Totally Completely 100% Organic » Zarry ✅

28: 🥚 A Storm is A Poaching

Harry's sitting in the break room right now. He's staring so hard into space that he isn't even thinking about the fact that other Greenwell grocery employees are walking back and forth from their lockers to the vending machines and in and out of the room. And really, the other employees are the last thing on his mind right now. Because first and foremost is Zayn.

It's been a week since New Year's when Zayn and Harry got drunk together at the nightclub. The next morning they'd awaken, still fully dressed and lying on the couch. But that wasn't all. They'd both awaken with terrible hangovers too. And they were so bad that they spent the entire morning puking over into the toilet. Which was to be expected for two people who drank and didn't eat any food or drink an ounce of water with their liquor.

But despite that awful day spent curing their hangovers, it was the next day when Zayn had gone back home that Harry began to finally think with a clear mind. When he could finally think back on everything that happened on that wonderful night.

There were many things he can't remember happening that night. For example how they even got home. That's pretty much a blur. But for him, even when he's as drunk as he was, he tends to retain bits and pieces of the more memorable things rather than forget them altogether. And because of it, he now sits here in this break room, staring into space, thinking about one of those faint memories.

"Harry."

Harry looks up to see Mr. Lou. "What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"I had a couple people tell me they were worried about you because you were spaced out back here. And one of them said this isn't the first day this has happened. So I wanted to see what was wrong."

Harry shakes his head and looks away. "Nothing. I'm okay. Just on my lunch break."

"And yet you're not eating."

Harry looks down at the sandwhich he has only taken two bites from. "I guess not."

Mr. Lou takes it upon himself to remove the doorstop so the breakroom door can close. Then he comes over to sit at the table with him.

"Not that I'm making this about the store but if something is wrong, let me know. You have multiple deliveries to make today and I don't want you to show up at people's doors moping. We lose business that way."

Harry puts his hands down in his lap and sits back in the chair.

"Can I be honest with you about something I haven't been honest about?"

"Sure. I love honesty."

"Okay." Rememeber that friend I told you about? The one that needed parental advice?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"Well... I lied. It's not a friend. There is no friend at all. It's just me."

Mr. Lou nods. "I know."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"How did you know?"

"Harry, I'm fifty one. I just had a birthday in December. I've been everywhere you were trying to take me."

Harry feels like he should be upset that he was the one being played all along. But he isn't. He feels relieved. That will make this conversation so much easier to have now.

"Okay. Well, I'm with this guy."

"Whose parents are giving you a hard time, right?"

"Kind of. Yeah. But that's not even the biggest issue anymore. There's something else."