For Lovers Only - [A Zarry Stylik]©️

SO, YOU WANTED A BIG ROMANTIC GESTURE

H,

Liam and Zayn watched each other like two bulls. They were shooting daggers with their eyes from a room away. Liam always with a slight smirk on his face, joking and interacting with other guests, while Zayn had gone sombre.

During dinner he was quiet, barely touched his food or moved at all while the fundraiser happened around him. I sensed his mind twirling and twisting in all directions. I feared what could come out of him after such a moment.

During the first half of dinner, guests would come to him and greet him, Zayn would keep it short and sweet, quickly returning to his dark self. I knew he was boiling inside with anger at this move from Liam to attack us. His eyebrows were drawn, a straight line on his lips and the muscles of his jaw clenched. I felt hopeless and feared the worst seeing him like this.

When the latest guest departed from our table, Zayn sat back down and grabbed a fork. He played with the fork, twisting it between his fingers, hypnotized by the clumsy movements he created to soothe himself. He looked up at Liam, seeing him having fun and being his welcoming self. Then watched Jeff who was laughing at something Simon had said. What a trio!

His knuckles became white as he gripped the fork tighter in his hand. He was a world away from me and I feared I could not pull him back while he was like this.

I placed one hand on the inside of his thigh, bringing him back to me. I griped his inner muscle softly, calling him in silence. When his eyes locked on mine, I saw him. After a few seconds, my Zayn relaxed, finding me and seeing me too. It was as if his anger disappeared just by looking at me, finding in me the comfort he needed. His eyes searched my face, lips parted for a moment, and he said so much without saying a single word. He was relaxed. Mine.

"So, that's Jeff?" I heard Louis ask with an arched eyebrow.

In all our years together, I had never shown a picture of Jeff to my friends or had him over to London. Why? I didn't want him to come into my life here. I saw Jeff as a different reality, a different storyline of mine. I was a different person then. I was hurting, lying to myself, searching for something in the arms of another. I was grieving. Jeff was that and I didn't want him close, now that I was happy again. Jeff was New York, and Zayn was everything else. They didn't deserve to be in the same space.

Zayn kept looking at me with these magical brown eyes. I wanted to be inside his mind and know what he was thinking. I massaged the inside of his leg a bit more and he took a deep breath in. We were transfixed on one another.

"I thought he'd be taller." Niall retorted at my side.

Louis's voice came at me in a form of a high-pitched question. "Really? Him?"

" Don't do that, Louis." Amelia defended. "He's a handsome man."

"No, I'm just asking." Louis defended, with an offence. "I mean, I get it jumping from me to Zayn. However, leaving Zayn... for him?"

"He looks like an ass," Niall encouraged. "I don't like him."

"Right," Louis turned to us, leaning forward. "What are we doing? Are we cornering him in the bathroom? Kick his ass? Sending through a window? What's our plan?"

I zoned out Louis's question keeping my focus on my lover. Zayn kept his eyes on me, moving from my lips to my eyes.

"Hi,"

"Hi. Where were you?" I asked in a whisper. "You've been quiet all night. You haven't eaten."

"Sorry," Zayn responded softly. "I moved to a dark place for a moment."