Echo Of Us • Zarry

RS 5

Luc complains about the state of Harry's walk-in-closet from the day she arrives. And she's absolutely not wrong, it's a bloody mess. Regrettably, it's already November when Harry finds the time to clean it out. It's a lazy Saturday with Luc reading on the sofa in the living room when Harry triumphantly announces that he's finally going to tidy his closet enough so she can bring her more than one suitcase of her clothes there.

For the most part, it's just clothes Harry doesn't wear anymore and random shit he's accumulated over the years. Knickknacks he's gotten while touring, some outfits he'd performed in, even some clothes Zayn had left behind. Harry didn't allow him to officially move out of his London house, he just packed a box of whatever he saw for him in a rage and had it sent to him to the New York flat they owned together. Well, Harry wasn't very thorough. He puts the clothes on the pile that's meant for storage, maybe one day when it's One Direction's 30th anniversary or something, he can give them back to him. It's the nicer alternative to ritually burning them and asking Stevie and her coven to hex Zayn. Harry still wonders why he hasn't done it yet though.

Harry's generally doing fine with the reminders of his past as he keeps sorting through clothing and organizing the things he intends on keeping in the closet while he listens to a Simon & Garfunkel vinyl until he opens one little drawer. He expected to see unorganized gym socks but instead, he finds two packs of completely new boxers still in the packaging, a pile of his fucking wedding invitations and his engagement ring.

"What the fuck," Harry says out loud and pulls out the stack of invitations and his engagement ring. He handles them carefully as if they should burn him. Maybe they will. He doesn't know yet.

The ring looks exactly like it did more than a year and a half ago when Harry last saw it as he chucked it into the drawers, less than an hour after he had thrown the ring at Zayn's back as he was walking out of Harry's life forever. The wedding invitations hurt more. A ring is a ring, but these? It says right there in writing, gold on black, that their wedding was supposed to take place on August 21st 2021 at Cluny Castle in Aberdeenshire. " Together with their families... blah, blah, blah... request the pleasure of your company at their marriage ceremony, blah fucking blah."

Harry can't believe his fucking eyes. He reads the invitation over and over again as he sits on the floor of his closet, wondering how this could even be real. He feels like he's in the fucking Matrix and all this is just someone trying to majorly fuck with his head so he gives up fighting the simulation. How in the world did he and Zayn get so damn close to almost getting married?

He couldn't say how long he'd been sitting there when Luc's voice breaks the vacuum.

"Babe? Are you alright?" Lucrecia looks mildly alarmed.

"I, uh," Harry rubs his eyebrow. "I found my old wedding invitations," he chuckles pathetically, lifting the stack of them up. "It's very strange to see them again."

Lucrecia gives him a tragically pitiful look and joins him on the floor. She plucks one of the invitations, reading it to herself. Harry watches her expectantly. It's not always your current partner digs deeply into your ex-partner drama fodder.

"God, they're fucking ugly," Luc says and throws the invitation over her shoulder. "Is that why you're so upset, babe?"

Harry laughs but it's not from the heart. "I wish," he sighs deeply and puts the stack away. "You know he's having a baby?"

Lucrecia's expression softens. "I do, yes," she says quietly. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Harry hesitates before shaking his head. Lucrecia's hand lands on his, her warmth like a needle and a thread to a gaping wound. "I mean," Harry chuckles bitterly, "I'm not, like, heartbroken. It's just really shitty. It's a shitty situation because our past is so vast and convoluted. I'll never be truly detached from him. God, one of my best friends might be the godmother to his child. These fucking invitations are like a ghoul in the attic. I'm sorry, babe, I don't want you to think that I'm still hung up on him or something. It just like, hurts still, in a way where, I don't know, you had a pet as a kid, and they're long dead but you still think about them sometimes? When certain things are brought up? And you're like, yeah, that was really cool, I miss them. I'm sorry, that was a horrible analogy."

Lucrecia chuckles. "No, I get it, H. I get it probably more than anyone else. You know, my ex, Ryan. We share a child. Dario is as much his as he is mine. I've never really hated Ryan, I don't. There was a lot of love between us at one point and even now, we have a certain amount of respect for each other. You two had something that was obviously strong enough for you both to want to spend your lives together. Now things are different but the past doesn't change."

"I don't tell you enough how much I love you," Harry says quietly. "I truly don't."

"You do," Luc assures him. "We both say it as much as we need to. Either way, actions speak louder than words. I don't need a handwritten note saying 'I love you' every morning."

"Wait, that's actually a brilliant idea," Harry teases as he wraps an arm around Luc's waist. "I should start doing that."

"A text is okay, let's think about the environment," Luc grins and kisses Harry's chin for some reason. "Wait, you have a scar there," she laughs and starts inspecting the underside of Harry's chin. "What happened there, honey?"

Harry blushes and extracts her curious hands from his chin. "Another ex that ended in a disaster. Don't even ask, there were stitches. God, why do all my relationships end so fucking horribly?"

"Let's hope I don't give you any scars," Lucrecia laughs. Harry gasps in faux-shock and honest to god clutches his pearls. "Don't worry, you big baby," she smacks a kiss on his cheek. "Want to burn those invitations?"

"I'd rather not," Harry sighs while looking at them. "I fear that burning them would release some bad juju and doom us forever. I'll just hide them somewhere."

"As you wish," Luc shrugs. "Should we burn some sage though? That's never in vain."

"Good idea," Harry agrees. "There's a lot of past negative energy right here. Probably needs an exorcism."

The small room is silent for a long while before Harry feels Luc's hand on his forearm and say says, "I feel like there's still something weighing on you. I don't mind if you rant to me about your ex. I don't take it as betrayal or something. I'm here for you, baby."

Harry looks at her, a small smile on his lips. "It's okay, love. You know the same goes for you. About like, Ryan and stuff."

"Thank you," Luc smiles a little. "You know what? I will rant. Because he wants me to come to New York for Christmas when I'd already promised nonna I would bring Dario and you over for the holidays. I miss Dario so much, so so much, I can't spend Christmas without him. Then again, I haven't seen nonna since June. And I want to be with you too."

"What if we all congregate at some location in the middle?" Harry suggests and pulls Luc into a hug. She rests her head on his shoulder and Harry already knows she's pouting without realizing it, deep in thought, her mind going a million miles per hour. She does it often while reading, mostly when she makes notes in the margins and Harry loves it. He can't keep a smile away from his face then.

"Ryan is so fucking stubborn," Luc whines. "Even more than you."

"Heyyy," Harry drawls. "I'm not stubborn. Okay, what if I convince Ryan? No one can resist my charm."

Lucrecia scoffs and laughs wildly. Harry's only mildly offended.

"Hun, I can assure you that Ryan will resist very easily," she says between laughter. "He's the most straight man to ever straight. Trust me."

"Well, I'll send Jeff after him then," Harry says. "I'll be a proper rockstar for once for the good of everyone."

"I'd love to see him try."

----------------------

hiiii! so this is the LAST part of the rolling stone cycle, the next one will of course come with a time jump! i hope you liked these, i know it looks hopeless but trust your local zarrie!! thank you SOOOO SO SO MUCH for reading and commenting, i love you all!