✔ A Sky Full of Stars [Zarry AU]

Chapter Eight

"Don't cry, I'm sorry to have deceived you so much, but that's how life is."
― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita.

"Why did you tell me? I would have been better off without hearing, or looking at that." Harry whispered as Zayn bit into the skin right below his neck. It was about 2:30 am and there they were in the bed tangled with Zayn on top of the boy, holding him as if he was afraid of losing him. Zayn didn't know how he was supposed to respond to that, he licked the bite close to Harry's collarbone as he held his face, making him look right back into his eyes.

His green eyes were still watery. His face has been red by crying, yet he tells him that 'It's okay, I was a jerk. At least he enjoyed, might as well let others enjoy too.' Zayn pecked his lips. "The night I was performing at the pub. I saw you. You performed right before me, I couldn't get you off my head. I had seen you in a way I probably shouldn't have, I wanted to know more about you. I wanted to know about Louis. After talking with Cameron and Mark, I knew about Louis. They told me how sad you were, always crying to yourself, trying to avoid everybody else. I- I don't know. When I talked to you later that night, I saw this sparkle in your eye."

He continued further, "I didn't catch it at first, it took me a while to figure out that you weren't as happy as your eyes told me. Deep inside I could see it, there was this thing about you. You wanted something, yet you didn't expect much. I realized you don't visit anybody unless it's for that purpose. Later that night when you came into my room, I guessed I was right about my assumption. I tried to get it out of you, I did. I don't know what I'm doing but I don't want you to keep doing that. You loved him, you might still do; you don't have to prove anything to yourself."

He offered a faint smile to Harry. "Just concentrate on what you're doing. What you want right now, talking to Herman about all your ideas. I saw it all. I'm not telling you to stop it all, I'm telling you to catch yourself before you fall deep inside. I've seen people fall, I've fell once myself. I don't need to witness more people falling. I can't tell you what to do, Harry. You don't even know me; I don't even know you. I just want you to know that, you have me. Whenever you need to talk, whatever you need to ask. I'm here for you."

Harry kissed his lightly, not the way he did that night when he was drunk and they just did it fast and hard. It was just like the way Louis had kissed him on Valentine's day, right behind his car deep and slow. "I don't want to do this anymore." Harry whispered, his face so close to Zayn that he could hear his breath slow and steady. "I- I can't think about him like that. He was nice and sweet, he cared about me. He wouldn't let anybody look at me. He would never share me."

"Don't think about it, Harry. Don't." Zayn whispers while kissing his cheek. "I told you because it was eating me from the inside. I couldn't even look at you without thinking about... that. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I think it's the best thing that you told me. I would have never known." Harry whispered as he kissed Zayn again.

That night they didn't do anything else. They simply kissed while Zayn whispered sweet things in his ear, almost as if they were something. Something important, something beautiful. Louis had never held him like this, the way Zayn held him tightly, yet making sure he wasn't hurting the boy underneath him. But that wasn't changing anything between them.

*

The next morning Harry goes for a drink with Cameron. He doesn't utter a single thing about the information that he had acquired last night, maybe Cameron knew that. Maybe Cameron had seen him the way only Louis had done. But as long as Cameron treated him like a friend, going out for drinks and talking about life, everything was fine. Because nobody needs to see the real him, the pathetic and hopeless him.

He reads an article about Zayn and Crystal officially dating. Their picture is cute. Zayn has held her hand and she is pointing at some flowers as he was just looking at her with a smile. Like he was in love, he must be. "Zayn is loved up, it's so pathetic. Makes me want to puke." Niall tells him a day when he's early in the studio and Herman hasn't arrived, neither has Zayn. Harry laughs because that's all he could do.

He started avoiding Zayn. That's wrong, Zayn probably started avoiding him. There wouldn't be one day when Zayn and Crystal wouldn't make it to the Hot Topic of every celebrity magazine and every page of best new couples. It had been about a week now, he didn't perform at the pub and he wonders if anybody missed him, or if anybody noticed that he didn't.

He calls up Mark and then somehow they're inside New Beverly Cinemas. It took them about half an hour to get there with Mark complaining about his car. "How's your work?" Mark asked him as they're watching something titled as 'Devil's Angels'. Mark tells him that this place has good popcorn and candies, that's the main reason he visits whenever he gets a chance. He doesn't really care about what movie they're watching.

"It's a decent crowd in here." Mark tells him as the movie had started. Harry is not paying much attention to it and Mark is just focused on devouring the food. "You sure you don't need any?" Mark asked him when he bought a huge pack of popcorn and a couple of candies. Harry just laughed and told him a straight 'no'.

"Work is good," Harry answered to his question. "I like working with those people. They're nice and, they do appreciate my taste in music." Mark just nodded at that as he took out his phone and scrolled down.

"I wanted to tell you something," Mark started as Harry's heart almost jumped out of his chest. Maybe it was because there was some weird scene going on in the film and Mark pretty much yelled that in his ear. "Sorry for that. Anyways, there's this guy. He came to the pub with Crystal once, his name is Kurt. I reckon that you have seen him."

He has. He remembers the guy who recommended him to sing during one of his last shows. He couldn't see his face properly, but he does remember he was tall and had broad shoulders. "Yes, I do." Harry replied as Mark nodded. "Good. So that guy tells me he is a... what was it? Oh yes, Anaesthetist. I didn't know what it was, but after searching a bit I heard that job earns like 184,000 dollars."

He continued with an excited look on his face. "Anyways, he did look rich. He asks me about you, and I just tell him you're a new artist and stuff. Then he asks if he could have your number and I didn't give it to him because that would be just, wrong. So anyways, I ask him the reason and he goes like 'It's important, I need to talk to him' and stuff. I tell him you are friends with Zayn who is apparently dating Crystal and he was with her so he can get in contact with you. I'm just telling you, he seemed really interested in you."

Harry didn't say much after that. His phone beeped as he looked down at the message, it was from Zayn. He hadn't been in contact with him since a week.

Zayn: Come to my flat after 7.

Zayn: Bring your morning stuff please.