Belong To The World

~ TWENTY THREE ~

| H E A D A C H E |

It was a routine that Niall didn't hate one bit that he grew used to most days. Sure, there was some cons to having a millionaire as his frequent client. Don wasn't the handsomest man, not as good looking as Nick or the boys, and his body wasn't built like them either. But all of the looks were thrown out the window whenever he'd hand Niall a stack of pounds.

They always either met up at the hotel they first had sex in, or Don would pick Niall up at a corner a few shops down. The blond has seen the man so many times now, that he now knows how much cars he owns, where he lives, and what his last name is.

The trust was perfect as well, and the extra cash that the man would leave on the bedside table in the morning was something Niall would always look forward to. It felt like it was christmas or when he'd put his tooth under his pillow to see money when he'd wake up.

But it gets even better, the money Don was giving him was so good he only had to give half to Nick whenever he'd show up the next morning or later on in the night. The blond was lucky enough to stash some in the cushions on the couch, where Nick and Ivy obviously never gave a shit to look. Niall would now buy his own pain killers, booze, cigarettes and any other god damn drug he wanted. He could do all that now, and it felt more than good.

Today was another day like all the others, and Niall got up from where he found himself on floor-probably from passing out after he had his trip on the pills-and quickly shuffled around to get new clothes on, throwing on a ragidy looking shirt and his usual pair of short-shorts before he made his way out.

Nick was way more leninent with him now, the man was having a blast with all the money Niall was giving him, as well as Ivy who seemed to be loving every minute of their life together. Sure, they still didn't care about Niall, but the blond didn't really care. All he needed was his drugs and his alcohol, love was for suckers anyway.

He made his way out the door to the apartment, hands stuffing in his pockets with an extra skip to his step. He crossed the street, hands fisting into the pouch in his shirt to grab at the cigarettes and lighter. But he froze when he couldn't feel his lighter, only the box.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath, pulling out the cigarette pack and keeping it between his arm and his side as he kept trying to find his lighter. He knew he probably left in the stupid apartment, but the last thing he wanted to do was go back up there. Nick didn't know know he was buying things for himself of course, and if he walked back into the apartment the man would surely catch on to something.

"Need a lighter?" He flinched at the voice, and the familiarity to it didn't click in his mind until he spun on his heals to meet eyes with the person.

It was Zayn, who had a cigarette of his own pressed between his lips, sucking some of it in before he plucked it back out and breathed the smoke out into the air. He looked good, his hair parted in the middle and black strands dangling into his eyes, beard scruffy.

"You're still here?" Niall sighed out, everything flooding back into his head, reminding him of how they weren't leaving this god damn hotel no matter how much he begged them.

"Lou and H won't give up, me and Liam think you'll never come back to us...but those two-those two really have determination." Zayn shook his head when he finished, his brown eyes looking sad now. But he still fished in his pockets for his own lighter, taking it out and handing it over to Niall.

"Never thought you were one to quit so easily, Z." Niall mumbled out teasingly, having no energy to fight today as he took the lighter from the tanned man and lit his cigarette.

"I'm not, but I know when you don't want something, and I know when its time to let something I love go." Zayn's words sent something flying right through Niall's heart like a bullet, and he blinked towards Zayn, speechless.