Chapter Text
Zayn strolled out of uni, slinging his ratty backpack over his shoulder.
he jogged across the newly painted parking lot, and slid into the faded leather seat of his old rusted car, turning on the heat right away, letting the warmth take over the space.
he immediately drove over to the small comic book store at which he worked, looking forward to being in silence.
you could say that it was his escape.
it was a nice distraction from his anxiety; from all the bullshit in the world. he could stock shelves and sweep the wooden floors and sit at his desk sketching whatever came to mind. it was strange; being able to release everything onto the paper of his tattered sketch pad.
Zayn always had wanted to get away from the chaos of school.
when he was a child he was always the one in the corner reading comics or humming the music his mother always played until time passed.
yet school took that sense of calm away from him. at school everyone acted like they were his friend when they were alone, but around everyone else he was just another face in the crowd, a loner.
he hated that.
he liked his job because it was a few blocks from one of those well know. comic book stores, so the little one at which he was employed at didn't have much business. he was still able to be in there, surrounded by the things that he read as he grew up.
he parked his car in the small parking slot labeled 'Malik,' considering he'd worked there ever since he was sixteen, and he was now nineteen studying at uni. his boss Shawn insisted on treating his employees with respect and care.
he got out and walked through the door, letting an older woman named Mary get off her shift.
he pulled out a textbook and began studying, looking up when he heard the bell signaling that someone had entered the shop.
Zayn closed up his book, sitting there patiently, putting a friendly smile on his face. he smoothed his jeans, his eyes spotting a tall brunette boy with broad shoulders, wearing a black tshirt with a button up thrown on, a beanie pulled onto his head, his baggy jeans hanging low on his hips.
Zayn was confused because the boy looked like the kind of guy that would bump into Zayn in the hallways and mutter insults to him.
he wondered what he was doing inside of a practically vacant comic book shop. despite Zayn's thoughts that maybe the boy just needed to use their restroom or that he needed directions, the boy walked up to Zayn and lightly smiled. Zayn noticed the softness in the boys eyes, contradicting his build.
"hi um- I just moved here a few days ago and I like to have a comic book store that I can order my regulars from, and I hate using the huge stores because it just- I guess it just doesn't give you that same feeling. it feels fake and- I don't know what I'm saying. I probably sound like an idiot."
Zayn blushed, feeling all nervous all of a sudden. why was this guy so nice?
"you don't sound like an idiot. I know what you mean. I'm Zayn."
the boy smiled, his cheeks slightly red.
"I'm Liam."
Zayn smiled, reaching out his shaky hand, Liam doing the same, shaking his hand as Zayn spoke,
"you going to uni?"
"yeah I'm starting on Monday."
Zayn thought about the fact that it was Friday.
"that's really cool- it'd be cool for me to like show you around, yeah? like help you out and maybe meet friends."
"well I would be really grateful if you let me hang out with you, that's really nice."
Zayn almost rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe that the boy thought it was a privilege to hang out with him, he just wanted to help him start out.
"you seem cool."
Liam smiled,
"so do you. could I have your number so that I can tell you where I am on Monday so that we can meet up?"
Zayn nodded, going over and grabbing a small sticky note, writing his number on it, handing it to Liam.
"thanks. I really like the look of this store by the way," he looked around, smiling sincerely, "it's very.. comfortable. it's hard to explain but it's nice."
Zayn smiled,
"I love it here, calms me down I guess."
Liam looked at him for a few moments before breaking the silence.
"so I guess I'll see you on Monday."
he touched Zayn's arm in a friendly manner as he spoke, running his hand down until he reached Zayn's wrist, the small sign of a smirk apparent before walking away, leaving Zayn unsteady.
Zayn tried to calm his breathing, watching the tall boy walk away from him, slipping out of the door, letting the whole room turn to the normal temperature. Zayn stared at the wall, unable to focus on anything else, knowing that the boy who left would drive him crazy.