Things are not better in the morning. Things are not better in the morning because Louis is already gone. Liam learns this at lunch, when he gets back from cleaning rooms at Outlook. Harry is pushing food around on his plate, and he looks like shit, to put it lightly. His curls look limp, his cheeks are red, and the rest of his skin is pale.
The first thing Harry says when Liam sits down is, "He didn't even say goodbye."
Liam looks to Niall for help, but Harry doesn't look like he's going to say much else any time soon. Niall quickly recounts a story that involves Harry heading over to Louis' to baby-sit Louis' sisters, and him asking where Louis is. Apparently he left this morning at eight to head back home before packing up. According to one of Louis' sisters, he was leaving at ten, which meant that he was already gone. Not a word to anyone, just gone.
"Whatever," Harry says suddenly. "Fuck him. If he doesn't realize that maybe I'd want to at least say goodbye to him, then I'm glad I didn't get a chance to. Time to start moving on. It was a stupid summer fling that wasn't going to amount to anything anyways. In fact, let's just be happy that it ended with us fucking and then--," Harry's voice breaks, "him running off without a fucking care in the world for how I felt, because it could have ended much worse, right?"
"Harry--," Liam tries, but Harry shakes his head.
"I'm going to go and -- get to work," Harry says. He has this blank look in his eyes that worries Liam a lot more than him throwing things or shouting would. "See you at dinner."
If Liam honestly thought there was something he could do to help, he would have gone after him. But he knows there's nothing he can do. Harry is going to deal with this in the way Harry deals with everything -- by blowing off steam and then reproaching the situation from a more logical standpoint. Until he's blown off that steam, though, it's best not to get caught in the crossfire.
After lunch Liam starts delivering food. There's a sandwich waiting on a plate for him to deliver, but he tells Mary to just leave it. He'll bring that one after he's done the rest. She tells him it'll be cold by the time he delivers it, but Liam doesn't really think Zayn'll mind.
When he's done his last trip to outlook with a ham sandwich, he heads back to the kitchen, grabs the sandwich, and then goes to Zayn's room. He knocks once on the door before Zayn yells, "Come in!"
Liam does, heading straight for the bedside table. He puts the plate down and then sits on the edge of the bed.
"Louis' already gone," Liam tells him. "He didn't even say goodbye to Harry."
Zayn sits up a bit straight and runs a hand through his hair. "Shit. He -- fuck. Louis is really good at running away from things that mean something. I probably should have warned you."
"Not me," Liam says, shaking his head. "Harry. He's -- I don't know. It's different with Louis, and I don't know how to fix it."
Zayn sits up and moves so that he's sitting behind Liam, his legs spread out around Liam's body. He grabs Liam's shoulders, heels digging in a bit. It's nice, almost calming.
"You can't fix everything, Wonderboy," Zayn tells him. "And I know Louis. He's fucking up big time right now, but Louis always manages to fix things himself, in spectacular ways. Just wait."
"You didn't see Harry," Liam tells him, eyes falling closed. He leans his head back onto Zayn's shoulder as Zayn continues to gently massage his back. "I don't really see Louis being able to make up for this."
Zayn kisses his neck, hands moving to Liam's chest. "Sometimes you've just got to let things play out, you know? Now," he says, grinning against Liam's skin, "how long until someone's going to be wondering where you are?"
"Um." Liam thinks for a moment but it's a little difficult with the way Zayn's lips are working at his neck, and his hands are sliding under Liam's shirt. "Ten minutes, maybe?"
"Ten minutes," Zayn repeats. "I can work with that."
Liam laughs but Zayn's not joking. He gestures for Liam to turn around and pulls Liam's polo off and then pushes Liam down so he's laying with his back propped up on the pillows. Zayn crawls on top of him, hands sliding up and down Liam's chest. He's going to give Liam a complex, he really is. No one's ever looked at him like that, heated, heavily lidded eyes, like Liam is all they want in the world. It'd be overwhelming if he didn't know that he probably looked at Zayn the exact same way.
Ten minutes later Liam's lips feel swollen and he's going to have to head back to work with a boner, but he really has to go. Zayn is gently pushing down on the bulge in his pants, not doing enough to really do much more than keep Liam hard and desperate.
"I really have to go," Liam says breathlessly against Zayn's lips.
"Really?" Zayn asks. "Are you sure?"
He grips Liam through his pants again and Liam's hips jerk up a bit. "Yes," he bites out. "Zayn, come on."
Zayn rolls off him and spreads himself out on the bed, the picture of comfort and relaxation. Liam wants to throw something at him.
"I'll be here if you get time off," Zayn says as Liam pulls his shirt back on. "In fact, I'll be here naked. And maybe I'll call Mary to send me down some of that leftover chocolate stuff from last nights dessert, and --,"
Liam does throw something at him. A pillow, but it's still effective, because he shuts up. He's still smirking, though.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Liam tells him. "I doubt I'll be able to sneak over tonight. With, you know, the Harry thing."
Zayn nods. "If Louis calls me, I'll let you know."
"Right, bye," Liam says. It feels awkward and not good enough, like there's something else he needs to add on there. He's not ready for that yet, though, so he just pulls the door closed behind him.
--
Liam doesn't get alone time with Zayn at all that week. Sure, Zayn sneaks into one of his rooms while he's cleaning at Overlook, and they make out on the bed for a few minutes, but Niall comes in and throws a towel at them, and that breaks it up. That's probably a good thing, too, because Liam's getting reckless, and he can't afford for them to get caught. It would be his luck that somehow Zayn's father would walk in on them and fire Liam on the spot, and there goes asking for a job recommendation in the near future.
Harry is not okay. He spends the rest of the week in a robotic state where he barely talks and does his work like he's on autopilot. Liam keeps waiting for the anger, waiting for Harry to flip out and yell or cry or just get upset in general, but he doesn't, and it's concerning. Harry's always up. Always. Sometimes that means he's laughing and jumping around, others it means he's shouting or throwing things. But either way, Harry always expresses how he's feeling in a way that's impossible to ignore, and he's just not.
The ride back home is quiet. He doesn't turn the radio on at all.
Liam spends the weekend in a constant state of guilt. He keeps waiting for the time to pass so he can get back to the resort, but his mum is always so excited to spend time with him, and he feels bad thinking that there's somewhere he'd rather be, he just can't help it. He's not used to being in a-- relationship. Because that's what it is, right? Zayn called him his boyfriend, which meant, yeah, dating. Even if they hadn't really went on an actual date.
This time, when he climbs into the passenger seat of Harry's car, he's not looking wistfully back at his house. He tries to turn on the radio, just to fill the silence that Harry is refusing to fill himself. Harry slaps his hand away, though, and Liam doesn't try again.
He does try to get him to talk, though.
"I'm fine," Harry snaps after the third attempt. "Okay? I'm fine. I'm totally freaking fine, Christ, everyone needs to stop asking or I'm not going to be."
Liam's quiet for a moment, trying to resist the urge to point out that Harry's words don't sound very confident, but he fails and says, "You don't sound fine."
Harry laughs. It sounds almost real, but his eyes are still cold and blank. "Let it go, Liam, okay?"
"No way," Liam says, shaking his head. "You know what? We're going to throw a party. Down at the beach. I'll get Eleanor to make a fire, we'll pick up alcohol--,"
"Don't bother," Harry says.
"No, we're doing it," Liam says firmly. "And we'll get drunk, you'll cry it out, and then -- things will start getting better."
"Crying doesn't always fix things," Harry says quietly. "If it did, it'd be fixed already. But it doesn't, and I'm not doing it again. I wasn't worth a goodbye, and he's not worth the tears."
"Then Niall and I will make asses of ourselves until you can't help but laugh," Liam promises. "It'll be fun."
Harry doesn't look convinced, but he does give in, with a simple, "Fine."
Once again, there's a note on Liam's locker when he gets to the locker room. This one reads:
Beach tonight at 11, don't wear a swimsuit.
It's not signed this time, but then, it doesn't really need to be. Liam pockets it quickly, but not before Harry sees and sighs loudly.
"I hate couples," Harry says. "You're making me sick."
Liam kisses him wetly on the cheek. "Love you, too."
Breakfast isn't much better than that. Harry spends most of his time throwing muffin pieces at Eleanor and Niall until they stop holding hands. By the time he leaves to start working, Niall sighs and turns to Liam.
"We need to fix this," Niall says. "Or I'm going to strangle him."
"Oh the irony," Eleanor quips up. "I'll hold him down for you."
"You guys," Liam starts, frowning. "He's--,"
"There is muffin in my hair," Eleanor states. "In my hair, Liam."
There really is. She does not look happy. "We're throwing a part tonight," Liam says quickly. "Let everyone know. Okay?"
He remembers Zayn's note but he knows that, as much as he would love to spend the night alone with Zayn, Harry has to come first.
Once again, Zayn has him looking forward to something he'd normally dread. By the time he's finished cleaning his rooms he's practically running to the kitchen and starting deliveries. It's especially hot today, and his shirt is clinging to his back, but he doesn't really care.
By the time he makes to Zayn's door -- this time carrying two sandwiches--, he's sweaty and exhausted and he sort of just wants to steal the extra sandwich and curl up in bed with Zayn and not worry about work, or best friends with broken hearts.
"Did you get my note?" Zayn asks as he pulls open the door.
Liam snorts and hands him the plate of sandwiches, heading directly for the bed. He falls back on it and stares up at the ceiling.
"I can't," Liam admits. "I -- we're throwing a party. Sort of a 'get better Harry' party."
Zayn sits on the bed beside him. "Tomorrow night, then. And maybe you can sleep over here afterwards."
Liam sits up on his elbows. Zayn is grinning down at him, and he wants to say yes. He wants to say yes so badly, because he knows that their time is running out. In less than a week they're both heading back to school and, yes, they're going to be in the same city, but who knows what will happen then. Just like Harry said, it's easy to forget that there's life outside the resort, and things are going to be different.
"I can't," Liam finds himself saying again anyways. "Harry-- I just don't think it's a good time."
Zayn keeps smiling at him. "Say Harry's okay by then," Zayn says, tracing Liam's collarbone with his finger. "Would you say yes then?"
Liam frowns. "Of course. But --,"
"Okay," Zayn says, grabbing the plate of sandwiches. "I'm holding you to that."
He hands Liam one of the sandwiches and Liam sits up, crossing his legs as they eat. "What do you know that I don't?" Liam asks.
Zayn shrugs. "I just know that things will work themselves out. Just wait."
Liam eats instead of voicing his doubts. When he's done, Zayn puts the plate on the side table and then tugs at Liam's shirt impatiently.
"Don't know why you wear those stupid things," Zayn comments as he kisses down Liam's chest. "Shirts. It's a crime against humanity, to be honest."
Liam snorts but then Zayn licks just below his bellybutton, and any laughter dies in his throat. "I've got to get back to work," Liam gets out, fingers curling in Zayn's hair.
"Ten more minutes," Zayn says, fingers moving to the button on Liam's jeans. He looks up at Liam with wide, hopeful eyes, and fuck that's so not fair. He kisses Liam's stomach again before repeating, "Ten more minutes."
"Fuck it," Liam says, nodding. "Ten more minutes. That's it."
Zayn's just got the button of his jeans undone when someone knocks at the door. "Zayn," someone calls. Someone that both Liam and Zayn recognize, because Liam scrambles off the bed in seconds, and Zayn's eyes are like saucers now. He waves towards the bathroom and Liam nods, ducking inside and shutting the door.
He puts the lid of the toilet down and sits on it after doing his jeans back up, just in time to hear Zayn's dad come into the room.
"Your mother told me to come over here and tell you that...," Malik trails off.
"That what?" Zayn asks. He sounds guilty to Liam, but that could just be because he's sort of freaking out a little bit.
"Who's work shirt is that?" Malik asks.
Liam freezes, holding his breath. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Zayn sounds cool and calm when he starts to answer with, "It's--,"
The door to the bathroom opens and Malik raises his eyebrows. He looks at Liam for a long, long moment, and Liam's waiting for the inevitable, "Get off my resort." Instead, he says, "Would you like to join us in the room, Mr. Payne?"
Liam swallows and nods. Zayn's dad usually calls him by his first name, and that makes it even more obvious that they're definitely, definitely in trouble. It doesn't help that Zayn passes him his shirt with a barely suppressed grin on his face, like this is all sort of amusing.
"It'll be fine," Zayn says quietly.
"Sir," Liam says after he's dressed, "I'm so sorry. I --,"
"Calm down, Liam," Malik says. He's shaking his head. "You do realize that the rule is not to date guests, yes?"
Liam's heart stops in his chest and Zayn grabs his hand and squeezes. "Um, yes. I am aware of that. And--,"
"The only thing you're getting in trouble for right now is the fact that you're supposed to be working," Malik tells him. He turns to Zayn. "Don't be a bad influence on him. This is a good one, Zayn."
Zayn nods. "I know."
"Get back to work, Liam," Malik tells him. "Don't make plans on Saturday. We'll all have dinner and I'll get a nice, long explanation for this. Okay?"
"Um, right. Yes. Sounds-- nice," Liam says weakly. "I'll just -- work. Now. Okay. Bye."
He waves awkwardly to them on his way out and then collapses against the wall beside the door. What the hell just happened? Why was he not jobless right now? It couldn't possibly be that easy, could it? He couldn't really have this wonderful thing in his life and not lose something to balance it out, right? Things -- things didn't just work like that for him.
Malik doesn't come back out and tell him he was just joking, though, and Liam starts to breathe easier.
--