Perfect // 1D AU ✓

Chapter 2

~ And I might never be the one who brings you flowers,

But I can be the one, be the one tonight~

Zayn swallowed the spit in his mouth as he walked up the steps of the crowded coffee house. He was still reeling from the events of the night before, and he was certain that he wasn't going to be able to spot the man who had bailed him out from jail last night.

But he was there. Sitting in the middle of the room, with another young adult Zayn's age. Messy hair, wifebeater tank top covered with a thrift store jacket. Tons of sexy tattoos. He was Zayn's type.

"Hello, Zayn. Have a seat." Simon said when Zayn approached the table, and Zayn sat, taking the coffee that Simon offered him. "Oh. Zayn, Liam. Liam, Zayn. And I'm Simon Cowell."

Zayn shook Liam's hand, and he watched Liam glance at the tattoo on his forearm. "Into comic books? Wicked." Zayn smiled softly, and turned his attention back to the warm cup.

"I'm sure that both of you are confused." Simon said, sipping his coffee. Zayn itched for a smoke, but he desired answers more. "I bailed both of you out of jail last night. Liam, for robbing a convenience store. Zayn, for graffiti." Zayn looked down at the bitter coffee, but he couldn't make his arms reach for the sugar.

Liam noticed that Zayn seemed nervous, and he felt that magnified in himself. He had no way to pay back Simon, and he was sure that there was some sort of payment that Simon wanted. "In return, I would like you to join my team."

"Done." Liam said quickly. Anything that would help him get out of that situation. He was always quick to jump on the bandwagon.

"The work that you'll be doing...you could die. You'll be a wanted criminal after it." Simon's face was serious, but Zayn couldn't take him seriously with him wearing a tight black shirt and jeans, when he looked like he belonged in a suit.

"What is it, robbing a bank or something?" Zayn joked.

"Yes." Simon answered frankly.

Zayn and Liam's jaws dropped, but Liam's turned into a smile quickly. "That does not change my mind. This just makes it cooler."

"I need the skills that you guys possess. They'll be valuable assets to the team. And if you want to join, come to this location on Saturday at one o'clock. The rest of the team will be there. And if you complete the job, you will have been of great help to me, and you'll be scott free in my book."

"Oh my gosh. That would be utterly amazing!" Liam said, covering his mouth his hands. It was so cute that Zayn bit his cheek to keep from smiling.

"How do you feel about this, Zayn?"

Zayn closed his eyes, and he listened to the bustle of the room. Be a wanted criminal for the rest of his life? "Is there any other way to repay you?"

"This would be the quickest way. Also, you'll get money out of this venture. And friendship." Zayn quietly responded with an 'ew' to the friendship bit, and Liam laughed. "Why don't you think about it?" Simon patted Zayn's back, handing the boys each one business card with the date, time, and place of the meeting. Zayn adjusted the glasses on his face, taking the card.

"Thank you so much! See you Saturday!" Liam ran out of the coffee shop quickly, and Simon stayed with Zayn then, and he stayed with him as Zayn waited for his Uber back to his apartment.

"I hope that you do it." Simon said. "I can't find anyone else with your hacking skills, Malik. And if you just want to come to the meeting to see what it'll be like, I'll let you do that. You can talk to Louis, who's been through this before with me. You have options here, kid."

"Except for the option not to do this." He sighed. "I'll call this number, okay? When I make my decision." Simon nodded as Zayn got into the Uber. As soon as everything was squared away, Zayn fixed his hair, and wiggled his toes to get the warmth back into them.

He certainly didn't think that he would be in this predicament now. He thought that he would have to worry about hiring a lawyer and getting his mom to come all the way to New York to be at the trial, when she had never left Virginia in her life. Zayn had never gone back to Virginia once he left, on the other hand. He just knew that he could never again be the squeaky-clean kid that he was when he left for MIT.

MIT really changed his life. He wondered if this was another chapter in his life opening. Was he supposed to go for it? Chase the devilish Liam? Rob a bank?

One thing was for certain. He most definitely needed to sleep on it.