the one that got away, zayn malik

chapter three

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
CHAPTER THREE
26th of may 2012

AFTER their exhilarating show at madison square garden, the adrenaline was still pumping as olive and the boys found themselves crowded into a hotel room somewhere in new york city. their ears were still ringing with the echoes of thousands of screaming fans, and their cheeks ached from smiling for hours on stage. the excitement lingered, tangible in the air, as they dumped themselves onto the floor and beds, collapsing in a tangle of limbs and laughter.

"we've got to celebrate," harry said, sprawled out on one of the hotel beds, his curls messy from the long night.

niall, with a mischievous grin, unzipped his duffel bag and revealed the stash he'd managed to score from a generous fan. "behold," he said, holding up a few bottles of vodka and whiskey like they were trophies. "american law no more."

"how the hell did you even get that?" liam asked, half-amused, half-nervous as he sat up straighter.

"don't ask questions," niall said, already grabbing some plastic cups from the side table. "just drink."

olive laughed as she kicked off her shoes and leaned back against the couch, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. "you're going to get us all in trouble."

"worth it," zayn chimed in, stretching out on the floor with his back against the wall, cigarette tucked behind his ear, but eyes bright with excitement.

as the alcohol flowed, their laughter grew louder. liam, despite his protests, took a drink and loosened up while niall was already halfway through his second cup, cracking jokes and making harry snort into his whiskey. olive leaned her head on zayn's shoulder, both of them giggling at the fact that louis was halfway through doing some exaggerated impersonation of simon cowell, complete with the infamous deep voice and over-the-top hand gestures.

"this is mental," olive said, shaking her head at the scene unfolding in front of her, but she couldn't help but smile. "how did we get here?"

zayn turned to her, raising his cup, his expression softening just a little. "don't question it. just enjoy it."

their legs tangled slightly as they both leaned back into the couch, watching the chaos of their friends. niall had started singing, loudly and off-key, while louis egged him on, standing on the bed like it was their personal stage. liam and harry were busy trying to stop the mattress from falling off the frame.

"come on, ollie," harry slurred, pointing at her. "you have to join in. we're the biggest band in the world, in the best city in the world. live a little."

olive laughed, lifting her drink to them. "i am living."

as the night wore on, they continued to drink, passing around bottles, eating cold pizza someone had found in the hotel mini-fridge. they reminisced about the show, still not quite believing they'd sold out madison square garden, a venue they'd only dreamed of playing a year ago. the boys were rowdy, inappropriate, as they often were when they let loose, but olive felt an overwhelming sense of warmth from it all. these boys — her boys — were her family now.

as the alcohol took its toll, they began to crash one by one, limbs draped over beds, the floor, wherever they happened to collapse. niall, predictably, passed out first, curled up at the foot of the bed with a half-eaten slice of pizza in his hand. harry lay sprawled on the other bed, his arm thrown over his eyes, still mumbling something about how this was the best night of his life. liam and louis were slumped together, laughing softly, their conversation fading into tired murmurs.

olive and zayn were the last ones awake, sitting quietly on the couch, looking over the mess of their friends. zayn nudged her with his shoulder. "mad night, huh?"