Book Four - Freedom

Chapter 3

Back home Niall was playing tug of war with Loki. Every so often he would check Liam's location with the friend finder app on his phone. He smiled when he saw Liam had stopped at the pizza shop.

It was one thing that he and Liam had decided on to help with Niall's anxiety. Whenever either of them went out, all they had to do was check the app to see where the was. It helped Niall feel calmer and Liam enjoyed giving Niall some peace of mind.

After a while, Niall heard the front door unlocking. Loki ran and began barking at the door protectively until it opened and he smelled Liam and the pizza. At that point Loki began to go crazy, spinning in circles and jumping around. It made Niall laugh.

"I think he wants some of that pizza." Niall smiled.

"Yeah, probably." Liam laughed as he gently pushed Loki to the side with his foot as he walked through the door.

Niall quickly walked over and picked Loki up. He then leaned up and softly kissed Liam's lips. "Thank you for bringing home pizza. It smells amazing. I already have the plates and glasses out in the dining room."

"Plates for pizza? That's boring." Liam laughed. He then let Loki lick his cheek before taking the pizza into the dining room.

Niall sat Loki on the ground and followed Liam to the dining room. "How are plates for pizza boring?" He laughed despite feeling confused by the comment.

"Doniya says hello by the way. Oh and she wants pictures of the wedding." He laughed. "She's so sweet. That's how I knew Zayn would be fine."

"Ah, you told her. Cool. Well whichever one of us uploads the pics of the wedding will have to remember to tag her." Niall sat down at the table.

"You're supposed to just sit on the sofa and eat it right out of the box while watching a scary film by the way. Man stuff." Liam explained before sneaking Loki a piece of sausage.

Loki tried to jump up but Niall held out his arm, blocking the dog from completing his job. "You ain't getting this pizza, Loks. And you've already had your dinner." He then patted the dog's head and picked up a couple slices of pizza. "I'm just glad I don't have to bury a dead body." He smirked.

"She was honestly really cool about it. I mean she was shocked but she didn't get mad at all. She told Zayn she'd love him and support him no matter what. James seemed to like her okay too; though he was more interested with Zayn and I." Liam explained.

Niall saw the sneak but didn't say anything about it. "If you want to go to the sofa and watch a scary film, I'm all for it. I just thought it'd be easier this way because of Loki." He smiled.

"It's good that he was interested in Zayn, that's a really good sign. And honestly, who would not be interested in you?" Niall teased.

"You already know he's going to get pizza. I'm the soft parent." Liam laughed. He took a bite of his pizza and then nodded, "I still don't think Zayn has any business trying to parent James but I gotta admit, his kid is cute. He hit me in the face with a little ball and laughed so hard about it. He kept pointing at me too."

"True but I also don't want pizza on my sofa." Niall playfully stuck his tongue out. "You're impossible not to love." He smiled adoringly at Liam then started to eat.

"I think Zayn deserves a chance. He should at least try. Maybe this is the shot he needs to stop partying so hard. I know its typical being in your early 20s to party hard but the way Zayn does it is not normal. He has a kid. He actually wants to attempt to be a parent. Why not let him try?" He asked gently.

"Because I honestly don't think he knows how to not party. I mean, I thought he had only to find out he was just doing it behind my back." Liam gently argued his point. "I feel bad for the little guy. I do truly but he needs a parent that is going to be the best parent possible for him; not a parent who is going to look for ways to party still. I don't think Zayn is capable of not partying."