Pick The One... (COMPLETED)

Chapter 22 - That Moment

Chapter 22 – That Moment

Zayn’s P.O.V.

“Good job, Malik, now we have to organize a surprise party for Niall as well,” Louis complained, lightly hitting my right arm.

“Come on, it’s Niall. Take him to a random bar with good food and decent beer and he’ll marry you on spot. That’s not the thing that concerns me the most…” I confessed, picking up my rucksack and patting my pockets to check if I had everything.

“Hey Li, you sure you don’t need a ride?” Louis offered, taking his hoodie from the chair he’d thrown that on. Liam declined it, saying that he had to do some important tasks and needed Jack’s help. We just got away with it and said our goodbye, finishing our work day.

“Listen, Zayn, I get this entire protective best-friend thing, but you need to relax a bit. It’s not you that has to choose between charming Harry and bitter-sweet Niall. Gosh, I swear you’re such a weirdo sometimes,” Lou tried to calm me down, patting my shoulder in comfort.

“You don’t know Rosie, ok? If she knew what’s going on, she’d freak out in the next second and move in Kenya instead of making such a big decision. I really have no idea why you told me this, after all. It’s not like I can go and persuade the boys into falling out of love with Rosie and pretend nothing’s ever happened.”

“No, but from what I’ve seen, I think you may be able to do a couple of things to snatch Cupid’s arrow from their asses,” he suggested.

“What are you talking about, Louis?”

“Just get in the car and I’ll explain you.”

I obeyed my friend’s rule and got in the car. Louis jogged to the other side of it, opened the door and jumped in the driver’s seat. After a short remark about still being used to driving on the left side, he started the silent engine of his rented car and sped up down the road. I was waiting for him to start the explanations he apparently owed me, but half of the way was made and not a single thing came from him, except from some quiet hums from a song I couldn’t recognize. I tried a few subtle pushes, like clearing my throat or stretching a bit, but none of these caught Louis’s eye, not even for a glimpse.  Actually, it quite scared me to see his sudden focus on the road, as Louis is known to be a not-so-careful driver, with one or two almost-accidents.  And if he had decided to become a better man, he’d chosen the worst day.

When we got almost to the hotel, I realized that I wasn’t going to get anything from my friend any time soon. This made me a bit sad because, after all, he was the one who created the confusion in my head and I felt like I needed some sorting from him. But, apparently, all he was going to do was to give me a silent ride with the elevators and a goodbye nod and a simple wave as we would get to our rooms. But, to my surprise, he didn’t let me hang on like that when he’s turned left just before we reached the hotel’s parking lot and stopped in a small, hidden street, in front of a tattoo studio.

“What, you want me to choose your next tattoo?” I puffed, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows as I slightly turned to him.

“No. Like I said, I’ll explain you. I know the place is not very suited and now we look like we’re discussing some drug business instead of our friend’s happiness, but just get away with it. The reason I told you everything was because you needed to be prepared. Let’s face it, sooner or later, Rosie will figure this out and the first one she’ll go straight to is you. And I know you are a calm boy, but the situation and the shock would overwhelm you, just like this morning when I told you. So I need you to think straight and, until then, find a solution firstly for Rose, then for the boys.  I would’ve go and advise her about everything, but you’re her rock, her support, and she’d listen to your every word. Now, don’t go straight to her and tell her everything because fastening the process is no good. You just have to wait the fish come to you, not swim after it. And believe me and take my words for good because I am the oldest one and, even though I seem like a 5 year-old, I’ve been through a lot more than you can imagine. My mother was once in Rosie’s position and she made the good decision. I care for Rose and I want her to do the same.”