8- Who Are You?

8-Who Are You?

[Zayn P.O.V.]

Harry said he couldn’t stand without wobbling right now cause those pricks kicked him really hard, so he remained seated on the snow in the middle of the park with his back leant against a tree. I off course sat next to him, too close for his comfort, my thigh bumping his own.

After what happened between us, after hugging him and getting so close to him, Harry’s brain finally registered that he was being too close to a guy. So, he quickly pulled away from me and sat silently, avoiding eye contact.

“Harry?”

He didn’t answer or make any movement to let me know he heard me. He was just staring straight ahead.

“Harry?”

After several times of calling him, he still didn’t look at me. I slowly lifted my hand to his bruised chin and turned his face towards me.

“I’ve been calling you for five minutes.” I said.

His eyes suddenly widened, and I could see his big green eyes so clearly now that it made my heart flutter just from looking at them. They were those perfect emerald eyes that you can’t get enough of looking at them.

He looked surprised, like he forgot I was there.

“Oh, uh sorry. I’m not used to hearing my name you know?” His voice drifted in the cold air, making goosebumps appear on my skin cause of how perfect it is.

“Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Ha-

“What are you doing?!” He asked while throwing his hand to my mouth to shut me up.

“Makingyougetusedtohearingyourname.” I said but my voice came out muffled due to his palm on my mouth.

“What?!” He asked, confused.

I then took his hand in mine and moved it away from my mouth.

“I said, I’m making you get used to hearing your name.”

“Oh, thanks I…guess.” He smiled, showing his amazing dimples in which I feel like giving a light kiss.

“I like it when you smile.” I muttered.

Then, as quick as it showed up, his smile faltered into a frown again. I can tell that he doesn’t like smiling even though his face should do nothing but smile.

“Um, I didn’t thank you for what you did earlier. No one ever stood up to me, and I was really surprised when you showed up. Uh, s-so thank you. Thanks a lot.” He said, making my heart swell.

I smiled at him, squeezing his hand which was still in mine reassuringly. He looked at our locked hands and was lost in his thoughts for a second before he looked back up at me and smiled again.

“Zayn, is it?” He asked.

I grinned and nodded.

“Ha, this is funny.” He muttered.

“What is funny babe?” I asked, confused.

“Umm please don’t call me that, and what’s funny is that you’re the second person who talked to me since a long time. It’s weird how you both talked to me together.”

“Oh yeah? Who is the other person?” I asked, knowing perfectly well who it is.

“Um, she is a girl named Zelda. I don’t really know her cause we only talk by text messages, but she is the sweetest and kindest person ever.” He replied with an excited glint in his eyes. This made the guilty feeling crawl back under my skin, making me regret ever inventing Zelda.

“Oh, she sounds great.” I forced out.

“Yeah she is. She always manages to make me feel like maybe there is hope for me after all.” He said while smiling. It was a sad smile, mixed with love for the person he is talking about; which is actually me…

“Well, I’m here if you ever need me.” I whispered.

He looked up with a curious look on his face. “How do you know me? How did you even find me?”

“I-uh, well I was walking in the park and heard noises so I followed the sounds till I found you.” It was half true.

“B-but why did you hug me? Weren’t you disgusted?” He asked, making me flinch.

My hand tightened around his own, making him gasp.

“Don’t ever ask such a question again, I would never be disgusted by an angel like you.” I breathed out, through gritted teeth.

“W-what did you just say?” He was surprised.

“What?”

“You said angel.” He answered.

“So?”

“Zelda calls me that.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

Shit! I should be more careful now that I’m with him. I can’t risk him knowing anything.

“Uh, wow..That’s weird.” I muttered.

“Z-Zayn, you’re hurting me, please stop!” Harry cried out. I looked down to see that my grip on his fragile hand was too tight. I was hurting him without realizing it.

I quickly unclenched my hand and wrapped Harry in a bone crushing hug. I felt him tense in my arms but after a few seconds he relaxed and I felt him place his head in the space where my neck meets my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry Haz. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just hate it when you talk about yourself like you are worthless when you are anything but that. You deserve a better life than what you have now and if you let me, I wanna be your friend.” I said, while running my hand up and down his back.

“T-thank you, and even though I think you’re weird cause it’s odd how you know so much about me, okay I’ll be your friend.” He whispered near to my ear, his cold breathe tingling my soft skin, sending shivers down my spine.

“So, wanna show me around? Maybe grab a coffee with me?” I asked.

“Sure, but I have no money to pay for the coffee.” He said, sadly.

“I’m paying.” I replied.

[Harry P.O.V.]

There is something about him, Zayn, which is confusing. He seems so incredibly nice to me even though today is the first time he ever saw me or talked to me. I mean, I’m flattered that someone decided it’s worth it to talk to the damned boy and defend him, but all of this is still confusing to me.

When he first hugged me when I was crying shamelessly, I didn’t even think of pushing him away. I mean, before today, I wouldn’t have even thought of hugging a guy like I hugged Zayn, but he felt different. The way he held me in his arms made me feel like he truly cared for me, a stranger. He held me like he was afraid they might get back to me again and beat me, like he was telling me he is here to protect me.

And I needed that. I needed to finally have someone with me, on my side and not my dad’s. So, I let him hug me and touch me, cause I know he meant it as a friendly gesture and he doesn’t wanna hurt me.

But, it still felt weird to be so close to a guy who is after all a stranger to me. However, when he called me an angel, I knew there is something more under those sparkling hazel brown eyes of his. Something that I couldn’t quite understand. He knows many things about me that a stranger to this town shouldn’t know. Isn’t it strange that he talks to me like Zelda does? Isn’t it strange that he decided to be friends with a boy he just saw?

In my opinion, it is strange.

“So, where is the nearest café?” He asked from next to me. We are now walking together through the park exit gates and I could feel our shoulders bump together every now and then.

I looked up at him and couldn’t make up words to answer him. It’s just that the way he looks at me, with so much admiration in his pupils makes me uncomfortable. This is the look Sebastian used to give me every time I looked into his brown eyes. I’ve always loved how he was the only one who has brown eyes in the family; it made him special, more than I considered him to be. He was always unique.

After a couple of minutes, I realized that I was staring at him all this time. So, I cleared my throat and said, “Just two blocks away from here.”

He nodded and we started walking again. A few minutes later, I could feel the group of glares piercing through the back of my skull and I could hear all the whispers.

They just found something new to talk about, and it’s me. Tomorrow, the headlines in the newspaper would be “The Damned Boy seen with a stranger.” And under it, they would write how Zayn is clueless and how I played with his mind and convinced him to like me and be-friend me. And, how it is such a sin to be friends with a professional killer. Yeah, they think I’m a pro at seventeen.

Wow, shouldn’t I be happy cause I’m famous?

Suddenly, I felt Zayn’s arm snake around my shoulders and pull me closer to his body, as if shielding me from all of their shameless stares. Then I felt him lean more into me and whisper, “Relax, and make them see how Harry Styles doesn’t care about them. And if someone dares to make any move, they’ve got me to deal with.”

His words managed to relax me and it’s now that I felt my shoulders were so tensed. I forced myself to relax in his arms and we continued our way to the café. Every now and then, I could feel Zayn tense and when I look at him, he would be glaring dangerously at a certain person whom I concluded “made a move”.

“Zayn, look at me.” I said, but he wouldn’t. It’s like it was his mission to glare at people and it’s forbidden to even get distracted.

“Zayn?”

“Zayn?!”

“Z!”

And that’s when he finally looked at me. He was frowning and his eyebrows were scrunched together, a murderous look in his eyes. This look usually makes me freak out cause that’s the look my father throws my way every day, but now, right here, I knew that Zayn isn’t like my father. His stare wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed for me.

“Please calm down.” I muttered.

His eyes softened a little but I could still see him worked up about it all. Once he turned his face away from me again, I placed my palm on his cheek and made him look back at me.

“Weren’t you the one who just told me to relax?”

He took a long sharp breathe while staring at me and then finally said, “Yes, but I’m not you. If they think that they can touch you again, then they must be crazy.”

I looked into his eyes and after debating on whether I should ask him the question that’s been on my mind since the moment I saw him or not, I finally asked him, “Who are you?”

It may sound like a stupid question to you cause it’s obvious that he is Zayn, but my question held a lot of meanings all summoned up in one.

“I’m just Zayn.” He answered.

“No you’re not.” I challenged.

“I am your friend.” He said.

“Yes, but why are you here? Why me? Why-

“I knew you were a fag, damned boy!” A loud shout suddenly interrupted our conversation.

I quickly moved away from Zayn since I didn’t realize my hand was still on his cheek and I looked up to see a man staring at us with disgust and remorse, like we don’t deserve to live.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!” Zayn fired while running towards the man, his fist ready to connect with his body.

“Zayn! Stop!” I yelled while running after him.

I wrapped my hand around his bicep and tugged backwards for him to return back with me, but he kept on yanking his arm away from me to finish what he wants.

“Zayn, please stop. I don’t want you to get in trouble cause of me. Just…let’s go. Please, for me?” I tried again.

[Zayn P.O.V.]

“I’d die for you.” I whispered.

“What did you say, I didn’t hear you.” He said from behind me.

I closed my eyes for a second to calm my breathing and said, “Nothing, let’s go.”

I never felt so enraged at anything in my whole eighteen years. That guy thinks that he can just insult Harry and get away with it? Well, not in my presence. I wanted to rip his heart out of his chest and feed it to the wolves, but my angel was pleading for me to stop, and he sounded so desperate that I couldn’t not do what he wants.

With a last warning glare towards that prick, I took Harry’s hand in mine and dragged him behind me, just walking towards nowhere in particular.

“Zayn, freakin stop!” I heard Harry’s annoyed voice.

I directly stopped and turned around taking one step towards him. He took a step backwards away from me which made my heart directly ache.

“Just…Ugh! Just who the hell do you think you are? You step into my life out of nowhere and defend me, okay I accept that and thank you for it cause it proved that you are a different person, a good person. But, but I don’t get why you get mad if someone insults me or try to! I’m a stranger to you! Why are you doing this?!” He finally snapped at me and said all what he wanted to say in one breathe and I let him. I didn’t interrupt him.

“Are you done?” I asked.

He just nodded, his jaw clenched.

“I care.” I answered.

“Just that? Is that your answer?” He asked.

“I know what it’s like to get beaten up every day and I- I’m trying to help you cause if no one else is willing to do so than I am here. Why should I know that I can help someone out there and not do anything? I’m not the kind of guy who chickens out and backs away. The only person who can stop me is the one I love.”

I felt something hard collide into me and soon realized that it was my angel wrapping his hands around my waist and hugging me tightly. Off course, I pulled him further into my arms and couldn’t stop the grin from appearing on my face. I think this is the third hug in one day.

“I’m so sorry Zayn. I-I didn’t know that you…you know how it feels like to get beaten up and thank you. Thank you so much for helping me. I’m so glad you decided to enter the park today.” Haz said.

“Do not apologize for anything angel. And, I’m glad to.”

I can feel the guilt eating me inside out. He apologized to me for something so stupid when I’m the one who should be apologizing, begging him to forgive me.

After that, we finally reached the café and ordered our hot drinks. Then, we sat on a two seated table in the corner of the shop away from everybody. Harry sat opposite from me, glancing at his coffee mug like it was the most precious thing in this world.

“I miss it.” He muttered.

“What?”

“Coffee.”

“Why? Don’t you drink it every day?” I asked.

He shook his head and said, “I barely even have one meal a day.”

“What?! How could they do this to you Haz? Why are you still living with them?”

“Please, just let me be happy for now, let’s not talk about it.” He replied.

I watched him take his phone out and type something in it. A few seconds later, my phone beeped, signaling that I have a new message.

Shit.

Did he just text Zelda-me?

He looked up at me with a curious face. “Aren’t you gonna answer that?”

“Nah, it can wait.”

I’m sorry Harry. I know that you need Zelda right now but I can’t do it. I can’t tell you that it’s me, you would hate me.

We sat here for an hour, just having random chats. He found out that I’m from Bradford and that I have three sisters. I couldn’t tell him anything more though. And during this hour, I think he glanced at his phone a million times, checking if Zelda ever replied.

We all know she didn’t.

After that, I walked with him home. I can tell that he was fidgeting in his place, nervous for getting back home and seeing his dad. All I wanted to do was enter his house with him and beat the hell out of his dad to knock some sense into him, but I knew I couldn’t.

With a heavy heart, I hugged Harry for the last time today as soon as we were in front of his house.

“Meet me here tomorrow at eight am.” I said.

He just nodded. I quickly kissed his cheek and walked away. I didn’t wanna look back at his sad face, knowing that if I do, I wouldn’t be able to leave him.

I looked at my phone on my way to the hotel.

His text was: Zelda, I gotta tell you something.

I decided to reply now, and make his heart rest a little knowing that Zelda didn’t leave him.

Me:- What is it baby?

I knew that today was a happy day, for me and for Harry. I was happy that I finally met him and touched him and held him in my arms, and I knew he was happy cause he has two friends now. But in fact, it’s just one.

Any happiness, no matter how brief, seemed better than the long, simmering torture of waking up day after day, knowing I could never have him.

Cause now I have him, even if for a couple of days, I have him and he is all I want.

“You’re all I want, so much it’s hurting..”

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Fin.