𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 » 𝐳.𝐬.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Harry was silent the entire car ride home.

zayn pushed a few times, trying to understand what had caused the sudden shift in harry's behavior. but after receiving his third silent shrug from harry, he decided to just let the kid pout it out.

he'll get over whatever it is eventually.

the ride in the elevator up to his apartment was no different. harry fiddled with a loose string hanging from the sleeve of his sweatshirt the entire time and kept his eyes trained on the ground as they walked down the hallway.

when he finally unlocked the door to his apartment, harry disappeared into his room before zayn could even get his jacket off.

—

he spent the better part of an hour finishing the exams he had left to grade, a crick in his neck and an ache in his wrist, but a weight lifted from his shoulders. he was finished with everything for the week and he wouldn't have to worry about another thing until the sun rose on monday.

he placed the graded papers in his bag and sealed it shut before settling back in his desk chair, rubbing his hands over his face. now that he could let his eyes rest, his mind wander to the boy in the adjacent room.

he hadn't heard a peep from harry since they left the building and he didn't know why he felt so concerned about the sudden change in his behavior. he was probably just being a typical moody teenager, maybe he was even jealous of gigi or liam... but that wasn't something he was going to entertain.

it's not like harry was necessarily unattractive. he was actually very easy on the eyes and zayn had to agree with both liam and gigi that he was quite adorable. he looked a lot like gemma did when he first met her, big eyes and bowed lips and pale skin.

but despite their outward similarities, they were intrinsically and immensely different. gemma was quiet and elegant, well-mannered, and she knew how to conceal her emotions.

harry was almost the complete opposite. he was awkward, loud and quiet at the same time, gracefully disheveled, too honest with his emotions, and seemed to disregard any threat of punishment or repercussions his actions may have. he was stubborn and sensitive, a cry-baby of the worst stature, but he was endearing and no matter how hard he tried, it seemed that zayn couldn't find it within himself to hate him.

so he pushed himself out of his chair, placed his glasses right on the permanent indentations etched into the bridge of his nose, and walked out of his bedroom.

he was surprised to see harry sitting in the entrance of his foyer, hunched over as he tugged on his rain boots.

"where are you going?" zayn asked, trying to remain nonchalant as he approached the fridge to grab himself a beer.

harry looked up, startled, turning his head over his shoulder until their eyes met. there was a sadness there, a dull glaze over his eyes that made zayn frown.

"my friend asked me to hang out. figured i should at least see him once before i go back," he murmured, his voice just barely above a whisper as he turned back around to focus on his other boot.

zayn hummed in acknowledgment, cracking his beer open and taking a careful sip. "yeah, that's a good idea," he agreed, walking around the island until he was standing behind the young boy.

when harry was finished putting his boots on, he stood up and turned around to face zayn, nearly a foot and a half of height between them with harry standing in the foyer and zayn on the step.

"you still have my number, yeah?" he asked over another sip, licking the residue from his upper lip when he was finished.

harry nodded curtly, shoving his hands into the pocket of his raincoat. "yeah," he mumbled, green eyes avoiding his gaze at all costs. "emergencies only, right?"

"right."

"'kay," harry whispered, turning around before walking towards the door. "i'll be home... whenever."

"not too late," zayn warned before turning around and heading over to the couch. if he was going to have the evening to himself, he was gonna get drunk and watch football and maybe jerk off.

harry watched him for a few moments before quietly slipping out of the door, letting it close shut behind him before he made his way to the elevator.

it's time to let go.

—

A/N: hehehe 😁 i'm excited for what's next