Despite that Zayn did like Harry, he didn't really see him over the next week. He actually spent that time going to the store with his Papa and Nan and he also he went to the doctor with Papa when his Aunt came by. He was surprised to learn that the only thing wrong was that his grandfather's blood pressure was a little high but that mostly came from him being nervous about having to be checked by the doctor.
He missed his father a bit too. He'd already spent three weeks here and he was starting to come around to this place. But that didn't mean he didn't still love home more.
"Didn't I tell you you would?"
Zayn smiled. "Yeah. You did, daddy. But it's still odd not being there with you. I miss you."
"I miss you too. The other day, I baked a half chicken. You know you and I would always split that between us but since you weren't here, I had dinner for two days instead of just one."
Zayn smiled. "I miss your half chicken dinner."
"Why don't you ask Nan how to make it. It's her recipe. Your mother just showed me how to make it when we got married."
Zayn thought about it but shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. I worry about her enough. That's a complicated recipe that requires a lot of back and forth to the kitchen and I wouldn't want to ask her to do more than she's already doing."
Yaser chuckled into the phone. "Alright, son. That's fine. But are you going to tell me why you like it so much there all of a sudden? I was expecting you to call me bored out of your mind."
Zayn paused. His reason was Harry, of course. But was he ready to say that? No. Not yet. Yaser might think there was something more when in reality, they were really only friends. "I just think the lake is a nice place to go for the summer. That's all."
"See? I knew that it fit you well. You just needed to spend a little more time there to see what you liked and didn't like. Are there any activities left to do or have you done them all?"
"No. There are still things left to do but I'm not sure what they are yet. I really want Nan to show me how to make banana bread. That's simple, I think."
"It is simple and I'm sure she can."
"Me too. I'm just afraid she'll want to take over and do it for me instead of show me. You know how Nan used to be."
Yaser hummed. "Yes. I know. But be gentle, Zayn. You know she still thinks she can do everything. Don't make her feel bad."
"I won't."
The line was quiet for a short while and Zayn fell backwards in the bed.
"I'm getting sleepy. So I think I'm going to hang up and go to sleep."
"Sure. But don't forget I'll be sending you money in the mail. And also, I'll give you a call early next week, okay?"
He nodded. "Yes sir."
"I love you."
"I love you too, daddy."
After that, Zayn hung up the phone and stretched out in the bed. Soon after, he'd drifted off to sleep.
➡️➡️➡️
"Oh. Yes. I've seen you many, many times and never met you. You're a handsome boy." Zayn heard his Nan saying one afternoon when he'd just opened the bathroom door after showering. But he stayed hidden behind it because he was only in his underwear. "And you say you're Zayn's friend?"
"Yes ma'am."
When Zayn heard that voice, he panicked and scurried out of the bathroom, down the hallway to his bedroom, then closed the door. Harry? What was he doing here?
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The Summertime & Butterflies » Zarry ✔
FanfictionZayn is seventeen when his father first makes him spend the entire summer with his grandparents at their lake house. At first, he really doesn't want to be there. But that all changes when he meets an eighteen year old boy with green eyes and starts...