Buses & Bunk Beds (Zarry)

Chapter 70

Harry, cheeky motherfucker that he was, smirked at Nancy as we walked into her office.

"What's up, Nancy?" he asked, wiping his mouth off with his thumb. That, combined with the disheveled state if his clothes, his flushed cheeks and messy hair, made it was pretty fucking clear what we'd just been up to. Good.

Harry's voice was wrecked, and while a small part of me felt bad that I was responsible, a bigger part of me was proud that I was the one that had done that to him. He didn't seem bothered by it, or anything else for that matter, as he settled into one of the chairs in front of Nancy's desk and crossed his legs, never letting go of my hand.

She looked us up and down for a moment before speaking. The tension became thicker as the silence stretched on, but I looked back over at Harry, reminding myself that what she had to say wasn't going to change anything, not really.

"Please tell me you didn't get papped in that shirt, Zayn," were the first words out of her mouth.

"No, we came in through the car park, so no one saw us. But we'll be leaving through the front door. We can't hide forever," I told her, never taking my eyes off of Harry.

"I really don't think that's a good idea...," she stated, sounding more weary than she normally did.

Harry was the one to answer her this time. "Last I checked you're our business manager, so we'll do what you say when it comes to promoting the album and whatnot, but you don't get to have a say in our personal lives anymore."

I heard her sigh and I turned to look at her, really look at her, for the first time...maybe ever. She looked exhausted, deep lines etched around her eyes that I'd never noticed before. I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for her. She'd probably been dreading this meeting as much as we had been, and I doubted she liked having to deal with the love lives of two guys who weren't even half her age. But I was still bothered by the fact that something so personal was being discussed and dissected behind our backs by people whose only concern should be the band. I understood why it was an issue for them, but that didn't make it right.

"Nancy, I'm sure that you don't like dealing with this anymore than we do, so can I suggest something? How 'bout we treat this just like we would if one of us was dating a girl? Maybe if we act like it's no big deal, then everyone else will too. When it comes down to it it's just two people falling in love. You didn't tell make me hold a press conference when I started dating Perrie, and nothing official was ever said about Harry 'dating' Taylor either. People just got their info from the pictures they saw, or what we posted online. Should this really be any different just because we're both blokes?"

"While I agree that it shouldn't be any different, it's incredibly naive to think that it will play out that way. So far there's been a mixed response, and granted a lot of it has been positive, but I think if we handle this in the right way then we could capture a new fan base, to make up for the ones we've lost."

"Listen, of course we don't want to do anything to hurt the band, but I also refuse to use our personal, private relationship as a marketing tool. We understood the risks of coming out as a couple, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the boys did too, so can we at least try it our way? No special interviews, no press releases, just Harry and I trying to live our lives like we normally would? I know that it will be crazy for a while, but that can't last forever, right?"

"I think I've learned that you boys are going to do what you want to do no matter what I suggest," she said, sounding deeply resigned to this fact. "Let's try it your way for a week or two and we'll regroup before we have to start publicity for the new album. Just please, keep it PG in the papers and online. You still have a lot of young fans, with a lot of conservative parents."