A Thousand Years - Zarry AU

Chapter thirteen

Zayn puffed the intoxicating smoke out of his mouth as he tried to decipher each and every ordeal Harry had suffered. To say he was surprised would be a complete understatement. He was completely knocked for six, if he must say. The whole idea was kind of hard to believe bearing in mind that it was a family matter and he was his stepbrother, but with every emotion Harry had portrayed during their talk, Zayn knew for a fact that Harry had been grieving too much under Louis’ impish schemes for such a long time.

He decided to stay at the veranda for a while, giving him and Harry the time to ponder things through. The two lads were currently at Zayn’s house after Harry suggested that he wanted to go to a place where he could, perhaps, feel at ease. Feeling smart enough to propose his own thoughts, Zayn decided to take Harry to his flat whereas the lad willingly agreed.

“Louis Tomlinson.” he utters the name in pure disgust, the unethical man was undeniably depraved. How could he do this to his own brother? To a guy like Harry who used to be chaste and untainted. A sudden gust of wind brushed through his face as the awful scenarios lingered on the back of his head, puffing yet another wave of grey smokes.

“My stepbrother works as the CEO of Connoisseur Club, a notorious Casino in London. But from time to time he tends to visit his other business here in Bradford which happened to be the pub his late father inaugurated for him to succeed one day. That is where I... work.” Harry halted, the great lump on his throat made him want to discontinue, but Zayn’s constant appeasing rather pacified the lad as he carried on with the chronicles of his miserable life.

“I knew he never liked me and my father to begin with but his loathing was never like this compared to the ones when we first met, he would just ignore me. He was the kind of brother who wouldn’t socialize with me nor even giving a damn if I was still breathing. But right after our parents died, he changed... he became worse. Louis started acknowledging my existence, but in all actuality it wasn’t for the reason to comfort me for the sudden loss of my dad and his mum.”

The tears Harry had been holding in trickled down his cheeks as he remembered how it all happened and that there was actually never a time when Louis regarded him as his stepbrother. In his eyes, Harry was just a big pile of rubbish who foolishly entered his almost perfect life without restraint. Zayn voluntarily reached his hands to smear the tears off Harry’s crimson cheeks. The expressive look Zayn was giving him ushered the lad to continue.

“He had been maltreating me too much. I’m weak and helpless, so all I did was cry and beg him for mercy. He didn’t falter though, the cruelty continued until one day, he did something very sinful and undesirable...” Harry shakily clasped his palm onto his mouth to stifle a sob. A feeling of disgust suddenly roiled inside his guts as the dreadful memories of how he practically lost his virginity were recalled.

“No... please, tell me he didn’t—Oh god Harry.” Zayn maneuvered closer, pulling Harry into his arms. Harry emitted a silent sob before burying his face deeper on Zayn’s chest. The words Zayn wanted to say got caught up on his throat; he drew his bottom lip between his teeth biting it hard enough to hurt himself while Harry clutched onto his clothes as if his life depended on it. He was afraid to let go knowing he might fall into a deep dark pithole where Louis would most likely want him to lodge for eternity.

Now that he’d mention it, the cruel memory kept on flashing back on his mind. He had always thought that it would be yet another day where he’d suffer from Louis’ maltreatment. But the lad who merely reached the age of 15 never thought he’d be losing his purity on that very day. Harry was entirely ready to get beaten and battered after seeing Louis coming home looking stoned. But when Louis took him to his room by force, he began shuddering. He had never been inside his brother’s room, knowing he'd get punished once he steps in and that would also be the last place he’d wish to go within the mansion.