Modest Delusions - Book 3 (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter 3 - We found a way to escape the day

We found a way to escape the day 

Zayn, leather hood pulled over his messy black hair stood with a grin on his face as the door swung open. “Evening Lads,” he said so cooly despite the excitement that drummed through his veins. 

Niall gasped, smiling so widely he dropped his sandwich as his face lit up with pure joy. He opened his arms and Zayn, with an impeccable smile pulled him in tightly. “It’s good to be back,” he said into Niall’s bare shoulder. Niall laughed when Harry screamed, rounding the corner with a clap he bounded over and genuinely smiled. His dimples had become such a rarity in the last six months Zayn was genuinely delighted to see them. Harry joined in the group hug and began laughing, “Shit, we weren’t expecting you.”

“You didn’t say a word!” Niall shook his head still shocked. 

Zayn rubbed his tired face and leant against the doorframe peering inside the loft, “So are you going to invite me in or should I set up camp out here?”

Harry snorted, “The only camp around here is me.”

“That’s the Harry I love,” Zayn chortled as he squeezed Harry’s shoulder and Niall grabbed his bags. 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Niall was over the moon, Zayn was glad. Harry wasn’t the only one going through a tough time. Despite his forced disgust towards Liam, Zayn was sure Niall was hiding something and it was wearing him thin. Zayn hoped by coming home early, apart from giving them a much needed heads up before the other boys arrived, that he could lend Niall a shoulder to lean on. Perhaps take off some of the impending pressure. 

The music was blaring and as soon as Zayn dropped his backpack Niall was shoving a bottle of apple cider in his hand and grinning. “We’re so glad you’re here.”

“Me too buddy,” Zayn said. 

Harry walked off, he was standing on the small balcony looking out at the street as it came to life. The sun had now set, shrouding the city in darkness and he puffed away silently. Zayn tried not to take it personally, surely Harry seeing Zayn brought up a gaggle of emotions. Unwanted emotions and reminders about the past, the boys in Los Angeles and of course, Louis. Zayn cracked his neck and looked around, he liked the black and yellow it suited them. Well, it was very Harry. Niall was just a shiny new toy to keep Harry from going insane but from the sounds of things Harry had found another plaything in the form of singer, songwriter Logan Hunter. Zayn wasn’t sure what he thought of Logan just yet, Logan was a little slippery. Yes, he was charming  but he had this uncanny capability of pushing Harry that little bit further. Drink that much more, try new drugs, go to new sometimes dangerous places. It unsettles Zayn to leave a few months back but he had agreed to help pick up the publicity slack for the boys. Rachel was going into overdrive with the boys staying apart for so long but, unlike Valerie she had a magnificent way with the media. She held them on a leash, a tight one and often Porter was caught on that leash which the boys found more then amusing. As time had passed, especially after Dakota’s death, Daisy’s disappearance and Blake’s shooting Porter had really stepped up as manager, friend and ultimately their confidant. 

Porter would be arriving in two days to help prep Harry and Niall for the fact that Louis and Liam wouldn’t be far behind. They had, in Management’s eyes had enough time to ‘sulk’ and lick old wounds. Now  it was time to get serious about their fans, their commitments and most of all their careers. Zayn lost his train of thought as he took in the loft, it was spacious and decorated to the nines. Harry always had amazing taste and the black, beige and yellow decor proved that. 

“So,” Zayn whistled as he took the room in, he stepped into the living room and craned his head to look upstairs at the open plan bedroom above. “This is the place you’ve told me so much about.”