Finding The Courage (a Ziam Mayne AU)

Chapter Five "Different"

Zayn's POV

"Hey, do you still have the sweatpants I forgot here a while ago?"

I was sitting on the sofa, watching TV when Liam came back from his shower. "Yeah they're somewhere in-" I stopped when I turned around and saw him standing in front of me with only a towel tied around his waist and quickly looked somewhere else. "They should be on the cupboard next to my desk.", I said, blushing.

He smiled and went upstairs. I pressed my palms to my cheeks, forcing the colour out of my face.

It could eventually be the case that I wanted us to be more than just mates. But I preferred not being more than that to being less. He wasn't the relationship type, at all. I'd mentioned his dating habits, right? It was better this way.

"Did you wash these?", he asked and jumped onto the sofa.

"Of course I did. You spilled juice all over them."

"Right...", he said, reliving the memory judging by the look on his face. "So, what are we watching?"

"Honestly? No idea." I shrugged. "This was just the first thing that came on."

"How about Toy Story?", he said, smiling at me like a child.

I burst into laughter. "You are unbelievable. The DVD is probably in my sister's room. If you've got the energy to get it, we'll watch it."

He jumped up, ran into my little sister's bedroom, was back in no time and threw the DVD into the player. "Scoot over.", he said and sat down next to me. "Man, I love this movie!"

"Yes, I know.", I laughed.

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Either of us really payed attention to the movie. Liam, because he knew it by heart and could pretty much sense what was happening without having to know. And me, because I was too distracted by his hip against mine and the shiver the tingling of the fine hairs on his arm chased trough my body.

Somewhere towards the end of the movie, he'd started drawing shapes on the palm of my hand with his middle finger. At first I hadn't really noticed, but when I did, I pulled my hand back as if he'd given me an electric shock.

"Sorry...", he muttered sheepishly, seeming very upset. "I was just... I don't know... Maybe..." He looked up at me and smiled weakly. "Sorry."

I looked at him, confused. What on earth was he up to?

When the movie was over, we went upstairs into my room and sat down on the floor. I turned on some music, so we wouldn't sit in an embarrassing silence - because something was weird between us that day.

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Liam's POV

"Could we have some tea or something?" I lifted my head from the floor I was lying on and looked at Zayn. Usually we could just sit somewhere in silence and it would be completely fine because we could just be together, but this time I hated it, it felt so utterly off.

"I can go make some.", he said and got up. "Be right back."

When he came back with two obviously very full cups in his hands, I jumped up and met him halfway. "Oi, don't spill it."

"I won't.", he snarled and handed me one of the cups.

When I tried to sit back down on the floor, tea in hand, I slipped and poured the boiling hot liquid all over my shirt. "Shit!", I yelled in pain.

"Hey. Who said something about not spilling it?", Zayn said with a self-indulgent smile.

"Not funny!", I shouted and pulled my shirt over my head, trying to clean up the tea that had gotten on the floor with it.

"No, it's just very ironic, that's all." He handed me a towel, smiling. It was nice seeing him smile again, after he'd been this weird the past few hours.

I smiled back at him and cleaned up the mess I'd made.

"Are you hurt, though?", he asked eventually and eyed me in concern.

I looked down at my stomach and shrugged. "Yeah. A little. It doesn't look burnt."

"Let me see." He came towards me, reaching out for me.

I took a step back. "No, it's fine. I'm fine!" That came out harsher than I anticipated.

"Just let me look at it." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back towards him.

"I said it's fine!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you today, Liam?!", he exclaimed with a fierce glimmer in his dark eyes that pierced right through mine.

At this I froze. He rarely ever got really angry. He was a quiet angry. He would kill you with his looks and not say a single word. He never shouted.

He sighed annoyedly. "Sorry. Let me... get you a cool pack or something..."