A QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE:
1. the bromance awards! GUYS I GOT NOMINATED TWICE! BOTH N.S. AND THIS BOOK (!!!) ARE NOMINATED SO PLEASE VOTE BEFORE THE 23RD! ONE IS IN POPULAR NARRY AND THE OTHER IS IN UPCOMING NARRY! BromanceAwards HAS IT ON HER PAGE (THE 2015 AWARDS!)
2. and if you like this narry fic you'll like the slayer series which is also a narry fic (i.e. check out my other book honest)

chapter twenty-one

N.J.H.
"So he spanked you?"

"What?" I say, "No Louis did I say that? No. We talked about that lifestyle for a little. He didn't do anything."

"So, he spanked you. Or he wants to." He says it again and I swear I feel my eye twitch.

"No," I say, "absolutely not. None of the sort happened. And... I don't know if he wants to..."

"You've got a spankable ass," Louis squeezes my butt, "I'd go for it."

"Hey!" I exclaim, "Get your own butt."

"Speaking of which," he stops and rubs his chin, "I haven't seen Zayn in a while."

Louis doesn't know this, but Zayn is actually trying to avoid him. He thinks he's messed up his chances since the Victoria's Secret party that ended on a park bench for them. I've been telling him that things worked out fine and Louis actually wants to see him more, but Zayn's very stubborn, as I've learned.

"I'm gonna call him, but I need to know, did you tell Harry?"

"There's a lot of things I haven't told Harry about me yet," I say with an eye roll, "Be specific."

"The daddy issues."

A lump forms in my throat as it begins to sink in that Harry will probably want me to call him 'daddy' in bed. I've never felt so idiotic in my life.

"No. I didn't tell him. I completely blanked on that part."

"Okay," Louis tries to calm me, "I'm gonna call Zayn, and then we're gonna talk about this."

Louis takes out his phone and dials Zayn's number on his iPhone 6. He chuckles as he looks at his phone longingly.

"Why the loving stare?"

"Nothing," he answers shyly, "It's just, when we were in the ice cream shop, we were talking about how meaningless iPhone 6's are, and here I am holding one."

My phone rings as soon as he says it and I smile, reading Harry's name.

"I'm gonna answer this, you call Zayn."

I press the green phone button on my phone and I hear Harry's voice ring through the speaker.

"Hey babe," he answers coolly.

"Hey," I respond, "What's up?"

"Nothing really," he tells me, "I just wanna know if I can take you out tonight. I kind of wanna see Jurassic World and the first thing I thought of was going with you."

"Oh," I say, looking over to Louis, who is biting his nails anxiously as he waits on the dial tone, "yeah we can do that, I just wanna make sure Louis is alright."

"Okay," he says, "we can go later tonight."

"Or," I suggest an alternative, "We could go to a super late movie where no one is watching the back row."

I feel Louis' hand hit my back and I turn to see him giving me two thumbs up. Harry laughs over the phone and I smile mischievously,

"I like your train of thought," he says sinfully, "I'll pick you up at ten tonight. There's an 11:30 showing."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"...Love you."

My face burns when he says it and I laugh, not knowing what else to do.

"I... love you too."

The phone clicks and I sigh dreamily,

"This couldn't get any better."

Louis sighs loudly,

"For you. Zayn isn't answering his phone."

I sympathize for Louis and rub his shoulders. He sulks and I start to feel terrible for him in full entirety. With the lawsuit and now this, I'm beginning to become genuinely concerned about my best friend. The last thing I want is for him to revert back to how he was in college.

L.W.T.

"Come on... come on..." I whisper quietly as I listen to the dial tone. Niall had gone home to get ready for his date with Harry, leaving me alone in my empty cold office. I had stupidly given Zayn the week off due to the fact that last time we interacted I was drooling on his lap on a park bench at three in the morning. But now I need him more than ever; the urge to forget about everything from the lawsuit to Shahid is driving me mad and my drinking buddy is drinking Harry's cum tonight instead. He insists he stays with me whenever I'm distraught but I insisted he leaves and gets his asshole destroyed. Niall's life shouldn't have to halt when his damsel of a best friend is in distress.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the sound of Zayn's low voice answering my call.

"Louis?"

"Zayn I...I haven't talked to you in awhile, how are you?"

"I'm alright yeah," he says, "been resting a lot, I've gotten really tired these days and I like to take my days off, you?"

"Better," I respond, "our date before was really only the last time I saw you."

"Yeah, it's been awhile."

"Do you...wanna go out for drinks? Tonight maybe?"

"What's the occasion?" Zayn asks.

"My life has been hell and Niall's going out tonight," I explain, "and I just need someone to drown tequila shots with. Plus, I've missed you."

Zayn laughs a little, answering my question,

"Yes, I'll get wasted with you."

"Sweet," I say with a grin, "I'll pick you--"

"No," he implies, "I will get you. At the office. Now."

"What?!" I exclaim, "Zayn that's mad I...I literally look hideous. I just walked in in my fucking pajamas! I wasn't planning on staying. I was gonna go home and then get ready and stuff."

"Louis," he sighs, "I don't care what you look like going to some pub and drinking beer. As long as I get to sit next to you and share the moment with you I couldn't care less what you look like."

"I..."

The boy has done it. He's fucking done it. He's left me speechless, no words left to say. All I can utter after Zayn's beautiful words are a 'see you then' before I hang up, utterly flustered and excited to get drunk with him.

He pulls up at the office around eight in his classic black car and I feel like a fire is lit under my body as I walk out to him.

"Hi," he says coolly.

"I, uh, hey." I return, attempting to sound just as chill, and failing.

"You sound tense?" he questions my movements, opening the passenger door.

"Well," I point out, climbing into his gorgeous car, "Not only are you a complete sap over the phone, but you also come out and meet me with that James Dean fantasy look that everyone wants."

"Oh really?" he teases, "Then where's that red lip classic thing that I like?"

My jaw drops in pure awe as he laughs at his own reference,

"And, you're utterly cheesy."

"The word is witty, babe."

"Shut up."

"If I do, will you talk?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Because I want to hear your voice."

And he does it again, leaving me mind-boggled.

•

The pub is loud and smells of piss and beer, but it calms me in my stage of distress. I don't know how much I've had to drink and I can't be bothered to keep count due to the fact that my only goal is to get wasted enough to forget about everything that is making my life hell.

"Hey Louis?" Zayn speaks up, setting his cup down. He's barely had half of his glass of beer and seems to be swishing it around in the cut rather than inhaling it.

"Yeah?" I ask, drowning another shot.

"What exactly has you so on edge?"

I sigh angrily,

"I have a copyright infringement on my ass because fucking Shahid or Naughty Boy or asscrack cock face wants to take my company from me."

"I know him...huh. And he went for copyright?" he laughs, "He's playing this game like a middle schooler."

"See," I drawl, "That's what I would say, but it's really fucking with my shows."

"How are you going to..."

Zayn doesn't finish his sentence. Instead he looks in front of our table in confusion. I follow his eyes and immediately wish I hadn't. In front of our table with a smug smile is the bastard in the flesh, with his posse of bitch followers. He laughs at us, shaking his cup in the air.

"God I should've expected you lowlifes to be at this pub," he chuckles, "Would you like me to buy you a shot of failure?"

"Would you like me to find your third grade teacher?" Zayn asks, "You must've run off during recess. Literally you're acting like a little kid Shahid."

Shahid looks closer at Zayn, his facial expression suddenly changing,

"Zayn Malik! My god I haven't seen you since we recorded together!"

"You...recorded with him?" I ask Zayn, a bit disappointed he didn't mention this a second ago.

"It was back when I was sixteen," he explains, "to blind to see what an animal he really is."

"Really?" Shahid laughs, "because last time I checked you idolized me. Also, I'm pretty sure you didn't hang out with faggots like Tomlinson over here."

Too upset and tipsy to sass him back, I flip him off emotionlessly.

"That's right," he taunts, "you've got nothing Tomlinson. Here, let's see if a drink will awaken your senses,"

Within seconds I'm covered in beer from head to toe. I sit up from the bench quickly, startled at the sudden impact of the alcohol on my body. The three begin to laugh, and soon the entire club begins to join in. By now I'm finished. I have nothing left in me to even bother standing up for myself.

Biting back tears, I slowly get up from my seat and walk away, defeat haunting me.

"Louis."

Zayn grabs my arm tightly, turning me around to him.

"No," I say to him, "s'not worth it Zayn. He's not worth our time."

"But you're worth it," he whispers.

My mouth parts as he nods at me reassuringly. I watch as he turns to Naughty Boy, picking up a pint of beer and dumping it all over his greasy-haired head. Not long after, he nails him right in the nose, leaving the club silent.

"I never idolized you," he says quietly, "And Louis Tomlinson is not a faggot."

Zayn takes my hand and laces our fingers together, squeezing tight,

"He's my boyfriend."

•

"Did you mean all that?" I ask Zayn as we sit in my bathroom. He's washing the beer out of my hair and I'm sitting in the tub with my sweatpants hanging off of my body and my heart pounding out of my chest.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," he responds, "Louis I don't hate you."

"But you do like me, don't you?" I say, "More than a man would usually like a man, right?"

"Louis," he repeats, turning my body towards him. He presses my forehead to his, allowing me to breathe in his minty sweet aroma, "I called you my boyfriend back there. I don't want to be your friend."

"I..." words can't escape my mind and leave my mouth as Zayn caresses my cheeks.

"Are you speechless a lot?" he whispers quietly. I shake my head 'no' and close my eyes as his thumbs rub my cheekbones.

"I don't like being speechless," I mumble back, "It's a sign of weakness."

"Maybe you'll like it this time."

The sensation of his rosy lips pushing against my thin mouth is overwhelming as he takes me over. His mouth is moist on mine as we kiss, my hands wrapping around his neck as everything else in the room fades out until we are the only two beings living in this single moment.

though it's zouis mostly, comments are still appreciated.