Switched | Zayn Malik AU

Quicksand

"Uh, I have to go up and unpack." Liam said, breaking the awkwardness.

"Lemme help you." Paul (my stepdad) said, bringing back he awkward and making it worse than it already was.

"No! I mean... I've missed him so much, I should...probablygoandhelphimseeyoulaterbye" I said while pulling Liam up the stairs and into his room. I know how Liam can be when he's jealous, and I know that she doesn't like it that mom already has another man in her life. I know he feels replaced.

I sat on his bed while I was watching him open his boxes. I can't help but notice how much he has changed since the last time I saw him. It feels like he was a different person. His hair's different now, he now has facial hair, and he's more muscular than he was before.

"Are you really my brother?" I asked him. I know it's a weird question, but I had to ask it. I mean, I've been inside another person's body! What if he is, too?

"If I wasn't, will I do this?" He said as he lifted my foot up into the air and tickled my sole. Only Liam knows where I was ticklish, so I know why he did that to prove that he really was my brother.

"Alright, alright! I believe you!" I said while giggling. I sat up beside him and poked his muscles.

"You're different now." I told him.

"I wouldn't say 'different', but better. I'm still your brother, you know? I love you just the same as when I left."

"But you're a man now."

"A year and a half could change a person' life."

"Where have you been, anyway?" I asked him. I wanted to know where he went, I wanted to know what he did, I wanted to know what made that place much better than home."

"I've been all over Europe to see different cultures and stuff. When I left home and checked my bank account, I noticed that I had way too much money. Only to find out that dad has placed in lots of cash so what I did was spend it, you know, just to piss him off."

"And you came back because you ran out of money?" I said.

"No, I came back because I missed you and mom."

I smiled at his reply, thinking about how he told me before that he was a self-proclaimed Mom's boy. We've always been close, and I'm just glad that he's home with me now.

"And do you have a girlfriend? Lemme guess, Latina?" I said. I hope he says yes, I hope he has someone who loves him as much as we can.

"Actually, I do. And you'll get to meet her soon. And no, not Latina." He answered as he stood up to continue unpacking. He brought out his old soccer jersey from one of the boxes and held it up.

"Hey, I'm so excited to wear this again." He said with a big smile on his face.

"Huh?"

"On Wednesday. For the game."

"What game?"

"It's homecoming. And I talked to coach if I could play on one of the games and he said I could, for as many games as I want." He replied. I was happy he could play again, I'm just scared of what might happen if Zayn finds out about this.

We talked about his travels and how school's been treating me so far. Sometimes he would ask me about Zayn but I would always change the subject. I do that a lot whenever we're talking about touchy subjects, so he knows, he understands.

During dinner, I could sense the awkwardness around the dining room. I can feel that my stepdad's actually trying to break through my brother's barriers but Liam's usually so tightly and strongly closed off from people who he thinks do not deserve his trust. I can feel that he's trying to be polite, but most of the time, he would answer their questions with one word sentences.