"See?" » Zarry ✔

22: Purple

Patricia was folding clothes in the living room when Yaser came in and sat on the arm of the couch next to her. She could tell that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure."

"What are you thinking about, then?"

"Zayn."

"What about him?"

"Have you been paying attention to him at work?"

She hummed. "Only a little. I've been spending so much time in the office lately. What about him?"

"He seems to be distracted and even annoyed by something. It worries me. He hasn't fully been the same since he returned home from college. I don't want to pry but whatever it is, I don't want him to have to deal with it alone."

She picked up a shirt and began to neatly fold it. "When you say annoyed, do you suspect it's of us?"

"No. It's definitely not of us. It's something else he's got going on in his life. He appears to be good in the morning when he first arrives at work. But by lunch, he's anxious. That day that I sent him home early, I told you it was because he was tired and hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before. But it was really because he lied to me about going on his lunch break. He said he was going to eat. But I checked the refrigerator and he never took any food with him."

"You went checking behind him?"

"No. I just happened to see it was still there. But that's the point. I feel like he's keeping something from us. And it scares me."

She put a hand on her hip. "Listen. Our son may have made some mistakes in the past but he is still an adult and he is responsible for himself. Don't forget that."

"I know."

"So if he wants to tell us what's going on in his life, he will."

"But what if he chooses to do so too late? What if he's not lucky enough to dodge trouble twice? I think we need to invite him over with intentions to talk."

"You want to corner him?"

"No. I don't want to corner him. I just want to see if he feels comfortable enough to confide in his father again."

"So this is about you."

"Patricia."

"No. You don't understand. Every time I try to explain to you that he needs his space, you end up giving him even less. Okay, sure. We will invite him over so you can have your talk. But after that, you have to stop this that you're doing. You can't prevent every bad thing from happening to your children no matter how much you want to."

"I can try."

"But you won't succeed and that is just me being realistic about it. Remember Zayn is not our only child. We have a daughter upstairs who also has her own goals. She still lives with us and she's still figuring out herself too. Be there for her, Yaser. And I'm not just talking about being there to make sure everything remains okay. But be there for her for the day that comes when it no longer isn't."

When Patricia frowned and started to fold again, Yaser sighed and looked down at his feet. Was she right? Of course she was. But he still needed one more chance. One more chance to get Zayn to come to him as his loving father and then he would concede.

➡️➡️➡️

A few days later, Zayn showed up to Harry's house after work with a new color to discuss. Harry opened the door after Zayn announced himself over the intercom.