Take Me Home

Chapter One

Zayn could tell the day was going to be a difficult one from the very moment he woke up in his small apartment, alone, almost an hour after his alarm had gone off.

Sitting upright in his bed, discombobulated and confused for a moment, his eyes finally landed on the clock sitting on his bedside table and he felt as though his heart had jumped into his throat.

"Shit," he mumbled, quickly kicking the cream duvet off of his legs and practically falling off the bed, grabbing his work clothes from the back of his wardrobe door in the process before scrambling into his poxy bathroom and not bothering with turning on the light because even though it was seven on a dark winter morning, he knew the light had needed to be fixed for the past two years since he had moved in. He simply hadn't had the chance to call in an electrician yet.

After splashing some water on his face, running his fingers through his black hair so that it stayed pushed back from his forehead for maybe a few seconds before it fell back again, Zayn pulled on his black trousers and his white scrubs t-shirt with the low dipped v-neck and the sleeves that brushed against his elbows.

He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, taking in the bags underneath his eyes, the way his tanned skin looked almost pasty and grey and his lips refused to form a smile. He was utterly exhausted, but he knew he was already late and he couldn't risk losing his job.

So, he adjusted the rectangular badge that was pinned to his chest and forced the most real smile he could conjure up, glancing down to read the words printed on it.

Dr. Zayn Malik.

He took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom and walking into the kitchen, where he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, his laptop bag off of the table and his car keys off the key hook and walked out of his door.

Only to walk directly into the chest of a slightly shorter person.

He quickly caught the breath that had been knocked out of him and looked up into the face of who he recognised as his next door neighbour who had moved in just weeks after him. He had light brown hair and big brown eyes, and he was wearing a light blue t-shirt and jeans.

"I'm so sorry," he said, quickly. He appeared to be in a rush and Zayn shook his head and raised a hand.

"It's fine," he told him, offering him a blur of a smile before trying to squeeze past the puppy-eyed man.

The two had lived next door to each other for almost two whole years and they had never really shared much conversation, aside from the polite nod or wave or 'how're you?' whenever they happened to pass by each other in the hallway of the apartment block.

"Zayn, right?" he called, and Zayn stopped walking and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah," he said, wanting to leave so that he could get to the hospital in time for his shift to start. He didn't fancy a lecture from the clinical lead yet again.

The other man smiled and nodded. "I'm Liam, only just realised we'd never introduced ourselves," he said, and Zayn couldn't help but feel slightly mesmerised by the smooth yet husky voice.

He shook himself out of it, then nodded and shook his head at the same time. "Um, yeah, well. Now we have and I've got to go," he stated, knowing that he may have come across as rude but not caring as he turned on his heel and hurried towards the stairs so that he could get to his car.

It was busy as soon as he walked into the entrance to the emergency department, where he worked.

The twenty four year old man held his breath as Mr. Hanson approached him. He had a feeling he was in for a good yelling at by his boss and he really was too tired to be dealing with anyone today. He was in a bad mood, and when Zayn Malik was in a bad mood, everyone had to watch out. It was a quality he had inherited from his father - a man he hated more than anything.