"Harry!" Zayn called out.

Harry answered him from the back of the house. "What?!"

"Where'd you disappear to?!"

"My room!"

"Why?!"

"You said we were going outside!"

"Not yet!"

Zayn got up and walked to Harry's bedroom. When he got there and turned on the light, Harry was just finishing putting on his second shoe. He leaned against the door frame.

"Harry."

"What?"

"I said after we finish going over the color, we'd go out."

"But why wait?"

"You wanna go out now?"

"Why not?"

Zayn folded his arms and shrugged. "I don't know. There's not a reason. I guess we could go out now. If you just want to."

Harry hopped up from the bed excitedly. "Of course we can."

"But I'm warning you. The longer we stay out there, the more chances we have to be bitten by mosquitoes."

"That's okay. I've been bitten many times before. I'm not afraid of them. Unless of course you are and you can't handle it."

He leaned off the wall. "Please. I was only being nice for your sake. Bring it on."

"I will."

Loving their playful banter, Harry followed Zayn to the back door of the house and outside. Since it was Zayn's idea to sit in the grass, he gladly took Harry's elbow in his hand and led him off the back porch and out into the middle of the yard. They sat down next to each other.

"I like this suggestion." Harry said. "To come outside and enjoy the night as you said. I like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. It's been a while since I did this. But why did you want to do it? What does it have to do with the color black?"

Zayn took out his phone. "Well, how about we learn a little bit about the color real quick. And then you'll know why."

He hummed and leaned onto Zayn. "Fine."

Zayn happily put an arm around him and then used his other hand pull up the internet with the webpage already opened.

"Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil and mystery. It's a very mysterious color that we often associate with fear and the unknown and unlike the color white, it usually has a negative connotation. It denotes strength and authority and is also the symbol of grief. Which is why some people choose to wear black to a funeral. And that's it, really. There isn't much more to say on the color black, Harry."

"Uh huh and how is this related to enjoying the night?"

He sat his phone down in the grass. "Because sitting in the dark is a lot like what you do, everyday. When it's dark like this, everything we hear around us- the crickets chirping and the dogs barking in the distance... there's a mystery added to all of it because like you, I could never know where those things are just by identifying them with my eyes. I have to use my other senses to perceive them. And sometimes that's what makes enjoying the night so great. The mystery behind it.

"And then like right now. I can look up now and see the stars and I can see colors of green and yellow and blue and purple glistening from them. But the sky is vast and everything up there is so far away and almost unreachable. That's what makes the dark give off the feeling of the unknown. I mean... It's beautiful to look at. But I know I'll never reach it because there's no ending. It just goes on and on.

"But even still with all of that. Even when you can't see what's happening around you and even when you don't understand it, there's something about coming out here at night and enjoying the night with someone you realize you're starting to care about a lot that makes things begin to make a little sense."

Harry smiled. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's comforting. Being with them makes the unknown seem less unknown, the mysteries less mysterious and the dark a lot less scary."

Harry sat up now. He knew Zayn was talking about him but the way he was avoiding specifics only made him continue with it. "You think they feel the same way about you?"

"I don't know. Do they?"

"I think so."

"You think?"

"Hey. You won't even say my name even though it's obvious you're talking about me."

"You either."

"But you did it first."

"True. I did."

Harry cleared his throat and sat back on his hands. "I meant to tell you this earlier. But last night, I met the guy who I'm going to be walking down the aisle with."

Zayn turned his head sideways. "What do you mean?"

"You know I'm going to be in Mindy's wedding party. So she chose a guy from work for me to walk down the aisle with."

"Oh. Then say that. Don't just say you're walking down the aisle with a guy. Choose better words."

"What better words are there? I am walking down the aisle with him."

"But it doesn't sound right."

Harry's lips parted a bit and he quietly gasped. "Is that jealousy I detect?"

"No."

"Uh huh."

"I'm just saying. Why didn't she ask me? I was there when she asked you about walking down the aisle."

"She also didn't know you that well then. That was like the third time we ever saw each other. Or something like that. We weren't even that close. Neither were you and her."

"Liam invited me to their wedding though."

"That's different than being in it."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is. Just admit you're jealous and stop fighting it."

"Jealous of what?"

"Hmm. Okay. Well, Mindy and I had a lovely dinner with him. His name is Lamar. Did you know he was so happy to walk me down the aisle? Yeah. It was cute. And he's really sweet and nice. Even offered to take me home so Mindy didn't have to go out of her way to drive me home. But I declined. Very generous of him isn't it?"

"Sure, but so am I. I'm generous to you. And I'm cute. I'm sweet and nice too. I am. And was Lamar the one who just told you he enjoys sitting under the stars with you because you make everything better? I don't think so."

"Aha. So you are jealous!"

"I am not!"

"Shut up. I'm dating you. Not him. Now kiss me."

Harry was expecting to receive one long kiss on the lips. But instead, Zayn had given him many kisses. And Harry loved it, so he fell backwards into the grass and pulled zayn down by his shoulders.

Zayn just smiled down at him, even though the dark was preventing him from seeing his face clearly. He knew that he used to be happy that Harry couldn't see the way he looked at him. But for some reason tonight it was the only thing he wished for. He wanted Harry to know that he was looking at him like he was the only person that mattered to him.

For another ten minutes, they both lay in the grass together, just kissing each other over and over and only breaking for air or to speak or giggle.

"Zayn." Harry finally said.

He nosed Harry's nose with his nose. "Hm?"

"I'm glad you planned to come out here tonight."

"Me too."

"But not just for this. I mean... you reminded me of something. Something that I want to show you."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Is it outside?"

"Mhm."

"Okay." Zayn sat up and rose to his feet, then helped Harry do the same. "What is it you want to show me?"

"There's a pot of dirt at the edge of the porch. There used to be a plant in it but it died."

"Oh. Am I supposed to say sorry?"

"No, no. There hasn't been a plant there for years. Since grandma died. But that doesn't mean it doesn't make a great hiding spot now. Because it does and I utilized it. There is something there."

"Hiding in the pot?"

"Yes. And I want you to find it."

Zayn looked toward the house and raised his brow. "Is it good or bad?"

"Bad."

"And you want me to touch it?"

"Yes."

"Baby..."

He chuckled. "When I say it's bad, I don't mean it's illegal or that you'll contract a disease as soon as you touch it. I mean that it's bad for your health in the long run."

"Uh... huh...."

"Just go."

"You want me to dig in dirt with my bare hands."

"Yes. You're not allergic to dirt and you can always wash your hands when you're done."

"But why me? It's your flower pot."

"True. But what's hidden in my flower pot is yours."

His jaw dropped. "Mine?"

"Yes."

"Why would you hide something of mine in there?"

"Well... if you go look, you'll know why. Now please stop asking me so many questions about it and go look. I think it's something you'll be glad you found."

"I'll be glad to find something that's bad for my health? Doesn't sound right, but okay."

He took Harry by the hand and led him over to the porch. When he reached the pot, he sighed. "You are so lucky I really like you or else you could never get me to do this."

"Good thing then, huh?"

He used his hands to dig until he came across a yellow plastic bag. As if that wasn't strange enough, he could feel something sturdy inside it, so he pulled the bag out and peeked inside it. When he saw what it was, he immediately gasped.

"Whoa. You're kidding me."

"Nope."

"But... I... wow. These are the cigarettes you hid from me."

"Yep."

"To tell you the truth, I'd forgotten all about them now."

"That was the idea. Mindy came over one day and I was asking her about what I should do about helping you quit. We came up with this idea."

"No wonder I could never find them."

"Well, technically, you could never find them because you stopped looking for them after a few times and gave up smoking all together."

He frowned. "But I wouldn't have found them anyway because they were out here. Plus you never said they could be outside. You said they were inside."

"Nope. I didn't say that either. I said they were hidden somewhere around the house. You're the one who assumed they were inside."

"But that's what you wanted me to think. You wanted me to think that you hid them somewhere inside so that I'd only go looking for them in there. I was never supposed to find them."

"Well, I'm certainly not denying that."

Zayn closed the bag up and then tied it closed. "You basically deceived me."

"Did it work?"

"Oh, it worked."

"Then I would not call it deception. It helped you accomplish your goal much faster. You got frustrated and finally gave up. So hiding them out here in the pot helped you quit."

He was still thinking. "This is why you always sent me outside to give me my cigarettes for the week and this is why it always took you so long to tell me to come back in."

"Yes. It took a while to dig it up and then bury it back again with one hand. Then I would hold the cigarettes with my clean hand and go wash my hands and dry them. By the time I told you to come back in the house, my hands were clean and dry and you had no idea what was going on."

"I sure didn't. Wow. I can't believe it."

Harry put his hands behind his back and Zayn looked down at the bag again. Even if he was tricked into looking for cigarettes he'd never find, it certainly did work. Harry was too clever for his own good.

"Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome."

"And I guess now that I've quit, I'd better throw these away right away so I don't even get the idea to want to use them again."

"Good idea."

They both went inside and Zayn tossed the bag in the trashcan in the kitchen. When he went over to the sink to wash his hands, Harry was still facing his general direction and smiling. He remembered when Harry said that he would be there with him through his journey to quit smoking. Well he kept his word and it felt good to know that he didn't disappoint him or waste his efforts.

"Are we done outside?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay. Good."

"But I did leave my phone outside and I need to go get it."

"While you get it, I'll light a candle then." He said and he left out of the kitchen for his candle room.

Zayn went back out but it was hard to see where he left his phone because there was no moon in the sky tonight and he wasn't getting much help from the porch light. After a moment, his eyes began to adjust and he could slightly see the ground around him. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something reflecting light from the porch and he knew it was his phone. By the time he retrieved it and came back in the house, Harry was at the table in the kitchen but he had a small barbecue lighter with a long handle in his hand.

Zayn quickly rushed over to him and snatched it from him. "Harry, what are you doing?!"

"What do you mean what am I doing? What are you doing?"

"Why do you have this?"

"To light the candle. Duh. Now give it back."

He did hear Harry tell him he was going to light a candle before he went out to get his phone but it didn't truly register until he saw the lighter. "This is dangerous."

"Zayn, fire is dangerous regardless of if you're blind or not."

"I know."

"Being blind also does not stop me from enjoying a scented candle. Plus I know how to light it. How do you think the candles were being lit while you were away? Please give it back."

Zayn looked down at his hand, which was held out and waiting for his lighter. He reluctantly gave it to him but he stood right over his shoulder.

"You told me you almost burned the house down with Mitchell once."

"That was an exaggeration. It was just the tablecloth that I set on fire. But I learned my lesson. I have to feel the heat in order to know it's lit. To make it easier to do that, it's much better for me to use a candle that's sitting over in something so that it has a strong base. I was using one of the long ones that sit in the candle holder. I accidentally knocked it out of the candle holder when I was checking to see if it was lit. But that won't happen again with this method."

"Yeah but..."

"Would you like to watch me so you'll understand how I do it?"

"Yes, I would."

"Okay. Watch."

Harry used one hand to find the lip of the glass cylinder and then found the wick with his index finger. With his other hand, he rested the tip of the lighter on the lip and lowered it until it touched the wick also. Then he removed his other hand to the lip again. Once his other hand was safe from the fire, he pushed the clicker and activated the flame. After a few seconds he took the lighter away and used the other hand to put it down and over the flame. Zayn cringed because he thought he would surely burn himself.

"There. I can feel the heat from the flame. So I know it's lit." He killed the flame and sat the lighter down on the table. "All done. Are you happy now?"

"Hmm. I guess so."

"Thank you." He went to put the lighter back in the candle room and Zayn bent down to read the label on the outside of the candle.

"Mid Summer's Night." He said to himself. That was very intriguing to him and even more so that the color was black.

When Harry came back in, he stood up and looked at him. "Did you choose this candle because of what we talked about and did tonight?"

"Yes. Since you said we were finished outside, I thought we could bring the night in. It's my first time burning this one by the way.

"How timely."

"I know, right."

Harry went to the cabinet, opened it and pulled down a box of tea. Zayn was just standing there watching him the whole time, just like he did when they were outside. As soon as he went over to the stove and retrieved a kettle from the back burner, Zayn went over to him.

"I hope you know that right now as we speak, I'm looking at you like you mean the world to me." He said as he carefully plucked a couple pieces of grass out of his hair. "I don't know why I keep doing it. I guess I just can't help it. But I thought that you should at least know it."

Harry slowly sat the kettle down. "It doesn't matter why, really. And I'm glad you told me. Because now I can tell you that I'm thinking of you in the same way that you look at me. "

Zayn smiled and went for the tightest hug he could manage. When Harry made a straining noise, he picked him up from his feet. "Legs up."

"Oh my." Harry said and he did do as asked, while clinging tightly to Zayn in return.

"What are we doing?"

"Honestly? I don't know." He started to lead him out of the kitchen now.

"Where are we going then?"

"Somewhere we can be together."

"Zayn." He whined. "I was gonna make iced tea so we can sit at the table and enjoy it around the candle."

"And we will."

"When?"

"Soon."

Finally, they reached the living room couch and Zayn fell on it with Harry underneath him. It momentarily took the wind out of Harry. But he bit his lip as he smiled. His legs were still wrapped around him.

"You are more dangerous with a blind man than he is by himself. And what are your plans anyway? Besides stopping me from making tea, that is."

"I feel as if we didn't fully finish our time outside before we came in."

"Really."

When Zayn leaned in to nose Harry's nose the way he had done outside, Harry put his hands up to the sides of his face.

"Just what do you hope to finish and do we have to do it now?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Instead of answering, Zayn pecked his lips and then kept kissing him until he got to his neck. There, he just put his whole mouth to his skin and ran his tongue over it briefly before sucking the skin.

Harry moaned and it was so wonderful to hear it that Zayn had to stop and look at him.

"What?" Harry asked with a bashful tone.

But Zayn shook his head and leaned down to him again. He knew that he liked it.

Obviously, they both knew that he still wasn't ready for the biggest step of them all. But tonight did make Zayn realize something. Harry did have a bigger role in his life than he thought he had. And if he wasn't quite ready to undress him and show him the ultimate form of admiration, then it certainly couldn't hurt to take it to another level and leave something for the world to know that the man beneath him was still his and only his.

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