"Mate, you need to get laid, is all I'm saying," Zayn says, as if this is a fact that Louis isn't already aware of. He's incredibly aware of it, actually. He does need to get laid.
"I think that's one of the biggest clichés ever in life and I thought you were better than that," Louis huffs, turning up his nose at Zayn and flipping the page in his book as loudly as he can. He's rereading Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda now that the movie's finally come out. "Just because I snap at you does not mean I, and to quote you, 'need my back blown out.'"
"You work in a bookshop, and you're just waiting around for Prince Charming to wander in," Zayn says, gently grabbing the book from Louis' hands and shutting it with a dull thud. Louis can't help but notice the way he subtly slides a bookmark in, always so thoughtful. It's one of his best qualities. "You're a living cliché. Now get to work, or I'm not paying you."
"If you don't pay me, I won't pay my share of rent," Louis reminds him and grabs a stack of books he has to shove somewhere on the shelves. He never puts them in the correct spot, just to be a menace to all the other workers and patrons, and instead usually shoves as many as will fit in the erotica section. There's been plenty of parents angrily complaining to Zayn, but Zayn's never brought it up to him so he keeps on doing it.
"Louis, even if I did pay you, you wouldn't be paying your share of rent. I think I cover you at least every other month," Zayn says pointedly, grabbing Louis' shoulders as he tries to head to the "adult novels" section and instead turns him in the direction of the shelf where they're actually meant to be. "Why did I even hire you?"
"Because otherwise I was going to eat all your food, gain a lot of weight, and live on your couch," Louis says matter of factly, and it's true. Louis and Zayn had been childhood best friends, separated when uni classes had been a bit too much. But they had been reunited when Louis was dumped and needed a shoulder to cry on and place to stay (another cliché in his life, Zayn likes to remind him). Zayn was there with an apartment, food, and a job. He had been lucky to take over the store once the old owner had retired, which is definitely the only reason Louis has the job.
"Do you think I'll have to work here forever?" Louis asks, the mood of the conversation suddenly taking a more serious turn.
Zayn's face softens, his usually mysterious expression easing into a more comforting one. "No, Lou, you'll find your calling. You'll go back to uni and finish your last year, and then you'll find out what you really want to do with your life. You're just a little lost right now. Luckily, you have me to guide you."
Louis smiles, if a little wobbly, and begins stacking the books, even going as far as to put them in the proper sections they belong in. It's not as fun, but the store does look cleaner when everything's where it should be. "Thanks, Zayn. I love you."
Zayn grins back and takes half of the stack, walking to another part of the store, calling back over his shoulders, "I love you too! But if you ever tell anyone that, I'll be forced to kill you."
"Hello?" a voice calls out from the front. It occurs to Louis that no one's out there managing the front desk and their security has been acting up, so someone could literally get away with stealing from the store. "I'm here looking for a job?"
"Hey, mate," Louis hears Zayn greet the newcomer in an overly cheerful customer service voice. Louis grimaces at the fact that he'll have to act like a normal person and steps back from behind the shelf, where he's able to see to the front of the store. What he sees there, the most beautiful man he's ever seen probably, knocks him off balance (literally) and he tips over sideways. He catches himself on a display sporting all the Hunger Games books and movies, if not a few years too late.
