Broken Lanterns [ZIAM]

[3] - A Brand New Start

            Zayn sits at the kitchen table with Mr. and Mrs. Payne, and their seventeen-year-old son, Liam. Zayn thinks back to when he was at the Johnson’s and how he hated it the second he stepped on their property. Zayn searches for the same amount of hatred towards this family and their home, as hatred has been a reoccurring emotion in Zayn’s life. Hatred is really all Zayn knows how to feel.

            But he can’t find it. It’s strange to Zayn. Why doesn’t he hate this place? He wants to look up into the eyes of the people around him, but it’s almost as if he’s scared, or worried that they’ll hate him before he gets a chance to pick out a flaw in them. He has so many flaws whereas this family seems to have virtually none.

            “It’s late, I think we should get to bed.” Mrs. Payne suggests. Zayn, out of the corner of his eyes sees her husband and her son nod their heads in agreement, “Zayn, if you don’t mind, we’ll do a proper greet in the morning?”

            Normally Zayn would ignore the words that come out of her mouth, but instead he nods along with the other two boys, “Liam will show you to your room. His and your new room is up stairs,” Mr. Payne says, standing from the wooden table, “See you two boys in the morning.”

            Zayn lifts his head and watches as the adults walk down a dimmed hall and into a room, a room Zayn assumes is their bedroom. Zayn then tilts his head when he hears the voice of Liam Payne, the boy who he, without even knowing at the time, had drawn in his sketchbook,

            “Just follow me, yeah?” And Liam then stands and beckons Zayn to follow him, and Zayn does without any hesitation. When they approach the stairs Zayn bends down to pick up his suitcases but his hands are quickly brushed away when Liam grabs the handles, “No, let me.” Zayn stands there and watches as Liam maneuvers the suitcases up the steps. Zayn has never had anyone offer to carry his bags. It was always him who has carried them.

             He follows Liam up the steps and stops when he stops, “I’ll show you my room first, incase you wake up in the middle of the night and have any questions.” Liam offers as he opens a door and walks in, still having a hold on Zayn’s things. Zayn enters the room and feels his mouth open.

            It’s nearly perfect. Liam’s room is roomy, yet small, but most importantly, it’s realistic. Zayn eyes the bed in the corner that yields some sort of chest at the foot of it. Zayn can only imagine the things Liam keeps inside of it. Zayn comes back to reality when he hears Liam hum happily and he realizes that he has walked into the middle of the room looking like a fool.

            Embarrassment rushes over Zayn as he awkwardly steps out of the room, waiting for Liam to show him his own room. Liam chuckles at Zayn. They walk a few steps and Liam points to the side, “This is my – our – bathroom. You can have first dibs on showering tomorrow morning.”

            When Liam finally shows Zayn his room, and retreats back to his own, Zayn lays in bed, exhausted but unable to sleep. He tosses and turns, continuously leaning over the side of his bed to check the time. The clock reads about half past one in the morning when Zayn rolls out of bed and walks out of his room and down the hall. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this. When face to face with Liam’s door he timidly knocks, “Yeah?” Comes a voice from inside the bedroom.

            Zayn opens the door slowly, trying his best to avoid the creak the wooden door offers, “Can’t sleep?” Liam wonders as Zayn slowly walks into his room. Zayn nods, holding back a yawn. He stands in the middle of the room, holding his hands behind his back and looks down to the dark ground, “You can sit.”