In Another Life - Zarry

Third Weekend

"That's enough Louis!" Liam yelled making silence flood through their house.

"FIne", Louis said in an eerily calm voice. "You know what Zayn? Forget it. Forget everything I said. He's not an experiment to you? Well, good for you. Very good for you. But let me tell you this for the last time Malik. Don't let him treat you like some cheap funded experiment." With that, he left.

"Zayn—"

"I'll be in my room", Zayn mumbled and left for his room.

Louis is right though, Zayn knows. In a relationship, both have to make equal efforts to make it sail. He would love to take his boy to all his favourite places in San Francisco, he would love to introduce him to all his friends here. But not every dream comes true right?

Andrew, Zayn's ex-boyfriend, always tells him words that make him question his self-worth. He has never felt the love from any of his touches, he has never seen love in the way Andrew looks at him. He has never, ever felt love every time Andrew claimed he loved him. Even though the relationship lasted for only a year, he always knew it's gonna end badly. Of all the relationships he had, it was the only one that lasted for a year before his man came along.

It took Zayn two years to come out of the relationship emotionally, if not for Louis and Liam, he doesn't think he would've ever survived it. That's the irritating part about Zayn's character, when he falls in love, he falls faster and harder. In the game of love he loses first, he gives up first. He's the one who says 'fuck it' and confesses the love first.

It happens with everyone from his first crush Julie in high school to his first boyfriend Nathan in college to his next boyfriend Elias in grad school, which didn't last because both of them were too concentrated on building their career, to his next boyfriend Andrew after he became one of the talented young scientists.

With every single one of them, Zayn always makes sure he does his part well in the relationship. He makes sure he always takes time to appreciate their presence in his life but somehow it all burns to ashes in the end. At one point Zayn knew it was not his fault that these relationships went downhill, it's just that he gave them too much when they only signed up for something less. So he let them go, he let them drift away.

Now though, his Harry is different. Every time Zayn thinks he's been in love four times before Harry, Harry puts them all to shame. Because every time he looks into Harry's eyes, every time Harry touches him, he knows that's what love is. He knows whatever he felt with the other four of them is nothing compared to what he has with Harry.

To think that it all started with a wrong call.

"Malik", Zayn answered the unknown number. Someone cleared their throat on the other side of the call.

"Styles", a deep voice greeted.

"Oh-kay?" Zayn frowned in confusion as he closed the thesis paper he was going through.

"Okay?" a manly voice squealed, even though it was not as deep as before.

"Wait, who are you?" Zayn checked the number again before putting it back to his ear with a smile.

"We're the Avengers man", the voice sighed with a perfect British accent.

"Nuh-uh, Holland says it with a perfect American accent mate", Zayn chuckled with a deep British accent, something that didn't die even after all these years here in the US.

"Oh. My. God. You're British too?" the man on the other side squealed again.

"Oh, so you're British too? I thought you're awfully imitating an English accent", Zayn laughed.