As You Are » Zarry ✔

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That night when Zayn went home, he wondered how he had never seen him before. He walked the neighborhood all the time and surely he would have remembered someone who was mentally challenged. Especially when they were as sweet as Harry.

But then he remembered how frantic his mother was when she saw him out. How she immediately ran over to him and expressed how much danger he was in when he was outside of the house. And he realized why he had not seen him before. His mother must've kept him sheltered from the world. Poor boy.

Knowing that Harry had slipped from his mother's watch that day scared Zayn. What if he had done it again? And what if this time those boys had come across him again and managed to do more than call him names and push him? What if they actually... hurt him? The thought of it made Zayn worry. Even if he didn't know the boy well, he still wanted to go by and make sure he was okay.

So he did.

It was a weekday after he'd gotten off from work that he drove over to the white house. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. For a while he waited but nobody came. Then just as he was going to make up his mind to leave, someone pulled one of the curtains back. Harry was the one peeking out and he looked surprised when he saw Zayn.

After fumbling with the lock, he opened the door. "I remember you. I forgot your name but... But I remember your face." He said suddenly with a shy tone.

Zayn had smiled big that day. "Yes. I know. I walked you home, remember?"

"Mhm."

"Uh- my names Zayn. And I'm not here to do anything. I promise. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are... You okay?"

He nodded.

"Good." But he looked confused when he realized Harry's mother hadn't come interrupting him. Even more so, if she was so protective, why did she let him open the door in the first place? "Harry." He said cautiously. "Is your mummy home?"

He shook his head. "No. She went with Nana. She said she was coming back."

Zayn was confused. "And they left you by yourself?"

"Yeah."

He didn't understand that. Why would they leave him at home alone? What if he hadn't been someone with good intentions? What if Harry had unknowingly opened his mother's home to a murderer, rapist or thief? Harry would not have known any better. And now as if he wasn't terrified enough, he was even more terrified now.

"Do you know when she's coming back, then?"

"No."

"Okay well... I'll tell you what. I'm going to leave and I want you to lock the door. Don't open it for anyone but mummy and Nana. You hear me?"

But Harry gave him such a kind smile before taking his hand and pulling him in. "I have teddy bears
and...and uhm... And we're watching cartoons."

Zayn was skeptical about being on the other side of that door. "Really?"

They stopped in the living room and he pointed down at them. There were three: A pink bear, a white rabbit and Elmo. "He talks to me." He said pointing at Elmo.

Zayn froze. "He talks to you?"

"Yeah."

Zayn stepped away from him a little bit but not enough for Harry to notice. "How does he talk?"

He picked up the stuffed animal and held it out to Zayn. "Push his tummy."

He carefully reached out to press its stomach.

"That tickles!" A tiny voice said through speakers from inside of it.

He jumped back but couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Oh. He talks..." He said with a breath of relief. "That's really nice, Harry." And now he felt bad for assuming that just because he had a mental disability, that he was also crazy. Because he wasn't. Harry had known exactly what he was talking about. He just expressed it a little bit differently than he himself would have.

"You want to watch cartoons with me?"

Zayn faced the television to see a cat beating himself across the head with a broom as he ran out of the house and into a small garage. He used to watch Tom and Jerry all the time when he was ten or twelve years old. Every now and then, he'd still catch it on TV too. But not so much anymore. He was into other things now. "Sure. I'll watch with you."

Harry was more than happy to hear that. So he rearranged the bears so that Zayn could sit next to him in the middle of the floor.

They ended up watching TV like that for another forty five minutes when they heard keys in the front door. Zayn stood up out of respect but could hardly get up quick enough before Harry's mother ran in with grocery bags in hand. She stopped when she saw Harry and Zayn and calmly sat the bags on the floor. Another older woman came in with no bags in her hand. He assumed she was Harry's grandmother.

"Oh, the car outside belongs to you. Harry, what did Nana and I tell you about letting strangers in the house?"

"He's not." He said with a shake of his head. "He's not a stranger."

Zayn spoke up. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm Zayn. I don't know if you remember me, but I was the one who-"

"I remember." She interrupted, but not in an intentionally rude way.

"Oh."

She looked back at Harry again then examined him for anything. "Are you hurt? Hm?"

"No."

But she still looked up and down his arms and over his exposed body parts just to be sure. "What did you two do while I was gone?"

"Watch cartoons and...and he... Um Elmo- Zayn got to hear Elmo talk."

She put her hand to the side of his face. "He did?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have fun?"

He nodded.

"Good."

She picked up her bags and Zayn interrupted her. "Excuse me, Ms."

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to run, but I should be going. I feel like I've already overstayed my welcome. But Harry's a really nice kid."

"Do not reduce him to a child." The older woman said giving him a glare. "He is a teenager and closer to an adult."

"I'm..." Zayn didn't know what to say to that. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I bet you are."

"Mum." Harry's mother interrupted. "Please."

Harry's Nana then disappeared and Zayn decided now would be a good time to excuse himself once more before he caused any commotion. "I really do have to be going because my parents are probably wondering where I am. But I really did have fun watching TV with Harry. Your son is very nice."

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome. And goodbye, Harry."

"Bye."

After that, he politely went out of the house and out to his car. Harry had watched him from the window that night and waited until he left. When the car pulled off, he went straight to his mother.

"Will he come back?" He asked sadly.

She looked at her son but didn't give him an answer. "I brought home dinner tonight. Why don't you go get washed up so you can eat, yeah?" But soft rakes through his hair did not comfort him at all.