pure fiction // ziam

seventy nine

Liam and I pull up at the frozen yogurt place. I can see Gigi and Niall already seating inside talking.

"Looks like we're all here" Liam says, breaking the silence that has consumed the car. It's like we're too afraid to talk about it as if some demon was going to be summoned. Maybe something even worse.

"All that's left is for us to go inside" I replied.

"Yup"

It's silent again. Are we really going to confront this demon? Not Niall, the situation. Because not even we have talked about it, it just kinda sat there in the back of our minds, forgotten.

"So are we gonna get out of the car or what?" Liam asked.

"Right, yeah" I responded and took off my seatbelt and we both walked inside the little shop. We head towards the table where Niall and Gigi are, they seem to be having a conversation.

"Hey" Liam says and they both stopped talking.

"Thank god you guys came. For a minute I thought you guys would bail last minute." Gigi said.

"I mean it was a thought..." I responded and got a hit in the arm by Liam.

"Zayn, be nice"

I stared deeply at Liam. I could tell he really wants to make amends or whatever but all I feel is anger. Then, I look at Gigi who seems to desperately want something good come out of this but knows deep inside that's just a fantasy. Finally, I look at Niall. One look at him and my heart just burst. It burst into a raging inferno. I can't look at him.

I can't be here.

"Liam, keys please." I demanded. He looked at me with confusion but he proceeded to give me the keys, "Well if you want me to be nice, then I'll be waiting in the car where no one will get hurt." I say as I stand up from my chair and head out the shop. On my way out, I hear Liam and Gigi call my name, but I keep walking.

Inside the car, I pull down the visor and look at myself in the little mirror.

I'm appalled by what I see.

I see the shell that is me, but I don't feel like me. It feels like someone came in and replaced who I was. Why am I so disgusted by what I see? Why did seeing Niall make me feel this way? It's not possible that I could feel sympathy for him... I can't and I won't. Letting Niall back in our lives would only lead to more messes, and I want to avoid that. Everything is perfectly fine the way it is now, so why ruin it by letting Niall back.

I put up the visor and look into the shop. They're all talking. Civilized. Then something inside me set my blood to boil. Why am I getting so angry at this? Was I expecting it to go wrong and Niall get what he deserves? Yes. Yet here we are, Liam smiling directly at him with Gigi watching from the side. They're reconnecting.

No. This can't happen.

-----

"So what did you guys talk about?" I ask Liam as we lay on the couch watching TV.

"We talked about everything honestly" Liam responded.

I looked up at him, part of my wishes that he wouldn't have stayed inside and just gone to the car with me.

"Zayn, I know what you're thinking"

"What?"

"You're mad that I went in and talked to Niall."

I move out of his hold and sit up straight on the couch. I look at him blankly, that was a surprise.

"You're so tense right now, it's like you're waiting for the bad news to come, and the definition of that 'bad' news is different for you and me right now" Liam said, I could hear it in his voice that he really doesn't want to tell me anything for the sake of my sanity. I would probably go mad at the idea of Niall being back into our lives.

"Okay but... what happened?"

"Nothing happened. Well, nothing major. Literally all Niall did was apologize then we started talking about other things"

"So that's it? You just forgive him just like that? Even though he practically came on to both of us to try to tear us apart?"

"Zayn, the kid is sad, lonely, feels extremely guilty, the least I could do was tell him that everything is okay. You don't know how relieved he felt after I said that. It was as if he could breathe again."

I stare at Liam. I don't know what to say, how to respond in the nicest way possible without turning this into an argument. But the anger in me seems to be winning and I think I'm about to make the dumbest mistake I can make right now.

"Liam, he tried to break us up. Doesn't that mean anything? What if he does it again? I just can't see someone who tried to take away my happiness as a good person. It's unfathomable!"

Liam's mood seems to shift.

"Zayn, you're really going to make a big deal out of this? There's literally nothing to worry about. It's not like he's moving back here. He's gone. His new life is in New York doing whatever it is that he does..." Liam takes a pause and grabs my hands, going to a more softer tone, "He can't do anything to us if he's not here. Just don't worry about babe, please. I'm not letting him or some other guy come in the way of our relationship. You and I are forever, okay?"

I let out a big sigh.

"Okay"

Liam pulls me in for a hug and I the feeling of his big arms wrapping around me make me melt into him, feeling safe and warm.

"I love you Liam"