9 Chapter nine:)
"Fold."
"I bet 75." Niall threw two of the coins in the middle of the table.
"Check," Liam said putting the same coins in the middle. Harry looked at the cards in his hands. "What should we do?" Harry whispered even when he knew that the other boys could hear him too. "Rise. Take two of the 50 and put them on the pile." Harry did as told.
"Now we will place two 100." Louis whispered in Harry's ear, Harry felt his warm breath wander from his ear over to his neck causing a shiver to spread along with his neck shiver.
"Okay. We, we bet 200." Harry added the two coins to the pile. "Okay, who wants to start?"
"Me." Niall showed his two cards as a king of hearts and an ace of clubs. "I got two pairs."
"Harry it's your turn."
"Okay so according to the list we have a flush right?" Harry revealed their cards.
"Yes, that's right. Well well well Liam show your cards." Louis said challengingly with a smirk on his face as if he already knew they won. "Ugh." Liam placed one of his cards next to the king of ace "I have a pair."
"I told you we'll win," Louis said smiling proudly. "But, I also have a second card," Liam said smiling sassy. "Too bad I have a flush as well, just that mine is higher than yours." Niall and Zayn burst into laugher as they saw Louis' face.
"Come to daddy," Liam said grabbing all the coins from the middle and added them to his piles. "Oh, you're gonna pay for this," Louis said acting sulkily.
"Harry it's your turn you have to shuffle and pass out."
"Okay."
"Do you want to try it alone this round?"
"Yes, I think I got it." Harry handed out two cards to each of the boys. And placed the five in the middle.
They played a few rounds, Harry got better and better every round, didn't win a single time but to be honest he didn't care. He had fun and that was all that matters to him.
"I bet 50."
"200." Niall challenged.
"Oh you can't fool me, I know when you're lying Nialler. Check." Louis looked at him through narrowed eyes.
"Check." Liam, Zayn, and Harry said throwing their coins on the pile.
"You start," Niall claimed.
"I have a street. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9."
"Well, I have a full house." Niall smiled wide. "Zayn?"
"I had just a pair." He showed his cards. "And you Liam?"
"Sorry man looks like Niall won." He said putting his cards down.
Harry pretended to cough "I don't want to disappoint you Niall but I guess I have a royal flush."
"No, you don't." Niall laughed unbelievingly. "Yes, I do." Harry smiled revealing the missing queen and 10 of hears.
"You won!" Louis clapped looking wide eyed at Harry as he showed his sunshine smile. "I did." Harry said still taken by surprise. Both jumped in excitement, Niall, Liam, and Zayn just laughed at their reaction. Suddenly Harry found himself back in Louis' arms, he didn't even know how it happened.
Louis' arms were wrapped around him tightly. Harry just closed his eyes and let himself fall into the embrace. Usually, Harry got uncomfortable hugging other people for some reason this time it was different.
Harry pulled away as he noticed that the room was quiet, he cleared his throat "Uhm I'm sorry."
"Let's just k-keep on playing." Harry stuttered turning his head to the table without moving his eyes away from Louis'.
Zayn looked confused as Harry finally managed to take his eyes off of Louis. Liam shuffled the cards and gave Niall a little push so he would stop smiling at them.
"What?" He asked and, wow his Irish accent was sharp sometimes.
"Hand out the cards I will get some snacks." Liam walked towards the kitchen. "And bring some water." Zayn yelled after him.
The boys played multiple rounds and ate a lot of snacks. "Guys, I totally forgot to tell you, what the landlady told me. So, I can already move in on Thursday."
"What?! So early?" Niall looked kinda sad."It feels like yesterday when you were nerdy looking Louis Tomlinson with your huge glasses when I moved in." Niall laughed.
"Oh shut up Horan." Louis laughed.
"I'll miss you too."
"Oh com'ere." Louis pulled Niall into a hug. "Wait I thought you guys are brothers?" Harry wondered. "Yes we are but I'm adopted, that's why we have different sure names," Niall explained as he sat down.
"Alright guys, I will go to sleep now, since it is already 11 pm. and I have the first period tomorrow." Louis got up brushing Harry's shoulders with his hand as he passed him. "Goodnight." He said walking out of the room.
"Good night." All four boys said at the same time.
Harry felt a little uncomfortable now that Louis was gone, he had never been alone with the other boys before. "Are you up to another round?"
"Sure." Harry answered happily.
****
"So you're 17?" Niall took another hand full sour patch out of the bag. "Yes but I turn 18 in February. What about you guys."
"Were all 18." Zayn answered as he threw a 100 coin in the middle. "Really?! I thought you guys were.... older."
"Well, Louis is. He's turning twenty this month. Rise." Liam raised the bet with a 50 coin.
"Twenty?? When?" Harry tried to keep his expression as natural as possible. But he never thought that Louis was two years older than himself. "December 24th. I start. I got a street." Zayn revieled his cards. "Damit." Niall cried and threw his cards on the table "Three of a kind."
"What about you Harry?"
"I bluffed." Liam had already left the round. "Hehe, I wooon!" Zayn sang.
"Okey guys I have to go to sleep now." Harry yawned stretching his arms above his head. "Good night."
"Good night Harry." Harry smiled and walked upstairs. As he opened his door he noticed music coming out of a room across from his. The door was a gap open, Harry walked over to look through it.
The room had a table, bookshelf, and bed in it just like his. He saw Louis sitting at the Table, writing something in a book. Green, blue and pink post-its were spread all over the Table. Harry felt the desire to know what Louis was writing. Suddenly Louis turned around and Harry jumped away from the door, pressing his back against the wall, holding in his breath. What the hell was he even doing?
Harry walked back to his own room to get his pyjamas and washbag and went to the bathroom, he took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, put on his pyjamas, and got back to his room. Harry knew he had to go home again sometime soon to get new clothes because the only thing he had left to wear was his second pair of black jeans and he really didn't want to wear the blue hoodie again.
He took his phone and saw a new mail from the car repair store which said he could pick up his car on Thursday, which fitted perfectly so he could help Louis bring his stuff over to his apartment. Harry placed his phone on the bedside table and took one of the books from the table and started reading. Like he used to before sleep.
****
Harry woke up to a harsh sound coming from outside his room, the book he started reading last night was still laying on his chest. He slowly stood up and walked out of his room to see where the sound was coming from. It came out of Louis' room, He walked over and knocked, as no one responded he decided to just go in and check.
As he stepped in he saw that it was a total mess, the table was upsidedown a few books pencils and the colourful post-its were all strewn across the floor, and Louis was sitting in the corner, his arms wrapped around his bent knees, his head settled on top of them. "Lou?" Harry asked worriedly. Louis looked up his face, red, eyes swollen and watery, tears steemed along his cheeks. Harry felt his heart jump as he saw Louis like that.
"What happened here?!" Louis glanced over to the book he borrowed from Harry a few days ago and whipped the tears away with his sleeve. "Nothing." Harry walked over to the other side of the room to pick up the book, it was opened on page 26. It showed a poem called "no help for that" and was about an empty space in a heart that will never be filled. And it had a pink post-it on it.
Harry looked back to Louis and he could see the pain written in his eyes. Louis crawled over to the books and post-it's and started picking them up. "Go back to your room Harry I will clean it up." Louis' voice sounded unstable and his hands were shaking. Harry knelt down next to him "No I will help you."
"No. I will do it alone please leave Harry!" Louis got up and tried to lift the Table but he was too week on his shaking knees.
"Let me help you." Harry grabbed the Table as Louis dropped it on the ground again "I said no Harry, I want to be alone, just fucking leave okay?" Those words made Harry feel a stinging pain in his heart. Louis went over to the bookshelf and started ripping all the books out and threw them against the wall. Harry had never seen him that mad.
Harry rushed over and tried to stop him by grabbing his wrists "Let go of me Harry!" Louis yelled as more tears slipped out of his eyes, he tried to free himself from Harry's grip, as he broke down in tears. Harry wrapped his arms around the smaller boy tightly, so he wouldn't sink to the ground, he felt how Louis grabbed the back of his hoodie and pressed his forehead against Harry's chest.
"It's okay, shh It's okay," Harry whispered his right hand on Louis' head and the left one around his upper back. Harry felt Louis' shaking body in his arms and heard his hurtful sobs slowly disappearing. What must have happened to Louis that he felt like that? Harry wondered. Louis slowly pulled away and looked up into Harry's eyes, his hair messy and eyes darkened red.
"Was it because of the poem?" Harry asked stroking Louis hair into the right place. Louis nodded, his chin trembled again. They slit down the wall and sat next to each other. "It's, Uhm-" his voice broke. "You don't have to tell me." Harry didn't expect Louis to tell him anything. "My mom died seven months ago, tomorrow," Louis said biting his lip to stop it from trembling, warm tears build up in his eyes, he tried to blink them away.
Harry turned his head to him, a concerning look on his face. "I'm so, so sorry Lou." Louis just stared straight ahead. "She had cancer. One day on a normal school day, I came home and went straight up to my room without saying anything, like always. Niall came towards me and told me that my dad wanted to talk to me, and he had a different look on his face than usual, he seemed off." Louis stopped to breathe in deeply.
"I thought something happened with one of my sisters, but as I saw my dad sitting on my bed with dark red eyes and this expression, I will never forget that expression." Louis tried to catch his breath he had started sobbing again. Harry intertwined his and Louis' hand, it was cold and shaking really bad. "That was the moment I knew what happened." Louis glanced at harry through his teary eyes.
"But the worst is I- I don't remember my last words to her. And, and- I, I haven't been to her funeral because I couldn't handle seeing my dad like that. What awful of a son am I ? she must be so disappointed in me." He smashed his forehead against Harry's chest again and cried even harder than before.
"No, no don't say that she would never be disappointed in you. She is looking down at you and must be so proud about the person you became and she will always, always be by your side." Harry grabbed Louis' hand and placed it right above his heart "Here, right here Lou."
