brilliant discovery • zauren

17

Zayn sat in a far off corner of the small cafe. In front of him was a half eaten bagel and barely touched coffee. He was too glued on his phone to bother with breakfast. Lauren was sending him pictures of her adventure in Tokyo. It brought back sweet memories during his time there. The quirky city was unforgettable, so he was glad Lauren was enjoying herself.

"Hey, mate!"

He lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice. A wide smile spread across his face. He stood up, hugging the young man with chummy pats on his back.

"Good to see you, Liam. It's been a while," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

The two spoke frequently on the phone, same with the other lads, but seeing one another in person proved to be difficult with each one have various schedules. Though, they all caught up when they could.

"You look good man," Liam notified as he set the napkin across his lap.

It's been a while since he's seen Zayn so bright and joyous. His heart warmed seeing his longtime friend doing so well.

Zayn just shrugged off the compliment. "You look alright..."

"You fucker," Liam scoffed, smiling as he flipped through the menu, anyway. "Anyway, sorry I was a bit late. Cheryl and I had a minor row last night and I wanted to make it up to her this morning..."

Zayn cracked a suggestive smirk on his lips, causing Liam to scowl.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you prurient bastard!" The two shared a hearty laugh before Liam continued. "Anyway, how are you and Lauren? You two are looking mighty... domestic for a fake relationship."

Zayn frowned. He expected Harry to say something along those lines, but not Liam.

Tabloids posted pictures of his little rendezvous in Brazil a few days ago. It was all over the web. There was no evidence of him and Lauren together, but everyone knew he'd only be in Brazil for one reason—one person.

"Like I told you, I just went there to apologize," Zayn disclosed for what felt like the thousandth time.

Liam lifted his hand up in self-defensive, motioning a waiter over before carrying on: he ordered a good stack of pancakes with extra syrup and some orange juice.

"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself to believe your own excuse," he pointed out arrogantly, challenging Zayn with an obnoxious grin the latter wanted to wipe off the grid.

A stillness fell among them. Liam waited for his dish and Zayn tried to swallow his, but there was a lump in his throat. Not even coffee could appease it.

Liam's order came and they ate in an uncomfortable silence for a good minute or two.

"I don't understand why you can't admit to yourself that you fancy her."

Shutting his eyes, Zayn tried to hold himself together. Why were his friends on his case all the time? Not even he or Lauren spoke about their feelings because he was adamant there wasn't any.

They were just having a good time...

"Because I don't," Zayn simmered, keeping his voice relatively below the sounds of utensils clattering against plates.

Liam didn't even fight the urge to roll his eyes. "Does she know that? Because the last time-"

"We don't speak of that," Zayn threatened, raising a finger to hush his companion. "They are two different things."

"I don't understand you," Liam spat, eyeing the other patrons beside them, hoping nobody could hear well enough. "You say you don't like her, that is all a big hoax, but you fly to Brazil to apologize for a misunderstanding that papers blew up and I also heard from Niall that you met up with Matty Healy, one of her favourite singers, to help you with her birthday gift."