Infinity //1D AU ✓

Chapter 1

~Down to earth,

Keep on falling when I know it hurts~

Zayn sat in a booth with a variety of drinks around him - waiting for the others. A hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles for Harry. A Grasshopper Mocha for Louis. Snickerdoodle Latte for Liam. Niall's customary Iced Coffee. And his own drink - a vanilla latte.

Harry and Louis were the first to arrive. Harry gave Zayn a big hug - congratulating him. Louis was a bit more skeptic, and went in for a slower but more meaningful hug. They had seen each other just a month earlier for Harry's birthday bash, but it was more than that.

Louis just didn't understand how you could marry someone that you've known for less than six months. It was probably less than three months, if Louis cared to do the math. Which he didn't. "Thanks for the drinks!" Harry said excitedly.

"Of course." Zayn said, adjusting his glasses.

"What's his name again?" Louis asked, flicking his eyes up to meet Zayn's.

"Luke. Guy I met on the plane to New York to return the money to Simon." Louis made a noise with a hard to decipher intent.

"Hey, hey, hey." Liam said, swooping in. "Congrats, Zayn!" He grabbed the smaller boy into a bear hug, and Louis searching his face for any sign of the remnants of a conversation that they had had a week or so prior. It wasn't so much of a conversation really. Louis had picked up the phone just moments after Zayn had called him to see that Liam was calling, and Liam cried for forty-five minutes, while trying to convince himself that he was overreacting.

Louis had been on the other end of many of Liam's late night calls - which were early morning for Louis in the UK - in which he tried to decipher the feelings he felt for Zayn. But that was all out the window now - Zayn was getting married in less than a month.

And he hadn't even told his family yet.

That's what he had called them there for. He needed his best friends with him as support as he told his family that he was getting married on March 30th to a guy. Named Luke. The most important bit being that he was a man. Yeah. Zayn's family didn't know that he liked guys, and he wasn't sure that they were going to be the most accepting of that fact. Or that the wedding was going to be in London.

Louis had been the one to dislike the relationship from the start - it was too soon, and something about the mysteriousness of the guy bothered him. Harry was all for the relationship on the other hand, picking out flower schemes with Zayn over the phone. And Liam just cried. That was his only emotion - sadness. But from knowing Zayn as long as he had - which is not that long, but longer than Luke, surely - he knew that no matter what everyone said, he was going to marry this kid.

Liam sat on the inside of the booth, drinking his latte and smiling. But it didn't meet his eyes. "How's it going?" Harry asked him.

"Really good." Liam said. "I'm trying to be smart with the money. Going back to school in the fall. Bought a nice apartment in the city, and I got a dog. Here, look at this picture!"

Zayn didn't participate in the small talk. He was waiting for Niall - the iced coffee for him in his other hand. When he had called Niall, he asked to be his best man. And while Niall was a big Ziam shipper, he was elated to be a part of Zayn's special day, and he jumped on the Zuke/Layn ship.

"Does Luke have a last name?" Louis asked Zayn suddenly.

Zayn shook his head. "He just goes by Luke, really. Or Hot Luke." 

Louis got ready to spill some life-altering advice, but Liam starting asking questions to everyone rapidly - the lightning round. "How's Gemma?"

"Doing well." Harry replied.

"Eleanor?"

"On bed rest." Louis said.

"What've you been up to lately, Harry?"

"I'm going to open up a bakery in Holmes Chapel. Where my mum lives." Harry said. "Louis was thinking of moving there with me, since it's such a nice and quaint place, and only about two hours from Doncaster."

"Louis?" He asked.

"I'm actually trying my hand at screenwriting. I never went to theatre school, but I've had some ideas bouncing around in my head for years. Stories that others need to hear - see!" Louis got on ranting about his stories then, Harry watching him with dreamy eyes, and Zayn craned his head around the shop.

He looked for weird hair colors. He listened for the tell-tale laugh. He watched the door. Looked out the windows.

But, even as the hours passed, Niall Horan did not show up.