The Money Maker

Chapter 6

The words come and Zayn cringes. Why hadn't they even thought to talk about this?

"What?" Liam asks, sounding more than a bit stunned.

"How did you two meet?" Karen repeats and Zayn watches out of the corner of his eye as Liam starts sinking down further into his seat.

Geoff tsks, giving a look between Liam and Zayn before sighing, "Karen, that's a question that all the kids are gonna wanna hear. Save that for when the whole family's together."

Family. Zayn's not sure if he's included in Geoff's use of the word, but he likes the sound of it. Likes the warmth it brings, a lantern igniting inside his body.

Liam's firm grasp on the arms of the dining chair loosens at these words. Clearing his throat, he gives Zayn a sheepish look when he realizes how far down in his chair he's slid.

"Liam's just so excited to tell it, though," Zayn teases with a smirk, raising his eyebrows.

Liam huffs, shooting him a look before saying quickly, "Anyway."

Zayn flashes a grin at Liam, but tries to help out anyway, tries to think of something, anything, else to talk about.

He stuffs a bite of food in his mouth, his eyes uneasily scanning the room until they land on the picture above them. "Is that the zombie tie?" Zayn blurts out mid-potato.

Even though his own words surprise him, the kick against his shin that comes next doesn't. Liam's shooting daggers at Zayn, his eyes screaming something or other about how he had one job. (Zayn's not quite sure, he doesn't speak eye.)

Zayn's not really sure how to respond to this, so he makes a joke. Again.

"Wow, we playing footsie now?" Zayn giggles, just loud enough for Liam to hear. Grabbing Liam's foot–still attached to Zayn's shin–with his own, he caresses his shoe over Liam's.

Liam's foot underneath his squirms as a laugh accidentally falls from his lips, though his eyebrows are still furrowed, his gaze sharp.

Karen beams at the scene in front of her, lightly tapping Geoff when he lets out a little exhale. "Geoff, it's fine. Was just a silly tie."

"Zayn, you must know so much about Liam," Karen coos, obviously impressed that Zayn knows about the infamous tie (even if Geoff isn't).

"You do, don't you, Zayn?" Liam says in a low voice, the flicker of a grin there and then gone.

If this is payback, it's cruel payback.

Though, Zayn admits, maybe he deserves it for his unnecessary 'footsie' comment. Oh, and, you know, bringing up the one thing that Liam had specifically told him not to mention.

The only problem, Zayn thinks smugly, is that Liam has no idea how much Zayn does know about Liam.

"Sure," he shrugs, avoiding Liam's eye as he brings his attention back to Karen and Geoff.

"Heard all sorts of things, like what Liam was gonna do if he wasn't a singer. Which was become a fireman, by the way." Zayn smiles. "And he told me how he ended up being a singer in the first place."

So he'd actually told another interested celebrity at one or another of the galas when Zayn had been pretending not to listen. But his parents don't need to know that detail.

"And about his family, how many sisters he had and what they were like." His eyes lock with Karen and he adds with a small smile, "I'm excited to meet them."