017.

Zayn slept well that night, as well as Liam. And the night after that, and after that, and so on. It seemed that now that Liam's feelings were out in the open, everything could be at ease for a bit. Liam grew to love having Zayn sleep with him, not that Zayn knew that piece of information, Liam still acted as though he did before his whole status of missing Zayn.

Zayn also stuck with his idea of keeping a close eye on Liam. He never wanted to let him go again. And he hoped he wouldn't be fooled into anything again. Hopefully from now onward, he'll be able to keep Liam safe and in his possession at all times.

And overall, everything had been going smooth. Liam even sometimes participated in the hugs and cuddles and such, which almost made Zayn the happiest man on earth.

Almost because, what would make him the happiest is to have Liam love him. He finally thinks that he'll wait as long as he needs to, because for him, Liam is definitely something worth waiting for.

Zayn still doesn't let Liam come from the room. He instead brings him everything he needs, and if Liam has to go to the bathroom or take a shower, Zayn will stand right outside the door and wait til he's finished. Liam may be uncomfortable, but Zayn could care less. This is what he gets for deceiving him, and it will stay that way until Liam can prove to him that Zayn can truly trust him.

Liam missed Niall. He missed having friends, and he missed having a girlfriend to cuddling up to (though he didn't mind having Zayn to cuddle with), and over all, he just missed going places, being free, going to his job. All of this was taken away from him as soon as Zayn took him.

All of this was just utterly perplexing. How was Liam supposed to grasp onto his feelings for Zayn if Zayn's treating him like his very own pet. Sure he's nice, most of the time, but in reality, Liam just felt like he was put on a leash that was wrapped around a tree to prevent him from going anywhere. 

Liam decided to stop thinking about it. Instead, he brought his knees up for his chin to rest on, and looked around at the room as there was nothing better to do. Honestly, Liam wished Zayn would have at least provided him with some entertainment because at this rate, Liam felt like he'd die right in this room, of boredom.

Knowing Zayn, he was probably not too far away from the door. He insisted on staying close at all times just in case Liam could find some other way to escape. He was keen on not letting him go so soon. He wanted to keep him.

With all this boredom, Liam figured he could do with some company. 

He called for Zayn.

Zayn came bursting through the door as if Liam was in need of some serious help. He relaxed visibly when he realized there was nothing in jeopardy.

"You called?"

"Yeah, I just wanted you to keep me company".

Liam smiles a little, and Zayn eyebrows go up and his eyes go wide because wow, Liam has never said anything like that, and he thinks he really likes the change that's going on here. Thinks he can get used to something great like this.

Instead of saying something really stupid or just doing something really stupid, Zayn comes closer and sits on the edge of the bed. He's so happy, he can start doing the cha cha slide. 

But this all isn't enough for Liam. He wants Zayn closer. He needs Zayn closer. He needs his warmth, and his scent, and he just needs him. He wants so badly to just reach over and bring him as close as possible to him. All he wants is contact with Zayn and right now, he's not receiving any.

And Zayn is feeling the exact same way. He wants so desperately to move as close as he can but he fears that would make Liam uncomfortable. And it's weird because one moment, he could care less about Liam's discomfort, and then the next, he's all about caring for Liam's comfort. Both of them want to be close to each other, they just don't know it.

Suddenly, They both crash into each other, holding on for dear life, because they've craved this for so long. They need each other's embrace, and now that they've finally got it, they're not sure if they ever want to let go.

Liam doesn't even care about trying to explore his feelings for Zayn. To the hell with them because he'd rather hug Zayn for the rest of his life rather than think of that ever again.

He knows he likes Zayn. He definitely likes Zayn, he's figured this out before. He thinks he should just wait for the feelings to rise rather than rush them. After all, only knowing that he likes Zayn is enough for now. No need to puzzle himself any further.

Zayn positions himself so that he is no longer in that uncomfortable position anymore. They shift into a way that they're laying down, and just cuddling each other.

"Do you have feelings for me?" And Zayn regrets saying that as soon as the words fly out of his mouth. But it's not his fault, he just can't help himself. It's killing him not knowing, and if he didn't say anything sooner, he'd burst.

All he receives back is silence though. He starts to think that Liam just fell asleep but if he listened close enough, he could still faintly hear Liam's light breathing.

He waits, and he waits, and he waits. Still nothing. He starts to panic because he obviously has said the wrong thing. He should have just kept it to himself, but he just had to be selfish. Just had to be curious.

Now he has probably scared Liam off with his question. After all, who would like someone like him. He needed to be real. He forgot for a moment what kind of person he was.  God, he was so stupid.

Liam turned his head towards him, not saying anything, only looking. He didn't seemed scared or disgusted or any other emotion Zayn thought he'd show, which relieved Zayn a great deal. 

It seemed as though Liam was analyzing him. If anyone could look torn, that's what Liam looked like right now. 

But finally the look disappeared and Liam leaned forward. Instead of kissing him on the lips like Zayn had hoped he would, he went for a more romantic place, in Zayn's opinion, like his forehead. He soft lips that Zayn found he liked too much for his own good, lingered for a second or two more than it should have, before moving back again.

He smiled at Zayn, This fucking smile that drove Zayn absolutely crazy, and spoke.

"Maybe", he says.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe this is Liam starting to love him.

Maybe this is what it feels like to be loved.

Or maybe this is what it feels like to be cared for and liked.

Either way, it felt good.

Zayn couldn't resist and leaned in to give him a real kiss. One of those slow and passionate kisses that make your mind go fuzzy. The ones that give you a mix of butterflies and moths in your tummy and a tingle that goes all the way down your spine.

And Liam kissed back feverishly.