Red vs. Black

Chapter 16

The first time Liam ever wore a suit was at his aunt's funeral. He was fourteen. And really, the only reason that was even possible was because he'd reached an age where he could fit into the blazer that his older cousin finally grew out of. Up until then, ceremonies and school functions were had in black jeans and a white button up.

The first time he bought his own suit was for his university graduation. He was twenty-one. It wasn't anything fancy, and honestly, his gown was so free flowing that it was hard to tell that there was a fresh Zara ensemble underneath at all. Only when he stood up and frantically buttoned the jacket closed before walking across the stage could you make out the outfit as it was intended. But Liam knew. And his parents knew. And in the end, that's all that really mattered.

The first time he bought a suit and had it tailored was when Niall invited him to a celebrity golf tournament after party. He was twenty-four. His best mate even came along for the fitting and helped convince Liam that he should see the three hundred pounds as an investment. Gone was all his savings, but Niall had been right. In the two years since, Liam's worn the slim fit, black suit more times than he can count. For work, for weddings, sadly for several more funerals. But tonight marks the first time he'll be wearing it on a date.

"Well if it isn't my favourite contribution to your wardrobe," Niall announces from the couch when Liam surfaces from his room fully dressed.

If by "contribution" Niall means practically swiped his card for him, then Liam supposes he can consider him having a hand in the sale.

Turning around, he says, "I ran a lint roller over the back, but I'm good, yeah?"

"Spotless." Liam faces forward once more. "Bow-tie's straight. Shoes are shined. You look great," Niall approves, although his small grin wavers when Liam starts to fiddle with the silver cufflinks at his wrists. "You're not nervous are you?"

"A little bit," the man admits, hating how feeble he sounds out loud. "Important people with money aren't my crowd."

"If it helps, you look like you fit right in."

The flattery doesn't necessarily translate, it only stirs up mixed emotions for Liam. Where he is now, he's making a stable wage. He doesn't need to behave like he's still poor. And yet, it feels blasphemous for him to be comfortable with knowing that his acceptance from others would most likely be based on the most expensive thing he owns besides his bike.

"Tell Zayn I said hi," Niall adds. "And that he should come over on Saturday while you're at work to watch England take on India. I think their first match is tomorrow."

It was today. And it's also the only thing Zayn's been talking about for the past week. The cricket season may have started well over two months ago in the UK, but ever since Pakistan's greatest rival ("in everything Liam, not just sports") came to town, Zayn's been exercising his British pride to the extreme. He even got Liam's dad to stop from changing the channel when the Sky announcers they'd been watching began giving predictions for the upcoming five game run the two countries were about to embark on. Given how nervous Zayn had been at the beginning of the weekend, Liam had been fairly impressed that he had the courage to interfere with anything that had to do with his old man's sitting room territory, especially the TV.

On the ride to the banquet hall, smashed in between a teen wearing a coffee shop uniform and her friend, who won't stop smacking her gum, sanity can be found in replaying the trip home. Namely, how wonderful it is to love someone who didn't need to be taught to love his family (his best friend now too) and visa versa. Monday morning, after getting into the centre, he'd got confirmation that he didn't only see what he wanted to see. With Zayn out of earshot, his mother had finally been able to gush about how much she loved Liam's new boyfriend once she knew the two of them had arrived in London safely. But even if that conversation wasn't had, signs of approval were clear as day - his mum, subtly mentioning how she couldn't wait until her youngest finally got married so she could have more grandkids as they all sat around in the front room eating dinner Sunday night, and his dad, unleashing a lot more jokes than he normally would around a newcomer. Even Liam's sisters had given him the green light, sending messages to their sibling group chat about how good looking Zayn is in comparison to the last guy Liam dated that made him mute the notifications until he was in a safe enough place to read them over and not be ridiculed for how red-faced the insinuations made him.