I roll and I roll 'til I'm out of luck, yeah...
Two drinks in, and Zayn was struggling. It was all Liam's fault, really. Liam, with his big dumb grin and his stupid crinkly eyes. Liam, with his irritatingly broad shoulders and his perfect fucking hair. Zayn kept having to remind himself that Liam was, in fact, an asshole. It was just so easy to forget that they weren't actually on a date - that he and Liam weren't even friends - what with Liam being all charming and shit. He was almost obnoxiously adorable, all sweet smiles and soft giggles, no matter how rude Zayn was to him. But Zayn was always up for a challenge, so he'd just have to try a bit harder.
"Man, do you ever shut up?" he groaned, earning another laugh from Liam, like he thought Zayn was joking. Zayn sighed heavily, resigning himself to another hour or so of forced conversation before he could leave.
It could be worse, he supposed. Liam had been talking nonstop, mostly about dumb shit that Zayn really didn't give a damn about, but he had to admit that there was something about the way that his lips moved when he spoke that wasn't completely unattractive. They were bright pink and looked so soft, like they were made to pout, or for sucking c-
Shit. Zayn really needed another drink, or maybe some fresh air to clear his head. Actually, what he really needed was for this night to end. They'd moved from the bar to a table for two, and with Liam sitting across from him, their knees bumping under the table and their hands resting only inches apart, Zayn found himself unsure of where to look or what to say. Being this close to Liam was making him feel hot all over and he didn't know why. All he knew for sure was that Liam got under his skin in a way that no one else ever had, making him feel equal parts annoyed and turned on, and he fucking hated it.
And Liam would not stop with the questions, like he wanted to learn every single thing he could about Zayn, from what he did for fun to why he'd joined the force. Zayn searched Liam's intrusive inquiries for hints that it was really Doniya that Liam wanted information on, but his interest seemed genuine. Realizing this only served to make Zayn more uncomfortable, certain now that Liam just wanted to find out about Zayn's tragic past. He opened his mouth to fill Liam in on all the gory details, wanting to get it over with, but was struck silent when he recognized a familiar face walking into the restaurant.
"Louis?" he called uncertainly, raising a hand in greeting before he could think better of it. "What're you doing here?"
Louis turned at the sound of his name, plastering a grin on his face as he walked towards Zayn and Liam. He slapped a hand on Zayn's shoulder when he reached their table, his grip tight as his smile turned sharp.
"Just picking up some carryout. How 'bout you?" he asked, eyeing Liam.
Zayn forced his smile to match Louis'. "Oh, um. I'm here with my...this is Liam. Liam, this is Louis," he introduced the two. "Louis was my training officer. He molded me into the mediocre cop you see before you today."
"Don't be silly, Zayn," Louis chided him. "You're far from mediocre. You're downright terrible." They all laughed automatically, and Zayn searched for something more to say. There were just so many topics that were off limits when it came to Louis. Louis seemed to be having the same issue, and Zayn was relieved when he made an excuse to leave, both men promising that they'd get together soon, though Zayn knew that they never would.
"Dude," Liam let out a breath after Louis'd left, pulling a face. "That was like, really awkward. Do you still work with him?"
Zayn let the fake smile fall from his face as he shook his head. "He's actually not on the force anymore," he told Liam, not offering any further details, since it was really none of his business. "He and Doniya used to date," he added casually. "She prefers cops to firemen, just so you know."
Liam shrugged with a chuckle, a sly smile playing at his lips. "Well, no one's perfect."
"Yeah, well the Bills suck," Zayn replied, which really wasn't fair, since Zayn had no idea whether they did or not. The only time he cared about football was when he was on the field.
Liam leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and licking those fucking lips of his. "Do you have a favorite team, Zayn?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. "'Cause I'm sure we could come up with some kind of bet, if you think you're up for it."
Zayn's belly swooped as he felt a familiar pull, the same one that had driven him to try to push Liam's buttons the day they'd met. He could think of a million things he'd like to bet Liam for, none of them involving any clothing. He began racking his brain, thinking back over snippets of conversations he'd overheard, trying to remember which teams were performing well this season.
"And what exactly would I get, when I won?" Zayn wondered aloud, bending his elbow so that he could rest his chin in his hand, his face less than a foot away from Liam's.
Liam raised an eyebrow, biting his lower lip, forcing Zayn's attention back to his mouth. The air between them seemed electric, buzzing with tension in the most intriguing way as the noise of the restaurant faded away, Liam the only thing that Zayn could focus on. "I dunno about you, but I think I'd want to go all in."
Zayn's heart beat a little faster as he squirmed in his seat. "All in?"
"Winner takes all," Liam said, lifting his beer bottle to his lips and taking a long sip. Zayn studied the way his throat moved as he swallowed, his own mouth going dry. "Whatever the other is willing to give them," he added, his eyes locked on Zayn as he set his drink down, his fingers trailing up and down the neck of the bottle.
"Are you fellas ready to order?"
Their server's voice cut through the fog clouding Zayn's mind, reminding him that he didn't actually like Liam, nor did he want to win a bet against him just so that he could do any number of dirty things to him. He didn't, not one fucking bit.
He sat back in his seat, any tension he'd imagined between them dissipating. "I think we need a minute," Liam said, his voice soft and flirty, his gaze still on Zayn. Zayn felt all of his original annoyance towards Liam rush back, for being a spoiled rich kid who couldn't mind his own business, and for making Zayn feel things that he most certainly did not want to feel.
"You know what, I don't think I'm really that hungry after all, so why don't we just get this over with?" he grumbled, all traces of humor gone from his tone.
"Get what over with?" Liam asked, looking genuinely confused.
"You said you wanted to hang out so we could finish our conversation from last night, right? So go ahead and ask me what you want to know."
Liam shook his head, his brow furrowing. "Zayn, I don't want to know anything that you don't want to tell me," he insisted.
Zayn arched a dark eyebrow. "So you don't want to know what happened to my parents? Or how Doniya and I got stuck taking care of two kids before we were out of our teens?" Zayn's heart hurt to word it that way, but it always hurt to talk about his parents, and he had a point to get across to Liam.
Liam apparently didn't like the way Zayn had worded it either, anger flashing across his features. "You're really bitter for someone who was blessed with that face," he muttered, before closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You don't need to tell me what happen-"
"It was a car accident," Zayn blurted, suddenly needing Liam to see why he was the way he was. "We were coming back from visiting a college I'd gotten into upstate and there was a freak accident. It wasn't raining, or snowing, and no one was driving drunk, so there wasn't even anyone to blame. A truck in front of us had a blow out and had to slam on their brakes, and my dad couldn't stop in time. Saf and Liyha were in the back with me, and we were barely hurt, just some cuts and bruises. I got them out as quickly as I could, but by the time I got back to the car my mom was...she was gone and my dad was unconscious. He didn't make it through the night."
Zayn paused as he felt an unfamiliar pressure building behind his eyes, his throat tightening as he forced down another drink.
"I'm so sorry, Zayn," Liam said, his voice tight. "I'm sorry that happened and I'm sorry you were there to see it."
Zayn looked up into Liam's damp eyes, his heart hardening when he saw the pity in them.
"Yeah, well. It's fine. Doniya dropped out of college and I joined the academy and we're making it work. Who cares about school when you need a steady paycheck, right? Not that you'd understand what it's like to have to worry about shit like bills and putting food on the table."
Liam smiled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes, which looked sad as he began to pick at the label on his beer bottle. "You really don't know anything about my life, Zayn," he said quietly.
"I know enough," Zayn insisted, thinking once again of Liam's big house and his fancy car and the parents who were probably wishing he'd come home to Buffalo.
Liam sighed, any semblance of a smile disappearing as he raised his head to look at Zayn. "You got dealt a shit hand, and I'm really sorry about your parents, but you've got a family who loves you, and who you love, so maybe you should try to get rid of that chip on your shoulder. For such a hot guy you're really not looking too attractive right now."
"Like I'm gonna take life advice from someone like you."
Liam's eyes went wide, his features clouding for an instant before his face went completely blank, all emotion wiped clear as he stood up and pulled his wallet out. "Listen, I thought maybe we could be, I dunno, friends or something, but I was obviously wrong," he said, tossing a few bills onto the table. Zayn's chest tightened with panic, or regret, as he realized that Liam was leaving, but he forced a smile to his face as he looked up at him.
"Yeah well, that was probably a shit idea from the start," he agreed. Liam didn't say anything more, just nodded once at Zayn and turned and walked away.
Zayn sat at the table for several more minutes, tamping down the desire to chase after him and apologize. He had nothing to be sorry for, and there was no reason for him to be upset that Liam was done with him.
Good fucking riddance.
He walked home quickly, needing the distraction that his family would provide him. Doniya was the only one up when he walked through the door, but her bright smile did nothing to make him feel better.
"How was your date?" she asked as soon as he'd plopped down on the sofa next to her, not allowing him even a second to recover from the disastrous evening, or to calm the whirlwind of feelings threatening to spill out of him.
Zayn shrugged, and made sure his voice sounded as light and unaffected as possible when he answered. "Boring. Uneventful. And not a date," he said, ignoring the fact that none of those things felt true.