If You Were Mine (Ziam/Niam/Zarry)

Friday

Liam dreamt of hazel eyes and first kisses and fate that night, and he woke up the next morning determined to stop moping, and to start getting his love life back on track. But first he had to get out of this goddamn hotel. He spent the morning on the boardwalk, wandering in and out of the local shops and enjoying the sunshine. It was oddly freeing, being on his own with no worries or petty jealousies clouding his mind.

He was sick of not knowing where he stood, with Niall, and Zayn, and everyone else he'd met over the past week. So he pushed it all out of his head, as best he could, and focused on the warm wood of the boardwalk beneath his bare feet and the hot sun on his face and the taste of salt in the air as he sat down for lunch at a beach side cafe.

"Liam," he heard a voice call, drawing his name out far longer than necessary. "Fancy meeting you here.

Liam looked up, holding a hand up to shield the sun from his eyes as Harry walked into view. "Oh, hey Curly. Shit, sorry. Hey Harry." He felt oddly guilty all of a sudden, watching Harry walk towards him, like he'd cheated on Zayn, somehow knowing that Harry would be furious with him if he found out what had happened last night.

"It's alright," Harry laughed as he pulled out the chair next to Liam and sat down. "I kinda like Curly."

"You want a cuppa?" Liam asked, raising his hand to call the waitress over. They made small talk after ordering, but as soon as Harry had a cup of tea in front of him Liam couldn't stop himself from asking the one question he really needed an answer to.

"So, d'ya think, um, you know..." he cleared his throat. "Is Zayn coming round tonight?"

"Not sure," Harry shrugged, fiddling with a sugar cube as he gazed intently at Liam, like he was trying to figure him out. "He really likes you, you know."

"What? He does?" Liam spluttered, his voice several octaves higher than normal as he set his cup down and brought his hand to his mouth so that he could bite his thumbnail, a nervous tick he'd never been able to kick. "Did he tell you that?"

Harry cackled, his mouth open wide for several seconds before he regained himself, shaking his head. "No, but now I know that you like him. Don't worry, I'll get him to come clean," he added, seeing the defeated look on Liam's face.

"Don't think there's anything for him to come clean about. He made that abundantly clear last night," Liam told him, fresh embarrassment washing over him as he remembered Zayn turning him down, the sight of him walking away still imprinted in his memory.

Harry hesitated briefly before letting out a loud huff, reaching up to pull his hair up into a bun, like it needed to be out of the way for what he was about to say.

"Pretty sure you're wrong about that, mate," he started, pushing his teacup away and turning the full force of his attention towards Liam. "Listen, I heard what happened, and it's not for the reason you think. Zayn wanted to fuck you from the moment he first saw you - don't shake your head, he told me so himself, that first night - but then he got to know you, and-"

"And what? He got to know me and decided he doesn't want to fuck me? Is that what you're-"

"Will you shut up and listen to me? He got to know you and decided that he didn't want to just fuck you. Zayn looks tough but he's a softie inside, and I don't think he's capable of having casual sex with someone he really likes."

"But...what about you two?"

Harry frowned, a deep crease forming between his eyebrows. "You have nothing to worry about with me and Zayn. He doesn't even kiss me. Says that should just be between boyfriends, and I am most certainly not his boyfriend."