Animal Attraction 2

7 - Like Real People Do

Working in the Italian restaurant should feel like coming home or something pleasant since Harry's been there for years but he can't get the possibility of a new job out of his mind.

It's nearly like when Harry first started working there. The hours are long, his break not long enough. He's polite enough and doesn't have to do anything that requires too much brain activity but he daydreams of a new job where he doesn't have to come home smelling like tomato sauce and garlic.

At the end of his work shift, Harry gathers his tips and heads off home. He's ready to pass out in bed for a long overdue nap.

He wonders what Niall's up to. He's supposed to be hanging out with Liam today. It's a friendship that Harry's always been a little annoyed about. On the plus side, he knows Liam won't teach him stupid things or give him bad ideas like Louis.

And speaking of Louis, he'd finally found Zayn.

Louis had gone through extensive measures to find Zayn. He talked to one of the guys supposedly in Zayn's study group who told him to talk to another guy who's seen him "about an hour ago" and the blue eyed boy was getting sick of getting the runaround from these idiots.

It ends up being Liam that gives up where Zayn is. Just not by choice.

Maybe it's crossing various lines looking through one your best friend's phones but it's been two days of this. Louis' known Zayn for years and hadn't considered him to be the type of person to run away when things get a little rough. This is the person he's in a relationship with? Some overgrown, albeit sexy, baby who avoids him instead talking shit out?

By the time Louis' pulling up to the university library riding his bike his palms have gone slick. Louis just knows in Zayn's eyes he's the one who's mucked everything up. What if there isn't anything to salvage? Was this fuck off supposed mean things were over? Louis swallows down the lump in his throat and wills his pulse to stop hammering in his ears as he walks up the stone steps of the library.

A glance at his watch tells him it's seven in the afternoon.

The library itself is quite big. The lights from the ceiling span golden yellow lights that must've once been white when the building was first built. It smells musty and its eerily quiet besides the tap tap tap of students using the computers.

Louis' walking down the aisle of study tables full of students, scanning them briefly for a raven haired someone.

He doesn't find Zayn at a study table. He finds him tucked in a corner with a stack of comics.

"Found you, son of a bitch." Louis mumbles to himself as he strides over with purpose, his knee giving a painful twinge.

And Zayn looks adorable sitting there reading a comic, his pretty lips mouthing the words as he reads them. Louis wants to be snuggle up under his arm and smell the cologne on his cozy looking jumper.

It's been a little while since he's seen Zayn and no memory can do him justice. Zayn is stubborn as he is gorgeous so Louis supposes it'd been inevitable that they would bump heads. Just perhaps not this soon.

He hopes for Zayn to look up as he approaches and sense his presence but he's got stupid earphones on while Louis' attempting for a dramatic entrance of sorts. It's not exactly going the way he envisioned but he can make do with the situation.

Louis pauses a few feet away from and pulls his phone out to text Zayn, his fingers a little bit shaky.

look up

He gets the satisfaction of watching Zayn open the text and mouth the words with confusion until he looks up but Zayn's got a legendary poker face. His amber eyes are all brimstone and liquid amber as he eyes Louis.