In the past four months leading up to Mindy's wedding, Zayn had come to spend so much of his time with Harry and he had been given so many things to think about. After everything that happened in his past relationship, he always knew that he wanted to be absolutely sure he was who he wanted to be before he completely moved on. So that he would never experience the anticipation of another unplanned child or think about rushing into a marriage he knew he wasn't ready for. That was his last attempt at being responsible.

But in the recent weeks, when he was busy traveling back and forth to the winery on the weekends so Harry could practice with Lamar, there were certain new thoughts that had entered his mind. He would sit back and watch Lamar and see how he dealt with Harry. Harry was right. He was very sweet and generous to him. And he didn't ever rush Harry around or treat him differently because he was blind. He was patient with him.

But even though his boyfriend was being treated the way he wanted him to, Zayn didn't really like it. It gave him an uneasy feeling. Like a styrofoam-rubbing-together sort of uneasy feeling. It borderlined on annoyance. Yes, he trusted both Lamar and Harry alone, of course. But there was just something about them linking elbows in that venue that made a wave of jealousy hit him and wake him up in a way. Made him realize that time was much too valuable to spend it wanting to be the perfect version of himself before he made any major leaps. The time to make the leap might just be right now.

"Oh, isn't that wonderful?" A woman whispered to Zayn just as Harry was making up the last of the couples before Mindy was due to walk down the aisle.

He glanced at her. "What?"

"That blind boy. Mindy always said that if she ever got married, she wanted him to be in the wedding. And he is. This wedding is beautiful. Very beautiful."

He nodded as he raised his eyes from their linked elbows and up to Harry's face. "He is."

The lady raised her brow but Zayn didn't see because he was too busy watching Lamar as he was helping Harry stand directly in front of his designated seat. He'd put his hand on Harry's back and that only made Zayn sigh. And to think that he was going to have to endure watching Harry walk with him a couple more times.

Mindy was absolutely stunning when she came out in the dress Harry had described to Zayn. And the ceremony that proceeded was lovely. Zayn thought it would be Mindy who cried, but it was actually Liam who bawled as he said his vows to her. But at least the camera captured a beautiful moment when Mindy wiped the tears from his eyes.

When the ceremony ended, Zayn stood back and watched Harry take photos with the bride and groom and the rest of the wedding party. Just as they were finishing up, Harry called out to him.

"Zayn. Are you there?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm here."

"Mindy wants you to come take a picture with us. Can you come here?"

Honestly, he didn't really want to be in any photos. But for those three, he'd do it. "I'm coming."

He walked over to them and the photographer situated him on one side of the happy couple while Harry was on the other side. He smiled and a light flashed twice.

"All done. Thanks." The photographer said.

"Thank you. You can go on and go to the room for the reception and get some pictures of the guests and the venue setup." Liam ordered. "We and the rest of the wedding party will be there soon."

"Okay."

When he left, Mindy reached out and hugged Zayn. "You are mighty quiet today, aren't you?"

He chuckled. "Well, this is your day and I didn't want to get in the way. But you do look beautiful, Mindy."

"Yes, you do, Mrs. Payne." Liam said.

Her smile reached her eyes and she kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

When they exchanged those words, Zayn cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back. "Guess I'll go on to the reception room so I don't delay you and the rest of the group."

"Sure."

"And Lamar will seat me with you after they introduce the wedding party." Harry told him. "So save my seat."

"You know I would never let anyone sit next to me unless it's you."

"You're too sweet."

"Of course I am." He laughed quietly to himself and went right to the room for the reception. But when he sat down at the table, he couldn't help but think a lot about how "I love you" had been so easy for the newly married couple.

* * *

"This chicken is so delicious. Mindy is so lucky Liam's father owns two restaurants. Didn't even have to pay for catering." Harry said.

Zayn looked over to the table where the wedding party was sitting and spotted Niall and Liam. "Niall and Liam are lucky as well. They're going to own those restaurants now."

Harry scoffed. "I'm not sure Niall is ready for that though. I mean running his own restaurant? Zayn, he still makes kissy noises every time we go to Village grill and he waits on us."

That made Zayn laugh. "I know. He's just having fun though."

"Still doesn't scream ready to me."

Zayn looked around to see if anyone else around the table heard their discreet conversation. They didn't. But he still leaned in to his ear to keep them from eavesdropping. "He probably makes those noises because he knows you're always thinking about kissing me."

Harry faced him with a scoff but he was smiling. "That's where you're wrong."

"You don't think of kissing me?"

"No. I mean he does it because he's still much like a child. Not because he can read my mind. Hence, why I'm skeptical about him being ready to take over an entire restaurant. That's a huge responsibility."

"But you don't deny the kissing part."

He giggled a little. "I know you're just trying to get me to kiss you. But not here and not now, okay? Maybe later."

"How late is later?"

"I can't leave my best friend's wedding early just to make out with you. You know that."

"That's not what I was asking."

"Yeah right."

His attention was taken away when a woman who was standing in the middle of the dance floor began to speak into a microphone. "Hi there, it's me again. Amira. I hope you all are enjoying your meal."

Mumbles of "yes" and "absolutely" filled the room.

"That's great. We all surely did enjoy Liam's beautiful piano playing for Mindy earlier and the first dance was beautiful. But that is definitely not all the entertainment the Payne's have planned for you this evening. Many people here knew Mindy when she was growing up. So you were likely aware that she had a very good friend whom she was always around. In fact, he is her best friend. I too knew Mindy when she was growing up and she used to always tell me that when she got married, she wanted that friend to be there and be apart of the wedding party."

Zayn looked at Mindy and chuckled when she blew a kiss to Harry despite that he could not see it and catch it.

"Today, that dream became reality. So now, if you have yet to meet him, then turn your attention to the center of the dance floor as he introduces himself and gives a brief speech for the bride and groom."

Everyone in the room clapped, but Zayn was actually shocked. He guessed he should've expected Harry to speak because after all, they had been best friends for years. But he had no idea Harry was supposed to speak. So he was nervous about him getting up in front of all these people. He offered to walk Harry to the dancefloor but it was Lamar who led him there. So Zayn sat back and waited.

"Hi, everyone. My name is Harry Styles. I'm a long time friend of Mindy's. As you can probably already tell, I am blind. But before you start to feel sorry for me, don't. I don't even feel sorry for myself. In fact, I've embraced it. Unfortunately, Mindy hasn't fully come to terms with the way I've embraced it. The other day when I told her I thought blind jokes would get rid of the awkwardness when I got up to give my speech, she did not agree. She said it was innapropriate and asked me to choose another topic. I told her changing my act last minute would be difficult but I'd have to see."

Zayn had been so tense the moment that joke came out but when the audience laughed, he slowly began to relax.

"I know some of you are enjoying the meal. I heard a lot of people agree with Amira when she asked. But if you were expecting fish on the menu, that's too bad. Everyone knows blind people are allergic to seafood."

Once again the audience laughed and Harry smiled so big.

"See, those were two subtle puns and yet, you all got them. But what Mindy was really worried about were the jokes that aren't as subtle. For example, why did the blind man fall down the well? He couldn't see that well."

The audience chuckled.

"You guys are laughing but I can assure you the man in the well is not finding it very funny because he doesn't see a way out."

Zayn tried not too, but he did laugh on that one. He couldn't help it.

"Last but not least, the famous bar jokes. Who doesn't love to hear those? A preacher walks into a bar... A horse walks into a bar... You know what I'm talking about. But how about a blind man walks into a bar? And a table. And a door. And a wall..."

The audience laughed.

"And let me tell you. All four of them really hurt."

Zayn shook his head with a chuckle. He just couldn't help but look at him with admiration. Seeing him take his disability and turn it into something the audience would enjoy both amazed him and made him proud.

"Anyways, now that the atmosphere has been eased, I want to be serious. Liam, I have to say that I cannot think of a better husband for Mindy. Ever since the day we met, you've taken care of me in many, many ways. I thank you for all that you did for me."

"I'm still gonna be doing it." Liam spoke up.

Harry faced the sound of the voice. "Oh. I know. That's why I know that you're good for Mindy. And to you, Mindy. I've grown to love you dearly over the years. You're more like my big sister now. You were there for me before my grandmother passed and even now after she's gone. The things you've done for me are countless. And that's why I'm so happy I was there to witness you getting married today. You deserve all the happiness in the world. You both do and I wish you the best on your marriage and any other future endeavors you have. Thank you for having me, everyone."

When he finished, everyone clapped and Lamar led him back to his seat.

"What do you think, Zayn? Did you like it?" He asked sheepishly.

"Did I like it? I loved it. For a minute, I thought my boyfriend was moonlighting as a stand-up comedian."

He laughed quietly. "I'm glad you liked it because I was so nervous. And I'm glad I didn't cry."

"Cry?"

"Yes. Weddings usually make me emotional and I start crying tears of joy. I shed a tear when Mindy was saying her vows so I can't even imagine what it would be like if I ever get married and have to say my own vows. I'd be crying at the alter like Liam."

He faced the direction of Amira's voice since she'd begun to introduce someone who had written poetry for the newlyweds but Zayn was just looking at him. Why was he taken back to earlier when Harry was walking down the aisle and imagining himself in Lamar's place? And why did he briefly fanticize what married life with Harry would be like?

* * *

"You're sure you don't want to come in?" Harry asked after Zayn had kissed him goodbye.

"Yeah. I'm sure. I'm slightly restless. We were out all day today."

"True, but you can be tired and restless at my place, too. You sleep here all the time. And it's not like you don't have a few sets of clothes here now."

"I know but there's some... stuff I have to do at home. And I want to do it tonight."

"Hmm, so you're too tired to rest here but not too tired to go home to do 'stuff.' Okay."

"Harry."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. How about tomorrow?"

He nodded. "I promise."

"Goodnight, then. Get some rest."

"You too."

Once Zayn made sure Harry closed and locked the door, he went home. As soon as he walked in the house, he went straight to his bedroom and started to take off his tie and coat. He had been awake since early this morning when he was helping Harry make preparations for Mindy's wedding. So he was glad tomorrow was Sunday because that meant he could sleep in. At least for as long as he could until he was supposed to see Harry.

He laid the coat and tie out on the bed and then went over to his dresser. He loosened his watch and laid it down on top. But as he did so, something else on the dresser caught his eye. It was his notepad of goals. So he picked it up and opened it so he could read the second goal for good measure.

As soon as he read it, he backed up towards the bed and sat down on it. Then he lay back so he could smile at the ceiling. He remembered when the thought of falling in love seemed so far fetched. When he even said that quiting smoking was easier. He lied. When he stopped smoking, he was miserable, he suffered awful withdrawals and sometimes his jaw hurt at the end of the day from chewing the nicotine gum. But falling in love? It was so easy. And it didn't come with any of the irritating things that his quest to stop smoking did.

Before the wedding, Zayn spent a lot of his time wondering if he was going about it right. If taking his time was not only right for him but also good for Harry. But now after the wedding had taken place, none of that really mattered anymore. When he imagined married life with Harry earlier, that sort of told the story. That perhaps when he was waiting for the perfect version of himself, he was ready even then and the idea of having not yet reached the second goal was not his reality.

But unlike then, Zayn wouldn't fight it. He wanted to welcome it. Yes, he loved Harry. He did. And it was exciting because the person he loved deserved to be loved. He wanted to tell him.

He sat up and rummaged through his suit coat for his phone. When he found it, he dialed Harry. It took Harry a while to answer it but he finally did. Zayn hardly let him get his greeting out before he blurted out what he wanted to say.

"Harry, I love you."

Harry paused. "Huh?"

"I love you. I was just sitting here thinking about you and how much you mean to me. The answer is a lot. Like... a lot. Sometimes I get jealous when I'm not the one you're spending your time with. And not the kind of jealously that means I envy you or them to the point where I'm obsessed and easily upset but you know... the good kind of jealousy that means I'm not going anywhere or to anyone else."

"Oh."

"You know what made me think about all this? The wedding today. Mindy and Liam tell each other they love each other and it's so easy. So why can't I if my feelings are genuine for you? So that's why I called."

"Well, I'm glad-"

"But not just that. The past few times we've been together- in and out of the shower- I know you probably wanted more. So did I but I was trying to just- you know... wait a bit and really understand how big of a step that really is."

"Mhm."

"But all I know is that I love you and I kinda wanna show you too because that's just as important as saying it and I strongly believe in that."

"I believe in that too."

"So then I'm coming over."

"Wait. Now?"

He sat up. "Yes. Now."

"I thought you had stuff to do."

"I'll be there in two minutes."

"Um..."

He hung up the phone and he went scrambling around in his drawer for the necessities. He found a box of condoms and a bottle of lubricant. Harry already had lube but his was more oily than what Zayn had. So he took that bottle and took one condom for himself.

Then he grabbed his phone and keys and he just left. Locking the door proved to be a challenge but he did get it. And he laughed to himself when he imagine being stopped on the way. If someone saw him walking down the sidewalk with a condom and a bottle of lube exposed like this, they would laugh. It was a good thing he was only going next door.

When he reached Harry's door, he used his elbow to ring the doorbell. A moment later, Harry's voice came through the cracking intercom.

"It's you, Zayn?"

"Yep."

He unlocked and opened the door and Zayn smiled when Harry turned on the light for him and he saw him in his underwear. "You were already ready for bed."

"Yes. You?"

He walked on in while Harry locked the door. "No. I hadn't gotten undressed yet. I was too busy thinking."

"About me."

"Of course."

He came over to him and he kissed him. Harry put his hands to his face and kissed back sweetly. When the kiss was over, Harry held him there.

"Will it be cliche to tell you I feel the same way you feel about me right away?"

"Do you love me?"

"Very much."

"Then no. It wouldn't be cliche."

He smiled. "Then I love you too."

"And that makes me so happy."

Zayn went to the back of the house where the bedroom was and sat everything on Harry's dresser. He got undressed then brought his shirt and suit pants to the living room where he laid them neatly across the couch so he could remember to take them back home tomorrow.

"Zayn."

It came from the back of the house. He knew it wasn't coming from Harry's bedroom because he'd just come out of it and Harry never came in when he was getting undressed. So the only place he could be right now was the candle room.

"Zayn." Harry called again.

He turned on the light just inside the door. "I'm right here. What?"

"I want to burn a candle."

He raised his brow. "Now?"

"Yes. It's the perfect time."

"Wait. So you want to burn a candle while we.."

"Yes. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I've just never done it."

"Well, there is a first time for everything."

"I guess so."

He tapped the barbecue lighter against his leg. "Pick one. But not just any candle. One right for the occasion."

He chuckled. "Me? Baby, I don't even know what you have."

"Well, look."

"I am.

"And what do you see?"

Zayn huffed but looked around until his eyes landed on one that was two-toned. One side was dark pink and the other side was a pastel yellow. "Ooh. This one's cool. It's two-toned. Half and half. Yellow and pink. It's called Candy Hearts."

Harry gasped. "I know which one that one is. Mindy gave me that candle for Valentines Day this year. I haven't burned it yet though."

"You haven't?"

"Nope. But grab it. We'll light it tonight."

"Sure. Where do you want it?"

"Depends. Where are we doing this?"

Zayn furrowed his brow. That caught him off guard. "What? You said where?"

"I did."

"But..."

But Harry chuckled. "What? You don't ever have any fun?"

Zayn's mouth was open but no words came out.

"Never mind, Zayn. I get it. You're new to this and the bedroom is a neutral place to start. It's okay. We'll bring the candle to the bedroom. Come on."

Zayn sheepishly followed Harry to the bedroom and put the candle far from them but on the dresser next to the items he brought in earlier. Harry gave him the barbecue lighter so he could light the candle and he did.