Broken Things

Chapter 26

HPOV:

"Yeah that's cool, Harry. You know you're always welcomed here," Zayn said with a yawn over the phone. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and I had just touched down when I called him.

"Thanks. I'm really sorry for it being so late."

"It's fine. I'll leave the door unlocked." I thanked him again and hung up. I lugged my bags onto a trolly and went to catch a cab.

When I arrived at Zayn's, the place was dark aside from a light from the kitchen. I locked the door behind me and went down the hall to the guest room. I took out a few things from my bags, undressed, and got into bed.

--

The sky was grey when I opened my eyes. For a moment, I thought I had woken from a bad dream and I was back at Stevie's; but it was only a moment. I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling. The pain in my chest hadn't gone away like I had hoped but I wasn't surprised. I checked my phone only to be welcomed by disappointment.

I got out of bed and went into the kitchen. There was still coffee despite it being nearly 1:30 in the afternoon. I poured a cup and searched for Zayn. I followed the low sounds of music and the faint smell of spray paint. I opened the door of his studio to find him standing in front of a large canvas that was already covered in a design. He turned around as I walked into the room. He took off his mask and smiled.

"Sleep okay?" he asked. I nodded, sitting down on the couch he had in the room.

"Thanks again, Zayn. I'm sorry for-".

He held his hand up, "Don't worry about it, Haz. It's not a problem at all." I nodded again and took a sip of my coffee. I looked around at the walls covered in color. It was amazing what he could do. When he wasn't singing, he was constantly drawing on something. I watched as he rummaged through a large box of paint cans and pulled out a few different colors.

"What is it that you're working on now?"

"Don't know. Just whatever comes to mind, I guess," he said with a shrug. He swiped across the canvas a few more times, interchanging the colors at various times. When he finished, he took a step back to view his work in it's entirety.

"Looks good," I said over the brim of my cup.

He nodded, "It needs something else but it's good for now." He came over and sat down next to me, pulling his ankle over his knee.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on or...?"

I sat my cup down on the floor and let out a sigh. I started telling him what had happened between Stevie and me. When I finished, he raised a brow and gave a nod as he registered.

"Seems a mess. Have you talked to her at all?" I shook my head. He bit the inside of his lip and scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm sure she'll come around. Harry. I can see how much she cares about you. I don't think she'll be mad forever." I enjoyed talking to Zayn for this reason. He didn't say much and just listened. He always kept a level head about things and worded advice that would make anyone feel better.

"I know. At least, I hope not. It's just, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I wanted so badly for her to be happy when I ended up hurting her instead." He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave a small smile.

"Just give it time." I wanted to feel relief but all I felt was the tight feeling grow in my chest.

"I think I'm going to shower," I said in monotone.

"Alright. I'll be around if you need me." I got up and started towards the door.

"Does anyone else know I'm here?" I said standing in the doorway.