Safe Haven {Ziam}

Epilogue

Liam finished loading the last box into his car; the moving truck had already left them a day ago. He was just placing a few fragile things aside from there.

Zayn was just now coming out of Liam's house (should be considered old house now). He was carrying a bouquet of white stargazer lilies.

"Flowers for me, babe? Y'know I prefer chocolates," Liam said cheekily, smiling as Zayn leaned up and kissed him sweetly.

"I love you, but no, these are for someone else. I'm gonna head out for a bit, yeah? Won't be long."

Liam nodded in response before Zayn kissed him again one more time before jogging down the familiar street, heading for the cemetery.

It had been three months since Niall died. All three of them had come out of that house traumatized and scarred. Zayn spent one month in the hospital; he had to heal from all the injuries Niall had given him; Liam only went for a weekend to heal the cut he had on his head from the lamp.

Zayn was much healthier after that; he had gained back the pounds he had lost and even went to the gyms a few times with Liam. He still had a few scars on him, but he was better, happier.

They both attended therapy together due to the damage Niall left behind. Two months after that, they were stable enough to not have to go weekly. Zayn still flinched whenever someone raised their voice too loudly and panicked slightly whenever he did something wrong. Liam was there to make it okay, though, Liam kept him sane.

Louis didn't have to face a trial as killing Niall was seen as self-defense (which it was). However, he didn't join in on going to therapy; he turned to alcohol and developed a drinking problem, just like Niall had done. It wasn't until Liam found him one day face-down on the floor, passed out, and almost dying of alcohol poisoning, did Liam finally force him to go to rehab.

Now here stood Zayn in front of Niall's grave; the words 'here lies Niall James Horan, beloved brother, son, fiancé' engraved into it. Surprisingly enough, Zayn wasn't in charge of the funeral (considering he was all Niall had left), a distant uncle he'd never heard of was. Not many people attended, just him and the distant uncle as well as a few people from the neighborhood.

The neighborhood would give Zayn dirty looks whenever he went to the market, or walked down the street. Zayn was with Liam as soon as Niall died, and that was seen as a sketchy thing. They all came to the conclusion that Zayn was using Niall for his money. They couldn't have been any more wrong.

Zayn sighed, shaking his head out of his thoughts. He bent over and placed the fresh lilies in front of the grave before standing erect again. "I did love you once, you know. You used to mean the world to me. We probably would've gotten married, you'd still be here, and maybe we would've adopted a kid or two, but you turned for the worst, Niall. You hurt me, and I hope you know now, wherever you are, that that was wrong. Just like I know now that it wasn't my fault. I can finally admit to that."

He sat carefully in front of the grave, running his fingers through the letters. "But I have to thank you as well. If you'd have done none of that, I wouldn't be with Liam. Liam would've just been that neighbor who I only met once or twice, but he's more than that, a lot more than that. And I like to think that maybe that's what was supposed to happen, that's why you did the things you did. So, in a way, thank you."

He stood up and brushed his jeans off. "I have to get going. I'm moving now, away from here. This'll be the last and first time I visit. I hope you're with your family again, I really really do." He nodded once more to the grave before heading back to Liam's house.

Liam wrapped his arms around Zayn's waist as he gently pressed his forehead against Zayn's forehead. "You've been gone too long."

Zayn chuckled; he cupped Liam's face in his hands and stared into the kind, brown eyes he had grown to love so much. "It's only been 20 minutes."