Drifting - Ziam

6.I've been waiting to smile

~106hrs~

The sky is the darkest shade of grey it's been since the start of the summer. Zayn doesn't want to risk going out and being caught by the rain, so he stays in his loft working on his article.

~101hrs~

By now, Zayn has the final version of his article. Now all he has to do is to polish it and hope that the editors at the magazine don't alter his work so much.

He remembers his conversation with Liam that day.

Liam had asked him if he wrote books and Zayn had said no, even though he does.

Zayn isn't done writing his book, let alone published it; so he doesn't like to talk about it. Not even Louis knows about it. If Zayn told him, then Louis would be very excited, asking questions and wanting to read, and Zayn doesn't really want that.

His book is his own little treasure. The plot is not even defined yet, but Zayn is slowly working on it.

First, he's moulding the characters, giving them life, and getting to know them. It's like creating the threads he'll need to do the right and perfect knitting.

Zayn opens the document where the words he's written about the characters are saved.

He makes small changes here and there, and when he feels tired, he allows himself to open YouTube and lose himself in Liam's voice and warm eyes.

~98hrs~

"Hi, Harry," Zayn greets as he gets to his job.

"Hi, Zayn," he answers with his smile brighter than usual, putting stuff away and getting ready to leave.

"Good day today?" Zayn asks glad to see him with a little colour on his cheeks.

"Yeah," Harry sighs, content, "A friend called me and said that tomorrow an important sort of talent-scout, or something, is going to be at the pub where I play,"

Zayn smiles at him, "That's big, isn't it?"

"Well, if I do good I might get offered a deal, y'know? I'm excited,"

"Congrats, mate," Zayn says sincerely.

"Would you like to go? To give me some support," Harry shrugs still with an excited aura, "You can bring a friend if you'd like,"

"That'd be sick, really," Zayn answers looking forward to it, "Actually, my best mate is coming to visit me. I'm sure he'll want to come,"

"It's settled then," Harry nods almost finished clearing the counter.

"I'm actually, uh, reading that book. Is it yours?" Zayn says when he sees Harry has the sci-fi book he had been reading.

"No, it's just a damaged book that wasn't sold. See?" he shows the last page which had been torn, it was a blank page so it really doesn't matter, "Don't know what's it doing here, we keep them in the back but you can keep this here if you want,"

Harry opens the drawer Liam had opened the night before, "No one uses that drawer anymore," he mumbles. "So you can keep it there," He adds, this time clearer.

Maybe it's no one's drawer and Liam is using it clandestinely, like he implied he was. Zayn doesn't say anything.

"Alright, so I'll meet you there, say at ten?" Harry asks getting back to the previous subject.

"Ten's perfect," Zayn replies.

Harry tells Zayn the location of the bar and exchange numbers just in case.