Maintaining his hair into a quiff and buttoning up his polkadot shirt all the way to his neck, Zayn completes his appearance with a spritz of cologne onto his left wrist.
If he's going to be verbally mauled, he might as well look nice. Zayn is truthfully excited to attend another lunch with Harry, only this time he'll be meeting his sister─ not to mention, the sister that he's met before. But Harry doesn't know that.
The ringing steers him out of his thoughts, "Hey did you forget? You're picking me up from school Zayn, then we're meeting my sister there. You forgot didn't you?" Zayn can hear the stress and wordiness in Harry's voice.
"Calm your breathing and I'll be there. I'll only be like ten minutes late." Zayn hurriedly dashes to his key rack, tripping over a chew toy that squeaks. "Ugh! Jaxx! Okay Harry, we're going to be twenty minutes late."
Zayn's parents were suppose to pick up Jaxx two days ago but he hasn't had the chance, nor does he have any regular classes week, only one final and that day yesterday he brought Jaxx to the daycare.
Driving out the drive way, Zayn rushes to the daycare, "Don't make me sign another form. Just pull up my profile. Pick him up in a few hours!" Zayn stampers off to his car in a wild rush to get to Harry.
"Harry? You there? I had to drop off Jaxx, be there soon, I promise!" Zayn rushes towards the highway as he exits the freeway that leads to Harry's high school from what he remembers the last time. "So where do I pick you up, Harry?"
"The main office isn't busy so I'll walk there. It's easier to drive in and leave. Gemma is almost at the restaurant, don't want her to wait too long." Harry's voice is quivering and Zayn grips on the steering wheel, personally feeling guilty for the distress he's caused to Harry.
Zayn pulls up at the office parking lot where he sees Harry sitting on the ground with his knees to his chest. With one honk from his steering wheel's horn, Harry snaps his neck upwards and starts running into the car.
"I'm sorry Harry." Zayn speaks up cautiously, his voice still on the edge of fear that if he says something it might sorrow Harry even more. "Harry?" Zayn averts his eyes to Harry in the passenger seat. A perspective of a worrisome and ready eyed boy sits aside him.
Without a doubt, Zayn trails on hand to Harry's cheek and the other onto his thigh while wiping Harry's face, "I was trying to look a little impressive then had to drop off Jaxx. Forgot that I needed to pick you up from school instead of just meeting you there."
"It's not your fault. I always have this fear of people forgetting about me. It's normal, not normal for people I guess but it's normal for just me to be easily upset about being forgotten." Harry mumbles, his breath hitching but the pace of his words is picking up as the shakiness trails away.
"I can relate." Zayn whispers to himself, only to himself but apparently Harry heard because he pats Zayn's hand that still has a thumb padding a soothing motion onto his thigh. "I'm glad we get each other."
Though Harry thinks this is a compatibility situation, Zayn reminds himself that he's miserably forgotten by Harry. But he's relieved, it isn't Harry's fault for loosing memories of his past boyfriend, it's Harry's amnesia.
"There's Gems!" Zayn looks to the direction of Harry's finger to see a slim girl with light blonde hair and red lip stick, a matching polkadot shirt like Zayn's, though she looks more formal than he does.
"If you could hold my hand or something? So we look affectionate?" Harry furrows his eyebrows, speaking slower than usual, probably because he's trying to find the proper words so Zayn won't lash out. He's totally not, he actually finds it flattering, Harry's being a dainty cute little cutie.
Zayn with no response intertwined hands with Harry, ignoring the familiar touch that always makes his fingertips and palms feel ablaze. They complement each other as Zayn wears his polka dots and faded black ripped jeans while Harry wears a light nude pink silky shirt with white ripped jeans. Their steps even walk in the same pattern and rhythm. If people didn't know, they would see them as a couple.
But of course, they were a couple. Until Zayn shoved him off a cliff. Which did or didn't happen, but either way, they're fake dating now. Posing as pretend boyfriends sounds better, like a friendly game.
"Hi, Gemma! This is Zayn." The second Zayn announces to Gemma, she looks up and immediately meets eyes with him. She gives him a look of distaste and Zayn tries his best to present a smile on his lips but it only seems as if his jaw is pressing too tightly, as if he'll break his top and bottom teeth.
"Hey, you." Gemma says with a grin that's obviously fake, as she inches her hand out to shake. And as Zayn is, shaking her hand, he squirms considering the tight grip brought upon him.
Harry walks ahead of them so he can lead while Gemma shoves Zayn, making him bump into a waiter, gladly without plates. "Sorry! Sorry!" Zayn mumbles and picks up the check from the floor and hands it to him.
When they sit down, the two fight over who should sit next to Harry. Instead, they get a booth and Harry is squished in between them. "I'm feeling a little claustrophobic." Harry mumbles, fanning his face with his hand.
"Right, I'll move." Zayn and Gemma respond in unison causing the two both flashing glares at one another. Zayn groans and crosses his arms, leaning against the booth.
Personally he has no problem with Gemma whatsoever. He personally loved her like a sister and showed so much respect. He doesn't know what went wrong between them besides not contacting her for like six years.
Harry takes a deep breath, releasing his menu from his grip, "I'll be back, if you excuse me. Both of you making me nervous. I'm just tense. Be back, I'll be back."
The second Harry is gone, Gemma scoots closer to Zayn with a glare, her hands making a fist on Zayn's collar as she pulls him close so they make the same daring eye to eye contact, "What are you doing with my brother?"
"We're dating, duh." Zayn says with ease, as if he addresses this label to anybody. It seems so easy too. It's never been easy to tell other people that he's dating someone, because he never considered it that way. Plus, he wouldn't really consider it as dating. He and Harry aren't actually dating, but it was so... simple.
"I don't like it. You started high school and abandoned him!" Gemma chides with a stern aggression. It's almost like Zayn can see the heat rising to her cheeks and steam escaping every little opening possible on her pretty, Harry resembling, face.
"Not like he'd remember me."
No words are exchanged, instead Gemma's grip softens. Actually right on queue when Harry mumbles, "Wanted my sister and boyfriend to get along but this is kind of too much on what I bargained for."
"No, no. Nothing between us!" Gemma says with a tranquil, unflustered tone that makes Harry beam, crawling over Zayn instead of asking him to move. It didn't seem very respectful or appropriate since they're a nice dinner place but Zayn simply put his hand on Harry's lower back and guided him to his original seat.
"Then why─ never mind. Not going to ask anything." Harry flutters his eyes inhales, exhaling a composed breath, "I'm happy you two already know each other I guess."
"Oh, Harry please don't worry! I just know him because well like, his mom is a client of mine. I was nearly choking him, for fun or course, because he stopped visiting me." Gemma suppresses a choke in her voice and Zayn can tell due to her hoax.
"Just looked like you two were about to kiss but whatever. It's good, it's fine. I'm over it." Zayn actually thinks Harry is a brilliant actor, must be why he's in drama class. He's amazing, wonderful at this whole pretending thing. He's actually jealous of the tight space between Gemma and Zayn.
Zayn strokes a hand against Harry's knee, his lips pressing between the back of Harry's ear and within the curly loop dangling near it, "No need to get so envious."
"Um, so Harry, how was senior prom?" Gemma raises a question as soon as everyone orders their meal, which mainly consists of noodles because Harry's vegetarian, Zayn and Gemma respecting Harry's wishes that they could get something either fish or non meat.
"Oh, you know. We showed up. Danced. There was punch. Nice lights and stuff. Then I stayed at his home and met his dog, Jaxx." Harry stammers over his words, obviously not familiar with his actual dance, and instead getting the description off some movie.
Zayn inaudibly promises Harry that he'll include the details from Harry's awful verbal experience of this so called prom. He already feels Harry easing with the pressure of his hand cupping around Harry's hip.
"Well, Harry and I wore the traditional black prom suits. Though we used a primary color, Harry's favorite lilac color as little dash of, you know. Since we met up at prom, I was blown away to see Harry looking so extravagant. Every step he took allured me like some spell. I knew just by the way he presented himself with so much confidence and joy, that it would be the best night of my life. I fed him dinner, he dragged me to the photo booths to take couple photos. We did the proper hand over arm, hand on hips type of slow dancing, he tucked his head on my shoulder and I kissed his forehead. Harry or I didn't need to be prom king to end the night because I knew he was all mine, and I was all his for that night." Everything is slowly spoken as he imagines every little aspect and details of the prom night.
It leaves everyone speechless, including Zayn himself. Zayn's whole story was a vidid illustration of honestly, the most cherishing miracle. He can't comprehend the truth that he just described his first prom night in eighth grade with Harry.
Not to mention, that was the first night they both proposed that they would date as long as possible, which led up to both of them being each other's first times. Which Zayn now admits was stupid and sappy, just because they both said they loved each other each other, but they were clearly so young. At least Zayn knows he exchanged with someone that he loved, and still loves actually.
"You..." Harry's words do not extend, he only puts his palm onto Zayn's hand turning his jaw with his pointing finger so that their eyes meet. Zayn is nervous at the sudden affectionate attention from Harry. Of course this would be a kissing scene, if it was some tacky romance. But this is their lives, where they're portraying each other as pretend boyfriends in a fake relationship.
Before Zayn could even consider that they would kiss, the waiter maneuvers the sauces and utensils around to place their meals onto the dinning table. "Enjoy your meal and I'll be available to get you guys anything else!"
"I like to do this thing where I wash my hands before I eat so─" Harry halts Gemma from her announcement, "No, you don't Gemma."
"Hush, Harold! I'm giving you two a moment. Especially you Zayn." Gemma gives them goggly eyes as her head tilts on her palms in admiration, then she splits, off to wash her hands, if she actually is.
Zayn acknowledges the way Harry scoots closer to him, the way Harry's hand shakily reaches for Zayn's right hand, "The prom scene, you explained it so clear, it was like I can grasp it. I think I've dreamed of it before. With you in it too. You? I'm not too sure if I'm just thinking it but I swear I remember my dream."
"That's a wild dream you've got. Of me, maybe we were meant to meet and everything." Zayn says light heartily, vowing to himself that he cannot get overjoyed or should he accidentally slip out the truth of their past.
"What did it mean to you? Nobody can just describe something like that so well. Either it's the prom you've always wanted or you did experience it. Did you?" Harry asks, their hand stills in contact with one another.
"It was the best night of my life because I was there with my favorite person." Zayn mumbles, not noticing that his eyes are clouded with warm tears. The only way he founds out is because when he blinks, a tear slips off his eyelash and trails down his cheek to which Harry reaches for and wipes away.
Zayn struggles to hold back the tears that escape as his heart swells with a pitiful feeling. A combination, a mixture of an achy, soreness that topples over one emotion then other. The weight is on his shoulders as his breath hitches, feeling as if someone is tugging at his heart, only to retract back. Meaning that it only hurts more and more as the pain increases like skin in contact with a snapping rubber band.
"Can I talk to you?" Gemma whispers as she takes a hold of Zayn's hand, already hauling him out the booth. The two walk outside where Gemma crosses her arms and Zayn dares not to meet her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I love him, I still love him. But he doesn't remember me at all! I want to build up this relationship and put it back in its place but it will never be the same because he doesn't remember a fucking thing about me." Zayn slurs with a sudden rush anger instead of his previous sadness.
"Just because it's gone doesn't mean you bring it back. Sure they won't be the same memories but, at least you'll create new ones. I see it in his eyes, I know he likes you. It may not be love but I know you'll get there. Listen to me, I don't want this but even I'm rooting for you. You're perfect for my baby brother. Harry deserves to be your baby, and he deserves you as his." Gemma gives Zayn an assuring embrace, just a quick squeeze to tell Zayn it'll all be okay.
"You two need to be alone so I'm going to say goodbye and you two enjoy yourself okay?" When Zayn does come back inside with Gemma, Harry sits with a pout, no trace of a touch on his lunch. They say their goodbyes, leaving Zayn with a silent Harry.
"Why didn't you talk to me? Went to my sister instead. I could be there for you just as much as she can. Just because she knew you longer?" Harry's voice is strained and apathetic but Zayn can tense that his words aren't just regarding a friend to friend relationship. Maybe Harry really does like him.
Well the two of them both cried that day, tears defiantly gained from two different problems but it was both caused by one another.
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