Earned It [zarry]

Chapter 6

The library is dead. Dead as a dormouse, which is pretty much the weirdest analogy Zayn can think of at the time, and that means that he is free to do pretty much whatever he wants.

He's finished all of his assigned reading for the week, answered the questions each professor had given to prove that the reading was, in fact, completed, and has finished the about two hundred words over the minimum on the paper due on Monday. And that means that it's free time. Then when the bell rings it's straight to the strip club to quiet or get fired. Whichever one comes first. He gets comfortable in the chair with three new books around him. His music plugged in. And nothing to bother him.

"Zayn!"

Zayn twists, turning towards his name, rolling his eyes at Noah as he barrels towards him. "Dude! Did you listen to the playlist I gave you about the orchestra songs? What do you think, you know I have the most uninformed opinions about music ever, but they are awesome right?"

Zayn shoves at his shoulders. "Lower your voice you caveman," he shushes his friend.

"Dude!" Noah grins like a maniac as he then starts to lower his voice, cause I'm all honesty he didn't need the crazy old librarian yelling at him. He laughs and takes the seat next to Zayn. "Did you like it?"

"Of course I did," giving into the ridiculousness of the situation, Zayn holds out a fist for Noah to bump. "I mean, there was a lot of clicking and clacking and I'm still not sure how any of that has to do with the rise of the industrial war complex or whatever, but I liked it. It was totally like listening to refined version of Glitch or found sound or something."

Noah laughs hard at that, shaking his head as he squeezes Zayn's bicep. "Don't repeat this to anyone, anyone, but you are totally right. The whole musical grouping is like a classical version of a The Glitch Mob album."

Zayn beams, nodding his head. "Definitely, dude. Totally. But it's alright cause I actually like it. You can drag me to any of these performances because I so wanna hear it live." The raven haired lad watches as his friend gets his work stuff out, and gets going on his chemistry and psychology stuff.

While he works on his book work, Zayn works on researching more on Harry Edward Styles. He even downloads the PDFs to the man's two five star selling book. By the time he finishes, it's closing time for the schools library, and Noah has long since gone to his apartment. Zayn makes his way out of the university, exhausted, but pleased that he's learned some new knowledge about his sugar daddy. The words still sound funny even in his head. He gets on his board and skates his way to the busy streets to head to the club to ask his boss to quit. Pushing open the doors, he gets off the skateboard and holds it to his chest as he makes his way further into the sparkly floored room.

"Zayn! I thought you weren't going to make it today." Mr. Jeroldson says as he spots Zayn walking through the curtains. Mr. Jeroldson was a nice man, but also a bit of a snake and creep, cause of the business he does. He has a wife and three kids, but he owns this strip club, and Zayn's pretty sure he's seen the man fuck at least two of the men here.

"I wasn't, I was actually hoping I could stop working here. I don't need to anymore, and it's honestly just not what I look forward to doing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." Zayn says hoping he wasn't sounding rude or anything. Cause then the man really wouldn't let him go.

"Oh...that's sad to hear actually. You're one of my most paying acts." The red headed man says, and Zayn can see a few grey hairs in his head probably from stress. "But....It is your body and your decision. Sad part is, I won't be able to give you your pay for last week or this week then. It's written in the contract. Once you quit and don't meet full responsibility of what you were meant to do. The pay doesn't go through."

"I understand." Zayn says cause he read over the contract again last night, just in case the man wanted to gets all technical with him.

"Fantastic," Mr. Jeroldson says even though it was clear in his face and words that it wasn't fantastic. "You may leave. I'll sort the papers and everything out and send them to you."

"Thank you sir, bye." And just as quick as he came, Zayn was running out of the place, and skating down the cracked pavement road. Zayn's mind drifts a bit, and he continued watching as the too tall buildings blur by as he rides. He thinks of Harry, and a blush goes over his cheeks. In reality, nobody's ever made me feel like the way Harry made him feel last night. Not even Theo, who's he pointedly started ignoring all of his calls. He admits that Theo is pretty hot, with all shoulders and muscles, tanned skin, dark hair and smoldering green eyes, but Zayn can't see himself with someone as flamboyant as the man is.

Zayn is still headed home, until he stops outside of an art supply store. He looks through the window at the easels and different charcoals, pencils, stencils, paints, and other beautiful necessities. Biting his lip he reaches in his pocket and pulls his wallet out. Looking at the crinkled sixty dollars he has in there. Zayn sighs disappointed.

"Mr. Malik. What a pleasant surprise."

Zayn turns around quickly and finds himself locked in the bold gaze of Harry Styles who's standing only a few feet away.

"Harry," Zayn whisper, because that's all he can manage. There's a ghost of a smile on Harry's lips and his eyes are alight with humour, as if he's enjoying some private joke.

"I was just leaving my office to get something to eat," the taller says by way of explanation. "It really is a pleasure to see you again, Zayn." His voice is warm and husky, and it's starting to make Zayn's knees weak. "What are you doing out so late, if you don't mind me asking?"

Zayn shakes his head slowly and blushes under Harry's intense stare, and just opts to looking down at his skateboard. "Uhm well I stayed after school a bit longer than normal. I was reading yo-..about something interesting my professor gave me. Then I went to go quit my job at the club cause of prior events..and...and I was just looking at the stuff.."

Harry looks through the window at all of the materials, and then turns to Zayn with a raised eyebrow. "Your into art as well then?" His green eyes watched as Zayn nodded, and he grins. "Come on then." he says grabbing Zayn by the waist and leading them inside of the small building. He hears Zayn protesting, but he ignores it and puts Zayn in front of him, nodding for him to look around after he takes the skateboard away.

Letting out a frustrated humph, Zayn finally looks around. He hesitantly picks a hard covered 8x8 paged sketchbook up, and then some erasers and mechanical pencils. He looks over his shoulder at Harry and blushes. "Are you..uhm, are you doing any new business things?" he asks wanting to start a conversation.

"I'm going to do a research program with NYU. What Michelle Obama is doing isn't working anymore. The meals are getting unhealthy and unfulfilling for the students. They want to experiment on the older crowd which is college students first. For a more mature outlook on things. I'm currently just funding some research there. Getting them started and whatnot." Harry gazes at the things in Zayn's arms and then around at the rest of the things. "Is there anything else you really want?"

Zayn looks at Harry and then in the direction of the easels. "Yeah...but I don't have to get it. I mean I have one already but...like one of the pieces broke off.."

"Nonsense." Harry mumbles and he goes over the them with Zayn following close behind.

"Harry you really don't have to do this...I'm finding a way to pay you back. And I'm not talking about with sex cause we haven't signed that contract you were talking about. I'm talking money, monnaie, dinero, pounds, the green stuff." Zayn says rubbing his fingers together on his right hand.

"If you pay me back, I'm just gonna buy you something even more expensive." Harry challenges and he picks up a box that has an image of an all black bold but regular looking stand. "This one? I think it looks great," he says looking at the actual stand that was on display.

Zayn sighs but they end up getting it, and the sketchbook, erasers, pencils, stencils, and even some charcoal. The bill was $578 dollars, and Harry pays it without even flinching. Zayn carries the bag with everything in it but the easel. He does however carry his skateboard, and looks out the corner of his eyes at Harry, who was carrying the easel and a proud smirk on his face.

This man was gonna be the death of him. He just knows it.