A race to your heart (Zarry AU)

25.- Text Message 🏁

Harry's POV

I love the days when we are together like this. When we stay in my house for days, spilling breakfast on pillowcases. We are always so hungry for each other.

I got out of bed to get some water when I heard Zayn's phone vibrate and light up on the coffee table. I couldn't help it and I read the message that he received.

Nicky: "Can't wait to celebrate our engagement with our families and set a date to join our lives, baby. I miss you so much, come home XO " the text read.

I felt a pang in my stomach. We just had an amazing time, here secluded in our bubble. But the reality punched me in the face, I was so naive in thinking I had him.

The words blurred as I reread them, the realization crashing over me, despite everything, despite his promises, he was still planning to marry her.

I felt a hot rush of anger and pain surge through me, and before I knew it, I was on my feet, pacing the room, trying to contain the storm of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. Jealousy, anger, envy, impotence, frustration. All at once. My mouth was dry again and I had a knot in my throat. So, I just drank all the glass of water in one gulp.

"Babe? What are you doing up?" Zayn said from the bed. He just woke up.

"I was... thirsty," I replied.

"Come to bed. I miss you," Zayn said sleepily covering his eyes with his arm. He hated the day of light when he was sleeping.

"Not now," I said lowly.

"What's wrong?" Zayn's voice cut through the fog of my thoughts, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists and, I struggled to keep my voice steady.

"Did you forget to mention something?" I let out. The anger, the hurt, the betrayal—it all came spilling out as I held up his phone.

"Harry... what are you talking about now?," Zayn said sitting up against the headboard, confusion, and tiredness in his voice.

I threw his phone onto the bed.

The color drained from his face as he realized what I'd read. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. His silence only fueled my anger, and I felt my chest tighten with the weight of it all.

"Is not... serious, believe me," he finally managed to say, but his voice was shaky, and the excuse felt hollow. I couldn't stay still. The frustration and confusion boiled over, and I started pacing again, unable to look at him.

"Not serious? Are you shitting me? Zayn, she's talking about setting a wedding date!" I let out and took a deep breath. "You promised me. You promised that you wouldn't go through with it." I said.

"I know what I... promised," he whispered, his voice full of guilt.

"So, why is she still talking about it? You haven't canceled the wedding, have you?" I said, my voice cracking with emotion.

He looked speechless, desperate, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"My-my family, Harry. They've been pressuring me. They want a date, they want us to move forward with it. They don't know about...me. About my love for you. They wouldn't understand." he said.

I stopped pacing and turned to face him, trying to understand why he was still second-guessing what we had and the life he was still planning with her.

"So you're just going to go along with it? Pretend that everything's fine and marry her, even though you don't love her the way you love me?" I said

"I don't know!" Zayn's voice broke as he finally exploded, his frustration and confusion bursting out. "I don't know what to do! I'm stuck between what my family wants and what I want. And I... I don't know how to make this work."