zesty grapefruit [zarry] ✔️

21

"Hey," Harry smiles at Zain, his forehead presses against Zain's cheek. "Where's your girlfriend? Hannah?" he asks, trying not to sound too stand-off-ish.

"Bathroom," Zain says, pulling Harry closer by the waist. "With your sister."

"That was gonna be my next question," Harry answers, laying his chin on Zain's shoulder and enjoying the way Zain is hugging him, his arms around Harry's lower back as he holds him close, their torsos presses together. He can almost forget the unfortunate development like this, and the fact that Zain and Hannah have apparently been dating for months now and neither of them had looked particularly annoyed or bored with the other so chances were they weren't gonna break up any time soon.

"You having fun?" Zain asks, his nose in Harry's hair as he nuzzles him.

"Yea," Harry shrugs, leaning his weight more fully on Zain. "It's fun. I think I'm ready to go back to the hotel though."

"Alone?" Zain asks. Perhaps Harry is imagining the way his voice sounds just a bit too forced to be carefree. Maybe he's not.

He presses his nose to Zain's shoulder, breathing in his cologne and hoping he doesn't sound too forlorn when he answers. "Alone."

Zain takes a breath like he's about to say something but then Gemma is there, dragging Hannah behind her.

"Ready to go back?" Gemma asks loudly as Harry straightens, stepping out of Zain's embrace.

"Yea," Harry answers, rubbing his arms. He feels tired and cold now when he'd been fine before, like giving up Zain's embrace has sucked the last energy from him. "I'm exhausted."

"Yea," Gemma frowns at him.

Harry tries not to watch Hannah get pulled into a hug by Zain instead, the way he kisses her cheek as he pulls her against his side. She ducks her head with a happy smile and nods when he whispers to her. Harry wants to know what makes her smile like that.

"Come on, then," Gemma says, hooking her arm through Harry's and pulling him towards the exit. "This is what I was afraid of, you know," she adds quietly, squeezing his arm. "Exactly this."

"I'll get over it," Harry says with a shrug. There was no use denying it, especially not to Gemma, and he would get over it. It's not like he'd actually thought that there was a chance with Zain. It's just that Zain was perfect — as perfect anyone who was best friend's with Gemma could be — and he hadn't quite expected to like being reprimanded about not putting on sunscreen quite this much.

"Are they in my hotel?"

"Nah," Gemma laughs. "Well, I kinda suggested to Zain that you could pay for it but they got a room they can actually afford. They'll join us for breakfast tomorrow. Kinda glad he didn't accept now," he adds, wrinkling her nose. "Would've been awkward making you pay for them."

"You often offer people I can pay for stuff?" Harry asks, not sure if he should be amused or annoyed. He doesn't think she does it often, though, because he can't remember when she's ever tried to get him to pay for someone that wasn't her.

"Just Zain," she shrugs. "Occasionally. There is this really really nice coat he's in love with, by the way, and he looks gorgeous in it, but it's too expensive. Won't listen when I tell him to tell you to buy it."

"I'm not a bank," Harry rolls his eyes. "And might be weird if I buy him things."

"Yea," Gemma shrugs. "I don't wanna repeat myself but this is why I didn't like it."

"I know," Harry sighs, getting into the car. Gemma follows him and pokes her head back out immediately.

"Come on, we'll drop you off."

"Thanks," Zain smiles.

Harry scoots over, both glad and also not when Zain sits down beside him, his thigh pressed against Harry's.

"Hannah's got to sit in the front," he explains. "She gets car sick."

"Oh," Harry acknowledges, poking his finger into the hole on Zain's knee. "Gemma said you're coming for breakfast?"

"Yep," Zain answers, shooting Harry a quick smile.

Harry smiles back reflexively, turning away to look out of the window when Gemma raises an eyebrow at him over Zain's shoulder. It's easier to pretend to watch the city pass by than deal with Gemma's too knowing looks. He idly listens to Zain and Gemma gossip about some of their friends from home and pretends to fall asleep before they reach Zain's hotel.

💟

...sorry?