divorce [h.s.]

two

"Next rounds on you, Styles." Zayn says, slamming his empty pint glass down on the bar. I down the rest of my drink and then do the same.

"Same again?" I ask him and he nods.

"You two are so boring." The bar woman moans we both look over at her. She's called Grace, I remember, and has curly black hair, green-blue eyes, pale skin, red lips and is wearing a low cut, black top. She's pretty....but not really my type.

"How do you mean?" Zayn asks her, turning around on his stool.

"You're ordering the same things, the same boring things, I may add, like two old men sat in a pub on a rainy Sunday evening." Grace says, leaning forward and I can't help but notice Zayn's eyes focused on her chest area. I laugh, rolling my eyes.

"So what do you suggest then?" Zayn asks her.

"Shots." She says, grinning. "Come on, live a little."

"I'm down." I say, shrugging. Anything to forget that pitying look Victoria gave me when I went by, acting like I was pure dirt on her newly cleaned carpet.

She goes away to pour the drinks and brings three shot glasses back, placing two down in front of us, one for herself.

"Are you supposed to drink on the job?" I ask her and she rolls her eyes.

"Who cares." She says. "Bottoms up, fellas."

Both Zayn and I bring the glass up to our lips, downing the contents and then placing the glass on the bar, wincing as the liquor burns our throats.

"Better than beer right?" Grace says, waking out from behind the bar. "I'll get you both another in a second, just gotta go serve this table."

"So," Zayn says once she's gone across the room. "What did Victoria want yesterday?"

"Oh, just wanted me to go pick up yet another box of my stuff." I sigh. "I don't know why I feel hopeful when she calls me, I should know by now. It's never gonna happen."

"You two were cute as hell." Zayn says sadly. "I always thought you two were going to be together a while."

"You're not the only one." I sigh and Zayn gives me that sympathetic look again, the one I'm becoming sick of seeing. But I shouldn't, because he just cares.

"Crazy the way life turns out, huh?" Zayn says.

"Did she put something else in your drink, you're getting all emotional and rambling about life and shit." I say and Zayn shakes his head with a chuckle.

"No, I was just thinking about it all today." Zayn says. "You know, when my parents first started considering a divorce, neither of them really wanted to go through with it, so they went to this couple counselling, marriage counselling thing."

"Marriage counselling, huh?" I ask, thinking about it. "Did it help?"

"No, not really. They got divorced a few months after." Zayn says and I huff.

"Great." I say.

"But hey, just because it didn't work for them doesn't mean it won't for you."

--------

I run out of the shop, trying to get out of the rain as fast as possible. I dump the bags of shopping in the back seat and jump into the drivers seat, shivering with the cold, my hair dripping. I turn the keys in the ignition and turn up the heat in the car, warming up a little. Just as I'm about to drive off, my phone starts to ring and I grab it from my back pocket, realising Victoria is calling.

She hasn't called or texted me in three days and I know all she will want is to ask about this divorce or request for me to come up collect more of my stuff from the house. Even so, that little bit of hope stays lodged inside my chest and I can't get rid of it.

"Hello-" I say when I pick up.

"Hi, I got my divorce papers in the mail this morning, have you got yours yet?" She asks me as soon as I answer.

"Uh, no." I lie, remembering the pile of papers that were delivered two days ago, the ones I quickly skimmed through and then dumped beside the bin with no plan to look at them again.

"Oh, maybe they got lost in the mail? I'll sort it out." She says.

"Great..."

"Anyway, remember, as soon as you get them go through it there and then. It's pretty simple, just read through it and most importantly, sign them."

"What if I don't want to?"

Victoria pauses for a few seconds. "Harry, quit playing games." She finally says.

"I'm not playing a game." I tell her. "I don't want to sign them and you know that."

"Well you're going to have to, I'm afraid."

"I don't have to do anything." I remind her. "And this divorce can't go through without both our signatures on those pieces of paper."

"Harry, can you please not make something difficult for once?" She asks in a snappy tone.

"I'm not making it difficult, I'm just saying-"

"No, you are making it difficult. Like you do with everything!" Victoria argues. "Don't you want to move on to the next chapter of your life?"

I want to say no. Tell her of course I can't move on and get on with my life because she was my life, is my life.

So no, I don't want to move onto the next chapter. Without her, the rest of the book is full of blank pages.

"Look," I sigh, leaning my head back on the headrest. "I don't want to fight as much as you don't want to. But.....I have a proposition, if you like."

"And what's that?" Victoria asks.

"Zayn was telling me about this thing that his parents went to when they didn't want to get divorced: marriage counselling-"

"I don't think so." Victoria interrupts before I've even finished my sentence.

"I looked it up." I tell her. "I've really thought about it. I think it's a good thing for us to do."

"No." Victoria says. "I don't want a therapist pushing their way into my business."

"Our business." I correct her. "Our marriage, remember?"

"Yes, but 'our marriage' is over now." Victoria snaps at me. "We don't need some therapist to tell us that."

"Fine, I won't sign the papers then." I shrug.

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope." I reply. "You want me to sign these papers so much? Fine, I will. After we go to this marriage counselling and find out if this is really what we want to do."

Victoria stay silent for about 10 seconds, thinking about it. She finally sighs "Fine. If you book it and tell me the date and time, I will go. But only because I need you to sign those damn papers."

"Deal." I say before hanging up.

A.N.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter loves, I'm excited for this story tbh. Vote and comment, it'd help to know what you all think. Sorry this is short, the next chapters will be longer x