Once in a lifetime

Chapter 3 Just me

Anne stayed for a week with him. They used all the possible time to catch up, share their favourite foods, walk to Central Park, get ice cream, and went to dine out few nights, some of the perks of living in the upper west side of the city is that there was a bit of everything close by. He hadn't crossed paths with Zayn again in a full week, and yet he hadn't left his mind. He was everywhere. How can you have such crush on someone you only saw and spoke with once? Someone you know nothing about and yet it feels like you want to deep dive into their mind. It was driving Harry mad. He finally understood what his mother meant the day she arrived. He wanted so bad to go all stalker mode and search for him, but he was a grown ass twenty eight years old man, not an overly eager teen.

He kept repeating on his mind, if it is meant to be, it will be anyhow. He was just coming back from the airport, where Anne's plane had just left. He felt that hole on his heart again, the ever-present loneliness haunting him, the one making him doubt himself and made him wonder if it was even worth it to stay away from his family to pursue a dream. Granted, he had his small yet successful business, he had to hire two more people within the last six months, he had Ni and Lou who by the way he had ditched for the last few days knowing they would know right away something was going on with him, same as his mother. Those two little fuckers were like extensions of his soul, knew him way too well.

Speaking of the devil, because that happened very often to him, his phone started ringing. He deliberated for few seconds whether he should answer or not the call when he saw it was a group video call. They were going to get him good. He just knew. He decided to just rip off the band-aid.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"What's up, says the fucker. Would you believe this guy, Ni?" Lou was the first to come at him.

"Yeah, I heard. He is the one abandoning us and answers the damn phone cool as a cucumber" said Niall between his trademarked laughs, he never failed to amuse Harry.

"Listen, m' sorry to be M.I.A for so long, lads, I just have had a lot on mind, y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah, we figure. Has Anne left yet?" Lou asked.

"She has, yeah. Plane just took off a bit ago."

"Sorry, mate. How you feeling, lad?" The always caring Niall interfered.

"Same old, same old. S' the same every time, y'know. Every time something or someone reminds me of home I just...is hard, y'feel me?"

"I feel you H. It's hard to be away of what you love, but you are smashing it here, man." Lou replied.

"Yeah, yeah H. Count your blessings, lad. You are doing rather nice here, no?

"Yeah"

"Then light up, H. Maybe we should plan a short trip, few weeks long and we should all go back home for a while. Get a little nice rain on you and enjoy the humid weather, right? Niall said and then hell descended on him. The lads started speaking at the same time, Lou with his accent that hadn't worn out even after all this years and Ni with his omnipresent laugh-talk. He zoned out again, ignoring them while they made plans for their little escapade. He wanted to get some bagels with coffee so he walked, because he was very fond of walking, to his usual café.

When he checked the traffic lights to cross the street, a very familiar and strange hair caught his eye. It was a beautiful bright pink colour; one he had dreamt about a couple of times last week. Sometimes you had to help fate, right? He rushed to get to the other side, to avoid losing sight of the man he desperately wanted to see again. See? Liar. He wanted to do way more than seeing him, that was for sure. Zayn seemed to be going on the same direction as he was, heading to the café. He wondered if they liked the same places and if so, how come they had never met before? He indeed entered the same place Harry was heading to, so he had to end the video call with Ni and Lou by saying he would hit them up later, that they should continue making plans and let him know once all was sorted out. That should get them off him for few hours at least.