Losing Liam. - [A Ziam/Zarry Fanfiction.]

Chapter Nine

From the second Hayley had walked into the Nandos restaurant, she immediately felt her emotions start to run a muck for some reason. She was seeing Niall for the first time since the awkward party video scenario, and they hadn’t really talked or seen each other since, so when she had received the text from him asking to meet up for lunch and a catch up, she decided that she may as well go. It seemed like a slight coinsidence that she had been shopping on Oxford Street when the text had come through, saying Niall was at the Nandos on Oxford Street.

She spotted the ruffled mess of blonde hair from across the restaurant, and her heart started to skip a beat. She had to admit to herself that after the party, she hadn’t exactly looked at him in the same way, but she didn’t exactly know what way to look at him anymore, although she knew Niall, being the little worry head that he was, was most probably the same as her.

She wrestled her way across the tightly spaced restaurant, trying to avoid hitting anybody with her huge shopping bags before she finally got to the table where Niall was sat. He looked up at her with a warm smile as she sat opposite him, and she returned the smile as she placed her bags around her. One of the giant Primark bags got caught on her sleeve and she shook her arm with a slight scoff before it finally came off, and hit the person at the next table. She reached over and grabbed the bag back, smiling a slight apology to the man who had been hit with the bag, before she looked at Niall finally, who had watched the whole charade with a slight smirk. Why was she so flustered?

“Hey sweet, you trying to destroy my favourite restaurant or what?” Niall chuckled, his Irish accent suddenly calming her, and making a smile spread on her face. She gave a little shrug as she pulled off her leather sleeved parka, tucking it in the chair behind her.

“It appears so!” She laughed, before a waiter came over and spoke an order out, his hands full of two large plates of food. Niall nodded in approval and the plates were put in front of them, before the waitor walked off again.

“Yeah,” Niall started as Hayley’s eyes looked at him in puzzlement, “I was starving so I ordered for us both, hope you don’t mind.” He chuckled, and Hayley let out a small laugh before shaking her head.

“I seriously don’t. I’m so hungry, I’ve been shopping all morning, I woke up at ten. Ten! That’s really early for me.” Hayley laughed, grabbing her knife and fork and digging into the pile of chips and chicken. Her tummy had been rumbling all morning.

“Yeah, that’s early for me too.” Niall laughed, and soon enough they were both eating their weight in Nandos as they talked about their mornings, how they’d been, all of the small simple stuff that wouldn’t turn anything awkward. Well, that’s what Hayley was doing, anyway, even though Niall was finding any chance to try and discuss what was going on inside of her head with her.

“What day is it today?” Niall suddenly asked, even though he knew fully well that it was Tuesday, because he came to Nandos every Tuesday and Thursday, like he would have if Liam was still here with them. Hayley was chewing away on some chips as she reached over to her blackberry and her hazel eyes looked over the screen. She dropped the phone and finished before confirming that it was Tuesday. Niall smiled and nodded, as his mind returned to the thoughts of the weird dream that he had had the previous night, about Liam at the swimming pool.

“Why? Have you got to be at work or uni or something?” Hayley asked conversationally, still ploughing through her food. Niall could only smirked as he looked on at her, it was funny how much food she was getting through. Niall shook his head, Tuesday was one of his free days…he quickly thought over the huge piece of coursework he had to do when he got home, but pushed it to the back of his mind. No more worrying.