Echo Of Us • Zarry

RS 3

"I hate that you're leaving tomorrow," Lucrecia says quietly, her pointer finger drawing mindless shapes on Harry's chest, tracing his tattoos.

"I know," Harry sighs. He flips to his side and kisses Luc's temple. His hand goes to her naked back as she lays on her tummy. "Filming starts just in a few days."

Luc nods, smiling softly. "I'll be able to come to London in September. It's just what, three weeks? Maybe four."

"What?" Harry laughs in surprise. "Dario has pre-school, doesn't he?"

"He does," Luc smiles and turns to her side, her hand gently going to Harry's neck. "But what I didn't tell you is that he'll be in New York with his dad for it. I'll go with him for a few weeks until he gets used to it and then I'll come back to you."

Harry's smile grows wider. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Wanted to surprise you," Luc shrugs a shoulder. "I'll still miss you in the meantime."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Harry teases and slowly rolls on top of Lucrecia, kissing her slowly. Her lips are soft yet unyielding and she never lets him even think he's fully in control. Harry loves it, loves the hold she had over him. Yet as Luc's hand slips into his hair, it's gentle and loving and Harry's heart shatters a bit.

"I don't want to spook you out," Harry whispers between kisses, "but I think I might be in love with you."

"You don't sound very sure," Lucrecia says and Harry can taste her smile.

Harry huffs out a laugh. "Well, that's because I don't want to spook you. We haven't been together for that long but... I think I know what I feel. It's been a long time since I allowed myself to love someone completely unbridled. It's different. And you... you just took me captive and I don't seek freedom."

Lucrecia smiles and touches Harry's face gingerly. "I think I love you too. You're different than I expected."

Harry's heart skips a beat. He tries to play it cool, "Different how?"

"I expected that Dario would be a deal-breaker for you," Luc says, her voice low in the dark bedroom illuminated only by the moon. "I didn't think you would like how am I, that I wouldn't be cool enough for you, rockstar."

"I'm no rockstar, babe," Harry chuckles. "I'm actually a massive loser and I'm very lucky you gave me a second chance."

"Oh, yeah, I did say no at first," Lucrecia laughs. "Well, not my best moment."

"As to Dario," Harry says. "I have so many godchildren I'm not sure of the exact count, honestly. I would never be shallow enough to let something like that prevent me from starting a relationship with someone."

"That's fair," she nods. "So, you and I in London, huh?"

"You'll finally meet my cat," Harry at her and kisses her again. "But now I have something other than talking in mind."

It's hours later and Harry is still wide awake. Lucrecia is sleeping soundly half draped across his body, her back rising and falling with her breaths. Harry sighs softly, finally giving up the fight with his stroke of insomnia and he reaches for his phone carefully so he doesn't wake Luc up. He turns the brightness all the way down and opens Instagram. First, he likes a few comments on his last post, a photo of Dario grinning at the camera with two pairs of Harry's sunglasses on his small face. It's a strange obsession he's got but Harry's more than amused and he's not a monster, he won't kill a child's joy. It's just sunglasses, he doesn't care. Then he checks out a few messages his mum and Gemma sent him, not caring much about the rest. It's mostly shared posts and then a short video of Evie chasing after a squirrel, the little rascal. It's 2:47 in the morning when Harry starts scrolling down his feed. It's 2:53 when he swears his heart stops temporarily.

Vogue posts about it. Harry doesn't follow tabloids. So if it's Vogue... it's fucking true. Harry rubs his eyes and slaps his face gently to make sure he's awake before reading the post again. He even pinches himself. The post still doesn't change. All 37 words stay exactly the same. " The model baby boom continues - @gigihadid and @zayn are going to be parents soon. Click the link in bio to read more about them and their baby girl that is due to join them early next year."

"Fuck," Harry whispers to himself. The slow but steady flame of anger starts to build up in his chest. So Zayn can't marry him because he's "not ready" but he can knock Gigi Hadid up apparently? How curious. And how fucking convenient.

Harry didn't really hold going back to her again Zayn, not quite. It was early, sure but he knows how Zayn operates and that he can't work without a long-term relationship, even if he's fucking around with so many people he can't even tell the number himself. This, however, is something completely different. He lied. He lied to Harry, or rather, he didn't want him enough. But Harry already knew that. He's talked about it to his therapist, he understands what happened with them. It still hurts, betrayal hurts no matter how much time has passed, how much you've healed.

Harry looks at that old photo of Zayn and Gigi one more time and keeps scrolling. They're not a part of his life anymore. He likes his mum's new photos, Adam's photo of his kids, Sarah's pic of Mitch with one of their cats on his back. Then he exits Instagram and opens Calm and plays the first thing for sleep that comes to him. He puts his phone on the wireless charger on his bedside table and shifts on the bed so he and Luc are chest to chest. She wakes up momentarily as Harry wraps his arms around her.

"Everything okay?" she mumbles.

"Yeah, babe," Harry whispers and kisses her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

Lucrecia just snuggles into his chest and doesn't fully leave her dreamland. Harry closes his eyes and tries to sleep, even if the shock of that post stirred him up. He doesn't need Zayn to be happy, he doesn't need to marry him or raise children with him. Harry can be happy just on his own, he knows it now.

The thing is, he doesn't have to be alone. He has friends and family always there to love him, and he loves them back just as much. Now, he also has Lucrecia, and Dario too. He's falling asleep holding a wonderful, brilliant woman that might just love him too and he's fucking happy . In the morning, they'll make breakfast together and then surely, Dario will want to take a walk to the centre of the tiny town they're in, to see the fountain and the group of pensioners who always sit on the benches underneath the great old oak. Harry will gladly take him like the two of them are on a top-secret mission, whose goal may or may not be to pet the old golden retriever one of the men under the oak always has at his feet.

Harry's life is vastly different than what he had imagined it would be about two years ago. He was supposed to be married to what he thought was the love of his life. Life had different plans in store for him but Harry doesn't complain. Heartbreak hurts like hell but pain is temporary.

He falls asleep just minutes later with a small smile on his face and Lucrecia pressed against his chest. At that moment, it truly doesn't get better than that.

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hiii guys! and yikes, i know, i know! im sorry, i really am! but i do like to incorporate reality into this story and you hate to take the complaint to zayn, hes the one making shitty decisions, im trying to make the best out of them lmaooo anyway thank you all SO MUCH for reading, it means so much to me! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️