Playing the part (Ziam)

Chapter 6: Day one of hell

The air in the hotel room was thick with tension, broken only by Niall humming to himself as he polished off a bag of crisps, completely unbothered by the chaos unfolding around him. Zayn was pacing near the window, muttering curses under his breath, while Liam sat on the edge of the bed, looking like he was trying to telepathically escape the situation.

The rest of the lads? Oh, they were having the time of their lives.

"Alright, you two lovebirds," Louis began, barely suppressing a grin. "It's time to kick this off properly. One of you needs to ask the other out. And I don't mean some half-assed, 'Hey, wanna do this thing?'—I want proper romance."

"You're kidding," Zayn said, stopping mid-pace to glare at him.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Louis shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"You always look like you're kidding," Liam muttered, rubbing his temples.

"Maybe," Louis admitted with a shrug. "But this time, I'm dead serious."

The Standoff

"Why can't we just skip this part?" Zayn asked, crossing his arms. "You already know it's fake. Why waste time?"

"Because the rules are the rules," Harry said, his voice smooth and teasing. "And rule number one was very clear. Someone's gotta pop the question."

"Yeah, like horny teenagers playing some dodgy romance roleplay," Liam snapped.

"Funny you should mention that," Niall chimed in, grinning. "You're literally living it."

"This is absolute bullshit," Zayn muttered, throwing himself onto the couch.

"Oh, come on, babe," Louis said, his grin turning wicked. "You're not scared, are you?"

Zayn's eyes narrowed. "Of course not."

"Prove it," Louis challenged.

The Awkward Proposal

Zayn sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before turning to face Liam. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

Liam blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," Zayn said, his voice clipped. "Let's get this over with."

"That's not how you ask someone out!" Louis interrupted, throwing his hands in the air. "Christ, Zayn, have you ever dated someone before?"

"I don't see you volunteering to do this," Zayn shot back.

"That's because I'm not the one stuck in a fake relationship, am I?" Louis retorted.

"Just do it properly," Niall said, stifling a laugh. "You know, like you actually give a shit."

Zayn rolled his eyes but squared his shoulders anyway, fixing Liam with an exasperated look. "Liam. Will you be my boyfriend for the next week so these twats will leave us the fuck alone?"

Liam blinked again, processing the words like they'd been spoken in another language. Finally, he sighed. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's just get this started."

"That was the least romantic shit I've ever witnessed," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Couldn't even sprinkle in a 'babe,'" Louis added, mock-disappointed.

"Fuck off," Zayn said, flopping back onto the couch.

Day Zero Drama

"Alright, now that the lovebirds are officially together, let's talk strategy," Louis said, rubbing his hands together like an evil genius.

"What strategy?" Liam asked warily.

"You've got to act like a real couple," Harry said, leaning back and putting his feet on the coffee table. "That means starting tonight."

"Tonight?" Zayn repeated, sitting up straight. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Yeah, you can't just throw us into this without warning," Liam added, scowling.

"You've had all day to prepare," Louis said, smirking. "And besides, the fans are going to eat this up. Just think about it—Zayn Malik and Liam Payne, the band's secret power couple."

"More like the band's latest circus act," Zayn muttered.

Trial Run

By the time night fell, the lads had forced Zayn and Liam to "practice" their public displays of affection.

"Alright," Louis said, standing in front of them like a drill sergeant. "Rule three: hand-holding. Let's see it."

Zayn and Liam exchanged a look that could only be described as mutual disgust.

"This is so fucking stupid," Zayn said, but he reached out anyway, grabbing Liam's hand like he was touching something particularly unpleasant.

"Wow," Niall deadpanned. "I can really feel the love."

"Try again," Harry said, suppressing a laugh. "And this time, pretend you don't want to murder each other."

Zayn sighed, adjusting his grip until their fingers interlocked. Liam stiffened but didn't pull away.

"There you go," Louis said, clapping. "Now, was that so hard?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

The Final Rule

As if things couldn't get worse, Harry decided to throw them into the deep end.

"Time for rule six," he said, grinning.

"Which one's that?" Liam asked suspiciously.

"You've got to kiss," Harry said simply.

"What?!" Zayn and Liam shouted in unison, their hands flying apart.

"You heard me," Harry said, unfazed. "It's part of the rules."

"There's no way—" Zayn started, but Louis cut him off.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," he said. "It's just one little kiss. How bad can it be?"

Zayn turned to Liam, his jaw clenched. "If we're doing this, we're getting it over with now."

"Fine," Liam said, standing up.

They squared off like two wrestlers about to enter the ring. The rest of the lads were nearly in tears from laughing as Zayn leaned forward, pressing the quickest, most awkward kiss imaginable to Liam's lips.

"Happy now?" Zayn asked, his face flushed.

"Ecstatic," Louis said, grinning from ear to ear.

As the lads finally left them alone, Zayn and Liam sat in stunned silence.

"This is going to be a nightmare," Liam said finally.

"Yeah," Zayn agreed. "And it's only day fucking one."