5 Chapter 4

After 45 more minutes of casual conversation - along with some more material for Harry to tease Zayn with about Liam, - and watching the hedges and trees fly by in a blur, Liam pulled into a long gravel driveway. Trees lined the road all the way up to a huge, grand looking stone house. Vines making their way up the side of the house, some partially covering a few of the large, ornate windows.

"Whoa...," Zayn whispered

          One minute later, Liam was pulling into the spacious garage on the left side of the house and turning off the engine. Zayn and Harry sat there slightly stunned, only snapping out of it at the sound of Liam's voice ricocheting off the garage walls.

"Welcome gentlemen," Liam said in a very posh voice as he stepped out of the car.

          Zayn slowly around in his seat until he was facing Harry. Both boys shocked expressions mirroring the other.

"Did your mum mention anything about staying in a freaking mansion?!" Zayn whisper yelled.

"Not in the slightest," Harry replied, still looking around in a slight daze as he moved to open the car door.

          The two thanked Liam, who had already gotten their cases out of the trunk. Or the 'boot' as they say over here. Harry didn't miss Zayn's blush as Liam handed him his suitcase, seeing his eyes trained directly at Liam's biceps. Snickering under his breath, Harry nudged Zayn's arm with his own. Zayn shot Harry a warning glare so Harry just sent him an innocent smile.

          As the three made their way over to the door that leads into the house, Harry started asking Liam questions. He didn't get much chance to ask him anything during the drive because Liam and Zayn were wrapped up in their own little world. Not that Harry's complaining though. The scenery was amazing! He even got the chance to take a few pictures for his project. Harry also might have snuck a few of Z and Liam...but they don't have to know that.

"So... do you live around here too," Harry inquired.

"Yeah, I live just around the corner," Liam said as he turned the knob, "the houses are pretty spaced out here."

"Cool cool cool," Harry replied, laughing under his breath at his Brooklyn 99 reference.

"No doubt, no doubt," Zayn whispered to himself. Great minds think alike.

"So Liam-" Harry started.

"-Please, both of you can call me Li" Liam interrupted.

"Ok, Li" Harry continued, using the new nickname, "any girlfriends were going to have to watch out for while we're here?"

          Harry subtly glanced over at Zayn, who had turned slightly pink. This kid. Harry turned his attention back to Liam just in time to watch his gaze flick over to Zayn and see him smile slightly.

"Nope, no girlfriends," Liam said with a small smile.

They turned down a hallway the lead toward the main part of the house.

"Now, Maura isn't home at the moment," Liam explained as they continued walking, "so I don't think she'll be home until late tonight, which means you'll probably meet her tomorrow at this point."

          Zayn and Harry nodded following Liam up the marble staircase in the middle of the main entrance-way. This house is nuts. There's big chandeliers hanging low down from the vaulted ceiling, large mirrors with gold frames and paintings that are probably worth a heck of a lot of money. Not to mention the wall-length picture window that was visible through one of the doorways the group had passed by earlier. It looked like it had a beautiful view of the seemingly endless fields surrounding the estate.

"We'll drop your guys' stuff off in your rooms and then you'll have the joy of witnessing the awakening of the beasts," Liam laughed.

"We have our own rooms?" Zayn said in surprise.

"Of course," Liam replied with a smile, "there's plenty of space."

"Awesome," Zayn said.

          After a few more twists and turns throughout the hallways, the boys made it to the rooms they'll be staying in. Harry and Zayn's rooms are right across the hall from each other. Which is perfect because Harry won't have to get lost trying to find Zayn, and he won't be able to hear Zayn and Liam through the wall. Something is bound to happen between those two eventually.

"Alright guys, you get situated, I'll be right back," Liam said as he walked off in the direction they came from.

          The two foreigners went into their respective rooms to deposit their stuff. Harry's room had a queen bed pushed up against a wall with a large window overlooking the fields outside he'd seen earlier, and an ensuite bathroom. Zayn's room was the same just flipped. Harry went to grab a charging cord out of his bag before he began his hunt for the closest outlet to the bed. As Harry plugged his phone in to charge, the screen lit up saying '3% Charged'. Phew! That was a close one. After poking around the room a bit more, Harry ventured back into the hallway again.

"This place is sick," Zayn exclaimed happily, "my bedroom even has its own bathroom."

"Thank goodness you won't have to hog the bathroom from everyone else," Harry teased, "you take forever to get ready-"

"I do not" Zayn said, acting offended.

"-Seriously man," Hart continued nagging, "what do you even do in there," he said suggestively.

"Do in where?" Liam asked, appearing around the corner, only this time holding two big cups of water.

"Nothing" Zayn answered quickly, a slight blush coating his cheeks as Harry laughed quietly.

"Ok...," Liam said, slightly confused, "follow me."

They walked down the hallway a little ways and Liam stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar.

"Wait here," Liam said, grinning evilly, the two cups of water still in his hands.

Liam slowly nudged the door open and tiptoed in. Leaving the other two boys in the hallway. What they weren't expecting was to hear yelling and shuffling before Liam came flying out of the room laughing, minus the cups of water this time.

"Liam was the FUCK!" a voice shouted with a strong Irish accent.

"GET BACK HERE YOU WANKER!" another more British voice yelled, only closer to the door this time.

Liam was now laughing on the floor and wheezing something about 'the look on their faces'. Zayn looked confused but amused at the same time and Harry had to stifle his laughter.

Two seconds later a slightly shorter boy with messy hair sticking up every direction slid out into the hall, clearly drenched. He tried to get to Liam but started slipping on the water and crashed right into Harry. Harry grabbed him by the arm to steady him, causing the boy to freeze.

"Oops," the unknown boy muttered.

"Hi," Harry responded, just over a whisper.

          Both made eye contact, the shorter of the of the two looking slightly shell shocked, attempting to regain his composure. Realizing how close their faces were, Harry took a small step back and cleared his throat in an attempt to ease the awkward tension.

          Harry turned to face Zayn who had a smirk etched into his features. Uh oh. Noticing he still had his had on the blue-eyed boy's arm, Harry quickly brought it back down to his side as he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Oh 'ello," the Irish voice spoke, making Harry jump not realizing he was standing there, "and who's this?" The blond said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Guys, this is Zayn and Harry," Liam gestured between Harry and Zayn, "they'll be staying with Ni for the two weeks they're in the UK."

Harry and Zayn nodded in confirmation and smiled at the two boys.

"And these two hooligans are Louis and Niall," Liam explained, addressing the boy who fell into Harry and the Irish one behind him who was also covered in water.

"Excuse me Liam," the shorter of the two, Louis, sassed.

"Nice to meet ya'" Niall said, not even arguing with Liam's statement.

• Word Count: 1352