𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 » 𝐳.𝐬.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫

To say he felt uncomfortable was an understatement. he could feel those giant green eyes staring right at the back of his head, making goosebumps appear along the base of his neck

"so this is where you'll be sleeping. i left some blankets on the bed, feel free to use as many as you'd like," he said quietly, crossing his arms as he stepped to the side to allow the teenager to observe his temporary space.

those earnest green eyes gently swept over the room before landing on him, pink tongue darting out to wet his lower lip.

"it's... clean," harry murmured, holding his bag against his chest as if he were cradling it.

zayn felt a nerve snap at that, narrowing his amber eyes at the smaller boy. "what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, scoffing.

"it's just cleaner that i thought it would be for someone going through a divorce," he shrugged and if he were anyone else besides anne's son or gemma's little brother, he would have ripped him a new one.

he was probably the most insensitive person zayn has ever met.

"right," he grumbled, letting his eyes slip shut for a moment so he could take a deep breath and calm down. when they finally reopened, he released the breath he was holding and dropped his arms to his side. "well... i'll let you get settled and start working on dinner."

"o-oh, i can cook!" harry offered, fidgeting with his bag while his feet stayed planted on the ground in the doorway. "i learned a lot about cooking in america and there's a lot of recipes i want to try." he wasn't the best cook, but if he could do something useful for zayn... then maybe the older man would appreciate it and warm up to him.

that's what he hoped for, at least.

zayn watched him carefully for a while before nodding his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants. "fine. i'll leave you to it then," he said quietly, inching his way around harry, without touching him of course, so he could walk into the living room.

"i'm going to shower. don't burn my apartment down!" he called over his shoulder as he headed into his bedroom.

he didn't miss the flinch in harry's shoulders or the somber look in his eyes as he slammed his door shut and locked it.

he was taking no risks with this kid.

—

after he was finished showering, and hiding in his bedroom to avoid being in the same room as harry, he finally left his bedroom dressed in a white v-neck and gray sweats.

the first thing he noticed was how clean the kitchen looked. his apartment was rather small because it had only been him and gemma living there, but the space was large. the living room and kitchen were connected, only separated by an island of counters on one side, and a bar ledge on the other.

the marble counters were sparkling, all of the dishes that were previously in the sink were loaded into the dishwasher that was now running, and there was a buffet of food waiting for him.

he tried to ignore the way his stomach growled as he walked closer to the island, observing the platters of mixed salad, baked chicken, asparagus, and sliced potatoes.