everyone passing around louis's podcast quotes about zayn failed to mention this absolutely insane smile louis has while talking about how zayn leaving was so typically zayn. icb we've gotten to this point in their healing journey where louis can not only talk about this but have this little shit eating grin while talking about it. it is incredulous, he is acknowledging the audacity, but it really emphasizes how louis has come around. this repetition of how close they WERE in the band, but also how well he KNOWS zayn - present tense. his confidence in knowing zayn after so many years apart, he still understands him. obviously we always knew they were the most close and also that he was the most hurt by zayn leaving, but i feel like so much of the hurt was also in understanding why zayn had to leave and feeling so deeply wounded by that as well.