Your Creation • Zarry

45. 25

The sun was streaming in through the sky light, warming my skin and gently waking me up from the most incredible sleep I had in awhile. Zayn was still holding me and I placed my hand on top of his, scooching back into him a bit till we were closer. This was exactly where I wanted to be.

"G'morning," Zayn mumbled sleepily into my ear.

"Hi," I responded, turning my head to catch a glimpse of my favorite morning Zayn bedhead with his tired bedroom eyes.

"What time is it?"

I looked over at my alarm clock on the night stand.

"9:25."

"Huh. Interesting."

"Why is that interesting?"

"That's what time it was when I told you I loved you last night. 9:25."

"Was it? I was too busy leaking water out of my eyes to notice the time. Does 9:25 mean something specific?"

"I just like the number 25. Did you know that my audition number for X factor added up to 25?"

Zayn's mind really was such a strange little place...but he would have thought about this, knowing the sort of person that he was. Mind you, he was also quite detail oriented all the time and was always showing me different things that I had never thought about before.

"I didn't know that."

"And if you break 25 down it's a 2 and a 5."

"Is this what you think about when you're high?" I asked, chuckling.

"Don't you see? 2 out of 5. You and I are the 2 out of 5. 25."

I smiled and bent down to kiss his lips. I had no idea that Zayn had ever given him and I this much thought. I just felt so...satisfied.

"So maybe 25 really is your number."

"Maybe it's our number. I don't believe in coincidences. There's something about you, about all of this...about us."

"I have thought about that before actually," I admitted.

It's true that Zayn and I spoke before we were ever put into One Direction. I remembered seeing him and just feeling the need to strike up a conversation with him. He just seemed rather interesting...and handsome. But later on when I met Louis, for example, we immediately got on so well. I'd say the same for Niall even, but with Zayn it took a little bit longer for him and I to become so close, mostly because he made me kind of nervous. I wanted him to think I was cool, like trying to impress him almost. I guess looking back at it now, I probably had a crush on him right from the start didn't I?

"I was instantly drawn to you. I don't know why," Zayn responded as if he could read my mind.

"You just knew I was cool, huh."

"But you're not cool," he replied with a laugh, nudging me playfully as I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Remember one of the first couple nights when we were all at my house during X factor and the lads fell asleep and we stayed up in the kitchen listening to music?" I asked, my mind taking me back to one of my first favorite memories.

"I couldn't believe out of all your music knowledge you had never listened to dancehall. And we snuck a bottle of Peach schnapps and got drunk."

"And I made you dance with me," I added, smiling to myself.

"You still make me do that."

"You love it, don't lie."

"I do love it," Zayn said as he pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me again, planting a firm kiss on my lips.

"I'm never going to be able to get out of bed if you keep holding me like this you know," I said, snuggling into his embrace comfortably.

"I don't think we should ever get out of bed, ever."

"Think Ben will bring us breakfast in bed? What would he say if he saw us like this? Let's find out."

"Harry no - "

"I'm just joking, chill out. I don't even know if he's here. Do you want me to grab us some coffee downstairs?"

"Sure, but get your ass back here quickly."

"What happens if I don't?" I challenged, raising my eyebrows at him as I slinked my way out from his arms, making my way out of bed.

"I bet you'd like to find out," Zayn replied, raising his eyebrows back at me before he leaned over to grab his phone.

I smirked while putting on a pair of jogging shorts and a white t-shirt and exited the attic bedroom. Making my way downstairs, I saw Ben's wife Meredith in the kitchen already brewing coffee.

"Do you want some coffee Harry?"

"That's actually why I came down here. Need my morning pick me up. Jet fuel," I responded as I poured a cup for me and then another cup for Zayn.

I reached into the fridge and grabbed the creamer, adding a few drops into Zayn's since he didn't drink it black like I did. Meredith watched me with a confused expression.

"Why do you need two cups?"

"Oh, one's for Zayn," I answered with a grin, not even bothering to wait for her reply. I swiftly grabbed both mugs in each hand and marched my way back up the stairs.

I nudged opened the slightly ajar door with my hip and walked into the bedroom to see Zayn typing away on his phone, still in bed. I handed him his cup of coffee, wondering who he was texting, even though I had a pretty good guess.

"Did I take too long sir?"

"Nah, you were efficient."

"Shame, should have dawdled a bit more."

Zayn took a long sip of his coffee and placed it down on the nightstand.

"I can't stay for much longer. I forgot today is Perrie's brother's birthday. I have to go to that."

I rolled my eyes and mimicked his long sip of coffee.

"And to think we were doing so well with avoiding talking about her," I responded while taking a seat beside him on the bed.

Zayn reached out and rubbed my shoulder.

"Even though I still have to be with her, please, please understand that I would much rather be with you. I do care about her, but she doesn't mean to me what you mean to me. This relationship is beneficial for her and it also protects us. Think about it that way."

"I guess I understand," I answered reluctantly

"I told you that I love you and I meant it. You have my heart, but we have to trust each other or this won't work."

"Alright fine. I trust you, Z."

I would be lying if I said that I would ever be okay with sharing Zayn. The truth is that I'd always want him for myself, but the cards were stacked against us from the beginning and I knew it. Our situation had been complicated from the start and it was something I had to accept if I wanted to do this. I loved him so much that I was willing to do just about anything to keep it. Knowing that Zayn truly loved me just as much was also that reassurance I needed, which made me feel a lot better about where we stood. I guess I finally felt more hopeful.

Zayn left shortly afterward and I found myself laying in bed for another half hour lost in my thoughts listening to "My Old Man" by Joni Mitchell.

He's my sunshine in the morning. He's my fireworks at the end of the day. He's the warmest chord I ever heard. Play that warm chord, play and stay baby. We don't need no piece of paper from the city hall keeping us tied and true. My old man, keeping away my blues.

More than half the time I was the one who got to be with Zayn, not Perrie. I was the one on tour with him every night for nearly the entire year. I was the one on stage with him, on the bus with him, in hotel rooms with him. Me, not her. Okay so maybe she had her moments here and there, maybe she got the ring, but it was me that kept his attention, and I actually felt pretty confident in us when I thought about it like that.

Maybe, just maybe, Zayn and I were going to be alright.