All the Leaves are Brown (Zarry AU)

Chapter 25

A few months ago, they would’ve been in the disabled toilet by now, Harry bent over the sink and Zayn’s hand in his hair, holding his face up to the mirror so he can see Harry’s flushed cheeks and half-open eyes as he fucks him, but this is better. Zayn had no idea waiting would turn him on so much, but there’s a certain thrill to spending the day with someone knowing how it’s going to end. To knowing, I’m going to touch you later.

They kiss everywhere. Everywhere. On every bench and every street corner in Blackpool. And each time they do, Zayn slips his hands into the back pockets of Harry’s jeans as he’s pulling away and whispers, ‘Later.’ It makes Harry giddy, his eyes wild as Zayn takes his hand and leads him into another arcade. Sometimes they don’t even make it that far and only make it as far as the next lamppost before they’re kissing again.

By the time the sun sets they’re drunk on it. They’ve gone into every arcade and walked the length of each pier. Harry’s worn a hole into the sole of his Converse so they seek refuge on a bench, the soft toy banana Zayn won him in the last arcade they were in by way of an apology for beating him at crazy golf (Harry’s surprisingly competitive) on the bench between them. They’re eating fish and chips and Zayn doesn’t know if it’s the sea air or the fact that the sea doesn’t look as scary from the bench, but it’s the best fish and chips he’s ever had. Harry agrees because as soon as he’s inhaled his own, he starts in on his despite Zayn’s repeated attempts to stab his hand with his chip fork.

Harry’s threatening to go back to the chip shop to get another portion when they see a woman coming towards them down the promenade. She’s walking her dog; a chocolate brown Labrador who stops when he sees Zayn then starts bounding towards him, bringing her with him. ‘Whoa, Barney,’ she gasps, but when she sees that he’s running towards Zayn, who is waiting with open arms, she smiles and lets go of the lead. He scoops the puppy up and kisses his warm head, giggling as he wriggles in his arms.

‘Hello, Barney,’ Harry says, kissing him, too. ‘Are you having a good day?’

It makes the puppy even more hysterical as he yelps, clearly unsure which of them to lick first. He goes for Zayn and in that moment, his heart suddenly feels to big for his chest like it did the other day when he and Harry took Jude to the park. And he misses him again, even though he’s sitting right next to him, playing with the puppy’s ears. He realises why then, as his life flashes before him – marriage and puppies and kids and day trips to Blackpool. Not the life he’s had, rather the life he’ll never have with Harry and it makes him sick with sadness as he hugs the puppy.

Zayn doesn’t know why he’s thinking about that shit. He’s only twenty, why the fuck is he thinking about getting married when he should be thinking of finding them a hotel room? But it’s Harry and that's the way he’s made him feel since he walked into his living room that night in May, like he could leave at any moment and he needs to hold on.

‘You okay?’ the woman asks, suddenly in front of them. When Zayn looks up, she puts a hand in her long hair to keep it back as the breeze blows it into her eyes, and she almost doesn’t look real in her long white dress, like some sort of siren.

‘Yeah.’ She looks at him like she doesn’t believe him, so he adds, ‘Just tired.’

‘Of what?’ That startles him and she smiles. ‘Sorry. I tend do that.’

‘What?’

‘Say the things people don’t want me to say out loud.’

‘What? Are you like psychic, or something?’

‘I guess.’

Zayn tries not to roll his eyes because psychics are two a penny in Blackpool. Not like the ones on the telly who deliberately ask vague questions like, ‘Does anyone’s name begin with a C?’ But proper old-fashioned circus psychics who read crystal balls and will tell you anything you want to hear if you cross their palm with silver.

Harry, however, is thrilled. ‘No way! Can you tell the future and stuff?’

She just smiles.

‘I’m in a band,’ he tells her then shakes his head. ‘But you know that, right?’

Zayn can’t help but roll his eyes then, holding Barney up and frowning at him as if to say, ‘Can you believe that I’m in love with this goob?’

But neither of them notices as Harry grins. ‘Are we gonna make it?’

‘No,’ she says and it’s so blunt that Zayn laughs. He covers his mouth with his hand when he looks at Harry, who looks devastated, trying not to laugh again when he realises that he’s about to lose another £20 winning him another banana.

‘Cheers,’ Harry says with a grumpy sigh.

‘But you two will,’ she winks, reaching down to take the puppy from Zayn.

The pair of them look at each other then smile clumsily.

‘Not if he keeps nicking my chips,’ Zayn grumbles, nudging Harry with his knee.

‘Hold on.’ She smiles knowingly.

Hold onto what? he almost asks, but before he can, she uses one of Barney’s paws to say goodbye to them then continues down the promenade.

‘Am I going to lose my flower tonight?’ Harry calls after her.

Zayn kicks him this time.