zesty grapefruit [zarry] ✔️

1

"Mum, this is Zain. The zest to my grapefruit," Gemma says, cackling at her own joke, old and idiotic as it was.

Zain rolls his eyes and holds his hand out to her mother. "Nice to meet you," he says. "Ignore her, she woke up like this today and I haven't been able to calm her down since."

"I'm hilarious!" Gemma says, kissing his cheek before bouncing off, leaving him alone with her mum.

"I'm Anne," her mother says, amused. "It'd good to finally meet you, Zain. We've all heard a lot about you."

"Half of it is lies," Zain says with a grin.

"I'm sure it is," Anne says, smiling at him. "I'm glad you could make it. Gemma said she wasn't sure because of her exams."

"Yea, one of her professor postponed last term's exam on short notice apparently, but then he didn't. We're not sure if it was a rumour to drive everyone even more insane during exam period, who knows," Zain says, shrugging and looking out across the lawn. There's already people milling around and Gemma is talking enthusiastically to a group of middle-aged women. "I thought the party was tomorrow?"

"Oh, it is," Anne says. "But my friends turned up so we're having a little get together. Come I'll introduce you around until Gemma remembers her manners. Harry should be around somewhere as well, he's arrived this morning."

"Thank you," Zain says, smiling when she hooks her arm through his.

"Of course, love," she says. "I'm very happy you're here. Oh, there's Harry. Baby!" she calls, raising her voice slightly. "Come meet Zain!"

"Gemma's friend?" Harry says, jogging towards them in bright green shorts, a stretched out t-shirt with holes around the hem, purple flip-flops, and a ridiculous pair of sunglasses. His hair is pulled off his forehead with a pink hair tie that even Zain's sisters would consider too glittery. Zain has never met a more ridiculous person and he spends most of his time with Gemma.

Zain fights down the immediate urge to make fun of him. "Yep, that's me," he says instead, raising his free hand as Anne doesn't seem inclined to let him go. "The zest to her grapefruit," he adds, sniggering to himself because somehow it is funny, maybe more so now than when they started using it, because it's got all the associations of confusing people with it.

"What?" Harry says, pushing his sunglasses up with a confused look on his face and Zain laughs, shaking his head. Anne laughs lightly as well, patting Zain's arm, and shaking her head.

"Sorry, I spent too much time with Gems, I've caught her madness." Zain looks across the lawn towards Gemma, flipping her off when she catches his eye. She clutches her chest and leans down to kiss an elderly woman's cheek, rushing towards them.

"Why are you being mean, Zain? What have I ever done to you?" she yells as soon as she is close enough, jumping him.

"I'm just gonna leave you, loves," Anne says, sidestepping to avoid being hit by Gemma's knees. "One of you show Zain around. Don't just abandon him again, Gemma."

"I didn't," Gemma protests, licking Zain's cheek to annoy him. "I left him with you."

Zain splutters, trying to fight her off. He pushes her away by the forehead until she has to let go of him, wiping his face with his t-shirt. "You're disgusting," he says, shuddering dramatically.

"You flipped me off for no reason!" Gemma says, putting her hands on her hips. "You deserve it! Hi baby bro!" she adds, turning towards Harry and giving him a once over with a smirk. "How's life as the rich and famous? I see it still hasn't given you a sense of style."

"Piss off, Gemma," Harry says, enduring a wet kiss to the cheek before pushing her away.

"Well, if the two of you are gonna be like that," Gemma says with a shrug, smacking a kiss to Harry's lips. He scrunches up his nose. "Look after him, Zain, he's a bit of an idiot," she adds, kissing Zain's lips as well before bouncing off.

"Wow, she's exhausting today," Harry says, frowning after her.

"A bit," Zain shrugs, wiping Gemma's lipstick from his mouth. "She's excited to see you, she's been talking about it all week."

"Really?" Harry says, turning to look at Zain. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Eh," Zain says, shrugging again. "You know that with her it's the more she annoys you the more she likes you."

"True," Harry nods, pulling on the hem of his t-shirt. "So who have you met?"

"Just your mum and you," Zain says, frowning across the lawn. "We literally just arrived. And I didn't expect to meet this many people today."

"Yea, they all like to turn up and have a party for no reason. Alright. Come, I'll introduce you to Robin, our stepdad. And whoever stops us on the way," Harry says, sounding like he'd rather not.

"Don't sound so excited," Zain laughs, poking Harry's side. "It's like you don't want to introduce me around."

Harry flushes slightly. "Sorry, I do. They've just been all over me since I arrived, I'm not really looking forward to going back to that."

"We can always sneak off," Zain shrugs. "I've been told about a pond Gemma pushed you in when you were young. Not spotting water anywhere. I'd be very interested in seeing that and other sites of Gemma's misspent youth."

Harry laughs, throwing Zain a grin. "Of course she told you about that. What else has she told you?"

"Loads," Zain says. "That you used to write her notes when you were angry which are the most hilarious thing by the way. And that you used to steal her nail polish and make up, which honestly doesn't look like it stopped. That you fall down all the time."

"Nothing about how cool I am?" Harry says almost shyly, looking up at Zain through his lashes, picking at the nail polish on his hand. He waves at a some people in the corner but does not start walking towards them, ignoring their very obvious attempt to get him to join them.

"Are you?" Zain asks sceptically, giving him a once over.

Harry flushes. "Oh shut up," he says. "You're spending too much time with Gemma."

Zain laughs. "That I can agree on. Now. Robin and then freedom, I'd say. Lead the way."

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this one will hopefully be shorter than cc lol... i kinda have fun writing this so I thought I'd share
hope you enjoy as well