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It’s not that Zayn hates being wrong because he knows that that’s inevitable. He just hates proving Louis right. He will purposely go out of his way and make his life harder if it guarantees keeping that smug grin off of Louis’ face.
Like the one he’s wearing right now.
“I’m just saying mate,” he purrs, smirking at Zayn, “if you had just done your laundry earlier you wouldn’t be in this mess. I reminded you many times you needed to make sure you washed your clothes for your panel discussion tomorrow but you ignored me. Whose fault is that, hm?
Zayn groans. “You quite finished?”
“Whatever are you talking about Zaynie? You know that I hate saying I told you so -”
“Then don’t do it.”
“But,” Louis continues unashamed, flipping his messy fringe to the side, “someone has to or you’ll never learn.”
Zayn snorts but doesn’t say anything else, choosing to ignore Louis the rest of the way towards the University’s laundry room. He rounds the corner and balances his basket of clothes in one arm, swiping his ID and pushing the door open just in time to catch the other side of his basket before it could slip and spill onto the floor.
Zayn places his basket on top of one of the many washing machines, groaning and wiping his sweaty forehead before turning to Louis.
“You going to stay and give me a hand?”
Louis laughs obnoxiously, bending over in dramatic delight and slapping the tops of his knees with the palms of his hands. “Sorry but I have this thing to catch up on called sleep. Have you heard of it?”
Zayn groans and with another laugh, Louis salutes Zayn and walks out the door, letting it close with a soft thud and filling the empty room with silence. Taking advantage of the serenity, Zayn grabs the speakers on top of his clothes, connecting it to his phone and letting the voice of Drake bounce of the walls.
I got my eyes on you, you’re everything that I see
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Zayn is so focused on watching his clothes in the dryer, spinning around as soft tunes feel his ear - finally found, the dreaming lived those ties unbound - that he jumps (unattractively, though he'll deny it) when he hears a sound from another washing machine behind him.
He turns around and is stood in surprise when he sees someone else in the room.
"I-I'm sorry," the guy says, biting his lip and looking at him shyly. "Didn't mean to frighten you."
"How long have you been here," Zayn asks before he can stop himself. "You do know what time it is right?"
The guy nods. "About half past 2 in the morning last time I checked." Zayn nods and figures he can't really judge the man because he is doing his own laundry. The man seems to have the same idea however and starts to speak as if Zayn had asked him anyways. "I've had a lot of late midterm review sessions and haven't been able to get my laundry done until now."
Zayn nods. "It's cool mate. I was just unaware I had company. Have you, um - have you been here long?"
The guy lets out a chuckle, letting a grin overcome his face. "Got here about five songs ago. I believe I opened the door when you sang out ' I got girls in the back of the mattress. '
Zayn groans. "Well that's a bit embarrassing. That's also not true, so I can't even pass it off as if I was that much of a catch."
"I'm sure with a voice like yours you're definitely a hit with the ladies."
"Maybe but I prefer to be a hit with the boys."
The guy, bless his soul, doesn't give Zayn a hateful look but instead sends a careless shrug his way accompanied a smirk. "Gender doesn't matter, especially when it comes to a person's ability to be swooned."
Zayn laughs. "I'll take that one then." He walks over and, maybe it's because this guy looks a bit posh and polite, even with his low-rise messy sweats and tight fit short sleeve leaving nothing to the imagination about his physique, and sticks his hand out. "I'm Zayn by the way."
"Liam," the guy says when he takes Zayn's hand in his, "nice to meet you mate."
Zayn lets go of Liam's hand, ignoring the way he feels a warmth in his stomach when Liam squeezes a second before letting their hands fall.
"If you'd like me to turn the music down, I can just snap on some headphones. I still have a bit more loads to go so I don't want to bother you."
Liam shakes his head. "No no, please don't try to accomodate now that you know of my presence." Zayn chuckles. "Your music choices are actually really cool. And your voice is killer mate."
"Thanks," Zayn says, blushing. Liam smiles and turns around, opening the washing machine lid and dropping in some fabric softener.
Zayn takes that as the end of their conversation for now and turns back around to his own load, loosing himself to the music once again.
And this time when he hears another soft voice fill the room with his, he smiles to himself.
' Has anyone ever told ya, you do your living while you're young'
⚪️⚫️
"C'mon, you know this," Liam yells. Zayn laughs but sits up straighter, actually bothering to look at Liam's actions versus just laughing at his charm.
Quickly, he gets it. "Negligent homicide." Liam stands up from the floor, where he had fallen when he shot himself with the imagery gun he found on his table.
"Correct! See I told you; you'll be fine."
Zayn sighs. "I suppose so." He brings his hands up, stretching them over his head, causing his shirt to rise up and show the black heart on his hip. He catches the way Liam looks at it curiously before slowly taking in the rest of Zayn's body until locking eyes with him, a subtle blush visible on his cheeks. "Better to be sure though, you know?"
Liam nods, though Zayn isn’t sure if Liam remembers what they were just talking about. He gives Zayn a smile before turning around and heading back to his laundry. "Is your batch done yet," he asks as he throws his last round in the dryer.
"Um, I'm not sure." Zayn stands up and heads over to the dryer he’s been using, putting in more time to the already dried clothes. "Nah, they're still wet." Liam gives him an incredulous look, and Zayn can't judge him since that batch has been drying for over an hour now.
"Seems like they won't be dry until tomorrow. Or today, I suppose."
Zayn laughs. "Yeah maybe. Do you have a class later?"
Liam shakes his head. "Nah, I have Monday's off. My first class is tomorrow morning. How about you?"
"I usually have Monday's off but I have my panel discussion for criminal law in the afternoon."
"Oh, right," Liam says playing with the back of his head shyly, "that's what I was helping you with. Sorry I um, - I forgot." Zayn is about to tell him it's okay when Liam keeps talking, though quieter than before so Zayn has to move a bit closer to him to hear. "If you're free then - after we finish our laundry that is - maybe we can go get something to eat? I'm starving and I know a diner by here that opens early."
"Oh," Zayn says, kind of caught off guard. "Yeah, that'd be - that sounds great actually."
Liam smiles brightly at Zayn, his eyes crinkling at the corners of his eyes. "Awesome, it's a date. My batch is about done. Why don't you take your already-dried batch out?" He winks when Zayn's mouth opens, his cheeks starting to burn in embarrassment.
Still, he listens however because the quicker they finish the more time he'll have to spend time with Liam on their first date fuck. He takes his clothes out, opting for throwing them into his bin without folding them. He turns around and catches Liam giving him an amused grin, his eyes motioning towards the bin.
"Eager are we?" Zayn blushes but Liam doesn't make fun of him. Instead he takes hold of Zayn's hand in his and brings it to his lip, playing a gentle peck on the back of Zayn's hand. "It's okay, I am too."
Liam doesn't let go of Zayn's hand as they walk out of the building, only to open the door for Zayn. And Zayn stop himself from smiling.
Maybe Louis being right isn't so bad all the time.
⚪️⚫️