Retrograde | ZS

I. You Feel Like Home

Zayn peers over the six foot wooden fence by raising his height with his foot on the watering hoes at the side of his house. His only concern has to do with a strange boy coming onto his lot out of nowhere, with such panic and fear.

"Care to explain?" Zayn says as the young boy follows behind him to the back porch where Zayn sat recently.

"Mhm! Okay! So there were these dogs without leashes! If you can see where that story takes us, I'll say no more. I was just trying to find my way to campus because after summer I'll be attending, but then, wow... Bark! Bark! Bark! Goodness!" Zayn can't help but present an dainty smile.

"I get that. But why my house of all places?" His tiny home is on a one way street a few blocks away from campus in downtown. Not to mention, there are quite of other houses in this neighborhood, so why did Zayn's bright green home lead the way to safety?

"Your home just feels safe." The worrisome boy comments with a pout that also portrays a tiny grin, "It's just─ it feels important. When I saw it, I felt like my whole life─ I don't know. It felt comforting. Oh, I'm sorry, must feel weird for a stranger to tell you that your house feels like their own. I'm Harry Styles."

Zayn doesn't want to say, "Yeah I know." It might scare him off, so all he does is nod. Wanting oh so badly to hold this boy in his arms, to announce a delicate, "I miss you."

Despite the intimate, emotional feelings not being quite there anymore, he has to admit, when you see someone you once loved, you can't help but have your heart falter in a rush of numerous emotions.

"So how do you know me?" Harry says after the silence that Zayn wasn't aware of, considering his thoughts that outrageously consumed him.

Now, more thoughts stir in his noggin as he reflects upon the past, their past together. As Zayn's first memory of Harry was in junior high, eight grade to be exact. He stumbled upon Harry, as people of the eight grease called the lower class men, "fresh meat."

During the combined physical education class, Harry tripped over absolutely nothing during their first mile. As all the kids ran straight passed the lanky boy in the middle of the lanes, nobody targeted him. Only Zayn.

The way he looked too, could never be forgotten. Whimpering on the ground holding his ankle, that was defiantly sprained. His shoes sporting red skid marks from the running trail beneath their feet. With dry skin scrapes and tattered skin revealing leaking crimson blood.

Retrieving the injured boy off the ground was the best decision Zayn ever made. Because just from that, the two immediately became each other's other halves. Harry attended every sports game Zayn took apart of as Zayn walked Harry to all the clubs he wanted to join. The two never sat together during lunch because they had friends who were way too opposite to get along. But that didn't stop them from going to each other's houses and sharing the same duvets.

Sometimes he considered it as one sided, that Zayn loved more than Harry. They never really left on a good note either.

That concludes Zayn's thoughts, they've had a year of history together and Zayn sworn that was his first love, yet, Harry just introduced himself to Zayn.

"Uh? How do you not know me?" Zayn forces a sly chuckle to cover up the disappointment and natural throb that aches in the wakes of his chest.

"No clue. But─ never mind. I appreciate your hospitality. Sorry for running on your lawn. I can gladly come by and refurbish your grass or something!" Harry stands up and inches his arm out in transition to shake Zayn's hand.

Due to the early escape, zayn comes up with the most pathetic excuse to keep his company, "Wait! What if the dogs come back, you've got to stay. You know. Just in case." It's not a total fabrication, how about observation and suggestion.