Scrabble » Zarry ✔

🔍ONE🔎

It was early October and Zayn was sitting on the living room floor of his condo next to his suitcase and with his checklist in hand. In five months, he'd be ready for a vacation aboard a cruise ship. Originally two years ago, he had made plans to board that ship with his husband, Louis, in hopes that they could save their rocky marriage of just eight years at the time. But now two years later, they found that it was too late. Things weren't going the way they expected and Louis was especially ready to move on.

Zayn reached toward the suitcase on the side and unzipped it so that he could place folded clothes over in it. But when he opened the flap, he noticed a gray beanie with a dog's face on it inside of the suitcase. He picked it up and held it close to him. This was probably the only physical thing he had left of Louis besides the photos they took over the years.

He could always keep this for himself but he remembered that Louis had been looking all over the house for this beanie before he moved out away from him. So he took out his phone and dialed him up. There were about three rings before Louis answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's me."

"Yeah. I know. What do you want?"

He detected how hostile he sounded. "Uh, well... I found your beanie. You know the one with the dog on it that you were looking for. It was in the suitcase."

It took him a moment to respond. "Oh."

"Yeah. So if you want, we can meet up somewhere. Maybe tomorrow and I can just-"

"Send it in the mail."

Zayn paused. "What?"

"I don't have time to meet you anywhere. Just send it in the mail."

"But isn't that a waste of money?"

"Okay, then keep the hat, Zayn. I don't care."

"But I don't want to keep it. I want to give it back to you. This was your favorite hat."

"Well, I told you I didn't have time and you said you didn't want to waste money. So keep it."

Zayn sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Louis."

"What?"

"Can't we at least be adults about the separation? I mean, we both agreed it was best. So why do we have to be like this towards each other?"

Louis huffed. "Adults get over things and they move on. So I am being an adult. I don't care about the hat anymore. I know you only want me to have it because you bought it anyway."

"Not true."

"Yes it is and I know you. I have been married to you for ten years."

"Exactly. We can't even be proud of that. Ten years isn't long enough to fall out of love. That's too soon."

"Not for me. And especially when your job doesn't make it any easier. You didn't make it any easier."

Zayn sighed lightly. "I know."

And he did know. He regretted the nights he stayed out too late and left Louis at home alone and he regretted how he always put his job before the things most important to Louis. Mostly though, he regretted not telling him he loved him enough. He wished he had tried harder to make sure that his high school sweetheart remained his sweetheart.

"I have to go, Zayn." Louis said.

"Yeah. Okay. Talk to you later then."

"Yeah. Goodbye."