(Won't) Last Forever •ZARRY•

i.

This should be read as one continuous work, not a chaptered story. The chapters here are only because of the length of the work. Enjoy :)

They were too young. They were too young to get married and too young to get divorced. Was it a mistake? Should they regret it? Was getting married at twenty-two, fresh out of college and eager to dive into the real world, the biggest misstep of their adult lives?

            It didn't feel like it for quite a long time. They got married young, so? People have babies when they're teenagers, matrimony is way easier and they weren't teens anymore. When two people love each other so very much, the next step is marriage, right? Then comes the house and the mortgage, kids and an ugly car. A dog or two, kid's parties, friends' weddings and baby showers. Then it's graduation parties and your kids' weddings, grandchildren and death? Is that how it goes?

            Harry will never think of their marriage as a mistake. How could he? It was five blissful years and one full of nothing but fighting and the occasional fucking, because despite hating each other, there was love somewhere deep inside of all that mess. Perhaps it's still there, hidden under layers and layers of resentment, waiting to be uncovered again.

            "Do you regret it?" Harry asks Zayn after what seemed like hours of silence. Maybe it was.

            They're sitting on the dark hardwood floors of their living room. Well, if you can still call it theirs. Furniture gone, some boxes spewed around the house, it's no longer the place they called home for five years. So, here they are, sitting on the ground in their living room, the big 25x35 black and white photograph from their wedding, back when they thought nothing could come between them, staring at them from above the fireplace. Neither of them had the heart or courage to take it down and pack with the rest of their things. Maybe it'll stay here until the realtor comes, takes it down and throws it out. Perhaps it won't be moved until the house is sold. Possibly to some other young couple just like they were six years ago, happy and excited to spend the rest of their lives together. The photo will be a warning sign for them – 'Don't think you'll stay this happy forever. Look at us, we were so in love and now we're divorced. We didn't even bother to take a photo from our wedding from this place. Enjoy this house while you can.'

            A bottle of red wine and two chipped mugs they wanted to throw out are between them. How fitting – they celebrated moving into this house with a bottle of red wine and it's the same as they're leaving it now. Except the first time they were body on body, kissing all evening on the grey carpet in front of the fireplace before they moved to their bedroom, bed completely bare save for a blanket they bought on the way here, windows lacking curtains as well. Now they're sitting maybe six feet apart and they're terrified their hands are gonna touch when reaching for the wine.

            "No," Zayn says simply, a mug almost on his lips, staring at the photo above the fireplace. Harry wonders if he's thinking about the same things – how happy they were, did they waste the time or not, is it truly over?

            "Remember when we got engaged?" Harry asks quietly. The words almost echo in the spacious room, but that's probably just Harry's imagination. He expected Zayn to throw him a dirty look and dismiss the question with a 'It's useless to talk about the good times, Harry.', but instead he chuckles and the smile stays on his face while he keeps gazing at their wedding photo. Harry feels a pang in his heart. Zayn hasn't smiled at him in months. Now it's meant for a picture, a version of Harry he loved. It's still enough, still better than nothing.

            "It was a good night," Zayn almost whispers into his wine.

            "It was," Harry nods, "I was so scared in the morning that you were joking. You were gone and I thought it was the end of our whole relationship."