Accidental Photos [AU]

Six

"Zayn, that's a lot of pressure. Not to mention how much weight you're gonna have to carry." Mrs. Woodbury says after every student left the classroom. It's now Monday afternoon and Zayn is trying to convince Mrs. Woodbury in Liam's idea.

Liam and Zayn definelty talked about the subject at Liam's house. It was mostly awkward and the conversations were spaced out. Zayn decided it would be best to leave, so he did. Now, he's here after class, trying to get his point through.

"I understand but I think I can do it. Actually, I know I can. Mrs. Woodbury, you won't regret this." He pleads with desperate eyes.

Mrs. Woodbury stays quiet for a moment, but answers. "Alright. You won't get any help or special treatment. Just because it's sponsored, doesn't mean you get treated differently than the other students."

Zayn smiled and nodded, completely understanding what Mrs. Woodbury was saying. He thanked her too many times to count and happily exited the room. He didn't bother looking for Louis, he knew he was staying a little later than usual for tutoring.

The clear skies felt nice on Zayn's skin as he made his way towards the shop. Already, he knew he had to go straight back home and work on the first part of the assignment. He practically skipped all the way to the shop, excited to bring the good news to Wylie.

So, as soon as he entered the shop, Zayn dropped all his bags and rushed to the woman. He spoke quickly and excitedly as he wrapped up the agreement he came to with Mrs. Woodbury.

"I'm so excited for you, love." She said kindly, then an idea popped in her head. She hurried to her office and came back with a stack of rather thick paper.

"I insist your first drawing should be on this paper." She said, handing a sheet of paper to Zayn.

"Awesome. How much will it be?" He asked, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket. Wylie shook her head.

"Take it. You don't need to pay." She said and went back to arranging some little trinkets.

Zayn knew his shift wouldn't be long so it felt like he was just hanging out with another human. They usually relaxed in silence and had several small conversations to break the unintentional awkwardness.

A certain name kept bugging Zayn as he doodled. It wouldn't leave him alone and, while he liked it, he wished it would settle down. Wylie happened to notice this and went ahead and asked him.

"Honestly, Zayn, something's bothering ya. What is it, love?" She asked him as she swiftly sat on a rocking chair to drink tea.

"It's Liam. He's in my head and I don't want him there." Zayn sighed.

"But do you? I think it could be the fact that you might have a little crush." She teased, messing with Zayn.

"He's a model, Wylie. Everyone likes him and I fell into that stupid trap of shirtless photos." He groaned and Wylie was being completely okay with it.

Zayn just wants to be left alone, to his own mind. He doesn't want a super hot model to bother his creative ideas on inoccent doodles and drawings. You can't do much when someone possesses your mind, you just let it happen and hope it sinks away.

"When's the next time you'll see him?" She asks as an attempt to light the mood on the Liam topic.

"Tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. I'm always quiet and weird." He admits unwillingly.

Every chance he had at being normal with someone attractive, he made a fool of himself. In his opinion, the humans were just too perfect compared to him. It's just a thing with him, to feel lesser of a person next to these people.

"Get comfortable. I'm sure you're not as 'weird' as you think." Wylie reassures.

She's right. She's always right, just like his mum. How hard is it to have a civilized conversation with someone? It's not too bad. It can be difficult but not impossible.

So, he took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. Any recommendations for the material on the paper?" He asks changing the subject.

Wylie lightly chuckles but answers, "Whatever feels right."

Zayn wanted to throw himself out a window when she said that. All he thought about was Liam. The dirty side of Zayn kicked in, driving him absolutely insane. He started developing inappropriate fantasies that he dared not saying to Louis. Well, he could but Louis would get bored or grossed out.

"Do you need me for anything else? I don't want it to sound rude but I just want to get home and work on the first assignment." Zayn explained feeling a bit rude.

"Go ahead, love. You'll have to do a little extra your next shift, though." She warned. Zayn hummed completely understanding. "Feel free to take more of the paper if you need too." Wylie added, making a warm smile appear on Zayn's face.

He packed his things (along with five or seven sheets of the thick paper) and was out the door. He didn't mind the walk home, he knew it was best to not bother Louis for a short ride.

As he walked, though, he got lost in beautifully rough sketches for the first part of the assignment. He pictured all of this mentally and even took little mental notes. Unfortunately, he got too lost in his mind and got home later at night.

The door was surprisingly unlocked so he swung it open and loudly sighed. "Mum! I'm home!" He announced and dropped his things.

"Why's the door-" He was about to ask but stopped when he saw his mum chatting with Liam, "open." He finished.

Their conversation ended and Zayn's mum greeted him as if Liam wasn't there. "Zanie! How was school?" She asks after smothering him in hugs. He cleared his throat because he felt thoroughly embarrassed.

"Oh, right. Liam, here, decided to stop by and chat. You weren't here so we were just talking about the project." She explained.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you and I'll see you soon. After all, we still have things to discuss. Goodnight." Liam said as he made his way to the door. He was gone before Zayn knew it.

"You know what, I'm pretty tired. Goodnight, mum."