Echo Of Us • Zarry

EU 1

Harry's not averse to change. He's pretty adaptable, as far as life goes, even if he likes his routines and structures. Being a recording artist, touring often and filming movies and doing all kinds of different projects, Harry's prepared for change and last-minute plan tweaks. But nothing before in his life could've prepared him for the change that came once he found his way back to Zayn.

The love was there. It has always been a constant in their relationship, even while doubts were tainting its shiny surface and their hearts were bleeding. But life is ever-changing and fluid and unpredictable and they've both changed so much that it was a wholly different experience. They've changed for the better thankfully, both of them wiser and calmer, more in touch with the inner workings of their minds. Understanding life just a tiny bit more. They weren't wild teenagers, nor were they young adults trying to make sense of the supposed maturity that was sounding off from everyone's mouths. They were themselves, in the clearest and most honest ways. The love grew and grew and grew, and they found themselves in a relationship so vastly different from whatever they had been doing prior that the past didn't even matter at all. They loved each other now, right here, and that was all they needed.

They went on dates, had fun, they talked and planned and confessed feelings that had been a sealed file years before. It wasn't about controlling one another, adhering to a template that their minds suggested. It was a relationship, a vulnerable open partnership that brought them closer together than ever before. They didn't have to go behind anyone's back, they weren't fighting about things that were so easily explained with a simple conversation, they respected one another. And that's all they could ever ask for really. Their love finally made sense. It wasn't a chore, it wasn't a minefield where the wrong shot them down a rapidly descending spiral in an instant. It was what they had been looking for all along but could never quite reach it.

And there was also Amara. The adorable little girl that Harry grew to adore very quickly. She's smart and sweet, quiet and pensive but also silly and chatty when in the right mood. She doesn't quite remind Harry of either of her parents. Visually, the resemblance is there but her mannerisms and personality are an entity of their own. It's quite fascinating.

Harry had been understandably worried about Amara getting used to having him in her life, in a way that she hadn't encountered before. But his worries were redundant because Amara very quickly proclaimed him her best friend. She's not around all the time because with her parents' careers, a simple 2-week joint custody just isn't possible for them. So sometimes she's with them for a week, sometimes it's three months. It takes some time getting used to it but that's the way it is.

When Harry was with Lucrecia, he never really saw himself as another parental figure for Dario. Maybe they just didn't spend enough time together, but Harry viewed Dario more like one of his godkids that he sees from time to time, rather than his potential step-son. With Amara, he didn't really have a choice to contemplate this.

About a month after Harry had met Amara for the first time, living apart became sort of unbearable for him and Zayn and they decided to move in together. So Zayn sold the house he never quite liked and moved into Harry's place. They decorated a room for Amara together and that was the first time Harry felt himself fitting into the convoluted puzzle of Amara's family. He didn't even think twice about it, didn't give himself a moment to panic because he felt at peace. It felt like the next natural step that was meant to follow. Harry barely gave a second thought to it all before he was getting custom toys for Amara and buying Christmas presents for her too early when he randomly found himself at a designer kids store in Paris.

It was fall, roughly a year after Harry had met Amara for the first time when she took his breath away and made him cry like a baby. Early evening, the fireplace was burning and the three of them were lounging in the living room, enjoying the calm. Amara was colouring some pictures, Zayn was scrolling through Instagram and Harry was attempting to do his own nails because his manicurist was fully booked and he had a fancy lunch with a bunch of fashion industry people the next day to go to.The room was almost silent, apart from the fire crackling and a record crooning from the corner but Amara's innocent question shattered it all.