Should We Just Keep Driving? [Zarry Stylik AU]©️

Chapter 16

Zayn kept looking at his hand. It had been an hour since he had stepped into Anne Twist's house and the phone would ring every two minutes with a number he did not recognize but was sure of who it could be. He was certain it was him, on the other line, demanding an answer or wanting a reply. And Zayn was trying but being in such a loving environment made things complicated.

He looked up, seeing Harry across from him with his mother on one side and the sister on the other. He was showered with love and affection by the two most important people in his life. It was like watching a scene from the outside. Harry was all smiles and blushes. His mother would touch his face, and his cheek and squeeze his hand, making sure he was there.

She had set up the table with some tea, cookies, and appetisers even though they weren't hungry after a massive breakfast at Yitty. The house was small but warm, full of memories and in the pictures, Zayn could see all the various stages of Harry: from when he was a baby-faced boy, up to a young adult with long hair. Gemma was sweet, spoke with soft words and was always very polite in her manners. Michael, her fiancé, was equally kind and loving.

Now and then would share gazes across the table, paired up with loving smiles. It was lovely to see Harry in this environment and Zayn wanted nothing but to keep him like this.

The phone rang again in his hand with the number insisting on a conversation.

"Excuse me," Zayn begged, standing from the table, and walking down the hall to find a quiet place. He was close to the stairs to the second floor. "Hello?"

"Good morning. Boy, you're a hard man to talk to, Zayn!" Louis commented on the other side. Zayn took a deep breath before continuing with the conversation. "Almost thought you were avoiding me or something."

"I'm sorry, I've had a busy weekend."

"I imagine," Louis responded. "I heard you are not at your house. How will we speak? I am not keen on having conversations over the phone."

"How about..." Zayn pondered for a moment. "How about we meet somewhere else?"

"The Velvet," Louis responded. "My club. Do you know where it is?"

"I'll find it."

"Good. In...an hour?"

"I'm a bit further. Might take me more."

Louis chuckled. "It may also take you less. I've been hounding you to pick up your fucking phone, you can at least make it on time."

"But-"

"Fantastic. See you in an hour."

Louis ended the call leaving Zayn with his heart in his hands. Here it was again that sense of dread that left him completely lost and with a hint of anxiety forming within himself. Zayn looked up the stairs and, curiously, walked up. The first room he saw was not Harry's. Nor was the second one with a feminine decor. He found the third one on the left and saw that it was his old bedroom. From the single bed to the posters on the wall or the shelf crooked with books, which was Harry's room.

Zayn ventured into his world, admiring what it was like to be inside such a mind. He had an amazing vinyl collection, all lined up according to the genre and protected in plastic cases. Some terrific books were on his shelf - some of which Zayn had read. At that moment, he figured Harry was just more than just his past or his current job. He was someone who could take on the world, with vision and a sense of self some people didn't have.

Zayn found a little box on his dresser - he opened it finding a ton of rings, all golden and all beautiful. He saw the H and the S, smirking to himself - what a pretentious bastard walking around with his initials in his fingers. He caught the ring with the pretty pearl on it. Then, another with the lion. But the one he found the most beautiful was the one with the birds. It was a pretty one and Zayn put it on his finger. Then, he wandered to Harry's bed where he sat down while playing with it.