Art & Ink //Zauren?

•nine

Lauren arrived at her apartment in 10 minutes flat. Bags began forming under her eyes and her body and brain were too tired to function properly. She tried to unlock her apartment door but discovered it was already unlocked. Carlos was the first person that came to mind.

Just as expected, Carlos was laid out on her couch asleep with his hair tied back and wearing only a pair of sweats. As quietly as possible, she closed the door behind her but Carlos- being the light sleeper he is -heard the soft thud. His face went from tired to worried in a millisecond.

"Oh, Dios mío , que me tenía muy preocupada," he stood from the couch in a rush. Carlos had a habit of breaking out his first language whenever he was in a panic.

Lauren let out an exhausted sigh and locked the door behind her.  "Why do you keep breaking into my apartment, Carlos."

"You need to learn how to lock your door. I was calling you all night and this morning. You never came home after work."

She narrowed her eyes up at Carlos before pushing past him. He followed her in the direction of her room.

"For the last time, Carlos, I don't need a daddy making sure I come home from work on time and calling in to check on me every hour. I'm not 15," the woman reminded him.

Carlos walked into her bedroom behind her like a lost puppy. He took a seat on the edge of her bed as pulled her jacket off her shoulders.

"Lo siento. I was just worried about you."  He watched as she walked into her closet and came out holding a pair of Pajamas.

"Stop worrying about me," Lauren groaned in agony. After last night, her whole body ached every time she moved. She wanted a hot shower and a full day of rest and no Carlos.

"What's this?" He stood from the bed and approached her small figure. His hand caressed the bruises on her neck. They could have easily been mistaken for love bites but Carlos could make out the finger prints on her pale skin. He went into a panic.

She winced and quickly swatted his hand away.  "Leave, Carlos. I have to shower."

He felt rejected and scared all at once. Had someone harmed her? Why was she being so cold? God, he just wanted to take care of her.

"Fine." The man said in a harsh tone that caught her off guard. Before he walked out the room, he dug a tiny box out of his pocket and tossed it on the bed.

"Happy birthday, Lauren," He said coldly.

She flinched when he slammed the door behind him. Great, now she felt like shit. Dropping her clothes to the floor, she picked up the box and inside was a beautiful bracelet with "LJ" carved into the side of the silver. Her initials.

"Well, fûck me," Lauren flopped down on her bed holding the beautiful gift.

Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse, there was a knock at the door.

*~*

As soon as Zayn came home, he went straight to Dean's bedroom. Dean sat in the corner of his room sketching an idea for a tattoo in his notepad when Zayn barged in.

"What were you thinking last night?"  Zayn shouted and Dean continued to draw without a care in the world.

"I heard a scream and I went to check it out. I didn't know I'd see you fûcking that girl from the other night."

Zayn leaned against the doorway and crossed his broad arms.

"Lauren. Her name is Lauren."

Dean placed his notepad to the side and looked up at Zayn with his silver eyes. His dark lashes brought them out astonishingly.

"You want to know what I think, Zayn?" He stood from his chair and slowly approached him wearing only a pair of briefs. He was so fit.

Zayn stood up straight. "What do you think?"

For a quick moment, Zayn thought back to what Lauren asked him in the car. "So you guys are...brothers?" That made him laugh. If only she knew.

"You're using her to make me jealous, am I wrong?"

Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, you are. I'm not using Lauren to make you jealous. You're just being insecure..as usual."

Dean stepped forward and ran a hand down Zayn's chest. "Me? Insecure?"

"Stop," Zayn grabbed his hand before it could wander into the front of his pants.

He pulled his hand out of Zayn's grasp and took a seat on the end of the bed. "Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes. Especially when you aren't wearing a shirt."

Without hesitation, Zayn lunged at Dean and wrapped a single hand around his neck. His silver eyes turned dark with lust.

"This-" he waved a hand back and forth between them. "-is in the past. You know that."

Dean wet his lips slowly, staring back into Zayn's eyes intimately. God, Zayn wanted to feel his lips against his at that very moment but he held himself together.

"You keep telling yourself that," Dean whispered, leaning up to kiss his lips. Zayn pulled away before he could. He climbed off the bed and fled his room feeling angry and horny all at once. Even though he'd just met her, Zayn wanted something with Lauren. He just hoped Dean didn't get in the way of that..or in the middle...again.