Unfortunately for Zayn, things didn't always go according to the way he wished. Clearly, he had just gotten lucky the first two times because he was not able to accurately predict what time Harry would be bringing out his trash or on what days. So for the next two weeks, he missed seeing Harry at all. One evening, he did peek out of his blinds and saw Mindy go into Harry's house. But Harry never came out. Zayn was much too worried about being embarrassed to ask her about Harry and besides that, he was still one hundred percent sure he didn't want to be the weird neighbor.

So the next time Zayn saw Harry wasn't when he was on his smoke break at all. It happened to be in the unlikeliest place he had ever thought of.

"Let's see... Pillowcases... No that's​ curtains. I need pillowcases. Where are the-"

His thought was interrupted when someone stepped out in front of his shopping cart and was knocked down. He didn't want to be rude and let whoever it was get up by themselves, so he rushed around the cart. Just as he was reaching for their hand to help them up, a voice confirmed their identity.

"Harry!" A females voice called.

Zayn's head shot up when he recognized it was Mindy.

"Well... I think I've just been hit by a shopping cart."

Zayn panicked. Of all the people in the world, he hit Harry? He hit a blind man. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't see you. I didn't mean to. I was thinking out loud and not paying attention and I didn't see you."

Harry smiled as both Zayn and Mindy helped him up. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't see you either."

Mindy laughed at his joke, but Zayn couldn't see the humor. He'd just knocked Harry down with his shopping cart. Harry could have broken a kneecap or something. How was that funny?

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I've learned not to ask." Mindy commented. "If he gets up and the first thing he does is make a joke, he's fine. If he doesn't, he's hurt. He hates when people ask if he's okay."

"Why?" Zayn asked.

"Because he thinks it means that people only pay closer attention when he falls because he's blind. Harry believes in himself, which is good, but he can be stubborn at times when it comes to help. Always has been."

"Hello, I'm right here."

"Yeah, we know. Um... I remember that you're Harry's neighbor. What was your name again?"

"Zayn. Zayn Malik."

"That's​ right. It sure is. Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"I was just about to run to the ladies' room but he hates when I drag him there with me. Do you mind staying here with him until I get back? I'll be quick."

Zayn shook his head. Of course he wouldn't mind. He'd been trying to talk to Harry alone for two weeks now. "No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

"Will you be okay, Harry?"

"Yes. I can handle myself."

"As long as you don't have to stand outside the bathroom door, right?"

Harry chuckled. "Yep. Now go."

She rushed off as fast as she could go without running and Zayn went behind his shopping cart so he could push it onto the aisle. "So I didn't figure I would run into you in Walmart."

"Literally."

Zayn did manage a smile at that one. "Embarrassing."

"That's alright. So what are you here for?"

"Pillowcases. I need new ones for my bed. All I have is a faded yellow one and a zebra patterned one. And the zebra pattern one was actually my sister's."

"Oh. Wow."

"Mhm. So that's what I'm here for. And you?"

"Mindy and I were looking at comforters."

Zayn cringed. Harry always seemed to have the most ironic choice of words when speaking. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. The one I have at home is just a smooth cloth comforter. But I want something with texture, you know. Something I can feel."

Zayn looked up and down the aisle.

"Like this?"

"Like what?"

Zayn came back over to him and pulled him by the hand over to a sample pad. He brought Harry's hand to the pattern so he could feel over it.

"Yeah. Like this. But what color is it?"

Zayn frowned in confusion. "Does it matter?"

Harry frowned in return. "Yes. It matters. You know, just because I can't see, it doesn't mean I can't have color preferences."

Zayn settled. "Sorry. You're right. I was just being a stereotyping asshole."

Harry cleared his throat but didn't agree or disagree so that he didn't hurt Zayn's feelings.

"Anyway, this is like a golden, brownish color. You like that?"

"Oh... Nope." Harry said. "I'm actually looking for pink."

Zayn was glad he couldn't see him because the look he gave him was way too obvious to go unnoticed. Of all the colors, he wanted pink? Why?

"Pink.... Um. I don't think Walmart has pink textured comforters. This is their only selection. If you want something like that, you may have to order it online or go to a place that has a wider selection of comforters."

Harry scratched his head. "Ordering online is not an option. I can't feel what I'm looking for through a screen and I wouldn't want Mindy to work her brain so hard by making her explain every single thing she sees. I might have to go to a place."

Zayn perked up. "And I know where one is."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's not far from where I work. I bought some pillows a few weeks ago from there. And they're textured. They have sewn on designs just like what you're looking for."

Harry bounced up and down happily. "Wow. I'd love to go there and see what they have."

"And I could take you there."

He stopped bouncing. "Really?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. I told my mum I'd make the house look more homey over time. So I'll be going there a few more times anyway. You can just come with me."

Harry nodded wildly. "Yes please. I would love to."

"Okay then. I guess I'll just figure out the next time I go and come pick you up. Or... Walk next door and get you."

Harry giggled. "Yeah."

They stood there in silence until Zayn interrupted it. "So why a pink comforter?" He asked.

Harry chuckled bashfully. "Well... "

"Actually, you know what? If it's embarrassing, you don't have to tell me."

"It's not embarrassing. I promise. I chose pink because of something that happened when I was young. When I was a young teen."

"Really? That far back?"

"Hey, you say that like I'm old. I'm younger than you, you know."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. But I didn't mean it that way at all."

"Zayn, I was only messing with you. Don't take it so serious." He rubbed his hands on his pants as he recalled his memory. "Anyway, I was outside in my front yard when a group of other teens came up to me. Grandma had just gone in the house to make lunch and I usually go in when she goes in but I was enjoying outside. The weather was nice that day and it wasn't like I was wandering around and putting myself at the risk of getting lost. I was just sitting in the grass and enjoying the breeze.

"Then I heard a group of girls and boys come up to me and I guessed they were around my age. And apparently they lived in the neighborhood too. One of them told me he had seen me around and had a gift for me. But I knew he snatched it from one of the girls without their permission because I heard one of them tell him to give it back.

"He handed it to me and it was so fur-like, you know. It was really fun to touch. Plus there was some hard dangly thing hanging from it. I didn't want to give it back. But then one of the guys, pushed me down and called me a rude name. Long story short, the same girl who had her furry thing snatched, broke up with the guy who pushed me right then and there."

"What? Really?"

"Yep. It was so embarrassing hearing it happen but I can't say he didn't deserve it for what he did to me and to her. Turned out, the girl's name was Mindy and she let me keep her furry thing which, after she explained it to me, turned out to be just a key chain with a pink fur ball dangling from it. Ever since then, I've kept it. It means a lot to me that she broke up with her boyfriend because of that. Even if it probably was just because he had given me her key chain."

Zayn twisted his mouth sideways, looking sympathetically at him. "I'm sorry. It's messed up that those kids did that to you for their enjoyment. Taking advantage of you like that is wrong."

"It doesn't matter. Because I actually learned a lot from that encounter. One, even if your grandmother is looking out for you in all the right ways, it doesn't mean that everyone else is. Two, color has no gender and three, Mindy is a great friend."

"Yeah. Key chain or not, she still stuck by you. She's an amazing woman."

"Of course she is. That's why she's​ getting married. Liam, her boyfriend and now fiance, proposed to her a couple weeks ago. I'm happy for her. I really am. I'm just nervous because I know he'll take up a lot of her attention now." He huffed. "And I fear that she won't come around as much anymore."

Zayn sighed, then reached out to rub his shoulder. "It's okay, Harry. I don't think she would ditch you just because she's getting married. Also, why don't you talk to her if that's the way you feel."

"I can't. I don't want to spoil her happiness by making her worry about me. I love Mindy. She means so much to me. I know that I have the option to pay someone to come back and help me if need be. So I don't feel like she is my only option. She's just my preferred option."

Zayn nodded. "Because you already know that you trust her."

"Exactly."

"So... Why don't you mind planning to do things with me? You know... The whole letting me take you to the furniture store kind of thing. How do you know you can trust me?"

Harry chuckled. "Because just by listening to you, it doesn't seem like you can even trust yourself. Somebody has to."

Zayn was thrown by his response. "What? How did you gather that from only having four extremely short conversations with me?"

"Because you apologize a lot. Even for things you shouldn't even be sorry for."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do."

"Oh. I didn't​ even realize that. Does that annoy you or something?"

"No. It doesn't annoy me. Not at all. I think it's... It's you."

A small smile played on Zayn's face. "Thanks, Harry."

"You're welcome."

After that, Harry asked Zayn if he wanted to go look at the pillowcases. Zayn knew right away that that meant Harry wanted to shop with him. So despite knowing he'd need to go one aisle over from the one Mindy expected to find them at when she returned, he still agreed. This was his only chance to really befriend his neighbor and learn more about him while it wasn't considered weird. He was determined to take advantage of it as long as he could.

➡ ➡ ➡

"I'm telling you. I remember that like it happened yesterday." Louis was explaining. "Even though I didn't show it, it did make me angry. The only thing that kept me from retaliating is that I don't think Tony was aware that he actually looked pretty stupid to every one else with common sense. So of course that doesn't include his friends."

"Yeah, right." Zayn laughed. "That and you realized you were too weak to fight and couldn't safely throw a fist without getting your ass beat."

Louis gasped. "Me too weak? So were you. And you still are." He said with a bit of attitude.

Zayn chuckled but didn't take it personally. Tony was into all the school sports and workouts were apart of his everyday routine. But Zayn was never that muscular and firmly built guy so technically, Louis wasn't lying. "I wonder what happened to Tony."

"Last I heard, he was in prison serving eight months for a petty theft crime."

"Oh no. He got what he deserved, I guess."

"Yep."

Zayn put his elbows on the table and leaned forward across the table. "Those school years were the best with you, Louis. I don't know why I ever stopped keeping in touch with you."

"Because you're an idiot. It's quite simple actually."

"Ah." He said, finding this the perfect opportunity to strike back. "At least it's nice to know your popularity level only moved up to zero today. Sure, you're still a nerd and you're still uncool. But on the bright side, no one will ever say fame changed you. Good job, buddy."

"Cute. However, even if I did become famous one day, the only thing that could ever get me to consider changing the way I am is if you finally settled down. But based on our conversation today, the only girl who ever showed interest in you actually set you up, so..."

Zayn laughed out loud but quieted down when some people in the coffee shop looked over at him. "Wow. Were we always this mean to each other?"

"Yes."

"Outsiders would think we hate each other."

"That's the beauty of friendship."

"Yeah... Beautiful." He replied sarcastically and then he leaned on his elbows with his own cup in hand. "Louis. I just wanna say that...." He stumbled over his words, trying to get them out. He thought back to what Harry said in Walmart. Maybe he did apologize a lot. But he still knew this was something he surely should apologize for. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I should've been a real friend but I wasn't. I know we're different, but I should've embraced our differences instead of hating them and running away from them. I'm such a jerk for that."

"Well, that you are. Yes." He said with no hesitation and Zayn did crack a smile. "But I don't hold grudges and I'm not expecting you to make it up to me or anything. The fact that you offered to go for coffee with me says enough."

"Really?"

"Yes. But even if I'm not expecting anything from you, that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to be able to drop by your new place every now and then."

"Oh, I can definitely do that." Zayn agreed. "But I'll wanna go visit your place too."

"Then we'll exchange addresses before we leave."

"Deal."

Louis smiled over into his cup and when his glasses fogged up over it, he laughed softly but didn't say anything. It brought Zayn back to when they had evenings like this at fast food restaurants, when they would just relax in each other's​ company and let the silence meander around them. He couldn't deny that he missed being with Louis like this. And the truth was, he should've missed it a long time ago. He wished he had.