Balance (Vexxieverse Series - Part 3)

The Name on Everyone's Lips (L, H, N)

Liam

August (week after CC)

It was table read day for the newest member of the cast for the season and Niall still hadn't told anyone who to expect. Not because it was a secret, but because he kept forgetting their name and was far more focused on planning the shots for the season premiere. Liam had forgotten to pry to figure out who the old co-star was because his mind was still too wrapped up in Zayn kissing him in public.

Never in a million years did the boys expect that. Zayn hated the limelight. He always worked so hard to hide in the shadows. It was a miracle he went on stage with them, let alone kiss Liam in front of everyone. The fans got plenty of HD pictures of the moment to plaster over the entire internet and Liam enjoyed looking at them all, but Zayn refused to open any social media apps until it passed. That wasn't happening as quickly as they expected, though. Liam didn't mind one bit. He was proud to show his boyfriend off.

The table reads usually took place at a plastic foldable table in the middle of the studio, right near the set. Not terribly glamorous. Liam, Louis, and Harry sat at one side of the table and read through their lines while they waited to start. Zayn and Niall were flipping through the script together, planning some shots, props, and effects out. No cameras would be on them for the day, so everyone was in sweatpants and t-shirts, each with a coffee in hand.

Zayn had taken an interest in the directing side of things and was sort of apprenticing under Niall for fun. He said he didn't want to be a director, but wanted to know how because it helped him do his own job better. Zayn was the type to never stop learning. It was one of Liam's favorite things about him. Plus, he'd always been a bit of a fanboy when it came to Niall's work. That was true long before Zayn was brave enough to talk to him, let alone befriend or date him.

A tall, fit woman with long red hair styled in old Hollywood waves walked into the room like she owned the place. She wore heels, jeans, and a dark purple shirt that was very generous with, uh, displaying her cleavage. A PA was asking for her coffee order before she got close enough for Liam to see... She looked familiar...

"Oh shit, that's Nikki!" Liam said in a hushed voice to the table with a smile. She'd looked so different from a distance than he remembered, but up close, she was still Nikki. Mostly. He didn't remember her being that.. tall. Or put together.

It'd been so long, he probably looked different, too. Last time they were together, he was an adult and all but still hadn't been able to put on muscle. He was an awkward, gangly thing who hadn't learned to carry confidence yet. That version of him also made some unfortunate decisions concerning his hair, but that's just a rite of passage.

"Wait, like... your ex, Nikki?" Zayn asked.

"Oh. Uh, well yeah. But we did our first show together too! Remember how I did Bellingham Academy with her? It only lasted two seasons but.."

"I thought your ex was Nicky. Like. Nicholas.. with a dick...Nicky," Niall whispered in confusion.

Liam shook his head no at Niall and jumped from his chair with his arms spread open, waiting for her to give him a hug when she was done talking to the PA. "Darling Nikki!"

"Darling....?" Zayn asked.

"You know, like the song?" Liam smiled up at her. It had been too long. At least seven or eight years since they'd seen each other in person.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Zayn said, fully unamused. It was a pretty dirty song, and he knew Zayn was familiar with Prince's discography, so maybe Liam shouldn't have said that bit out loud.