THIRTEEN

Harry woke up from the honking of the cars behind them. The sun was half up and shone brightly into the car which was why it was so hot in there. "Louis." He slowly opened his eyes "Huh?" He murmured scrunching his face as he looked into the sun. His hair was a mess and he was holding his pillow in his arms, it looked kinda cute. Platonic.

Harry crawled over to the front seat taking a look at the highway. The cars started to move slowly. "Get up, you need to drive." The honking got more. "Hurry!"

"I'm on the way Haz don't rush me." He yawned putting on a shirt and climbing onto the driver's seat. "For god's sake, I just woke up." He said half asleep, turning the key to start the car. Harry's eyelids were still heavy and full of sleep. "Coffee?"

"Coffee."

***

Louis had brought him home. Anne didn't even know that he had been on the highway the whole night, she was at work once again. Harry just fell onto his bed when Niall rushed through the door. "Did you kill him?"

"What?" Harry looked up. "Louis. I can't picture you two in one car without killing each other." Harry let his head fall back into his pillow and silence filled the room. "Or am I wrong? What was with the thunderstorm? I know you are still afraid of them."

"God. I had a panic attack okay!" He exhaled deeply.

"What why didn't you call me?"

"Low battery." Harry ran his fingers through his hair seeing Louis right in front of him, feeling his warm hand around his and- god! He hated this weird tingle in his belly. It started yesterday since they had eaten the sandwiches. He probably didn't take it well. "But it's fine I, uhm." He stopped overthinking if he really wanted to tell him the truth. But god, it was Niall. " Louis kinda... uh, helped me through it?"

He expected a different reaction from Niall than silence. Maybe bursting into laughter or making a joke that he didn't believe. "So just that I get it right," He started talking after minutes, making a few steps closer to the bed with a confused look on his face "Louis helped you? Are we talking about the same Louis? The Louis that you kill with your looks, the one who tries to make you go mad with-"

"Yes, Niall, for god's sake!"

"Uhm, okay?" Niall raised his eyebrows. Harry found the whole thing just as weird as Niall did but to be honest he just wanted to act like it never happened. The whole thing had messed with his head since he had opened his eyes this morning. They hadn't talked about the incident just awkward silence the whole ride back home. Why had Louis been so nice? He was always acting like the bad boy in all those movies, never talked about himself, well except for his conceited comments on himself. But never about his personal life. And- why couldn't he stop thinking about him?! Just forget it. Harry shook his head clean.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's watch a movie."

***

There was nothing but silence and those ocean blue eyes staring into his green ones. Tension so sharp you cold cut I with a knife. Like in the car just that it was in school. Harry sitting in his usual seat in the back and Louis in the one next to him.

"Harry you're drooling wake up!" Niall pulled his sheets away. "Stop it, Niall! Let me sleep." He groaned, burying his face into the pillow. "You are already late."

"No, I'm not." There had been no alarm.

"Yes, you are, check the time."

Harry lifted his head reaching out to grab his phone from the bedside table. "I swear to god Niall if you ar- Fuck!" He jumped up, only 20 mins left before school started, usually, he was on his way to the car by now. "I told you." Harry threw on a shirt and skinnies, brushed his teeth as quick as possible and slipped into his shoes. Wow, seven minutes - that was a new record.

Niall had waited so they could drive together. The tension was weird. Harry could literally hear Niall thinking. Not even the music was able to overtone it. "Can you please stop thinking so loud?" He turned his head to Niall. "If you tell me what happened." Harry rolled his eyes. "If I tell you, we will never talk about it again okay?"

"Okay, now I need to know."

"I need you to promise."

"Yeah, go on." Niall sighed impatiently.

"So we have this deal.." He started to explain from the very beginning. But he left some certain things out, like the things Louis required or how his slight dimples showed up when he smiled back in the car, holding his hand. Too much information, it was unnecessary. The crease between Nialls eyebrows deepened. "But-" Niall slammed the door shut throwing the backpack over his shoulder. "I don't get it."

"Me neither."

"But it's kind of cute how he cared for you."

"Niall!" The blonde boy burst out laughing, Harry just shook his head. "How was your date by the way." He tried to change the subject as he saw amilia standing at her locker smiling over to Niall. "Seems like it went good."

"Uhm," Niall was actually blushing. "You better don't stutter too much, see you." Harry left as Amilia made her way towards them. A smile appeared on his lips, lasting the whole walk to the classroom until he saw Louis. His heart skipped a bit seeing the boy sitting at his usual seat legs crossed on the table again.

"Let's just not talk about it."

"I wasn't about to say anything." Harry expected to see his cheeky smile but instead, Louis just looked straight down at the table.

"Sure. Put your f-"

"Feet down." Louis ended his sentence doing as told. "I know." Why was he even wearing a jumper?? It was almost 30 degrees. However, they didn't talk the whole lesson which he would usually be happy about, but there was something about Louis appearance that didn't add up.

He didn't joke about Harry's shoes or the things on his to-do list.  He just sat there in silence and did his work. Harry should stop thinking about it and just be grateful.

-

The halls were as filled as usual and Harry on his way to his locker when Luke passed him a greeting smile on his face. Harry smiled back not sure what to think, it was the third time this week. Whatever. It was so fucking hot, Harry just wanted to be home and take a long cold shower, only the thought of it made the air set even heavier in his lungs.

"Uhm, what was that?" Zayn asked watching Luke until he disappeared in the crowd. "Luke?"

"Yeah, he looked kind of infatuated with you."

"No, he was just being nice."

"Mhm." Zayn raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Oh, and I'll go to the diner after school, do you wanna join?" He faked a smile.

"I don't know. I actually wanted to study a bit."

"Come on, we didn't hang out in a long time." Harry exhaled deeply "Fine." He shut the locker door watching Zayns white smile grow. "But you have to drive we took Niall's car, and I don't think he's coming home early." Harry nodded to the left where Amilia and Niall were leaning against her locker making out. Zayn's jaw dropped as he looked back to Harry. "Holy shit."

"We are really growing up, aren't we?" They both smiled proudly. It was crazy just how fast everything changed since the start of senior year.

-

The last two lessons passed. Harry had tried to reach out to Louis a few times because his strange acting kinda worried him. He got used to him being a nerve-wracking child, always so energetic, unpredictable and confident. It just didn't fit to see him quiet and put back. Zayn's voice ripped him out of his daydream. "Huh?"

"Did you even listen?"

"Yeah, yeah, about you and Gigi right?" She was the only thing he talked about lately. She had been his crush since Harry could remember, and now that they really grew closer to each other, it became kind of serious. "I just don't want to destroy our friendship."

"But you like her. A lot right?"

"Uh, I- I don't know." He groaned letting his head fall onto his arms. Just when Luke came by, a notebook in his hand carrying a bright smile. "Hey," His voice sounded soft as he stared intensely into Harry's eyes. "Good to see you here again Harry. Looking good today."

"Uh, thanks."

"How can I help you?" Zayn answered his order, after a few silent seconds Harry cleared his throat breaking the eye contact. "I- I will. Uh, take the number 82." He stuttered. Luke wrote it all down. Okay, that was awkward. His eyes glid back to Zayn who was obviously trying to hide his smile with his hand. "Something else I can do for you?"

"No that's it," Harry confirmed coughing awkwardly. "I will be right back." With that said Luke turned on his heels and left back to the counter. And if the situation couldn't get worse he saw Louis. Leaning against a wall behind the counter. "Just being friendly, huh?" Maybe Zayn was right.

"I mean you two would make a good couple."

"Zayn!"

"Okay, okay," He laughed. "But still." He added, receiving a mad look from Harry. "Where did we stop?"

"I don't know if I love her. Or if she feels the same way about me." Harry didn't know much about love, he never had a partner so far in his life but he knew some signs from books and movies. That was all he could help with.

"Does your heart jump when she walks by?" Zayn nodded "Did you and her ever just sit there and stared at each other deeply into the eyes and everything around you seemed to go in slow-motion?" Probably nothing that happens in real life but hey, that's what happens in every rom-com. "When you are with her, does your behaviour change? Or hers?" Zayn drew his eyebrows. "You get all awkward or maybe you feel safer with her or something like this?"

"Does your skin tingle when she touches you? Or your belly tingles just when she looks into your eyes with her clear blue eyes and smiles with a smile made out of sunshine?" Wait? What? Harry cleared his throat. Zayn's look was even more confused as at the start, his eyebrows raised.

"Just some facts I read lately in uh, my- uh the book I bought last week." Harry cleared, shaking his head at himself. "Good I sound like a therapist. I need a wee. I'll be back in a min." Zayn didn't say anything, just sat there, he seemed to be in his thoughts. The crease between Harry's eyebrows got deeper when he over thaught what he had said there.

Harry shook the picture of Louis out of his head when he pushed the washroom door open. His eyes widened at what he saw. What the fuck?! It was Luke, his hand buried in Louis hair, grabbing it tight while he was pressing his lips onto Louis' harshly. Louis leaning at the sink his hands clenched around the edges, so strong his knuckles turned white. The heavy breathing of them both filled the room.

Louis let his hands slide up to Lukes neck pulling him even closer. Harry stumbled backwards through the door hoping they didn't hear him. They probably did, tho. What the actual fuck did just happen??

"Are you ok? You look like you have seen a ghost." Zayn asked as Harry fell onto the bench across from him again. Looking at him wide-eyed. "Wha- What is the situation between Louis and Eleanor?"

"What? They broke up a few weeks ago. Why?"

"I just walked in on Louis and Luke making out." Zayn turned around eyes glued on the blue door. "What?"

"I need to bleach my eyes." What scared him was not the fact that Louis was making out with someone, but the feeling that grew in his chest after he saw it. It didn't let go of him, not even when he was home. Neither did the weird situation that happened after.

Harry eyed his rings as he waited for someone to appear behind the counter. His mind drove him crazy. Thinking about what the two lads were doing at the moment while he was waiting there for them. Zayn was already back in the car. And Harry had to pay. Perfect. He clenched his jaw pushing down the button in the centre of the counter. Labelled as bell.

Only a few seconds later Louis made his way towards him, biting his puffy lip as he leaned his arms onto the counter looking up with glossy eyes one, the right corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "I-I would like to pay." Pull yourself together, it was nothing just Louis being Louis again. "Would be 23.01£ total", Louis opened the till with a click taking the money and putting on his resting bitch face again.

Was he supposed to say bye or something? Harry just took his change avoiding Louis haunting gaze. "See you Haz."

There was definitely too much weird stuff going on in his life. But at least he was home alone. Niall stayed the night at Amilia's, and his mom, well she was at work. Just him and only him. Cuddled up between a few pillows on the sofa watching TV and eating his favourite snacks. All in one perfect. Until he received a call.

Lou.