Oceans for Backyards

Everyone was crowded in Liam's small living room; Harry and Louis sitting all over each other in front of the recliner where Niall sat and Liam and Zayn squeezed onto the love seat. The tv was playing but no one was really paying attention; they were all arguing about what they were going to do that weekend. Harry wanted to go to some show in the city, Niall and Louis wanted to drink, Liam wanted everyone to be safe and well Zayn didn't really care. He's been talking to Mackenzie for a while now, still trying to get together somehow, and ultimately slowly getting to know each other.

"Okay Zayn its up to you." Harry spoke.

"Yeah Zayn. This is the most important decision of your life. Decide wisely." Louis added.

Zayn looked up from his phone, "What am I deciding?"

Louis groaned and Harry answered, "Whether we'll go to some bars or go see Ed play in the city."

Zayn weighed the options thinking about if he could invite Mackenzie to one of these events and if he would want her to meet the guys. The bar would be loud and if she does show it would be too hard to hear her and if Mackenzie does have free time it would be nice to see Ed and go into the city with his friends. It would be more casual and lighthearted.

"I wanna go see Ed." Zayn finally said.

"Damn." Louis muttered. "I really thought you would pick drinking. Alright! Liam! Pick!"

Zayn waited to hear Liam's choice even though he knew he would pick Ed's show as well and he was correct. Niall started complaining about wanting to get drunk so Harry reminded him that he could very easily do it at Ed's show. That seemed to quiet him down but since everyone's attention was off of Niall's it shifted to Zayn.

"You're always on your phone." Louis commented. "Do you not like us anymore?"

"I'm plotting all of your demises right now." Zayn answered quickly.

"I think he's talking to a girl." Liam spoke up, peeking over at his screen.

"Dude." Zayn said locking his phone so it went black.

"You got a girls number and you didn't tell us?" Harry asked with a pout.

Zayn rolled his eyes, "I know you think I'm incapable of pulling a girl but just ask Niall and he will tell you."

Niall immediately nodded, "Do you remember that girl who started yelling some other dudes name but it was her fathers name?"

"And that is why I don't have sex with women. They have weird fetishes." Louis shuddered.

Zayn rolled his eyes and looked back at his phone seeing a new reply from Mackenzie. Knowing if he started replying now the guys would continue to mock him he waited to reply.

"Don't deviate from the subject." Harry said. "What's her name?"

Zayn hesitated, "Mackenzie."

"Where'd you meet her?" Liam asked.

"Aquarium."

"When you went with your family?" Niall asked.

"Yeah." Zayn said.

"What does she look like?"

Zayn knew he had a picture of her on his phone, the one of her and the dolphin, but he wasn't about to show them that picture.

"She's got blonde hair, green eyes. She's really cute."

"Good on ya mate." Liam said nodding.

"When do we meet her?"

"I don't know." Zayn said honestly. "She works all the time and with my schedule its really hard to find a time to hang out. Sides I'm not sure I'm ready for you all to scare her off."

"We're angels!" Louis cried.

"Invite her to Ed's gig." Niall suggested.

"Yeah maybe."

Finally Zayn looked at his reply and decided he might as well ask her about going to the show. It was short notice he knows since its Wednesday and the show was Friday but what did he have to lose? If she couldn't go to this one then maybe he'll just go to the aquarium again and see her.

++

"So is your girlfriend coming?" Liam asked Zayn as they waited for Ed to start.

"No, she had to work and she's not my girlfriend." Zayn told him pouting a little.

"Awe, I'm sorry mate."

Zayn shrugged, "Its alright."

And it was but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Mackenzie seemed really interested in going and she tried to switch hours with someone but no one would do it. He got used to not being able to work anything out for the past two weeks that the possibility of her being able to go got his hopes up pretty high. He knows he'll see her soon though because he's just one check away from being able to get the season pass.

He wasn't able to text her constantly since she was at work but he hoped she wouldn't be too tired to talk when she was out of work. Through out the show he would receive messages from her saying something about the dolphins learning a new trick or someone cried when they met a dolphin. It was nice to Zayn that she thought of him and thought to text him little updates of her night any spare second she had. Eventually it was eleven o'clock and she was out of work and home so she could talk freely. Zayn was still hanging backstage with Ed and the guys but decided to make his exit so he could talk to her.

Once he was on the tube and headed back to his flat he called her, hoping it wasn't too weird for him to do so.

"Hey, back from the show already?" Mackenzie asked once she answered.

"Yeah, I'm on the train now."

"Oh okay. How was it? I really wish I could have gone."

"Yeah me too. It was ace. Ed is fantastic. I recorded some of it on my phone so maybe I can send it to you. It probably sounds terrible."

"That's alright, send it when you can. Is he like a friend of yours?"

"He's more Harry's friend but I mean we're all mates. Like we can all hang out and it's chill."

"That's cool. It must be nice to be able to hang out with different people. I really only hang out with dolphins and other trainers."

"Well I'm trying to change that."

Mackenzie was silent for a few seconds and finally replied in a whisper. "Good."

Zayn smiled and took a second before responding, "So how was your night?"

Mackenzie sighed and started talking all about her day starting with the good and ending with the bad. She talked for a while about work but he really didn't mind because she always sounded so animated. He could just picture her face lighting up when she talked about Claire nailed her new trick and he could picture her eye roll when she talked about a terrible customer. He didn't have much to say but Mackenzie didn't seem to mind so he just listened to her stories and commented when really necessary.

They talked about the aquarium then Zayn's job and his classes. She asked about his art and what his friends think of it and what his friends do. He asked about when she started at the aquarium and if she was in school and things of that nature. The conversation lasted them for a good two hours until Mackenzie was so tired she couldn't talk anymore. Zayn wished her a good night’s rest and hung up after she mumbled out a 'night, talk real soon'.