niall was sure that Liam's time there was taken for granted and his work was truly unappreciated. 'But it keeps the bills paid,' as Liam liked to remind him.
"Same ol' same, but Anderson isn't on my back as much, so I guess that's a start," Liam stated, taking another bite of his bagel.
Seated in his office chair, one hand pinching the small stubble upon his chin, and the other gripping a piece of paper, Zayn felt a sense of uneasiness. His neck felt constricted by his tie and his hands were cramped; eyes sore from late nights of phone calls and printed paperwork. Things were unstable there and he was mentally and physically exhausted, a lack of control, focus, and sleep. The constant rings of his phone went unattended and the knocks at his door, ever so often, we're disregarded. His mind had always found a way to shut down when he was too overwhelmed with too many thoughts at once. He squinted at the paper, glasses on, fingers slightly trembling. Physically, he looked well-kept. Mentally, flames were flickering rapidly around the office. He crumpled the paper, and then abruptly left the office.
"Is there any possible way to stall the process?" A man stood before Zayn, intimidating and a blank expression; suit on; cufflinks bright as day. Zayn knew he wouldn't be able to empathize with all that was going on, wanting nothing more than to watch Zayn see defeat and come running back to him.
"When you decided you wanted to go into the world of business, your mother and I were very adamant on convincing you otherwise, but we also knew you had to learn for yourself. Now, I could loan you the money and potentially save the café from being closed, but then you'd still be in debt, having to not only continuously work to keep the café open, but also in order to pay me back." Zayn gradually grew irate. His father's tone was very condescending, one of many reasons they always clashed. "Or . . . you can just let it close and move forward with your career; expand your options; go to medical school. I'd be more than willing to pay your tuition," Yaser stated, leaning against the door of his car; both men parked at a vacant parking lot. Zayn was confused and a little conflicted. He wanted to do things accordingly and how he set out to do them, his way; but his parents constantly served as reminders of his potential failures and where his rebellious attitude had led him. "You've been hanging on to that place for so long and we both know this isn't the first time you've been behind on payments."
The audacity of his father to blatantly belittle all that he had done. He was feeling a little hopeful that he could have a talk with his father and receive some helpful, uplifting advice; but he was feeling idiotic for evening giving his father the benefit of the doubt. Just another wing being clipped and stomped on. Zayn was at his wit's end. Without the lack of spearing his father a disappointed glare, Zayn walked away, ignoring the mocking calls of his father's "advice."
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Café Red (Ziall)
FanfictionHe sees him everyday and he has him memorized like his favorite everything.
