Through The Dark - Ziam/Niam

Chapter Sixteen

Liam's POV:

I gasped. It wasn't only Zayn at the door.

Perrie shortly followed him into my flat, without any aknowledgement of seeing me. My heart stopped when I saw who was next to help themselves into my house:

Danielle. 

Despite everything, despite me jolting her at the alter, switching sexualities, giving her complete, utter false hope of a life with me, she smiled. I felt desperate. Desperate for what? I don't know. I smiled back at her, and accepted her into a warm hug. Everything dispersed. Nothing else mattered. Everything forgiven with just one touch. She buried her head in my shoulder, which is what she always used to do, and I felt myself almost burst into tears. She pulled away, her eyes glistening, and gave me another watery smile which had a certain finality to it. As if that had been our goodbye, not the one on our wedding day. 

Sinead wandered through the door, looking fabulous as usual. I was glad to see her, surprisingly. I hadn't seen her in a while: I always had a nice time with her. She grinned at me with peachy, shiny lips, and placed them  on my cheek. 

''Hey Sinead,'' I said softly, patting her back.

''Heya,'' she giggled, giving me a small kitten like wave. Niall shortly followed after her, and faced me. He looked good. Happier. 

''Sup,'' he said. All very manly. After giving him a brief bro-fist, I shut the door. Okay... so all the people I'd mucked up with, excluding Perrie, were helping themselves to a place on my couch, apart from Zayn, who was leaning on the kitchen counter, looking at me expectantly. I walked over to him, my anger increasing with every step I took. I prodded his chest when I got close enough.

''You are a lying, filthy little brute,'' I hissed. Zayn rose one eyebrow, and batted away my finger. 

''And you're not?'' he shot back. I bit my tongue, swalloing a sentence which would have probably ended me and Zayn forever. Zayn sighed, ''We'll talk later. It's them you have to talk to,'' he said, pointing to the audience sat on my sofa. I took a deep breath, and slowly walked over to them.

''Guys... I don't know what to say,'' I breathed. Dani swallowed a little. Perrie shrugged nonchalantly. Niall's face was blank. Sinead just looked me up and down. ''I've mucked up real bad. To all of you, including Zayn-'' I said, turning round to see Zayn. He didn't react at all, so I continued. ''And I'm sorry. Danielle? You especially. I hope with my life that we can still be friends.'' I gave her a hopeful look, and she stood up, and enveloped me again in her thin arms. I'd missed her, only did I realize just at that moment. I'd missed her.. a lot. 

''It's all right,'' she whispered, kissing my lips briefly. ''I've found somone else, anyway,''

I rose my eyebrows. ''He's lovely. His name's Kyle, he works for Management, but he doesn't know you personally. He's great, and I'm happy. Thanks for asking,'' she added, raising a cocky eyebrow. I chuckled, as she sat herself back down again. 

''Sinead?'' I said, all the hope completely lost from the first word. She shrugged.

''No hard feelings, Li,'' Zayn flinched with the nickname in my peripheral vision, ''Me and Niall are... well, I guess we're together now?'' she turned to Niall, and they both held hands between their thighs. My mouth gaped open. Sinead giggled at my expression.

''What? When?'' I gasped. Niall smirked.

''It was ages ago, when she was round for pizza. We were in the garden, and I guess we just kinda... clicked? You know, it was weird. But only now, after meeting up a few times, do we actually realize how much we actually have in common,'' Niall grinned. I breathed out in disbelief.

''Oh,'' I said. Niall chuckled. 

''You mad bro?'' he teased.

''That's-that's... congratulations, I guess,'' I said whoozily. Danielle was grinning along but Sinead and Niall. Perrie stayed quiet, staring at my boyfriend, who was still procrastinating in my kitchen. I called him over, but he ignored me. ''Zayn...?'' I said for the third time.

''Zayn,'' Perrie said quietly. Only then did Zayn look up. That little bastard. I grimaced. 

''Yeah?'' he said. Perrie batted her eyelashes at him, looking like an angel. 

To my surprise, Perrie said something I benefitted from. ''Come speak to Liam,'' she said softly. Zayn swallowed and reluctantly made his way round and sat opposite from me, and gave me an expectant glare. ''Zayn... tell me why you ran off with Perrie that day at Buckingham Palace,''

Zayn scoffed, ''I didn't run off,-''

''Zayn,''

He sighed, ''.... I guess I just couldn't really resist Perrie,'' he shrugged, as if it were no big deal. Let me tell him it was a fucking massive deal. I clenched my fists. ''I'd already done something to hurt her, and keeping us-'' he gestured to me and him, ''A secret just didn't seem right. So I told her, then one thing just lead to the next...''

My blood went cold and I wrung my hands. ''What do you mean, one thing lead to the next?'' I hissed. Zayn and Perrie exchanged an embarrassed grimace. Oh. 

''We, uh... well, we just kinda brought back the old times, I guess, '' Perrie said awkwardly. Zayn gave her a short, flickering smile. 

''Oh... kay,'' I said slowly, ''That's not all right. Why, Zayn? Just why?''

Zayn inhaled deeply, ''I couldn't bear to see her cry like that, Li. And you know me: I hate to see people cry. That's one of the reasons I completely fell for you on your wedding day. I just couldn't bear to see her, or you, so sad,''

By now I knew he wasn't going to give me the real reason.

But my mind was reeling on one thing he'd said:

He fell for me?

I studied him closely. He didn't seem to have noticed this error. Fell... that meant falling. That meant falling in love.

Hold the fuck up.

Zayn loved me?

I licked my lips, and asked him a question that would change both of our lives. ''Zayn... are you in love with me?'' I asked him softly, my voice shaking. Zayn's eyes snapped back up to me, and we stared at each other for a few long seconds. 

''Yes,''