Playing the part (Ziam)

Chapter 14: Whos the Real drama queen here?

It was Louis' turn for his "babysitting" shift with Zayn and Liam. After the absolute chaos that ensued from the picture Louis had posted, the atmosphere in the hotel room was thick with tension. Zayn and Liam were still pissed about the Twitter post, and Louis was enjoying every single second of their frustration.

"Mate, you really had to post that picture?" Liam groaned, slumping down on the bed. He kept glancing over at Zayn, who was rubbing his arm where Liam had bitten him earlier. The bite was still there, faint, but very much present.

"You should have thought about that before acting like a pair of bloody lovebirds on stage," Louis quipped, leaning back against the doorframe with a smug grin plastered across his face. "I mean, the way Zayn had you pinned against that chair—chef's kiss, mate."

Zayn rolled his eyes dramatically, still rubbing his arm. "Seriously, Louis, you had to get that exact pose? You couldn't have caught us when we were just standing there, you know, acting like normal humans?" He winced, realizing how ridiculous he sounded.

"Aw, come on," Louis teased, "it was a perfect shot. And you two couldn't have looked more like a couple if you tried." He raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, Liam, if you wanted to bite Zayn that badly, you could've just asked. None of this 'acting like you're mad' crap. We all saw the chemistry on that stage."

Liam threw his hands up in frustration, clearly fed up. "Don't remind me! The fans are going mental! Now they all think we're actually together, and you're over here poking fun at us."

Zayn, still rubbing his arm, chimed in, "Yeah, thanks for that, Louis. I'm pretty sure I'll have a permanent mark from that bloody bite."

"I'm sorry, did you just call me a 'drama queen'?" Liam snapped, sitting up with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're the one who decided to post a photo of us in a compromising position. Who's the real drama queen here, mate?"

Louis shot him a look. "I'm not the one who's whining about a little picture. You two were so convincing on stage, now you're all upset because you got caught being too cute?" He crossed his arms. "That's on you, mate."

"I swear, if you keep bringing it up, I'm going to—" Liam's threat was interrupted when Zayn stood up, clearly not having it anymore.

"Alright, alright, enough, you two," Zayn said, his tone slightly strained. "We get it. You think we're the fucking drama queens. Let's just move on."

But that wasn't Liam's plan. No, he was far from done with this ridiculous "fake couple" thing. He glanced over at Zayn, who was still rubbing his arm like a bloody injured puppy, and a wicked grin spread across Liam's face.

As Louis turned his back to grab something off the counter, Liam took his chance. His hand darted to Zayn's neck, and before Zayn could react, Liam left a big, noticeable love bite right on the side of his neck. It wasn't subtle, and it definitely wasn't something that could be passed off as just a slip of the hand. No, this was intentional.

Zayn froze, eyes wide in shock, his fingers instinctively going to the spot where Liam had marked him.

"What the fuck—" Zayn hissed, eyes narrowing as he realized what Liam had just done. He turned to give Liam the most incredulous look.

But before he could even react properly, Louis turned back around, and that's when he saw it.

"Oh my God," Louis gasped dramatically, eyes widening when he saw the huge mark on Zayn's neck. "Liam, you really went there, didn't you?" He couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Mate, I told you you looked like you were in love! But now I'm convinced, this is real, isn't it? You've got a fucking hickey!"

Zayn immediately slapped Liam's arm. "What the fuck, Liam?!" he growled, rubbing the bite again, now even more obvious than before. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

But Liam just laughed, absolutely unbothered by the chaos he had caused. "I'm just making it more convincing, aren't I?" he said, leaning back on the bed, acting like he hadn't just left a massive mark on Zayn's neck.

"You're a bloody idiot," Zayn muttered, trying to hide his flustered state. "You couldn't have done this shit later? Now I've got to go to the studio tomorrow with a fucking love bite on my neck."

Louis, unable to contain himself, burst out laughing again. "Mate, you two are too much. This whole 'fake couple' thing is turning into something real. I'm bloody impressed."

Zayn shot him a glare. "You're not helping, Louis."

But Louis was having none of it. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your 'romantic' night? Because, you know, it's hard to take you two seriously with a love bite like that."

Liam's grin widened as he leaned over to Zayn, whispering in his ear just loud enough for Louis to hear. "I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve, babe. Don't think this is over."

Zayn rolled his eyes, clearly caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to strangle Liam. "You're a bloody menace," he muttered.

Louis just grinned from the doorway, clearly amused. "Right. Well, while you two are busy being all sappy and shit, I'm going to go find some food. If you're not careful, I might take a picture of that next."

"Shut up, Louis," Zayn and Liam said in unison, both clearly done with the teasing for the night.

Louis gave them a quick wave. "Enjoy your 'romantic' evening, then. But just know, I'm saving this picture for when the fans need more 'proof' of Ziam."

And with that, Louis left the room, leaving Zayn and Liam to their own devices. Liam leaned in toward Zayn once again, but this time, Zayn didn't pull away.

"Alright," Liam murmured, "we might be faking it, but you're looking real good with that mark on you. Don't worry. I'll take care of you, babe."

Zayn couldn't help but smirk, even though he knew this whole thing was just a ridiculous game. "You better," he muttered, before pulling Liam into a kiss.

And just like that, it was almost impossible to tell where the "acting" stopped and the "real" feelings started.