We had another photo shoot today, for a magazine or something. As soon as we woke up, we were being rushed to throw on some clothing and get in the van so we would make it to the shoot on time.

I absolutely hated waking up, but I was willing to do it if Liam said so. I’d been in love with Liam for a while, but none of the other boys or anyone else knew. I was just trying to deal with it quietly on my own. It was nice to wake up to his gently smiling face and his body close to mine, so he was the only one I would voluntarily wake up for.

The five of us piled out of the van, Niall still shoving toast in his mouth and Louis prancing about like it wasn’t early in the morning. I never did understand where that boy gets his energy.

We were sent to separate rooms where we put on our assigned clothes. Between sets, we would have to come back here and switch our outfits and let the stylists fix our hair and light makeup. I never let my stylist touch my hair, but I still seemed to be stuck with a new hair stylist every time. I think they were hoping I would give up and let someone do my hair, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Nobody could mess with my hair. Except Liam, that is.

I dressed in my signature varsity jacket look and a lady came over to adjust the way it sat on my body. When she was satisfied, I fixed my own hair and stepped out of the room, glad to be on my own again. At the end of the hallway was a door labeled ‘One Direction’, which I opened.

Inside there were the usual props and sets put up around the room, and camera equipment in the middle that could be turned and zoomed to capture us from every angle in every set. There was also a comfortable looking little couch, which the other four boys were currently taking up.

I’d only had a few pictures taken so far, and I was already bored. I glanced over at the others sets to see how the other boys were doing.

Niall was making faces at me, which I happily returned. At least it was something to do. We continued to scrunch up our faces and contort our expressions until the guy taking my pictures told me to stop, which made me pout. He quickly snapped pictures of my pouting face, and I frowned.

“What was that for?” I asked, upset that he was taking pictures of my upset face.

“That expression, it was just perfect! The way so much emotion showed in your face was just incredible! Can you do that again? The dramatic pout?” he inquired.

I was shocked. I’d just been making a pouty face because I was honestly upset; I wasn’t trying to pose for him. But if he really wanted my pictures that way, it’s not like I could really complain. We had to do whatever the photographers said or management would have our arses.

Stretching out my stiff body quickly, I leaned back against the wall and resumed my unhappy expression. I switched my gaze: sometimes looking right at the camera, while other times I would stare at my feet or across the room at one of the other boys. The camera guy was soaking it up, snapping what felt like millions of pictures of my pout.

At one point I just had to laugh at the fact that I got so bored of posing, the guy had resorted to taking pictures of my pout. This attracted Liam’s attention, so I quickly calmed myself.

Liam was looking especially handsome today. He always cleaned up a bit more than usual for the photo shoots, and today was no exception. He currently wore tan trousers with a tight red and blue plaid shirt that showed off his toned upper body to me.

I could hear the camera snapping and I knew that I was still being pictured, but I couldn’t care less. My attention was all on Liam, in the set next to me. He was absolutely gorgeous and I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes from his form. Eventually he felt my gaze on his side and turned to look back at me. He raised a questioning eyebrow and I smirked back at him.

A photo shoot meant the perfect opportunity to flirt without being too obvious, I had just realized. I could pose and stare at Liam and he’d keep turning around to see who was watching him only to see me in a seductive pose.

I tried all different things, from sitting with my legs wide apart, to biting my lower lip or licking my lips. I tried sassily placing a hand on my hip and leaning my weight to one side. Liam was beginning to look uncomfortable about fifteen minutes into my new poses, and I saw him trying to glance away from me but his eyes kept being drawn back. Who knew that I, Zayn Malik, could be a master of seduction? I chuckled at this thought.

From then on, I didn’t strike a single pose that wasn’t intended to pull Liam in. I wanted him craving me, desiring me with a strong passion. I wanted him to feel the attraction as much as I’d been struggling with it in the past. Most of all, I was hoping he liked me back, at least somewhat.

We all got a little break to eat lunch, and Harry drove us boys to a nearby restaurant. I spent the entire meal shooting lust-filled stares at Liam and playing footsie under the table. His cheeks kept getting hotter and hotter until I was sure he could cook pancakes on his face. Was I the one who had caused that? Had I caused Liam Payne to blush like a fire hydrant? I smiled. My plan must be working.

When we returned, I stepped it up even more. I rubbed my hands along my sides between shots, slapped my bum playfully, licked and bit my lips more often. I was really enjoying being so cheeky, because that role was normally reserved for Harry. At one point I spared a glance around at the other boys. Niall was looking at me quite confused, and Louis and Harry were talking across their sets to each other, though they were too far from me to hear their words.

Late in the afternoon, when we were making our last set switch, I felt a firm hand tugging at my wrist as I left my changing room. Allowing whoever it was to drag me with them, I ended up in what appeared to be a spare storage room. I heard the door shut behind me and I spun around, remembering I didn’t know who’d brought me here.

I relaxed when I realized it was only a pained-looking Liam. Wait, pained?

“Zayn, you bloody arse, what have you been doing?” He groans, stepping closer to me. For every step he takes in my direction, I take one back.

“W-what do you mean, Li?” I ask, though I’m sure he’s talking about my seductive poses.

He groans, louder this time, and steps forward one last time. When I try to step back, I hit the wall. He’s got me trapped. “All your poses. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you weren’t posing your normal moody way; you were being even cheekier than Harry!” He pressed his body close to mine. “What was it for?”

I gulp. The feeling of having him so close to me, yet knowing I can’t have him… it’s terrible. I feel like I’m being torn apart while he watches me burn. “It was just a change in taste, Liam. I wanted to try something different today. Besides, it’s fun being cheeky.” I decide two can play at this game and smirk right back at him, stepping in until our chests are touching.

“And why would you want to be cheeky and seduce me, Malik?” he says in almost a whisper, tilting his head and peering into my eyes. God, his eyes are so beautiful.

“Why don’t you tell me?” I can’t tell him I love him. He’ll laugh in my face and walk away and I’ll never get to be like this with my Liam ever again. My Liam? Where did that come from? Liam most definitely wasn’t mine, as much as I wanted him to be.

“I love you, Zayn Malik. I love you so freaking much it hurts. And you willingly choose to torture me, to tease me with your perfect body and pose just to make me lust for you?” I gasp. Liam loves me? Liam just said he loves me. It’s like a dream. Wait a moment, am I dreaming this? I better not be. I discreetly pinch my arm. No, I’m not dreaming; that hurt.

“I didn’t mean to Li, I swear. But yes, I did choose to seduce you and only you with my posing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch the one you love and know they won’t ever want you, that you don’t have a chance? Because that’s how I felt. Every day,” I reply.

His eyes widen. Did he really have no clue I liked him back, after he confessed and I not only didn’t pull away, but also moved closer? “What are you saying?”

I snort at him. “I’m saying, Liam James Payne, I love you too.” His face lights up, and I feel my expression matching his.

He leans in, and I don’t hesitate to press our lips together. This moment feels so perfect, like we were meant to be here, doing this. I tilt my head to get a better angle, and Liam holds one hand on my cheek and wraps the other arm around my neck.

I reach around him and grasp his hips, pulling him all the way into me. We stumble back until we hit the wall. I feel his tongue run along the crack of my lips, asking for the entrance I grant him. Our lips move in perfect synch, and I feel sparks every place our bodies are touching.

The kiss begins to heat up, and my hands get frisky. As he pulls me so close to him that you couldn’t fit a paper between us, I let my hands drift down from his waist and grab his bum. He moans into my mouth, making me smile through the kiss. I loved that sound. Wanting to hear it again, I bucked my hips forward into his and we both moaned.

I’m not sure how long we were there, but eventually w broke apart. Our legs were tangled, our hair a tousled mess, and both of us had managed to lose our shirts somewhere in the process. I reached for my shirt and slipped it over my head, as Liam did the same. Untangling from each other, we stood.

I stared into those wonderful chocolate brown eyes. “Liam, I love you, so much,” I remind him.

“I know, Zayn,” he chuckles, “you already told me.” He doesn’t finish the thought, so I smack him jokingly. “Okay, yeah, I love you too.” We both stand there grinning at the other, feeling satisfied, wanted, and loved. Neither of us had felt so loved in quite a long time.

“You know, we never did finish that shoot…” Liam trailed off, the emotions in his eyes turning to guilt. He never messed up something on our schedules; it was like a personal rule of his.

“I’m sorry I distracted you, Li,” I say and hang my head. I feel his fingers lifting my chin until I see his eyes again.

“Don’t say that. This was more important and more beautiful than being on time to any photo shoot could ever be.” I can only nod, overcome with emotion. He turns and opens the door, ushering me out.

We’d forgotten about the haphazard appearances we’d created of each other, so when we re-entered the main room and everyone stopped to stare at us, we didn’t know what was wrong.

One by one, everyone in the room began laughing. Some were rolling on the floor cackling, other were just lightly chuckling. But there wasn’t a soul who wasn’t laughing apart from Liam and I.

We waited for everyone to calm before I asked, “What was that for?”

The shoot director just looks around, smirking as his eyes finally land on me. “Had some frisky fun, did we, boys?” He asks, and I look down at myself, wondering what he’s talking about.

My clothes are rumpled all over the place, and my shirt’s edges are folded up. I look across the room to a mirror and find that my hair is flopping over and my lips are bruised and swollen. Glancing at Liam, I see he’s realizing the same thing. We just chuckle and gaze at each other once again. We could’ve stayed there forever if Niall hadn’t broken the silence, as usual.

“Ziam is real, guys!”

The studio shook with everyone’s laughter.