The Darkest Hour

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Why are you up so early?” Harry asked, as Zayn burst into the kitchen that morning, where the younger boy was preparing breakfast. Pancakes, to be exact. “And why are you so alert?”

 “I’m going to work!” He replied, taking the milk carton out of the fridge. “Why else would I be up so early?” He asked, in an are-you-stupid-what-else-could-I-be-doing tone.

“Get a glass and pour it in before Louis sees that!” Harry exclaimed, panicked, as Zayn lifted the carton to his mouth. “Since when were you so enthusiastic about work?”

Zayn rolled his eyes, seemingly avoiding Harry’s question. “Why can’t I drink out of the carton? I’m being environmentally friendly; you wash one less glass like that!” 

“I don’t know, actually,” Harry shrugged bemusedly. “Just because Louis says so, and you don’t want him to throw a fit every morning, do you? And you haven’t answered me!” He pressed, as Zayn went to sit at the table.

“Why are you up so early, dressed and all set to go in such a good mood? Since when were you so excited about work?” He turned off the fire, placing the stack of pancakes carefully on a plate.

“Since I quit,” Zayn grinned, flipping through the newspapers and skimming through the articles.

Something clattered to the floor loudly, and Zayn turned in alarm to find Harry behind him, with a still intact plate of pancakes in his hand, thankfully. The fork, though, hadn’t been so lucky, and Zayn bent to pick it up, handing it to the curly-haired boy.

“You what?!” He asked incredulously, sitting down opposite Zayn. “Are my ears playing tricks on me?”

“No they aren’t. I quit my job,” Zayn reiterated patiently.

“Did you just say you quit?!” Another voice joined in then, and Zayn looked up to find a half-awake Louis just entering the room. It looked as if Zayn’s new piece of information had woken him up considerably, though, his eyes already widening in shock.

“Yes, what’s wrong with that? It was a sucky job anyway, if you’ve ever been there.”

“But…but where are you going now if you quit…?” Harry asked, confused.

“Sunshine Hospital!” Zayn replied, his voice filled with as much cheer as the name of the place implied.

Louis and Harry both gave him blank stares. “What?”

“What?” Zayn asked.

“What, what? Why are you going back there?” Louis cried, sounding rather exasperated.

“Because I work there now…? Liam said he needed an assistant when I was there yesterday, and it seemed like the perfect offer. I mean like, working conditions are probably a hundred times better, and I have friends there!” He explained. “Not to mention, the pay is infinite times better. That restaurant barely paid anything.” Zayn muttered gloomily.

“It’s true actually. The food sucks too,” Harry admitted, after a while, and Zayn scowled. “And to think you two were the ones telling me how grateful I should be to get a job and that that place wasn’t even bad at all?!”

Harry shrugged helplessly. “We had to keep your spirits up.”

~*~

Walking into the hospital, Zayn couldn’t help but wonder if he’d see a certain blue-eyed boy with that cute accent today. Hopefully.

“Hey Liam!” Zayn opened the office door and greeted cheerily as he fell into the chair in front of Liam.

“What are we doing today?”