Dreams (Zarry)

Chapter 3

"I'm sorry," I told him.

"Me too," he said, his voice raspy from crying.

I let go of him when one of the guys with headsets and notepads walked up to us. He called out five names and I was surprised to hear mine among them, but also Harry's. We were to go back on stage. I looked at the other three guys with us. Liam, Louis and Niall.

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"That's us!" Niall suddenly yelled. Breaking my train of thought. I had almost forgotten that I was telling a story to the guys. I had been so wrapped up in it, as if it was a memory more than a dream.

Louis rolled his eyes and punched Niall's arm, making him yell out. I assumed that Louis had become very intrigued with what I was telling them.

"Go on, Z," Louis said, seemingly eager to know how it continued. I nodded and went back into the story, seeing it unfold before my inner eye.

I had met all three of them, but not talked to them much. We looked at each other, confused. Harry was chattering away, saying something along the lines of the judges just making us cry some more for the cameras, to get proper drama for the show.

We went on and found that also a group of girls was called back for this. For a moment I only had a buzzing in my ears and didn't quite understand what the judges were saying. They were putting us in groups? I looked at the other boys and realized that there might be a chance that we would remain together which also meant that I would be able to see Harry again after this show was over. I smiled a little at that and tried to focus on what was being said. When someone suddenly said that we would be put through to judges' houses I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Harry had collapsed in on himself, Louis was hugging him and Liam and Niall were jumping around the stage. I just grinned like an idiot and all of a sudden it was clear that I would be moving on to the next stage in this competition even though it was not as a solo artist. But then again I thought it might be amazing to share that with a group of friends.

We were then sent off and went backstage again. All of us talking all at once and hugging and jumping around some more. We all exchanged phone numbers and then went off to call our families to tell them the news.

I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. All these emotions had felt so real and again I had the feeling that it was more of a memory than a dream, thinking how my heartbeat had accelerated and my breathing had become shallow, as if I actually had been standing on that stage, awaiting my fate.

"So the five of us, including that mysterious Harry had been put in a band? Like a boy band?" Liam asked. I cringed at the term boy band, but that was what we were: a boy band.

"Yes," I nodded. "But that's not the end of it. There's more."

"But who's that Harry guy?" Louis asked. "Is that someone you know?"

"Actually yes," I might just as well come clean about Harry. "I met him, well briefly, the day I went to sign the contract with the label."

"And judging by that dreamy smile he must have made quite an impression," Niall commented. I immediately blushed a deep red, making the other boys laugh.

"Awww, Zaynie is in love." It was my turn to punch Louis' arm, becoming defensive.

"Do you wanna hear the rest or not?" I snapped at them.

"Just one more question," Louis said rubbing his arm. "What's he look like? So we got a visual."

I sighed and might as well spill it, since I knew Louis wouldn't let up anyway.