Bound by No Universe • Zarry

iii.

 He and Harry didn't begin dating for real. They didn't say 'I love you'. Almost didn't realize how two semesters flew by and there they were, just like a year before that, lying together in bed naked while the sun was rising outside of their open window. That was the only moment when they let feelings take a higher spot on their priority list than science. It was only for a few minutes but all the repressed emotions accumulated over a year and a half hit them like a fucking meteor.

"We weren't meant to be in love," Harry said, his voice a bullet in the silence of the room. He was holding Zayn's cheek, caressing his cheekbone with his thumb, eyes scanning his face as if he was trying to commit it to memory forever.

"Maybe in a different universe we were," Zayn whispered, gripping Harry's waist tighter.

"Maybe," Harry echoed.

"I wanted to be with you. Like proper boyfriends, you know. When we got back to school in fall," Zayn said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Harry asked, his eyes shiny with unwelcome tears. "This whole year, everything could've been different."

"I figured it didn't matter since I was leaving anyways."

Harry scoffed but despite him clearly being annoyed, he didn't pull back.

"It was nearly ten months, Zayn. We could've- this could've been so much more."

"I know. But I was always going to leave. This was always supposed to end at the same time. Whether we were dating or not."

"I think I loved you," Harry whispered, a single tear rolling down the side of his nose. "And now I feel like I could hate you. You should've told me."

"I'm sorry," Zayn said and wiped Harry's cheek. Harry gripped Zayn's wrist, keeping his hand close to his face.

"I don't want to spend the last moments we have together fighting," Harry said with closed eyes and kissed the inside of Zayn's wrist.

"Me neither."

A few hours later, once the sun was already high and they could hear hundreds of voices from outside of their window, they got dressed in silence and for the last time ever, left Zayn's dorm. This time the room was stripped bare, a complete opposite of what they used to leave there before going to class for a year and a half. They walked down the stairs with suitcases and boxes, putting them in the car that had been waiting for Zayn. For a moment, they stood there in awkward silence, staring at their shoes not knowing what to say.

"Zayn?" Harry finally broke the silence, making Zayn lift his eyes up and look at Harry's face. It hurt. It physically hurt with his chest suddenly being too small for his lungs and heart and bones.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to miss you so much. But I'm not going to call you," Harry said, his throat tight, voice shaky and eyes red. "We're going to be so far apart. It would be a waste of time to continue to torture ourselves knowing nothing can come out of it. Okay?"

"Yeah. Fine, I understand. You're right," Zayn said, his eyes stinging. He took a deep breath and grabbed Harry's hand, clutching it tight in his and running his fingers over the back of it.

"The time we spent together was wonderful. I'm always going to cherish it and hold it close to my heart. God, look at me, I sound like a cheesy old lady," Harry choked out a laugh and a tear finally rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it with his free hand and continued to smile.

"It's okay," Zayn forced a smile on his face to match Harry's and embraced Harry, hooking his chin over his shoulder. He took a deep breath, trying to commit everything into memory. Harry's cologne, his shampoo that somehow smelled like spring.

Harry eventually broke the hug, only to kiss Zayn with so much passion and feeling like never before. He clutched his cheeks, their teeth clashing and tongues battling. When they pulled apart their lungs were burning and their cheeks were wet with tears.

"If only you'd have told me. I really wish you had," Harry said.

"I know."

"I'll try not to hold a grudge."

"I know you will."

They both smiled weakly, knowing this was the end. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do.

"Good luck, yeah?" Harry said with his fake Hollywood-like smile.

"You too," Zayn said. "You know, perhaps there's a universe somewhere where I wasn't stupid and we had the best final year ever."

"Perhaps. Maybe we even said 'I love you' and all those other things. But we'll never know."

"Yeah, I guess."

Harry sighed and walked close to Zayn, placing a light kiss on his cheekbone. "Goodbye, Zayn."

He walked away just like that. And that was the end for them.

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OR WAS IT????? Was it really the end? We shall wait and see ;) Thank you all so much fo reading! I hope you like this story :)