Color My Senses Cherry Red

Chapter 15

It is a night to remember. Nick was serious when he said he'd take them out for drinks; he made sure to never let anyone's glass get empty throughout the entire evening. At first, Zayn can't help being a little hesitant. Nick is not exactly intimidating but he's got a loud voice and talks a lot, laughs a lot and makes jokes at the expense of just about anyone. But as the evening progresses and after a few drinks (Zayn loses count after the third one), he begins to relax and actively participates in the conversation, too tipsy to be embarrassed. No one notices anyway; the others are just as drunk as Zayn is, so nothing anyone says makes the slightest bit of sense.

It is past two am when they finally decide to go home. Neither of the four is capable of driving Louis' car at this point, so they call a cab instead, deciding to wait outside to get a little fresh air.

While Nick and Louis play some sort of game that seems to consist of trying to kick the other in the balls, Zayn lights a cigarette and leans against Harry, who's propped up against the building, smiling at no one in particular.

"I don't wanna go home," Zayn slurs, burying his face in Harry's neck and breathing him in. "Mmh."

"Well," Harry says slowly – well, slower than usual, "you could come back to ours and crash on the couch."

Zayn shakes his head vehemently. "Nooo, don't wanna," he sighs, taking another drag. "I wanna see Liam."

Harry quirks a brow. "Aren't you going to see him tomorrow?"

Zayn pauses to consider this. "Well, yeah. But I wanna see him now."

Harry smirks. "You should totally go see him. Surprise him – bet he'd love to see you."

Zayn perks up at that. "You think?"

"Sure," Harry says cheerfully. "We'll drive you. Maybe then we'll finally get a glimpse at your mysterious boytoy."

"Boyfriend," Zayn corrects him, looking offended at the insinuation that Liam is just a casual shag. "He's my boyfriend. I love him."

Harry beams at him. "Awww, you do?"

He ruffles Zayn's hair, then nudges him when a cab comes to a halt in front of them. Zayn blinks and takes one last drag off his cigarette, tossing it into the street before he all but falls into the back of the cab, scooting over until he's on the other side. Louis gets in after him, taking a seat in the middle while Harry's on his other side. Nick takes the front.

"Where are we going, gentlemen?" Nick asks, turning around to look at them.

"We're taking Zayn to see his boyto– friend! Boyfriend, sorry." Harry corrects himself before Zayn's elbow finds its way into his ribs.

"You didn't even tell me you were taken, Zayn!" Nick exclaims, looking horrified and deeply offended. "What a way to break my heart."

He presses a hand to his chest and sobs obnoxiously.

Louis snorts and Nick gives him a wide grin while Zayn rolls his eyes and tells the cabbie the address, hoping he remembers it correctly. He's only seen the building from the outside but has a pretty good idea of where it's located. He hopes so anyway. Ringing a random person's doorbell in the middle of the night may not be the best idea.

The taxi takes off and while Harry and Louis start making out next to him, Zayn looks out of the window, up at the streetlights as they rush past them. He wonders if Liam's in bed yet, and hopes he won't be too mad if Zayn wakes him up.

A little while later, the cab stops in front of the building and Zayn recognises it instantly.

"Ohh, fancy," Harry says, letting go of Louis' lips long enough to look outside. "Go get him and tell him to come out, I wanna see him."