eternity. ♡ zarry ♡

5: heart

Age 10

"Do you think we'll see bears?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

Zayn looked away from the window and to Harry, a thoughtful look on his face as he thought about his question.

"I hope so! We can become friends with it if we do!" Zayn's face lit up at the idea and he smiled widely.

Harry nodded excitedly and adjusted his seatbelt slightly so he could scoot just a little closer to Zayn who sat on the other side of the minivan.

"Last time I went out there, I was seven and I swear I heard something walking around outside of our cabin," Harry whispered, watching Zayn's eyes go wide.

"Really?!" Zayn screeched.

Anne flinched and the van slightly jerked, her eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed as she tried her best to concentrate on the road.

"No yelling, Zayn! Not while I'm driving, please!" she yelled to the back.

"Sorry, ma'am." Zayn bit down on his bottom lip when he turned to Harry who was stifling a loud laugh.

"That means you have to shut up too, bighead," Gemma said from the front of the van where she sat texting on her phone.

"I didn't even say anything!" Harry yelled in a defensive tone.

"For Christ's sake, shut up!" Anne shouted. The car fell silent and now Zayn was the one stifling a laugh.

Harry groaned and crossed his arms with a pout, he hated when his mother yelled. It felt like she was always yelling at him.

The rest of the drive was silent despite the radio that played softly with Zayn humming quietly along with it. This was how Anne liked to drive, in silence with a good song playing in the background and no loud kids interrupting the wonderful lyrics.

When they arrived, Harry was the first one to start talking as they pulled their small cases of luggage out of the trunk of the minivan.

"I can't believe Ms. Lily got your parents to let you stay," Harry said as he struggled to pull his suitcase up the steps.

"I know right! She's amazing, I wish she was my real mama." Zayn smiled proudly at the thought of his nanny.

As Anne unlocked the door to the cabin, she glanced back at Zayn and said, "Don't say things like that, Zayn. Your mother loves you and you should love her too." She pushed open the wooden door and stepped aside to let the kids go in first.

"But she's never around like Ms. Lily, neither is papa. They couldn't even come with us on this trip," Zayn huffed as he rolled his suitcase inside.

Anne knew Zayn was right, but she also knew that Zayn's parents only worked so much to make sure he had a place to lay his head, food to fill his stomach, and clothes to keep him warm. All of it was for Zayn, they otherwise wouldn't be so busy if it weren't for him.

"It's okay, Zaynie. We're your family, too, so don't worry so much about your parents," Harry said.

Zayn took off his shoes and then smiled at Harry.

Harry always knew what to say.

The rest of the day was quiet inside of the small cabin while Zayn and Harry were outside exploring.

"Look at this bug, Harry," Zayn said.

Harry turned to see Zayn squatted, his butt just hovering above the ground and his eyes wide as he stared down at the bug.

It was small, it had six legs and a large yellow spot that stood out against the its black exterior, its eyes were just as black. It stayed in its place, as if it were looking back at Zayn and observing this big giant with brown eyes and skin.

"Bugs are gross," Harry stated, not bothering to get any closer to the bug.

"It's probably thinking the same thing. We're big with stretchy skin and only two eyes, we're probably so ugly to it." Zayn placed his head in his hands with a bit of a frown.

Harry scoffed and squatted down next to Zayn. "Who cares what a tiny bug thinks?" Harry asked sarcastically, his face scrunching up once he's gotten a closer look at the bug.

Zayn licked his lips, his eyes never looking away from the bug.

There was a long silence, no sound of leafs rustling or twigs breaking or the wind blowing, it was just them, the bug and their thoughts. Harry looked to Zayn, he stared into his brown eyes that never left that damn bug.

They looked sad and Harry knew they did because he remembers how Zayn looked at him when his parents didn't come to their class performance or when his mother had left the park to answer a phone call.

So sad. Brown eyes that always seemed to be blue.

"Do you think it has a family? Like a mama and papa with their own yellow dots?" Zayn asked, looking at Harry.

Harry looked down at the bug, it moved just a couple of centimeters away from them.

"It can't have a family if it's all alone by itself, right?" Zayn continued.

"Everyone and everything has a family. Sometimes they're gone but they never really leave you," Harry explained.

"What does that mean? Gone but never leave?"

"It's what my mommy told me when my daddy died. He's gone, like he isn't around, but he's still here with me." Zayn looked around and then back to Harry with a confused look.

"Where?" Zayn asked.

Harry stood and Zayn followed suit, leaving the bug by itself.

He lifted his hand and pointed to his chest. "Right here. Mommy says that when you love someone, they stay in your heart." Zayn nodded at his words.

"So if I love my mama and papa, they'll always been here," Zayn pointed to his own chest and looked to Harry for a confirmation.

Harry nodded with a smile. "Everyone you love stays in your heart. So when your mama and papa aren't around, they're in your heart," Harry said.

Zayn looked down at his hand that's now placed flatly over his heart. "Will you be there?" Zayn whispered.

"If you want me there," Harry whispered back, pushing around the dirt, making sure not to come near the bug.

Zayn smiled, looking at Harry. He took Harry's hand and placed it where his own hand just was. "I want you there along with my mama and papa and Gemma and Mrs. Styles and Ms. Lily and.. everyone."

"You can fit that many people in there?" Harry asked in disbelief. He felt Zayn's heart beating against the palm of his hand, it was becoming faster and faster.

"My hearts big enough, Harry. I have a big heart so that everyone has a place to stay."

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