Alcoholics Anonymous → ziam

Chapter 3

Zayn stared at his phone, barely listening to Harry drone on about how well he was doing in staying sober. If Zayn was honest he was never really an alcoholic, he just hated himself so much he turned to the least alarming form of self-harm. 

He felt much better about himself. He had Harry as a best friend and he hoped that soon Liam would be one of his close friends as well. 

That's a lie. 

His deep subconscious chides. Somewhere deep down Zayn knows he wants more. He isn't sure if it's the fact that he doesn't want to see this boy throw his entire life away with alcohol, or maybe it's just the fact that he looks so pure. 

Zayn almost jumps out of his skin as his phone vibrates loudly against the wood of their coffee table. He quickly grabs it and answers on the first ring while catching a glimpse of Liam's name on his screen. 

"Hello," he answered clearing his throat. "Are you alright?"

"Hey, Zayn," Liam took a deep breath into the phone. "I-I'm fine. I just needed someone to talk to?"

Zayn nods and hums. "That's fine. Talking is great...what's on your mind?"

"My sister came over today," Liam starting speaking, so soft that Zayn had to steady his breathing more to hear. "She tried to take me to a club and, and I started crying so she felt really bad. Should I apologize?"

Zayn shook his head and grunted. "Never apologize for taking the necessary precautions to stay sober. Liam, your friends and even your family are not going to understand it immediately, but once they begin to see you change for the better they tend to be a bit more respectful...the best thing you can do?"

Liam hums in a questioning tone.

"Just explain it to them," Zayn offered. "Explain that you don't trust yourself not to, and then find other things to do with them other than go to bars and clubs."

Liam was silent for a moment. The only thing that kept Zayn from thinking he'd left were the slight sniffles. "...Can you show me around. I'm pretty new to this city, and I don't really know where anything is. It's fine if you're busy."

"Nah, I work at night so it's all good," Zayn responded, a gentle smile played on his face that he couldn't wipe off. "We can hang tomorrow, because I already promised my sponsor that we'd hang out today."

Liam made a noise of understanding. "Thank you so much, Zayn. You're one of the few people to show me kindness ever since he passed, and I just appreciate it so damn much...sorry for being a crybaby."

Zayn chuckled. "It's alright by me. Goodnight, Liam."

"Goodnight," Liam spoke, seeming much happier than before. 

As soon as Zayn sat his phone down and gazed over, Harry had this huge grin on his face that looked as though it almost hurt. He let out a squeal that was far from manly and wrapped his hands around Zayn's neck, "Zaynie's making friends!"

Zayn attempted to fight the laugh that escaped his lips. He rarely laughed, mostly because he just never found it an appealing sound. Harry grinned and ran over, throwing open the sliding glass door. He leaned against the railing and yelled into the air, "Hey, world! Zaynie's making friends!"

"Hey, kid! Shut the fuck up!"

Harry turned back around slowly, and the duo both burst into laughter. This time, Zayn didn't hold back. 

A/N: I enjoy writing at this slow pace, it's soothing. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Don't forget to comment and vote if you liked it. P E A C E!

xo.