Friends?

AN: Guys .. There's an amazing person who's editing this story. She is so lovely.. So, once again... thanks GypsyHeartGypsySoul. You're amazing ♥️

Harry was tired of frozen food and greasy fast-food. His friend, Niall, was not a good cook and Harry was a complete disaster in the kitchen. The only good thing Harry could make was pancakes.

The last time he cooked, the two ended up getting a visit from the firemen.

"I don't know how it happened." Harry would tell Niall every time his friend looked at him with a murderous look.

Harry and Niall met at the casting for a famous Los Angeles police show. Neither of them got the part in the series, and since that day, the aspiring actors had become best friends. The dream of becoming an actor was costing them a lot of money, so splitting up the rent turned out to be the best option for both.

"I thought you were not coming home anytime soon, dude." Niall said as he saw Harry entering the apartment.

"I brought food." Harry tossed the bag of Nando's chicken on the coffee table in the living room.

"You're the best." Niall opened the package, it was his favorite fast food. "So then, tell me how it was at Malik's house." Niall said, devouring a chicken thigh.

"It was horrible." Harry threw himself on the couch next to Niall, grabbing a pillow. "I wanted to punch him in the face. He's a complete idiot." Harry gripped the pillow harder.

"Too bad, I think you could have learned a lot from him. Yesterday, I saw an old movie of his. What a movie! He is great. "

"Shut up." Harry got up, throwing the pillow at Niall.

"Son of a bitch. Did you see his daughter?"

"I wish I hadn’t. How could that beautiful, sweet little girl be the daughter of that disgusting man?" Harry thought aloud, taking a beer from the fridge.

"Maybe she takes after her mother." Niall shrugged. "I almost forgot, Louis called many times. He sounded nervous."

"I think I'm giving up. I'm going back to London, I’ll look for a job there." While Harry was drinking his beer, Niall was staring at him, not believing what he just heard. "I left my family and what did I get in return? I’ve been here for years, Niall, and all I’ve ever done as an actor is a shampoo advertisement."

"But that shampoo is really good, and your hair looks beautiful in the ad." Niall laughed.

"I'm so tired, I want my mother"

"Harry, I don't like this loser talk. We need to take a walk." Niall walked over to Harry.

"No, man, leave me alone" Harry took Niall's hand off his arm, trying to push him away.

"Come on, Harry, seriously!" Harry looked at him pouting. "My mother used to tell me 'Happiness is where you want to be’. Your happiness is here, dude."

******

Although she did not have her mother by her side, Emma was a happy girl. She was very smart for her age. She had a good perception of the things that happened around her, perhaps, due to spending almost all her time with adults. The little girl had almost no contact with other children, but she never felt lonely.

Louis was her godfather and best friend. Emma talked to him a lot, and at times, Louis would forget that he was talking with a child.

"Do you want anything else, dear?" Louis asked.

"I want ice cream, godfather. Strawberry with chocolate syrup." Emma's eyes flashed at the thought of the syrup.

"Let's go then so that we can go home soon, your father must be worried already."

Louis liked those moments when it was only him and Emma. Louis could not have children, but it did not bother him at all. Emma was like a daughter to him.

"I want a strawberry ice cream with a lot of chocolate syrup." Louis told the attendant, looking at Emma who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Here it is, sir." The attendant said to Louis. "Emma" Louis spoke louder seeing that Emma was no longer by his side.

"HARRY" The little girl screamed, noticing Harry in the ice cream shop.

"Princess." Harry said taking her in his arms. "I missed you."

"So did I. My godfather said you were at my house. Why didn’t you come to see me?" Emma asked him with sad eyes. Harry looked around the ice cream shop and when he realized that Emma had come with Louis, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I didn't know you were there." Harry kissed Emma's rosy cheeks.

"Emma, your ice cream will melt." Louis told her. Emma looked at the ice cream, shrugging. Her little hands went to Harry's face.

"I like you." Emma kissed him.

"I like you too." Harry gave her a big smile. "Now go get your ice cream or I'll take it for myself.”

Harry put her back on the floor.

"I called you several times." Louis told Harry as he handed the ice cream to Emma.

"I was not home, Louis." Harry put his hands in his pants’ pocket, not wanting to prolong the conversation about what happened between Zayn and him, not in front of Emma.

"Zayn wants to apologize to you, he wants a second chance."

"Louis." Harry looked at Louis imploringly to stop the conversation about that particular topic. He did not want to have to say everything that was in his head about Zayn Malik in the front of the man’s daughter.

"He's a nice person, he's willing to try to make it work."

"Try? He was a complete idiot, Louis." Harry exploded. Emma lowered her gaze and held the actor's hand.

"I would like to have you in my house again." Emma held Harry's hand harder, as if begging for the actor's presence at her house. "My father is not an idiot, Harry, he's just sad."

Harry gave her a sheepish smile and an apologetic look.

"Princess, your father is not an idiot. I'm sorry". Harry told her stroking her little hand.

"When my father realizes how beautiful your eyes are, he'll never be sad again."

Harry did not understand what Emma meant by that, but it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life.

"You're amazing, "Harry told Emma, stooping down to her height. “You're very smart and very pretty, princess." Emma hugged him

With Emma's arms wrapped around his neck, Harry felt as if Emma was his new home, his new shelter.

****

"ZAYN" Louis yelled as they entered the house.

"Mr. Louis, he's in the greenhouse." Celine, Emma's nanny, told them.

"Go there." Louis winked at Harry.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Harry still remembered Zayn's words about the greenhouse during his last encounter with the actor.

"I'm telling you that you can go."

Zayn loved that place. For years, he and Alison had grown all those flowers. Zayn used to say that the greenhouse was his paradise on earth. The actor still managed to find some happiness among the flowers, those moments were his moments of peace.

"Zayn." Harry said quietly not wanting to scare him.

"Harry" Zayn smiled amiably.

"Louis said I could come here. So…"

"All right." Zayn told him and Harry smiled.

Harry was surprised that he did not feel the anger he had expected to feel upon meeting the actor. Somewhere, deep inside, he had wanted to see Zayn again.

"This place is beautiful." Harry smelled a white rose that coincidentally was Zayn's favorite.

"I love this place, these flowers bring color to my black and white world." Zayn sighed as Harry got lost in Zayn’s voice. "Look, I was so rude to you that day. I shouldn’t have said all those things to you, I'm sorry."

"No problem." Harry said sincerely.

"You helped me realize a lot of things I still do not have..." Harry grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from continuing.

A few days ago, that scene would have pleased him a lot, Zayn almost begging for his forgiveness. But now that Zayn was in front of him totally fragile, it was breaking his heart.

"Friends?" Harry held out his hand knowing that this time Zayn would extend his hand too.

"Friends" Zayn shook his hand, a smile creeping up at the corners of his mouth.

And, until that moment, Harry had never loved anything as much as Zayn’s smile and his sincere look. Harry smiled too, knowing that his smile was the result of the award-winning actor's smile.

………………………….

AN: Tell me what you think about this chapter, okay? Until the next <333