Zayn backs up to admire his dark graffiti work against the light wall, spray paint can still dangling in one hand. Seeing the words for the first time, Liam canât help his lips from stretching into a grin.
âIt looks amazing, Zed,â Liam praises, bringing his arm to rest around Zaynâs small waist. âEven better than I couldâve ever imagined.â
âYeah?â Zayn responds, catching Liamâs eye as his lips upturn.
âYeah.â He gives him a nod, grin still firmly planted on his face.
Taking a couple of steps forward to get a closer look, Zayn squints at the words in front of him.
In awe, eyes settled on the boy in front of him, Liam says finally, âCanât believe you offered to do the art for my single. I mean, I know we still have to get the shot and everything butâŠâ
Zaynâs silent for a moment, blinking a few times as he takes in the wall in front of him. Then, he turns his head around to give him a small smile. âWell, Leeyum, Iâm right next to you.â
âAlways,â Liam replies, beaming, a softness in his eyes that Zaynâs never seen before.Â
Zayn faces forward one more time to give a final glance to his artwork before he flips on his heel. Stops dead in his tracks, breath stuck in his throat, when he sees Liamâs position.
âMarry meâ are the only shaky words that leave Liamâs mouth as he looks up into Zaynâs eyes. His nervous hands fidget around in his pocket for something. A box. âI mean it,â he huffs as he watches a whole range of emotions pass over Zaynâs face in less than a second. âI wanna be right next to you. Forever.â
He haphazardly opens the small, velvet box as if worried it might explode. Zayn can hear Liamâs gulp from where he stands, his shallow breaths filling the silence.
âIâve been wanting to ask for a while now,â Liam mumbles, breaking eye contact when the other boy remains quiet.
Zayn gnaws on his bottom lip, stomach flipping with every word Liam says. With every syllable that proves that Liamâs not joking, not pulling some evil, misguided prank. (Not that he thought Liam would ever do such a thing anyway, but⊠never hurts to double check.)
His eyes fall to the box, the silver Cartier band, eight small diamonds circling the ring. Any breath that Zayn had been holding on to before is now long gone, leaving him with a breathlessness and a need to pinch himself to make sure this is all really happening.
âKept it in my pocket for months, just waiting for the right moment,â Liam finishes quietly, locking eyes with Zayn. âGlad we finally stumbled upon the right one.â
âYou know, you were right,â Zayn mutters slowly, a smirk sliding onto his face as tears threaten to well up from his eyes. âLove does feel best.â
Liamâs eyebrows shoot up at the unexpected comment, his heart pounding in his ears. âIs that a yes then?â
âOf course, you idget,â Zayn laughs contentedly, the warmth of the sound passing over Liamâs body like a ray of sunshine against his skin. âI love you more than words can say, more than I could ever dare to explain.â He stops, staring at the boy below him fondly. âNow stand up, please. I wanna kiss my boyfriend,â he teases as he extends his hand to help Liam up.
Liam gently lifts the band out of the cushioning with a small smile. âFirstâŠâ He winks, catching Zaynâs eye as he sees his grin widening. He slides the ring into place, letting his fingers hover there for a moment too long.Â
Finally grasping onto Zaynâs hand, he gets off his knees with an exhale, wiping the dirt thatâs accumulated on his black jeans. âSorry, what was that again?â
Rolling his eyes with a huff and a giggle, Zayn corrects lightly, âSorry. I wanna kiss my fiancĂ©.â
âMuch better,â Liam grins, giving Zayn a quick peck before he pulls back. âThatâs not gonna stop. You know that, right?â
âYeah, yeah,â Zayn says easily. âNot gonna stop until youâre my husband, and even then, youâll just have a new term to use.â
âMy fiancĂ© knows me so well,â Liam beams, and then before Liam can continue on, Zaynâs arms are around Liamâs neck, pulling him into a long kiss.
This kind of love. The kind of love that fills Liam so full he feels he might implode, the kind of love that brings laughter erupting from deep inside of him, the kind of love that turns his stomach inside out. This kind of love, this is the kind that feels best.