Harry and Zayn ended up going to the park, strolling around and chatting because Harry got tired of driving.
Zayn didn't understand how he could ever not like driving such a nice car, but he kept that to himself.
"Are you going to be okay opening night?" Harry decided to ask.
"What d'you mean?" Zayn asked.
"Your anxiety. I'm guessing it'll be worse opening night."
"Oh. I don't want to think about that right now. I'll worry about it when it happens." Zayn said.
"Okay." Harry said quietly, not wanting to upset him.
"Look." Zayn smiled, pointing at the ducks waddling into the pond.
Harry smiled, stopping to watch them.
"Let's go sit over there." He said, seeing a bench.
Zayn followed, sitting down next to him.
"Look, babies." Harry smiled, chuckling at the ducklings rushing to keep up.
Zayn smiled a little.
"Seeing things like that makes me think maybe life doesn't suck so much after all." Zayn admitted.
"Yeah?" Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, it's very...pleasing to see. Warms my heart some. That's rare. Sometimes I really struggle to find beauty or happiness in anything." He continued to admit, internally telling himself to shut up.
Harry looked at him. "I know what you mean but I don't think beauty is hard to find."
"Why not?" Zayn asked skeptically, looking back at him.
"Look around. There's beauty everywhere." Harry shrugged.
"I guess." Zayn said quietly, looking back at the ducks.
"I read somewhere once that ducks mate for life." Harry said.
"That's swans."
"Oh. Well I still think it's a good idea." Harry said.
"What?" Zayn chuckled.
"I think it'd be cool if humans mated for life too. Maybe there'd be less...sexually transmitted diseases and uncertainty and heartbreak." He said.
"How would that work, though? The first person you have sex with is the one you mate for life with?" Zayn asked.
"Suppose so." Harry nodded, immediately seeing the flaw.
Zayn chuckled. "Yeah maybe it's best we don't mate for life."
"I'd be stuck with Louis." Harry thought out loud.
"Stuck with? You're so romantic." Zayn chuckled.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just...I believe in variety. I mean not right now because I'm happy with Louis but maybe in the future." Harry said.
Zayn looked at him. "What kind of variety could you possibly be talking about? Girls?"
"No. I don't think I could find a girl with a big dick and a handsome voice who would play with my hair and maybe call me a few private nicknames and spoil me." Harry said.
"Well you never know." Zayn laughed.
"So sounds to me like you wouldn't be with a girl because you want to be the girl."
"If you want to put it that way." Harry smiled.
"Well, it fits you." Zayn said.
"What, being the girl?" Harry smiled.
"If you want to put it that way." Zayn said quietly, looking into his eyes.
They looked fake they were so green and intense.
Harry smiled some more, biting his lip subconsciously and blushing.
Since when had Zayn looking at him made him so nervous?
Zayn looked at all that Harry was suddenly doing, feeling a smile creep up on his lips.
Harry squirmed some, looking away and clearing his throat. "So um, what do you want for lunch? Or- dinner? Or...dunch."
"I don't know." Zayn chuckled, looking at his arm as he felt a rain drop.
Harry felt them too, smiling and leaning his head back so they would hit his face.
"Are we not going to go?" Zayn asked, pulling his hood on and hunching over as the rain began to quickly pick up.
"I love the rain." Harry said softly.
"Okay well it's getting so heavy it's starting to hurt. We're getting soaked!" Zayn said, having to raise his voice to be heard over it now.
Harry didn't reply, smiling and letting the rain soak through his clothes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zayn asked, standing up now.
"Why do people freak out so much about the rain?" Harry asked, lifting his head.
"It feels incredible to me. It's such a calming and peaceful thing."
"Can it be peaceful from your car?" Zayn asked, getting angry.
"Fine, wouldn't want you to melt."
Harry took his time while Zayn rushed to the car.
After they got in, Harry sighed.
Zayn looked at him, watching him move his wet curls away from his face.
He watched the way a few of the curls clung to the skin near his lips, studying how they glided across his skin as he pulled them off.
"I don't know what got into me." Harry said, eventually looking back at Zayn.
"You're pretty weird anyway, no big deal." Zayn said, looking at his wet eyelashes and lips.
He looked at how his shirt stuck to his skin, and how he could see every bit of his torso because of it.
"What influenced you to get a huge moth on your stomach?" Zayn asked, looking at it through his wet shirt.
"It's a butterfly." Harry said, feeling offended.
"Okay, what influenced it?"
"I like butterflies." Harry said quietly, daring to look into his eyes again.
They were so captivating.
"That's it?" Zayn chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm sorry you don't approve." Harry said, glancing at the tattoos peeking out from Zayn's shirt.
He was tempted to criticize his as well but he couldn't exactly see them all.
"I didn't say that. I guess it's not too ugly." Zayn teased.
"It's not ugly at all!" Harry argued.
"A lot of people like my tattoos."
"Yeah? You and your reflection right?"
"No." Harry pouted.
"Yes." Zayn mocked, chuckling.
"Louis likes them." Harry said.
"Ah, well, that's all that matters right?" Zayn continued to tease.
"Pretty much." Harry forced a smile.
"Whatever." Zayn chuckled.
"Can we go get food now?"
"I can't, I'm all wet." Harry said.
"So am I. I'm also starving." Zayn said.
"You promised me food you can't take that away from me." He warned.
"Well....I'll make you a sandwich." Harry shrugged.
"Seriously?" Zayn complained.
"Hey, I make great sandwiches." Harry said, holding his finger up.
"If you don't want that I'll have the cooks make us something." Harry said.
"So...what we're going to your house now?" Zayn asked, not sure he was okay with that.
"Yeah." Harry shrugged with a smile, starting the car.
"Look, I'm wet and unless you have anything else you want to talk about could you maybe just take me home?" Zayn asked.
"Anything else to talk about? So...you care what I have to say?" Harry asked.
"I figured that's the only reason you wanted to hang out. To talk." Zayn said.
"Oh. Right." Harry said quietly, sitting back and pulling his shirt closed.
He suddenly felt a little cold.
"So...." Zayn trailed off.
"Can't we just hang out? Even if there's nothing to talk about?" Harry asked.
"Why?" Zayn asked.
"I like you." Harry mumbled, avoiding his eyes now.
"I want to be friends." He added, even quieter.
Zayn frowned, staring at him without replying.
Harry eventually cut his eyes over towards Zayn, slowly lifting them and looking Zayn in the eyes.
Zayn wanted to ask why again, but he knew things would get awkward.
Though, they were already pretty strange.
There was a weird energy between them lately and today it was showing itself the most.
"That's what we are." Zayn decided to finally say, noticing how Harry was blushing again, his curls still dripping.
"Good." Harry said, smiling.
"I have dry clothes at my house. And we can have whatever you want to eat. And...you know, do whatever you want. Oh, and I have tons of movies and music and stuff if that interests you. What else..." He began to ramble, backing the car up.
Zayn smiled fondly at him, realizing then that Harry really didn't have any friends.
Not any real friends, which was kind of sad.
Zayn never thought he'd be Harry's friend let alone his first real friend, but he didn't really mind.