Sunken Love -Ziam & Narry-

Chapter Two; MusicIsSanity

It hadn't been long since the cruise ship set sail, waters gently roaring and splashing against the exterior. The sun's rays dimmed, slowly setting and vanishing into the night sky, beautiful stars taking its place. The scenario was calming, soothing, and anything but perplex. The interior wasn't any different, except more vocalists and party-goers, more gamblers and drinkers. More laughter and chants, hips swaying, bodies twirling, and legs moving in the most complex footwork, as some of the passengers enjoyed the cruise's festive offerings. The jazz musicians' instruments echoed off the walls, melodic vibrations running through every fiber of their being. They sung the blues, lungs developing the most harmonic scats around. The night was restless and live, everyone forgetting about their stress and worries with only one thing on their minds: happiness.

Niall Horan sat at the bar, eyeing everything from his own perspective. His smile was wide, eyes glistening with excitement, as he watched everyone enjoy themselves. He bounced in his seat a little, keeping up with the rhythm of the trumpets and saxophones. At that point, he had already helped himself to two-maybe three pints and he wasn't showing any signs of slowing down just yet. For Niall, life had always been thrilling and uplifting. He was always at ease, taking it one day at a time. He didn't believe in the norm and he never settled for the stereotypes. He was adventurous, attracted to anything risky and exhilarating. He was a believer of all things beautiful and alluring. Not everything was just handed to him, of course; but he was rewarded greatly for the amount of work he put in at his job and he felt as though he deserved to be on that cruise, draining as much alcohol as he could until he could barely remember his own birthday and dancing until he was dizzy enough to pass out. He deserved to be surrounded by that large, beautiful ocean, taking him to his next destination, and he deserved to just feel alive. Life was too short not to. He wasn't a man of many possessions, but he was going some place.

"This one is for all the lovely couples out there." The musicians changed their melody, switching over to a much more slow-tempo song. A few of the couples gathered, joining each hand in hand, as they gently swayed to the soft vocals of the lead singer. Niall took a sip of his third drink, staring into the near-empty glass, nearly as vacant as his heart was feeling when it came to love, adoration, and just wanting to be with someone, or someone who actually was willing to put up with his crazy, adventurous life. "I sit and wait. Does an angel contemplate my fate and do they know the places where we go where we're grey and old?" The tune flowed this ears, making him feel a little content; but that could have just been the buzz he was starting to pick up.

"Can I get you a drink?" The husky voice caused Niall's heard to jerk to his left, coming in contact with a mop of curls and dimples to compensate for the nearly-creepy smile he was wearing. His green eyes worked like a magnet, drawing Niall in, staring at the guy for far much longer than he should have.

"I um...what?" Niall stumbled over his words, trying to process everything that was going on, in that moment. The stranger couldn't possibly be talking to him, not when there's a ship full of attractive and appealing women wondering around the place.

"I asked if I could get you a drink and possibly join you. My friend left me for the salad bar and small talk with some of the engineers. Don't know why he would find that quite interesting, but yeah - I mean, it's not like I couldn't have joined him; but..." Harry rambled on. Niall rose an eyebrow, smirking a little.

"Are you making up a story, just so you can find a reason to talk to me?"

"What? That's crazy - that's... what gave it away?" Harry sighed, chuckling lightly to himself, as his cheeks turned a shade of pink. It was really one of the cutest things Nial had ever seen and it actually took the edge off of him a bit, not feeling as nervous and speechless as he was before.

"The moment you proposed that you could have gone with your friend. If you had the option, why not have taken it?" Niall concluded, turning around and facing the bartender. "Two pints...on me." He ordered, winking at Harry, who laughed nervously. Harry sat upon the stool next to Niall, extending his rather large hands in the blond's direction.

"Harry Styles and you are?"

"Niall Horan, but you can call me just Niall."

"Well, just Niall, nice to meet you." They gave a firm handshake, receiving their pints a second later. Harry raised his above his head, extending it more in Niall's direction. "To the moments we don't want to forget." He proposed and Niall nodded, clinking their glasses together. In no time, they downed their shots and found themselves gelling with the large crowd, dancing amongst one another to the uptempo that blasted from the speakers. Niall danced, a little bounce in his quiff, smile radiating a beautiful distraction to the curly hair boy in front of him - both engaged in some of the most awkward dance moves they could come up with. But they were too far gone to care how foolish they looked and they were comfortable enough in their own skin to continue the night that way.

Harry and Niall weren't exactly aware of the consequences, resembling that of two deities who should never be; but they let it all slip and disperse into the air, that night, basking in each other's company.

Levels above, Liam found himself on the deck, leaning against the rail, as he counted the stars, finding any pattern his eyes could make out, and slightly gasping at the silhouette of the large sea mammals that swam below the ship. He was always intrigued by the simple things, growing up in several scenarios that were far too fancy for his liking. His family was wealthy, providing him with any his heart desired, or what they thought his heart desired. In reality, he just wanted to do things that didn't require having to dress up in tight khakis and blazer sweaters, putting on his best smile for all the people he had to be introduced to. He didn't want to sip some of "the finest whine" or hear tales about people's chandeliers. It was all so dull, nearly sending him into a coma every time. He was a rebel at heart - a wild child. He wanted to be freedom, personified. Spending nearly every restless night in bed, at the end of the day, he thought about the aspects of living that type of lifestyle, which is exactly how he ended up on that cruise. He needed to venture off, get away, and find himself - find his true identity.

"Mate, I wouldn't stand so close to that rail, if I were you." A high-pitched voice intruded Liam's train of thought, causing him to turn around, reluctantly. "Might fall off, then I'd have to rescue you." The boy continued to approach him, glass of wine in one hand, a pair of sandals in the other.

"Yeah? Well, what if I don't want to be rescued?" Liam asked, challenging the boy.

"Jump then. Hell, I'll give you a starting-push, if that's what you really want." The lad quickly engulfed the last of his wine, tossing his empty glass onto the cushioned-couch beside them. "Louis. Louis Tomlinson." He extended his arm out, patiently waiting for Liam to do the same.

"Liam." Liam stated, only declining the offer to shake his hand.

"Oh, c'mon. This isn't primary school - I don't have the cooties." Louis argued, placing one hand on his hip, still holding his other hand out. Liam chuckled, then willingly shook it.

"Can never be too sure."

"Yeah, well, have to take risks sometimes, pal." Louis concluded, leaning against the rail as well. The view within their peripheral received their undivided attention, as the ship continued to sail towards their destination.