For Lovers Only - [A Zarry Stylik]©️

V- THE QUIET ANGER

L,

Around 4 pm, I was finished with my work for the day. I wanted to make Zayn happy and make amends for the lost night.

I planned to go down, throw a few punches and lift weights for an hour, shower, meet the boys as planned and grab food for Zayn. I wanted to make him happy today. Love him entirely.

When we were teens with no knowledge of the world, Niall, Zayn, Harry, Louis, and I were friends. We grew up close, going to the same school, but not necessarily in the same class.

Louis and Zayn were the oldest ones, going to the same class since toddlers, while Harry, Niall and I were a year behind. Somehow, we made our way to each other and all it took was one informal football match during recess, to create a bond between the five of us. Zayn and Louis were like brothers, that was obvious - joint at the hip. But, soon after my bond grew, and we became a trio. The closer we were, the more obvious it became to me who Zayn was. He was funny, goofy and sweet when alone, but when paired with Louis he was a menace.

One day, when we were walking home when Zayn stopped me:

"I have a confession to make."

I stopped next to him, with a look of confusion. Zayn was smaller, baby-faced, with messy hair. A sweet-looking boy, still maturing into the man he'd become. It was the end of the day, the sun was setting, bathing us in an orange glow.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Zayn spat out with wide eyes. I confess I was taken aback by his declaration. I too was a kid, 15 years old, and Zayn 16, both knowing nothing about life. I was surprised. Shocked. But...deep down, I was excited.

"What?"

"I love you," Zayn repeated with a shrug. "I have a crush on you."

"Well, do you have a crush, or do you love me? Those are different things."

"Does it matter?"

"It does. A crush can pass, love lasts forever."

Zayn frowned, scratching his neck. "I like you, Liam."

"So, you like me. Not love me."

"Fucking hell, mate..." Zayn smiled with shame. A light blush came to his face, making him look at his shoes and I felt my heart fill with adoration for his awkwardness. "You know what, never mind. Ignore me."

"No, no...no, listen..." I searched my brain for an answer that wouldn't hurt my friend. I had no idea that Zayn was like that. I was a boy! I knew that a lot of girls at our school loved Zayn. His name was all over the girls' bathroom, in-class chairs and tables with tiny hearts or pairing with some girl: Mary <3 Zayn; Anika + Zayn; Taylor Luv's Zayn 4ever - stuff like that, but Zayn never recognized or admitted being with any of them. On Valentine's Day, it was always a toss between him and Harry to see who got more cards. This was surprising. And I was super excited. "I had no idea you felt...you felt like this about me, Zed."

"Yeah..."

"So, you're...gay?"

Zayn frowned. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No! No! I don't care. You're my mate. It's fine." It was more than fine. I was overwhelmed. It was weird to know a mate (a boy!) had a crush on me. It was...curious. But, I kept it cool. I placed one hand over Zayn's shoulder. "Listen, thank you, but...I don't...I don't think we should..."

"Yeah, yeah...I know, just want to be friends, right?"

"Of course."

"Yeah..." Zayn's eyes showed hurt. "I gotta go home."