Café Red (Ziall)

Behind

                    "How long do you plan on moping around?" It had been a week since Niall found out the unfortunate news of the café closing and the last he had seen Zayn, or anyone outside of his apartment for that matter. He wasn't sure what the state of things were, never bothering to return to work. He couldn't possibly feel comfortable being in an environment that felt like nothing more than a lie, Harry being no exception as well. Niall allowed everything to collapse upon him, choosing to mope and drown himself in grief and disappointment. His mornings were spent in bed, hidden beneath the blankets; and his nights were spent the same way, though the stress of his situation and his future collapsing on him even more. Maybe it was somewhat irrational of him to turn his back on Zayn, to run away without explanation. He missed him painfully, whether it was the simple days spent at the café, chatting over tea about everything, or if it were the small moments of intimate eye contact; however, Niall was smart enough to know that lies didn't deserve justification. He removed the cover from over his head, sending a small groan Liam's way before turning onto his stomach and covering himself once more. Liam chuckled, and then shook his head. He made his way over to the bed, a small dip in the mattress where he sat. "I'm going to tell you some things you don't want to hear; and I'll tell you these things because I'm friend and I think you're being a stubborn shit-head." Niall removed the duvet from his face once more, throwing a crumbled up tissue paper at Liam. The brunette only laughed once more. "Anyway, I don't know how much Zayn meant to you. I wasn't there to see all the mushy, annoying stuff that couples do - "

                    "He wasn't my boyfriend," Niall quickly countered.

                    "That doesn't matter. A title is just a title; He still made some sort of mark on you and you're hurting because of it. Now, as I was saying, I don't think he should fully be blamed. He's young and he's obviously trying to strive for something bigger than himself. Sure, he should've been open and honest, but it's not as though he lied about who he was or what he did. He said he a businessman, right?"

                    "Yeah, but why'd he have to be the owner of the one place that kept us connected?" Niall mumbled. Liam heard the crack in the blond's tone, causing his facial features to soften. He crawled towards the blond, gently lifting the duvet away from Niall's face. Niall was in fact crying, small tears trickling down the side of his face, forming black spots upon his pillow. He quickly wiped away his tears, trying to turn his back towards Liam, but the brunette only crawled around the bed, trying to make some light of the situation. "Would you leave me alone, Liam? I'm grieving!"

                    "Nope!" Liam said, then hovering above Niall. Niall tried to refrain from looking at him, but the goofy expression upon Liam's face caused his walls to crevasse and a giggle arose from him. "There's that smile." Liam got off of Niall, allowing the blond to sit up straight. Niall huffed, running a hand through his hair. Liam's advice sunk into his mind, contemplating where to go from there. He didn't think it was right of him to call the shots and just storm into Zayn's life again, after he basically dismissed their friendship, or whatever they had going on. Zayn was probably stressed out, seated in the corner at one of the café's booths, cigarette smoke evaporating from his nostrils while the place crumbled around him. Niall knew he should've looked at the bigger picture and maybe even been there for Zayn emotionally. There wasn't much he could do about things financially, being in a crisis of his own, but he certainly could've lend a hand in such a difficult time in Zayn's life. To think he was once infatuated with the raven-haired man and it took one mistake for that switch to shut off.

                    "He hates me now. I'm sure of it," Niall spoke up, mumbling words he was reluctant to speak out loud.

                    "But he likes you more."

                            "I'm probably asking for too much . . . " Zayn found himself at an abandoned church, somewhere on the outskirts of town; where crows met and flowers still blossomed. It was quite unusual, but unique in its own way. He sat at the end of the aisle, where the first-leveled floor met the stairs connecting to the stage. Before him was a statue, chipped pieces here and there, but still had a clear, visual representation of that someone he really needed to see. His voice was timid and full of doubt, but he just needed to be heard, even if it was just his own echoes playing throughout. " . . . and I probably don't deserve much at all; but I am trying," he mumbled, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, the fading lights illuminating upon him. "I really screwed up. I've lost my parents' - unconditional love, right?" He snorted. "Harry only says things to me if they're work-related. Louis's great with advice, but he hasn't been around much lately; doing a lot better than I am, I'm sure. I'm losing a place I really love and built from the ground of; a place that has always been some sort of core or foundation for me. It's how and I met Harry and Louis and Niall; where I've met a lot of wonderful people, actually. Niall's really special; he's really something and I managed to fuck that up, too." One of the lights on the ceiling flickered, causing Zayn to chuckle. "Sorry. I mean, I really messed that up . . . I really like him and I guess I was trying so hard to grasp his attention that I ended up selling myself short, when, in reality, Niall wouldn't have cared less if I had only nine toes. That's how kind he is," Zayn stated, muttering the last sentence. "I usually don't do this - talking to myself and such; but I feel like you're listening, Grandpa. I just need a sign."

                    Niall jogged up to the café and found chains and a lock on the entrance.