zesty grapefruit [zarry] ✔️

31

"Hey," Harry says, ridiculously nervous. "It's Harry. Styles."

"Hello Harry Styles," Zain says drily, sounding exactly like he did all those months ago.

"Shut it," Harry says and then bites hit lip. "Sorry."

Zain snorts, the sound tinny over the phone. "Sure, babe. What do you want?"

"How do you feel about Hannah?" Harry asks and then wants to slap himself.

"Hannah, my ex?" Zain asks, confused. "Babe, it's been three months, I know I was a wreck but I'm good now actually. Don't you know? Gemma's been stalking me."

"I just. I really don't wanna be your rebound," Harry says, biting his lip. 

"I thought we had a deal?" Zain asks, amused now. 

Harry can picture him, all smug and casual. He's kept from calling Zain - or asking Gemma for details - for all these months, to give them space in the hopes of maybe not fucking up again. And now look at him.

"But do you want to go to Greece together? Or Bali? Just the two of us. I - I want to spend time with you," he says, swallowing. "As per our deal, you know."

Zain's quiet for a moment and Harry tries to keep breathing, biting his lip.

"Have you talked to Gemma?" Zain says.

"She isn't invited," Harry says, just to make things even clearer. "It'd be just the two of us. Alone."

"Yea, babe, I got that," Zain says. "I'd love that. But. We gotta talk to Gemma this time. Unless. Unless you're just looking for like. A holiday fun. Because then," he stocks again. "Then I can't."

"No," Harry says, relief rushing through him. He closes his eyes against it, tilting his head back into the sun. "No, not just fun. I'll call her tomorrow."

"I'll talk to her tonight," Zain sighs, probably already imagining the lecture he was about to get.

"Thank you," Harry smiles, warmth spreading through him. They were doing it properly this time.

"Yea," Zain agrees. "So. You wanna take me on holiday?"

"Yea," Harry smiles, rubbing the skin over the tattoo on his belly idly. "I do. And then I want to come back to England with you for a bit. I'd be in London but it'd still be closer."

"I'd like that," Zain says quietly. 

They're quiet for a moment. Harry listens to the sounds of Zain's breaths and closes his eyes. It's almost like he's back in bed with Zain, sun-warm and exhausted from a day at the beach, Zain's lips trailing over his back. He remembers how desperate he'd been, how good it felt when Zain had fucked him, slow and deep and not at all like the kind of pseudo one-night stand they had agreed on. Maybe he's been idolising it in his head. He'd find out soon. 

"How do you feel about Max?" Zain interrupts, a cheeky quality to his voice.

"Max?" Harry echoes him. "My ex? It's been three months, babe."

"Cheeky," Zain says like he didn't start it.

"I wasn't in love with him," Harry says. "Not sure I was really in like. Maybe I was in lust."

"Maybe you were in horny," Zain says. "Missed your stupid LA texts, babe. Why were you holding out on me?"

"I thought we agreed on a break so we'd have a fresh start?" Harry asks, watching the light hit the pool, making the water sparkle. It'd be a good pretentious LA picture. He's never really stopped looking at things with that lens. The Would-Zain-Think-This-Ridiculous lens and then making it as artsy as possible.

"I didn't know it'd deprive me of your pictures," Zain says, a slight pout in his voice.

"Do you really like it that much?" Harry asks, stomach squirming happily. "What I send you?"

"Yea. I- yea," Zain says. "Dunno why. Just. Love knowing that you think of me."

"I always think about you," Harry says before he can stop himself. His filter really should be better, considering.

"Babe," Zain says, sounding torn between teasing and softness. "Did you pine for me?"

"Maybe," Harry admits, staring at the sunroof over his terrace. "So. Holiday?" he asks, changing the topic before Zain will know just how much Harry had pined for him. 

He'll send him a picture of the pool as soon as they hang up, but for now he wants to talk to him a bit, listen to his voice and know that soon he'd see him again and they'd spend time together. And maybe the whole thing would implode and Gemma would be right. Or maybe they'd realise it was all superficial and nothing substantial. But maybe it would work out as well and that was worth all the stupidity and longing of the past year.

"Babe, you there?" Zain says, pulling Harry back to the present.

"Yea, sorry," Harry says, sitting up slightly. "Do you have a preference?" he asks, reaching for the sparking water with cucumber he's made himself. Maybe he'd send Zain a picture of that as well. It was also properly fancy.

"No," Zain says. "I'll be happy wherever. Preferably somewhere you'll wear your stupid shorts all the time."

"I'll see what I can do," Harry grins. "How's your thesis going?" he asks and closes his eyes to the sound of Zain's enthusiastic grumbling.

💟

Bam!

One more for fun and then we're done