Lost

Chapter 36: False Alarm

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Niall's P.O.V.

Niall was half expecting Agent Wickfield to actually jump out of Zayn's window the other night, so when she walked past him in the living room and left through the front door, he found himself getting pleasantly surprised.

It had been a full day since Wickfield left and Zayn was still nowhere in sight. Hoping he was fine, Niall barged into his room without knocking.

"Zayn! You okay, man --"

Niall cut off abruptly when his eyes wandered over the empty bedroom.

"Zayn?" he called out in thin air. "Don't tell me Wickfield taught you how to sneak out of the windows, lad."

Muttering to himself, he padded towards his wardrobe and knocked.

"Zayn?" he called louder. "Zayno?!" He sighed at the resounding silence. "Deaf dirtbag!"

Still no reply. Niall frowned.

"What's wrong with him?" he muttered to himself. Twisting the handle, he entered the wardrobe and walked past Zayn's clothes to the door on the other side. Without asking for anymore permissions he entered the next room. Niall looked around, noticing several new drawings on the walls.

Zayn demanded two bedrooms when he moved in. He furnished one for himself and the other for his art. Closing off the other bedroom from outside, Zayn gave it private passage through his wardrobe. This was his leave-me-the-hell-alone room, as he called it once.

"Seriously bro," Niall complained. "Claire is right. You really are a brat!"

Zayn stopped shaking the spray can he was holding when he noticed his friend's presence. Frowning, he removed his earphones.

"Hey there, Brownie."

"What the --?" Niall cursed, eyeing the chord of his earphones. "Don't tell me I've been wasting my breath over nothing."

Zayn shrugged in reply, getting busy with his drawing again.

"I just wanted to be left alone," he said.

"You okay, bro?" Niall asked.

The rude 'Do I look okay to you?' remark did not come, and Niall knew it was a bad sign. He walked up to Zayn, almost afraid of saying the wrong thing. It felt weird. Niall had never had trouble speaking his mind with him but now that Zayn had things to deal with that Niall didn't know of, he was unsure of how to approached him.

"I like your Bee." Niall commented, observing Zayn's work over his shoulder.

Zayn paused his movements. Turning around he glared at Niall, taking the blonde by surprise

"Excuse me?" he spat venomously.

"What?" Niall looked between his drawing and him, alarmed. "I said I liked your drawing."

Zayn's expressions changed as if he understood only now what Niall had been talking about. Letting out a breath, he shook his head and started spraying again.

"What's up with you, bro?" Niall asked before something in the drawing caught his eye. "By the way, why does that bee look like it's wearing a mask?"

A loud noise startled Niall when Zayn suddenly threw the spray can into the basket. Niall stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Never mind the mask," Zayn said quietly, avoiding Niall's panicked gaze. "Let's go out. Your questions just murdered the artist within me."

Niall relaxed when Zayn forced a quick, fake smile, which looked more like a grimace.