- 🖐🏾👐🏾 -

                                    

                                          
Having the senses heightened to the potential of oncoming danger can change things. Things that once seemed important all of a sudden are not. Things that once seemed not so important all of a sudden do. That was the way it was for Zayn.
He started to notice that time was speeding up and nothing was actually happening with his knowledge.
All that time he'd been going to work and seeing the construction project look exactly the same every day with no improvements. Now suddenly it was completely finished. Then there was the house full of moving boxes. Almost everything they owned in the apartment outside of furniture was fully packed in the boxes he purchased. But he didn't remember packing them. The boys' gifts were already wrapped beautifully and hidden away again. But he didn't remember wrapping them. The papers for the new house were signed and they had the keys. But he didn't remember signing anything or getting the keys from the owner. And apparently they'd already celebrated with friends. But he didn't remember going anywhere with them.
It was as if life suddenly started to zoom by days at a time without his knowledge and he couldn't stand that it was happening. It was as if just as he was starting to enjoy life with his family, it was unknowingly being ripped away from him. As if whatever invisible entity out there that brought all those things to him in the first place was changing its mind and fast forwarding through whatever time he predetermined they would spend together. Zayn was afraid he was going to miss something important to him.
So on the evening of the 17th of December, Zayn returned home from work and went straight to the box of things they had packed their living room items in. As far as Zayn knew, the boys were spending the night at their grandparents' because their beds had already been taken down and moved out of the rooms for the move. He was still in his jealousy period and he was really missing them. So he decided to look at the pictures of them that were up on the wall. However, as he began to search the box, he realized there were only pictures of him and Harry. None of the boys.
"Harry!" He called out.
Harry came in from the bedroom.
"Hey. Welcome home-"
"Where are the rest of the living room pictures?"
"What do you mean? They're all there."
"No they're not. The ones with the boys in it are missing."
"What boys? Liam and Niall?"
"No. Our boys. Hamilton and Harrison."
"Who?"
At first Zayn thought he was joking. So he frowned at him.
"That's not funny. I'm serious. I want to see pictures of my children. What did you do with them?"
Harry looked so confused.
"Baby... who is Harrison and Hamilton? And why should we have pictures of them?"
When Zayn noticed the genuine look of unfeigned fear on his face, he completely deflated.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"No... I could have sworn..."
He slowly sat down on the couch.
"They were our sons, Harry. They really existed. I told them I loved them."
"You loved two boys who are supposed to be our children?"
"Yes! Twin boys. They were ours. We were fathers. Oh gosh, it's happening."
Harry sat down next to him. He was concerned.