one month later...
"your change is five dollars and thirty nine cents. have a nice day!" liam fake smiles at the old man and watches him slowly walk out the bakery.
the day has gone by so slow.
liam has been at the bakery since seven a.m and they've only had four customers.
it's only harry and liam working that day, but harry has been in the back room doing 'inventory.'
liam sighs and rests his head on the counter.
"no sleeping on the job." harry says when he comes out of the back room.
liam groans and sits up on the stool. "harry can i go home?"
"sure. in two hours." harry goes behind liam and liam lays his head against harry's chest.
"literally nobody has came today. can't we just close early?" liam whines.
"no. what if somebody wants to come in and buy a cake for dessert?"
"then they can go to another store."
"liam." harry warns.
"harry please." liam whines again.
"no. we only have two more hours and then we can go home. you can sleepover at my apartment again."
"no i'm going to louis'. i'm mad at a certain manager." liam crosses his arms and glares at harry.
"i've got to love you." harry laughs and ruffles liam's hair before walking back into the back room.
fifteen minutes later and liam is about to scream. he is so bored.
"i am never talking to harry again." he tells himself.
the bell to the front door ring, signaling another customer. finally.
liam straightens his back and puts on his best smile. "how may i help you today?" he asks the man approaching the counter.
"liam. can we talk?" the man asks.
"i'm sorry." liam chuckles nervously. "do i know you?"
the man takes off his hood. "it's niall."
"oh."
"before you throw me out of here, please hear my out." niall quickly says.
"i rather not talk to the person who ruined my relationship thank you very much." liam snaps.
"zayn lost his job!" niall blurts. "well he didn't really lose it, he just can't come back until he gets his head straight."
"what happened?" liam finds himself asking.
"he changed. he would always come late to the office. he wouldn't talk to anyone, he just locked himself in his office and didn't leave until we closed. he never got any work done and he canceled every meeting he had scheduled. so they told him to go home and fix whatever what was going on with him, and not to come back until he did."
"how long ago was this?"
"sometime last month." niall says. "he's miserable without you liam."
"that sounds like his problem, not mine." liam says and gets off of the stool.
"liam please. the company needs him. everything has been going downhill since he left."
"so you want me to get back with zayn to help your company?"
"no! i didn't mean it like that. it's just-"
"did you know he was engaged?" liam asks, cutting niall off.
"what?"
"did you know he was engaged?" he repeats.
niall hesitates. he opens his mouth and immediately closes it. his eyes looking everywhere but at liam.
liam sighs. "get out."
"i did, okay? he had pictures of you all around his office. and i was well aware of the ring on his finger. i knew everything about you but your name! that night of that office party he kept asking for you, but i didn't know it was his fiancé. i was thinking liam was a relative or a friend, not his fiancé. so when you came and got him and he said you were his fiancé i-" a tear runs down niall's cheek. "i felt so guilty. i couldn't believe i did that. i'm so sorry liam! i'm so sorry."
liam chuckles dryly. "first zayn was crying and now you. this was both of your faults, why are you crying? you're that guilty?" niall nods. "well, i'm sorry about the company but zayn and i aren't getting back together."
"liam i'm sorry!" niall cries.
"sorry for what? sorry that sleeping with my fiancé wasn't as satisfactory as you thought it would be? sorry that even after a month, he still doesn't want you? or are you sorry that the only way for him to have sex with you was when he was drunk? oh! maybe you're sorry that you slept with someone when you knew he had a fiancé. is that why you're sorry? or are you sorry that i found out? well guess what? i'm sorry for the both of you. i'm sorry that such successful people have turned into low life pieces of s hit!" liam yells.
"woah what's going on out here!?" harry asks loudly.
liam takes one last glance at niall. "i'm taking a break." he says and throws his apron on the counter.
"liam wait!" niall yells but liam keeps walking and slams the door behind me.
liam paces the room and rubs his temples.
he can't cry. he hasn't cried in over a month.
don't waste anymore of your pretty tears on him.
"come on liam, don't cry." he tells himself. "he's not worth your tears."
"are you okay?" harry asks and walks into the room.
liam nods. "i'm okay." he nods again.
"liam."
"i'm okay." he repeats.
"liam."
"i'm not okay! there, i said it! i'm. not. okay. i stay up every night thinking where did i go wrong? i thought my life was perfect! i found someone who took care of me in every way possible. my friends and family loved him and i was in love with him. i thought everything would be so simple from there. we would get married and live happily ever after! but all of that was thrown away for a hookup at an office party. and that's why i'm not okay. i'm not okay harry."
"it's okay not to be okay." harry says and walks towards liam.
"no it's not harry. it's not okay!" liam backs up.
"you don't need to be okay all the time."
"yes i do! i need to be okay because i hate this. i hate this so much!" and then liam bursts out into tears. his knees buckle underneath him and harry catches him before he falls.
they both slide down to the ground as liam clutches onto harry's shirt. "it's hurts so much!"
"i know." harry says and pulls his closer. "it'll get better. you'll be okay."
they stay in that room for two more hours, completely forgetting about their jobs beyond the door.
"i-i'll be o-okay?" liam asks between sobs.
"you'll be okay."
words: 1114
