Intersection [ZARRY]

33

Despite the fact that Doniya was the oldest Malik child, and Zayn the youngest, he’d always been the closest with her. Growing up, she was the one he’d always go to.

She’d helped when his Mom had been so angry that he was proposing to Gigi at such a young age. She’d confronted her on the
fact that she treated Zayn like he was helpless while also putting him on a
pedestal because he was the only boy.
And he wanted to talk to her about Harry.

Zayn told her he wanted to meet up in private, so they picked a day her husband’s parents would have the kids, and Zayn went over.

His goddamned hands wouldn’t stop shaking. This would be the first time he actually told someone in his personal life that he was in a relationship with another man. He wasn’t sure how she would take it.

“You look like you’re going to vomit all over the place, Zayn. What’s wrong?” Doniya asked as she opened the door.

He walked into the house. “Nothing. I’m fine. I’m—”

“A liar,” she interrupted.

He shrugged, because she was pretty close to being correct. “I am a liar. I’m not fine. Not in some ways, but in others, I’m more fine than I’ve ever been, if that makes any sense.”

It was such a confusing cluster in his head.
He knew how he felt and what he wanted, even though he didn’t understand it.

Doniya frowned, pushing her black hair behind her ear. “You’re scaring me, Zaynie. What’s wrong?”

She hadn’t called him that since he was a kid. “Come on. Let’s go sit down. Do you have any coffee?”

“I’m a mom, Zayn. I live on coffee.”

The two of them walked into the kitchen, made a cup of coffee, before sitting down at the table. Zayn blew on it. Took a drink.

Blew on it again.

Stalled.
He was being a fucking pussy.

He leaned back in the antique, wood chair and eyed his sister. “I’m in a relationship with my neighbor.”

Another frown. “Okay...I’m not sure why that’s a big deal. I know Mom gets funny about who’s good enough for her boy, but you’re a grown man. You’re single. You have every right to be in a relationship if that’s what you want.”

Zayn’s grip on his cup got stronger, but he didn’t turn away from his sister when he said, “My neighbor is a man, Doniya. I’m in a relationship with another man.”

If this wasn’t such a serious moment, he’d laugh at her expression.

Doniya’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. He’d never shocked his sister in his life. Leave it to Harry to be the thing that did it for him. He was always giving Zayn new experiences, even when he wasn’t around.

“Oh... You’re gay? I never guessed. Is that what caused problems between you and Gigi?” Her voice sounded far away, as though she was drifting as she spoke.

Zayn didn’t think she realized it, though, didn’t think she did it on purpose.

“I guess gay is what you have to call it. I’m in love with another man, but it wasn’t what caused problems between Gigi and I. I’ve never so much as looked at another man before him. I don’t...I don’t know what it is about him. It’s just...right.”

There was no other word for it than that. For the first time since Zayn told her, he looked away. He leaned forward with his
elbows on the table and his face in his hands. It was minutes later before he
spoke again.